widerst@ndMUND vom 4.
September 2000
01
Nazikonzert in Vorarlberg
[zurück]
From: Ökolinke, OEKOLI_Wien@gmx.net
================================================
In Vorarlberg gab es am letzten Samstag (26.8.) ein Nazikonzert mit 200
Faschoskins aus ganz Europa. Alle umliegenden Lokale mußten aus
Sicherheitsgründen schließen (u.a. ein Punklokal... Umsatzeinbußen
insgesamt
300.000 ÖS!), der Polizeieinsatz kostete 500.000 Öschis. Zu diesem
Konzert
kamen laut ORF Vorarlberg auch Skinheads aus Salzburg angereist (ein schwarzer
Kleinwagen mit einem riesigen 88-Aufkleber auf der Rückscheibe aus Salzburg
war zu sehen). Organisiert wurde das Konzert von einer Vorarlberger Blood &
Honour-Sektion mit internationalen Kontakten.
(Quelle: Kulturverein Sägefisch: <mailto:kvsaegefisch@hotmail.com>kvsaegefisch@hotmail.com)
--
Ökologische Linke (ÖKOLI)
Postfach 28
A-1153 Wien
e-milio: <mailto:oekoli_wien@gmx.net>oekoli_wien@gmx.net
<http://www.oekoli.cjb.net/>www.oekoli.cjb.net
(im Entstehen...)
Wenn ihr an unseren spanischen/französischen/englischen Aussendungen
interessiert seid, um Infos weiterzuverbreiten, meldet euch!
*******************************************************************
don't forget to say hello to echelon:
abhoermethoden, bombe, cia ,datenklau, echelon, freak, grundrecht,
hacking, iridium, joint, kommunismus, lauschangriff, mailbombing,
oecalan, pgp, querulant, rasterfahndung, besetzung, behörde
shell, tristero, urheberrechtsverletzung, wanze, geld, asyl,
ausländer, zukunft, nigeria, ahim, widerstand
LEAVE BUSINESS AND JOIN DEMONSTRATION
02
Abschiebung von Alain-Georges Dougmo
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From: Angelo Luzifero, angelo.luzifero@hbv-th.de
================================================
Bitte unterstützen!
Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren,
Sehr geehrter Herr Innenminister Köckert,
Wir protestieren gegen die Abschiebung von Alain-Georges Dongmo nach
Kamerun!
Alain-Georges Dongmo soll nach Kamerun abgeschoben werden, obwohl sein
Asylverfahren noch nicht beendet ist.
Jährlich werden ca. 30 000 Asylsuchende abgeschoben. Auch Asylbewerber
aus Kamerun erwartet die Ablehnung politischen Asyls. In dieser
Situation befindet sich Alain-Georges Dongmo, der 1997 in Deutschland
Asyl suchte, da ihm aufgrund politischer Aktivitäten in Kamerun die
Inhaftierung drohte. Er beteiligte sich vor seiner Flucht an
Demonstrationen der SDF (Social Democratic Front), in der er auch
Mitglied war. Der Protest richtete sich gegen den Wahlbetrug des
kamerunischen Präsidenten, Paul Biya, und der Regierungspartei CPDM
(Demokratischer Zusammenschluß des Volkes von Kamerun). Das Wahlrecht
für alle Bürger und Bürgerinnen sowie der Regierungswechsel wurden
gefordert.
Alain-Georges Dongmos Bekanntheit in den Medien und seine politische
Aktivität erhöhen das Risiko, nach seiner Rückkehr in Kamerun
mit
Repressalien konfrontiert zu werden.
In Kamerun werden Oppositionelle von Sicherheitsbehörden verfolgt,
teilweise misshandelt und ohne Gerichtsverhandlungen inhaftiert.
Oppositionelle Aktivisten, die bereits ihr Recht auf freie
Meinungsäußerung wahrnehmen, müssen mit dieser Behandlung rechnen.
Zahlreiche Fälle von kritischen Journalisten etablierter Zeitungen,
die wegen "Verleumdung" Haftstrafen erhielten, sind bekannt geworden.
Die Situation in den Gefängnissen ist aufgrund der fehlenden
Versorgung mit Lebensmitteln und Medizin, sowie wegen
Gewaltanwendungen gegenüber den Häftlingen z.T. lebensbedrohlich.
1999 starben mindestens 30 Häftlinge allein im New-Bell-Gefängnis
in
Douala.
Abschiebung bedroht die Freiheit der Person. Viele Abgeschobene werden
im Herkunftsland aufgrund ihres Asylantrages inhaftiert oder verhört.
Eine Inhaftierung ist oft mit Misshandlungen verbunden. Menschen
werden den lebensbedrohlichen Bedingungen, vor denen sie geflüchtet
sind, wieder ausgesetzt.
Alain-Georges Dongmo setzt seine politische Arbeit im Exil fort. Er
ist aktiv bei "The VOICE Africa Forum", bei der Kampagne "Freiheit für
die politischen Gefangenen in Kamerun", bei der "Karawane für die
Rechte der Flüchtlinge und MigrantInnen" und der "Human Rights Defence
Group of Cameroon" (Organisation zum Schutz der Menschenrechte in
Kamerun).
Alain-Georges Dongmos politisches Engagement in Deutschland für die
Freiheit politischer Gefangener in Kamerun stellt die undemokratische
Vorgehensweise bloß, die das Regime gegen Paul Biyas politische Gegner
anwendet. In Hinblick auf den Umgang mit Oppositionellen ist Kamerun
als eines der undemokratischsten Länder bekannt. Dies unter anderem
wegen der Misshandlung politischer Gefangener und Kritiker unter der
Diktatur Biyas seit nunmehr mehr als 15 Jahren. Diese Tatsache wird
auch durch den Bericht von Amnesty International und
Menschenrechtsorganisationen bestätigt.
Keine Abschiebung von Alain-Georges Dongmo!
Bitte schreiben Sie unter der Angabe des Geschäftszeichens 2290230-262
Protestbriefe an den Innenminister von Thüringen, Herrn Christian
Köckert und an das Verwaltungsgericht in Gera, um die Abschiebung
Alain-George Dongmos zu verhindern und seinen Aufenthalt in
Deutschland zu ermöglichen. Die öffentliche Unterstützung seiner
politischen Aktivitäten im Exil ist wichtig, damit sein Asylantrag
angenommen wird.
- Innenminister von Thüringen, Christian Köckert,
Steigerstrasse 24, 99096 Erfurt, Tel: 0049-361-37 900 Fax: 0049-
361-64 31 222
- Verwaltungsgericht Gera, Hainstraße 21, 07545 Gera
An Herrn Innenminister Christian Köckert, Steigerstrasse 24, 99096
Erfurt,
Wir protestieren gegen die Abschiebung von Alain-Georges Dongmo nach
Kamerun!
Alain-Georges Dongmo muss die Möglichkeit gegeben werden, sein
Asylverfahren in Deutschland zu Ende zu führen.
Alain-George Dongmos Asylantrag und sein Schutz vor Abschiebung sind
von allgemeinem Interesse für alle Flüchtlinge aus Kamerun in
Deutschland.
Name und Organisation Adresse Unterschrift
Bitte Kopien an: The VOICE Africa Forum, Schillergäßchen 5, 07745
Jena
Tel: 03641-665214, 423794. Fax: 03641-423795.
E-mail: <mailto:The_VOICE_Jena@gmx.de>The_VOICE_Jena@gmx.de
http.//www.humanrights.de
Bankverbindung: Kto.Nr.231633 905 BLZ: 860 100 90
Solidarität kennt keine Grenzen!
One race - human race
Besuchen Sie uns: <http://www.hbv-th.de/>www.hbv-th.de
03
General Heinz Loquai am 5.9. in Linz
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From: Friedenswerkstatt Linz, friwe@servus.at
================================================
General am 5. 9. bei Veranstaltung der Friedenswerkstatt Linz zu "Medien
und Krieg"
· Dr. Heinz Loquai, Brigadegeneral aD und eh. OSZE-Militärberater am 5.
9. zu Gast beim free speech camp im Rahmen der Ars Electronica
· Unbequemer General wurde von Scharping entlassen, weil er ihn der
Unwahrheit während des Jugoslawien-Krieges überführte
· Veranstaltungstag "Medien und Krieg" mit einer Vielzahl
internationaler Teilnehmer
Heinz Loquai war seit 1996 hochrangiger deutscher Militärberater bei der
OSZE in Wien, zuständig für die Balkan-Mission. In seinem im April
2000
erschienenen Buch "Der Kosovo-Konflikt - Wege in einen vermeidbaren
Krieg" schildert er, wie die Chance auf eine friedliche Lösung des
Kosovo-Konflikts verspielt wurde. Als profunder Kenner der Situation im
Kosovo schildert er detailreich die Zeit von 1997 bis 1999. Er zeichnet
ein sehr differenziertes Bild, das sich von den gängigen
Schwarz-weiß-Klischees und den einseitigen Schuldzuweisungen wohltuend
abhebt. Er erhebt schwere Vorwürfe gegenüber dem deutschen
Verteidigungsminister Scharping bezüglich des sog. "Hufeisenplans".
Nachdem die NATO-Bombardements das Gegenteil dessen bewirkt hatten, was
vorgegeben wurde - massenhafte Vertreibung und Vernichtung - zog
Scharping mit großem Propagandaaufwand den "Hufeisenplan" aus der
Tasche. Dieser Plan sollte belegen, dass die serbische Seite die
Vertreibung der Kosovo-Albaner schon lange vor den NATO-Bombardments
geplant hatten. Loquai liefert eine Fülle von Fakten, die nahelegen,
dass dieser Plan im deutschen Verteidigungsminsteriums selbst entstanden
ist, um die Fortsetzung und Intensivierung der NATO-Bombardements
gegenüber einer kritischen Öffentlichkeit zu rechtfertigen. Mittlerweile
musste Scharping eingestehen, nie den "Hufeisenplan" in Händen gehabt zu
haben. Doch nicht der Verteidigungsminister, sondern dessen Kritiker
musste die Konsequenzen ziehen. Loquai wurde im Juni 2000 aus dem Dienst
der OSZE entlassen.
Der Tag "Medien und Krieg" wird am Dienstag, 5. September von
Friedenswerkstatt Linz und Radio FRO gemeinsam organisiert. Er ist
Bestandteil des "free speech camps" im Rahmen des Ars Electronica
Festivals 2000. In einer Reihe von Vorträgen, work-shops und einer
abschließenden Podiumsdiskussion soll anhand des NATO-Krieges gegen
Jugoslawien aufgearbeitet werden, wie Medien für die Legitimation und
Aufbereitung von Krieg instrumentalisiert werden können, und was
Kriegsgegner dem entgegenstellen können. Neben dem Brigadegeneral Heinz
Loquai sind eine Reihe von profunden, engagierten ReferentInnen
eingeladen:
· Jovanka Matic, von AIM-Belgrad, eines regierungsunabhängigen
Informationsnetzwerkes
· Petar Janjatovic, von RTV Pancevo, eines regierungskritischen
jugoslawischen Radiosenders
· Frank Wichert, Mitarbeiter des Duisburger Institut für Sprach- und
Sozialforschung (DISS)
· Hannes Hofbauer, Journalist und Historiker, Herausgeber des Buches
"Balkankrieg - Die Zerstörung Jugoslawiens"
· Tobias Pflüger, Friedensforscher und Friedensaktivist aus Tübingen
Wir laden Sie sehr herzlich zu diesen Veranstaltungen ein und ersuchen
um Ankündigung in Ihrem Medium. Nähere Informationen unter:
Friedenswerkstatt Linz, Tel. 0732/771094, e-mail: <mailto:friwe@servus.at>friwe@servus.at
Mit freundlichen Grüßen
Gerald Oberansmayr
Zur Person:
HEINZ LOQUAI
Dr. Heinz Loquai ist Brigadegeneral a.D. der deutschen Bundeswehr. Von
1982 bis 1986 war er persönlicher Referent des Staatssekretärs
imVerteidigungsministerium Lothar Rühl. Von 1990 bis 1994 leitete Loquai
das Zentrum für Verifikation in Geilenkirchen, das seinerzeit die mit
dem früheren Warschauer Pakt geschlossenen Abrüstungsverträge
überprüfte. Von 1996 bis Juni 2000 war er Mitglied der für den
Balkan
zuständigen OSZE-Mission in Wien. In seinen Aufgabenbereich fiel u. a.
die Beratung jener OSZE-Beobachter, die den Waffenstillstand zwischen
UCK und serbischen Sicherheitskräften aus dem Oktober 1998 überwachten.
Loquai sorgte im Frühjahr 2000 für Aufsehen, als er mit dem Vorwurf
an
die Öffentlichkeit trat, dass der deutsche Verteidigungsminister
Scharping in bezug auf die sog. "Operation Hufeisen" die Unwahrheit
gesagt hat. Im Juni 2000 musste daraufhin der General die OSZE
verlassen.
Heinz Loquai ist Autor des Buches
"Der Kosovo-Konflikt.
Wege in einen vermeidbaren Krieg"
Nomos Verlag
April 2000
04
Blaue Regenschirme und Haider in Graz
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From: Ökolinke, OEKOLI_Wien@gmx.net
================================================
Mehrstündiges Pfeifkonzert übertönte FPÖ-Wahlkampfauftakt
in Graz
Bei der F-Wahlveranstaltung am Grazer Hauptplatz bewiesen einige
DemonstrantInnen langen Atem: Das Pfeifkonzert dauerte mehrere Stunden.
Erstmals wirklich laut wurde es beim Auftritt von F-Infrastrukturminister
Michael Schmid, der von "stimmenschwachen Typen" sprach und die
DemonstrantInnen als "eine Handvoll von Leuten, für die sich unser Land
genieren muss", bezeichnete.
Bei der Rede Haiders, die vom "Volk" frenetisch umjubelt wurde, ("in 90
von
100 Lkws sitzen Osteuropäer ohne Lizenz", usw.) flog sogar ein Gegenstand
auf die Bühne, der von FP-Leuten mit (blauen) Regenschirmen abgewehrt
wurde.
Als Vizekanzlerin Susanne Riess-Passer ans Rednerpult trat, hatte sie
bereits Mühe, die lautstark skandierenden Demonstranten zu übertönen:
es
werde "keine Steuern- und Gebührenerhöhung" geben, der Staat werde
"bei
sich selbst sparen", "zahlen sollen jene, die es sich wirklich leisten
können", usw.
(Quelle: APA)
05
Worl faces deluge of human traficking
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From: fewor-netbase, fewor@no-racism.net
================================================
World Faces Deluge of Human Trafficking
Date:02-SEP-2000
Author: Will Dunham
Source: Reuters
Forwarded by: <mailto:BURMAJAPAN@aol.com>BURMAJAPAN@aol.com
Style: Mainstream Media Article
Keywords: Labor, Anti-Slavery, Human Rights, International
Rich nations face a rising tide of trafficking in human cargo -- mostly women
and girls forced into prostitution - and have been unable or unwilling to stop
the criminal gangs behind this "modern-day slavery," experts say.
"It is really a sick business and it's a real dark side of the globalization
that's taking place as we've increased interconnection between the countries
and ease with which people can travel,'' said Sen. Sam Brownback, a Republican
from Kansas and one of the chief sponsors of legislation that aims to crack
down on the trade in the United States and abroad.
"It's a global problem and the numbers are significant,'' Regan Ralph, executive
director of the women's rights division of activist group Human Rights Watch,
said. "Our investigations help support the claim that hundreds of thousands
of people have been trafficked.''
The U.S. State Department estimates that more than 1 million people are trafficked
annually around the world; some experts say it could be double that. Most are
forced into the sex trade, others into servitude in homes, factories and fields.
Worldwide, crime syndicates most frequently seize women and girls for the sex
trade from Russia and the other former Soviet republics, large parts of Asia
and Central and South America.
Often victims who are looking to escape poverty in their own countries accept
a fraudulent offer of foreign employment such as child-care or restaurant work,
only to be forced into prostitution in deplorable conditions in a strange country
where they do not speak the language -- supposedly to pay off a phony smuggling
debt of thousands of dollars, experts said.
The women and girls, whose passports and identification papers are confiscated
by the traffickers, sometimes are ``recycled'' -- turned over from one brothel
to another -- and many return home only after contracting diseases such as AIDS.
NEW COMMODITY FOR SMUGGLERS
"Trafficking in human beings, predominantly women and children, is a form of
modern-day slavery,'' said Theresa Loar, the U.S. State Department's senior
coordinator for international women's issues. "At its core, the international
trade in women and children is about abduction, coercion, violence and exploitation
in the most reprehensible ways.''
Laura Lederer, director of the Washington-based Protection Project at Johns
Hopkins University, said a crackdown on the drug trade in the past 20 years
led crime syndicates that had established trafficking routes to turn to a new
commodity.
"The drug laws in countries were really tightening and the law enforcement agencies
were serious about arresting and prosecuting drug traffickers, whereas the laws
on the trafficking of women and children, the human trafficking laws, are nonexistent
or very weak and poorly enforced,'' she said.
The Protection Project has been compiling a database of laws worldwide on human
trafficking and has drawn maps showing the routes used by crime syndicates to
transport victims.
Brownback and Sen. Paul Wellstone, a Minnesota Democrat, are sponsoring legislation
to criminalize all human trafficking, increase prison terms for violators and
provide assistance rather than detention and deportation for victims.
It also would authorise a major U.S. initiative to publicise in other countries
the dangers of human trafficking and require the U.S. government to name countries
that are doing too little to combat the problem. ``I'd like to really see this
as kind of a model for other countries as well,'' Wellstone said.
Some 50,000 people annually -- about half of them in the sex trade - are trafficked
into the United States, according to a CIA estimate. "The trafficking in the
United States is significant, but it's even larger in some other regions where
the borders are not as patrolled and guarded,'' Brownback said.
UN CONSIDERS ACTION
The United Nations, which has no estimate of the number of people trapped in
sex trafficking, is fighting to come to grips with the problem. Negotiators
from more than 100 countries are working in Vienna on a protocol relating to
human trafficking as part of a U.N. convention against transnational crime.
The convention is due to be signed in December in Palermo, Sicily.
The protocol would include demands that countries enact domestic laws against
human trafficking if none exist, cooperate with one another in combating the
gangs responsible, provide services for victims and allow them to remain in
the countries into which they have been smuggled, said Sandro Tucci of the U.N.
Office of Drug Control and Crime Prevention in Vienna.
The United Nations estimates that human trafficking generated $1.5 to $2 million
annually at the beginning of the 1990s but now is in the range of $8 billion
to $9 billion annually in profits to the criminal gangs involved, Tucci said.
The aggressive entrance of criminal gangs from the old Soviet bloc sparked a
major upsurge in human trafficking in recent years. But Human Right Watch's
Ralph said many governments also have been part of the problem, actually nurturing
the brutal trade.
"The question when it comes to stopping human rights abuses is almost always
one of political will. To take trafficking seriously means to actively investigate,
prosecute and punish perpetrators, and that means some countries will have to
change their laws to make that happen,'' she said.
"Others will simply have to enforce their laws. And initiatives like what's
going on at the U.N. right now to negotiate a new international treaty to facilitate
cross-border investigation and prosecution, that's important, too.''
Human Rights Watch is set to release a report in September on the trafficking
of Thai women into the sex industry in Japan. The activist organization previously
has detailed the shipment of thousands of Nepali women into India, women from
Myanmar (Burma) into Thailand, and women from Eastern Europe into Bosnia. A
Human Rights Watch staffer also previously investigated the trafficking of Russian
women into Israel.
Lederer said Russia is a prolific "sender"' country. "So far we've tracked young
women being trafficked from Russia to 43 countries at the last count -- pretty
much every Western European country, Canada, the U.S., Mexico, South Africa,
Australia, New Zealand, Thailand."
She also said women from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh are trafficked in large
numbers into the Middle East, particularly wealthier nations such as Qatar,
Bahrain, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and even Saudi Arabia. And she said
there is significant trafficking from southern and central Africa to Nigeria,
which seems to be a transit point to northern Africa, Spain, and as far north
as Sweden and Norway.
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06
Violent arrests on the anti-capitalist caravan
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From: fewor-netbase, fewor@no-racism.net
================================================
Violent Arrests on the Anti-Capitalist Caravan
Date:02-SEP-2000
Author: Unspecified
Source: France IndyMedia (<http://www.ainfos.ca/>http://www.ainfos.ca)
Forwarded by: Rachel Rinaldo, <mailto:rarinald@midway.uchicago.edu>rarinald@midway.uchicago.edu
Style: Action Report
Keywords: Capitalism-Globalization, Marseilles, France
Several people were violently arrested Thursday afternoon in Marseilles [France]
during the first day of the Anti-Capitalist Caravan's rally. First stop, first
arrests. The Anti-Capitalist Caravan is not welcome in Marseilles. After about
50 people got together for a non-violent assembly (dressed up and riding bicycles
with a sound system), about 30 police including riot police molested the participants.
A young woman and her 4-year old daughter were both hit by the police. Several
people are still in police detention now (Thursday, 10pm).
The Anti-Capitalist Caravan arrived in the afternoon (Thursday 31st August)
at the Huilerie squat in Marseille, the first stop on its tour. It will be criss-crossing
round France for several weeks to inform people about the ravages of capitalism
and to incite people to go to Prague in September to counter the IMF and World
Bank meeting.
It should be underlined that the demonstrations organised by the Caravan are
non-violent. No damage to property or provocation took place.
Some video images have been "saved" where we see the police using unnecessary
force and batons against the non violent participants at the anti-capitalist
karavan in Marseille.
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07
News from the french anti-capitalist caravan
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From: fewor-netbase, fewor@no-racism.net
================================================
news from the french anti capitalist caravan - violent repression
Original Message from: <mailto:desaparecido@gmx.de>desaparecido@gmx.de
dear all,
the french anti capitalist caravan started two days ago. It aims to visit
several cities in France in a combination of information and direct action
about capitalism, the IMF/WB, and the S26 mobilisation etc.
The first stop was in Marseille (South of France) and involved a colorful
event with bicycles, costumes, music and information.
As around 50 people were peacefully gathering on a square, civil cops
appeared making provocations and agressively telling people to leave the
place.
The situation rapidly escaled and was followed by civil police + 30 riot
police beating up people and making several arrests. A mother holding her 4
years old kid asking a policemen what was going on was repeatedly beaten up
with a truncheon before being arrested.
It seems most people have been released by now and the caravan is riding on.
Video and photo material got confiscated, but some shots could be secured.
You can find personal reports (french) and two short real time video footage
of the activity and the repression at
<http://www.france.indymedia.org/>www.france.indymedia.org
an appetiser of what Prag will be like ?
police partout, justice nulle part !
solidarity with the french anti capitalist caravan !!
la lucha sigue !!
for more information about the anti capitalist caravan and Tour updates
<http://www.primitivi.com/>www.primitivi.com
08
Kirchen, ArbeiterInnenbewegung und Rechtspopulismus
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From: Verein Stadtteilzentrum Simmering, stadtteilzentrum@simmeringonline.at
================================================
Kirchen, ArbeiterInnenbewegung
und Rechtspopulismus
Ist "Naechstenliebe" nur mehr eine Ausrede bei
Spendenaktionen zur Beruhigung des Gewissens?
Ist "Solidaritaet" nur mehr der Titel der Zeitung
des Gewerkschaftsbundes? Ist nicht Fremden-
feindlichkeit der Slogan, mit dem Wahlkaempfe
gewonnen werden?
Angesichts einer Regierungspartei in Oesterreich,
die mit auslaenderInnenfeindlichen Parolen ihren
Wahlkampf bestreitet, und brutaler Uebergriffe
gegen auslaendische MitbuergerInnen in mehreren
EU-Staaten haben diese Fragen traurige Aktualitaet.
De Friedensinitiative Donaustadt hat daher
OKR. Mag. Balazs Nemeth und Alois Reisenbichler
eingeladen. OKR. Mag. Nemeth, der auch Stellver-
tretender Vorsitzender der Aktionsgemeinschaft der
Christinnen und Christen für die Friedensbewegung ist,
wird diese Thematik aus christlicher Sicht beleuchten.
Alois Reisenbichler, der in der Friedensbewegung und
in der Sozialdemokratie (Sozialistische Jugend,
Arbeitsgemeinschaft Christentum und Sozialdemokratie)
aktiv ist, berichtet von seinen Erfahrungen in der
Arbeiterinnen- und Arbeiterbewegung.
Die Diskussion "Kirche, ArbeiterInnenbewegung,
Rechtspopulismus" beginnt am Dienstag, dem
12. September 2000 um 19.00 Uhr in der
Wiener Stuben, 1220 Wien, Erzherzog Karl-
Straße 66, (U1 "Kagran", Straßenbahn 25,
"Donaustadtstraße").
09
Fetes de l´humanité: Falsches Datum
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From: Ulrike Krampl, ukrampl@compuserve.com
================================================
Bei der gestern ausgesandten Ankündigung der Fete de l'Huma in Paris hat
sich ein Fehler eingeschlichen: Sie findet statt: 15., 16., 17. SEPTEMBER
(nicht November)
10
200 people rally outside detention center in Melbourne
[zurück]
From: fewor-netbase, fewor@no-racism.net
================================================
200 People Rally Outside Detention Center in Melbourne
Date:02-SEP-2000
Author: Susan Price
Source: Green Left Weekly
Forwarded by: Diane Piedmont, <mailto:feralsage@sprint.ca>feralsage@sprint.ca
Style: Action Report
Keywords: Refugee Rights, Melbourne, Australia
Over 200 people rallied outside the Maribyrnong Detention Centre in Melbourne,
Australia, on August 26, as part of the national day of action for refugee rights.
Under the watchful eyes (and surveillance cameras) of large numbers of police,
including a contingent of riot police on horseback, supporters of refugee rights
along with members of the Somali, Turkish, Kurdish, Kosovar and Iraqi communities
staged a protest, BBQ and soccer match outside the perimeter fence.
The facility is operated by Australian Corrections Management, which also runs
several private prisons in Victoria.
The refugees currently held against their will inside the detention centre were
not to be seen in the grounds throughout the afternoon. However, many of their
written stories were read out by rally participants.
Hundreds of balloons filled with hand-written messages to the refugees were
released by protesters, and when protesters started rattling the fence and chanting
"free the refugees, free them all", mounted riot police barged in front of them.
This provocative move by police could have easily led to a more dangerous situation,
putting the safety of protesters at risk, many of whom were families with young
children.
The day marked the launch by Amnesty International of a postcard campaign, aimed
at federal immigration minister Philip Ruddock. The postcards features a picture
of a doormat accompanied by the words "Refugees and asylum seekers don't want
a red carpet, just a welcome mat".
The accompanying leaflet challenges the myths of an "invasion" by illegal boat
people, and outlines the draconian anti-refugee laws, which have made the Australian
government the toughest on refugees in the world.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can view this article on the Web at:
<http://db.tao.ca/damn/index.php3?&artID=4093>http://db.tao.ca/damn/index.php3?&artID=4093
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<http://damn.tao.ca/>http://damn.tao.ca
11
Support the struggle to stop dam on India´s Narmada River
[zurück]
From: fewor-netbase, fewor@no-racism.net
================================================
Support the Struggle to Stop Dams on India's Narmada River
from: <http://www.corpwatch.org/trac/action/2000/17.html>http://www.corpwatch.org/trac/action/2000/17.html
International Rivers Network and Friends of the Narmada
Posted: September 1, 2000
In mid-September, Indian Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee will come to the US on
a visit to stir up business for India. Join us in sending him a message that
people in the US are opposed to unjust development in the Narmada Valley and
urge him to initiate a review of the controversial Sardar Sarovar Project. Sign
the petition below and circulate it to your friends and colleagues, or sign
the petition online by visiting <http://www.irn.org/programs/india/petition.000823.html>IRN's
website(<http://www.irn.org/programs/india/petition.000823.html>http://www.irn.org/programs/india/petition.000823.html).
Please contact <mailto:swong@irn.org>swong@irn.org
if you are interested in circulating a hard copy of the petition.
PLEASE SIGN AND CIRCULATE BY SEPTEMBER 6!
Shri Pradhan Mantriji (Honourable Prime Minister),
Welcome to the United States of America. We, members of the Indian community
and concerned citizens in the US, would like to voice our full support for the
people fighting against destructive dams in India's Narmada Valley. We believe
that a comprehensive review of the massive Sardar Sarovar Project should be
initiated.
The Sardar Sarovar Project, if completed, would uproot the lives and cultures
of nearly half a million people and submerge tens of thousands of hectares of
forests and fertile agricultural land.No comprehensive policy is in place to
ensure just compensation and rehabilitation for affected people. It has been
demonstrated time and again that there is no land for rehabilitating the hundreds
of thousands of people displaced by SSP.
In your letter to Ms. Medha Patkar (dated Sept. 22, 1999) you acknowledged the
complexity and magnitude of the problem of displacement, but almost a year has
passed and 12,000 tribals, dalits and peasants of the Narmada Valley have once
again been forced to face submergence in this monsoon. They vow to remain on
their lands and risk losing their lands and lives rather than sacrifice for
an unjust project.
The tremendous human and ecological cost of SSP is being justified in the name
of bringing water to people living in the most drought-prone areas of Gujarat
state. Yet, even official estimates indicate that only 2% of Kutch and 9% of
Saurashtra lie in the project's command area. Instead of solving the acute water
shortages in the region, SSP is coming in the way of finding more reliable and
long lasting solutions to the problem of drought, by consuming more than 80
% of the state's irrigation budget.
While the needs of power generation, irrigation, and drinking water are very
real and pressing, the solutions to these problems should also be practical
and just.Effective, equitable and sustainable alternatives exist and have been
practiced in India with much success. Water harvesting schemes in Gujarat and
Rajasthan have enabled several communities to ward off severe water shortages
during the last few years.
We urge you, Shri Vajpayeeji, to pay attention to the voices from the Narmada
Valley, for the voices have in them a conviction of truth. We call on you to
initiate a comprehensive, transparent and participatory review of SSP.What India
sorely needs at this time is a more just and equitable form of development.
We support the people of the Narmada Valley in this quest and will continue
to do so until their voices are heard and justice is done.
Sincerely,
NAME
CITY, STATE
COUNTRY
Citizen of India?
12
India: Outcry at police action against dam protestors
[zurück]
From: fewor-netbase, fewor@no-racism.net
================================================
India: Outcry At Police Action Against Dam Protestors
from: <http://www.corpwatch.org/trac/headlines/2000/301.html>http://www.corpwatch.org/trac/headlines/2000/301.html
Danielle Knight
Inter Press Service
August 24, 2000
WASHINGTON -- Human rights and environmental groups are condemning state police
in India for preventing about 500 people from attending a public hearing on
a controversial dam planned for the Narmada river.
About 40 arrests were also made this week of people trying to attend the same
meeting, held on Thursday, according to protestors in India involved in the
public hearing.
The arrests are the latest in a series of state actions used to suppress dissent
over the controversial Sardar Sarovar Dam project (SSP), according to letters
sent by Amnesty International, International Rivers Network (IRN) and Friends
of the Narmada.
''This latest repressive measure is of course in line with the Gujarat Government's
history of draconian measures to squelch public opinion and the unalienable
rights of citizens to protest against the Sardar Sarovar Project,'' says the
letter to the Gujarat state government signed by IRN and Friends of the Narmada,
two US-based pressure groups.
Amnesty International - which did not state an opinion on the dam - says the
police are violating Articles 19 and 20 of the Universal Declaration of Human
rights which provide that everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression
and the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.
The international human rights watchdog points out that these rights are also
protected in Article 19 of India's constitution.
After the 500 people travelling to the public hearing were stopped near the
border between the states of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, they held a rally where
they were detained. Protestors said police preventing them from travelling further
said they could not pass because the road was slippery, according to Susanne
Wong, an activist with IRN.
With the Indian Supreme Court expected to issue its final ruling on the dam
in the next few months, protests, rallies and international solidarity actions
against the project are heating up.
Activists against the Sardar Sarovar Dam say the project and its associated
infrastructure threaten to displace nearly 500,000 people, mostly poor farmers
and indigenous people. Tens of thousands of hectares of fertile arable land,
forests, ancient temples and sacred burial grounds are also to be completely
submerged by water.
The government argues that the multi-purpose dam would irrigate more than 1.8
million hectares (mostly in the states of Gujarat, some in Rajasthan) and quench
the thirst of the drought prone areas of Kutch and Saurashtra in Gujarat.
But determined to save their homes and livelihoods from inundation, for more
than a decade, the Indian-based Narmada Bachao Andolan (also known as NBA or
Save the Narmada Movement) has organised demonstrations, marches and fasts to
stop the project.
''In the interests of preserving the rights of the people of the Narmada Valley
we demand that further construction on the SSP be halted and that proposals
for alternatives be considered with the seriousness they deserve,'' says the
letter by IRN and Friends of the Narmada.
Among the 30 large dams planned for the Narmada, the Sardar Sarovar dam is the
largest. With a proposed height of 136.5 metres it has become the focal point
of both the dam-builders plans and the NBA opposition.
In the early 1990s, under intense pressure from activists, the World Bank -
which was funding the dam to the tune of 450 million dollars - decided to convene
an independent review committee, known as the Morse Commission.
The first independent review of any of the Bank funded project, the Morse report
indicted the Bank on many counts and tacitly endorsed all the main concerns
raised by the NBA. This forced the Bank to finally withdraw from the project.
Seven years after the Morse report, several international organisations, including
IRN, conducted an investigation into the expected social impacts of the dam.
The team visited resettlement sites as well as villages which are to be submerged,
and ones which are already partly submerged, in the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra
and Madhya Pradesh.
''The people we met at resettlement sites had suffered extreme economic hardship
and psychological trauma,'' said a 1999 letter sent by the organisations to
the World Bank. Many people had been displaced under conditions of intimidation
and physical violence by government authorities, according to their findings.
Tribal families who previously were able to meet most of their basic needs and
sustain their cultural identity from a diverse natural environment are now exposed
to dependency and exploitation by money lenders, land owners and traders, or
face destitution in urban slums, they said.
''Land of totally inadequate quality and quantity has been made available to
the oustees,'' said the letter. ''We heard numerous accounts of broken promises,
threats and neglect from the government authorities.''
13
Workers Power Global Week
[zurück]
From: LRCI, newswire@workerspower.com
================================================
>>> WORKERS POWER GLOBAL WEEK
E-newswire of the LRCI
3 SEPTEMBER 2000
Subscribe to: <mailto:newswire@workerspower.com>newswire@workerspower.com
<http://www.workerspower.com/>http://www.workerspower.com
============================================================
>> WELCOME TO ISSUE #18
Workers Power Global Week is the English language e-newsletter of the LRCI.
To unsubscribe mail to: <mailto:unsubscribe@workerspower.com>unsubscribe@workerspower.com.
Please forward this to
a comrade.
============================================================
IN THIS ISSUE: AUSTRALIA - OLYMPIC BAN ON ABORIGINAL FLAG; FAIRFAX
JOURNALISTS STRIKE AFTER LOCKOUT; WATERCANNON USED ON MIGRANT PROTESTERS -
CLOSE DOWN CAMPS CALL. PLUS: REVIEW OF VERIZON VICTORY and PRAGUE latest.
============================================================
>> CZECH REPUBLIC: "RIOT" HYSTERIA BUILDS AS IMF PROTEST NEARS
Unions, eco-activists and anti-debt campaigners are gearing up for the
Global Day of Action against capitalism, timed to coincide with the annual
meeting of the International Monetary Fund in Prague on 26 September.
Thousands of protesters will begin converging on Prague on Saturday 23
September for an anti-capitalist counter-summit and an anti-capitalist march
organised by an alliance of unions, left groups and the Czech CP. The S23
demo will kick off a week of protest and debate, culminating in a march on
the IMF conference centre on the morning of S26.
The action has won widespread support - as well as NGOs, the US trade union
federation the AFL-CIO calls for solidarity action, together with the
Teamsters and the USAW.
But the Czech media, police and political establishment are in a state of
frenzy about possible violence during the week of action. Last week Czech
police held a well publicised "riot training" day, with a mock crowd
throwing petrol bombs being dispersed by batons, dogs and horses. Czech
papers have accused "foreign activists" of offering paramilitary (!)
training to protesters. Hospitals are to be cleared, and schools closed for
the week.
The co-ordinated nature of the press reports about potential violence bears
the hallmarks of briefings by the FBI and UK Special Branch officers who
have been seconded to Prague.
The LRCI - whose Prague protest website <http://destroyimf.org/>http://destroyimf.org
has received
much media coverage in the past two weeks - is calling on all labour
movement organisations worldwide to send delegations, including legal
observers, to Prague. A spokesperson for DestroyIMF said:
"The media scare is designed to whittle down attendance by trade unions and
mainstream political parties, leaving only a core of extreme left, anarchist
and deep-green activists - who will then be systematically battered and
jailed. This must not happen."
The LRCI this week issued a call for a worldwide general strike and shutdown
on 1 May 2001 in protest at the effects of globalisation on the working
class. It is calling on union activists and left-wing parties to start
organising now for a co-ordinated worldwide protest on that day. For full
details see <http://www.destroyimf.org/dimfpages/pragdec.html>http://www.destroyimf.org/dimfpages/pragdec.html
============================================================
SEPTEMBER 2000: TURN PRAGUE INTO SEATTLE!
Visit <http://www.destroyimf.org/>http://www.destroyimf.org
for full details of mobilisations against
the IMF in Prague 22-28 September. Join us on the anti-IMF demo called by
socialists, trade unionists and working class youth on Saturday 23
September, 1430, Namesti Republiki, Metro Florenc, Praha, Czech Republic.
March to the IMF meeting Palac Kultury, Vysehrad. Come to our
anti-capitalist teach-ins: S24 and S25, 1300, Eden Cinema, Praha. Join us on
S26 at Namesti Miru as we attempt to march to the conference centre. More
details: <mailto:contact@destroyimf.org>mailto:contact@destroyimf.org
============================================================
>> AUSTRALIA: OLYMPIC OFFICIALS BAN ABORIGINAL FLAG
by Workers Power Australia
When Australia won the bid to host the 2000 Olympic Games not all
Australians were celebrating. For many, the fact that Australia had won the
bid over China - on the grounds of China's terrible record on human rights -
was too much to swallow.
Australia itself has a shameful human rights record towards its indigenous
population - the Aboriginal and Torres Straits Island peoples.
State-sponsored inquries into aboriginal deaths in custody and into the
decades of torture and abuse that took place under the policy of removing
Aboriginal children from their parents, document the crimes of the
Australian state - as do numerous court cases over indigenous land rights.
And present-day statistics on indigenous health, education, welfare,
mortality rates, unemployment and imprisonment tell the story of a people
systematically oppressed within the "lucky country".
The Olympics offers an opportunity to protest against the racist Australian
state, and to make the whole world sit up and take notice of the rights and
demands of Australian Aborigines. Australia's political elite is determined
to stop all protests.
To channel anger into effective political protest action, a Sydney-based
alliance - the Anti-Olympics Alliance - has been organising political
demonstrations that will kick off at 10am on 15 September, the day of the
Opening Ceremony.
An Aboriginal Tent Embassy has been set up in central Sydney, which is
planned as an assembly point for protesters on 15 September. But this
peaceful Tent Embassy has recently come under attack from the South Sydney
Council. The council has taken the Tent Embassy to court following the
presentation of an eviction order that could see the Tent Embassy removed
before the start of the Olympic Games.
The Government and big business are desperate to quell the protests during
the Olympics, and to present an unmarred image of Australia to the world.
This they can only do by suppressing indigenous protesters, and by
eradicating all evidence of the truth of indigenous affairs Australia.
Indigenous Australian athletes have been warned that they will risk losing
their medals if they raise the Aboriginal flag at the Olympics.
This threat seeks to prevent any repeat of Cathy Freeman's famous flying of
the Aboriginal flag after winning the 400 metres gold medal at the
Commonwealth Games in Canada - an act for which she was reprimanded by team
officials.
According to the Australian Olympic Committee, flying the Aboriginal flag
would be a breach of International Olympic Committee rules. It would
allegedly put athletes at risk of breaching rule 61 of the Olympic charter,
which states that: "No kind of demonstration or political, religious or
racial propaganda is permitted in the Olympic areas."
Olympic officials have also threatened to close the indigenous cultural
pavilion at Homebush Bay, under the guise of a contract banning political
speeches, demonstrations and marches on the site during the Games. The
700-square metre pavilion is expected to attract up to 9,000 visitors daily
to buy art and artifacts and learn some Aboriginal history. Aboriginal
leaders have warned that any bans could only lead to a heightening of
protest at the site.
Olympic officials have demanded the the right to "review the [historical and
cultural] text of all material on display in the pavilion", and the right to
shut down the pavilion in response to "political activity".
A spokesperson from Workers Power Australia - our sister organisation -
said:
"We must show the world that no matter what intimidation tactics we face,
fighters for indigenous justice will not be silenced, and will not play
along with the government's plans to showcase Australia as a nation without
blemish. The truth is far more ugly. And the truth must come out."
-Support indigenous protest around the Olympics!
-Compensate the stolen generations!
-Land rights now!
-Defend the right of indigenous peoples to self-determination!
For more on the upcoming S11 protest see:
<http://www.workerspower.com/wpglobal/wef.html>http://www.workerspower.com/wpglobal/wef.html
============================================================
>> AUSTRALIA: IMPRISONED MIGRANTS' REVOLT CRUSHED
Police used water cannon and tear gas against migrants at an internment camp
in Woomera, Western Australia after prisoners protested against the inhumane
conditions in the camp.
Buildings in the camp were set on fire and the admin bloc was stoned.
On Saturday, 26 August protests were held outside the Perth, Villawood
(Sydney) and Maribyrnong (Melbourne) internment camps calling for the camps
to be shut down and the internees to be released.
In June 700 prisoners staged a mass camp breakout and headed for local towns
to escape the political and geographic isolation of Australia's
concentration camps.
Migrants are imprisoned without charge, with no access to the courts and
with no right to judicial review. Most of those in the Woomera camp have
been there seven months and come from Iran, Afghanisan and Iraq.
Australia greets illegal immigrants who arrive by boat with 'mandatory and
non-reviewable detention'.
The immigration minister said those who protested would debar themselves of
any eventual asylum under the "good character" clause in Australia's
immigration law.
See also: <http://www.s11.org/>http://www.s11.org
============================================================
>> AUSTRALIA: PICKETS SHUT DOWN FAIRFAX PAPERS
1200 jounralists were locked out of newspapers in Sydney and Melbourne owned
by the Fairfax group. They responded with pickets which prevented
distribution of much of the group's flagship papers: The Age, The Sydney
Morning Herald and the Financial Review. The supreme court responded by
ordering an end to the picket. Jounrnalists from the Media Entertainment and
Arts Alliance (MEAA) returned to work after the company offered
negotitations over a profit sharing agreement that it had reneged on.
More at: <http://www.alliance.org.au/>http://www.alliance.org.au/
============================================================
WORKERS POWER GLOBAL UPDATE
Teach yourself Marxism with our "A to Z of Marxism" and "Marxism: the
Basics" online series. To to
<http://www.workerspower.com/wpglobal/basics.html>http://www.workerspower.com/wpglobal/basics.html
Who was Leon Trotsky? To mark the 60th anniversary of his assasinaton, we
publish online our guide to Trotsky's politics go to:
<http://www.workerspower.com/wpglobal/LDTcontents.html>http://www.workerspower.com/wpglobal/LDTcontents.html
============================================================
>> USA: BALANCE SHEET OF VERIZON VICTORY
by G.R.McColl
On Thursday 24 August some 37,000 members of the Communications Workers of
America (CWA) in Washington, DC and six mid-Atlantic states returned to work
after an historic 18-day strike. Their union negotiators were the last to
conclude a settlement with management at Verizon, the biggest regional
player in the US telecommunications industry and merged with Bell Atlantic.
Representatives of another 35,000 CWA members and 14,000 workers belonging
to the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) in New York
and the six New England states had already cut a deal three days before. But
within 48 hours, flying pickets from the mid-Atlantic states swiftly shut
down Verizon operations at numerous New York workplaces, with the public
blessing of the CWA's district chief, Larry Mancino, and union president
Mort Bahr.
This move certainly hastened further concessions from Verizon bosses and a
victorious end to this round in the battle to sustain and build union
organisation in one of the most strategic sectors of the "new" capitalist
economy.
Despite the ambiguities and deficiencies in the new three-year collective
bargaining agreement, the widespread perception among both workers and
academic commentators is that we can chalk one up for the unions.
According to Verizon's own management, the first day of the strike witnessed
picketing by 14,000 union members at more than 300 sites. By the end of the
strike a backlog of customer repair and installation orders had surpassed
100,000 in the New York and New England region alone. Thousands of Verizon's
25 million residential and commercial customers had temporarily lost
telephone services during the dispute. The widespread problems unfolded even
as Verizon tried to break the strike by placing 30,000 managerial staff on
seven-day, 84-hour weeks.
Verizon bosses also sought and obtained injunctions in a number of cities in
an attempt to beat back effective picketing. Courts in Philadelphia and the
state of Delaware issued orders by the second day of the strike limiting the
number of pickets at company entrances to four.
On the third day of the walk-out there were violent clashes between pickets
and police in New York City, with the cops making several dozen arrests. The
management made wildly exaggerated claims about vandalism by strikers,
alleging that more than 400 incidents had occurred in 48 hours. Verizon
offered a reward of $25,000 (£16,600) for information leading to the
prosecution of strikers and supporters for vandalism or harassment of scabs.
By Thursday 10 August some 10,000 strikers and supporters were marching
through the streets of mid-town Manhattan at mid-day to rally outside
Verizon's headquarters. Not only Ralph Nader (see below) but even Hillary
Clinton felt obliged to get in on the act, as the US senate candidate joined
a CWA picket line in Albany, New York.
The t-shirts worn by workers at a CWA rally in Providence, Rhode Island
summed up the militant mood of many Verizon workers. Bearing the image of a
hooded cobra, the logo read: "Will Strike If Provoked". At one Verizon
subsidiary in New Jersey, not balloted for action, a further 800 IBEW
members simply joined the strike after management threatened them with
disciplinary action for refusing to cross CWA picket lines.
This was an incredibly popular battle despite Verizon's propaganda
offensive. In numerous smaller cities even the local police were seen
donating money to strikers' collections. This level of public sympathy
reflects a widespread feeling of anger at unbridled corporate greed against
the background of stagnating real wages, mounting hours of mandatory
overtime and, with it, intolerable levels of stress.
Verizon exemplifies many trends in the US capitalism over the past two
decades. Its chief executive officer, Ivan Seidenberg received combined
earnings of $13.1 million in 1999. His basic salary alone was $1.2 million,
and that was an increase of 41 per cent over the previous year.
Meanwhile, the average working week for ordinary staff in the US telephone
industry stands at 42 hours, up from 38 hours in the late 1950s. In New
Jersey, where the previous contract had contained no ceiling on overtime
working, many customer service representatives were routinely compelled to
put in an extra 20 hours a week.
Against this background the strike has struck an enormous blow for organised
labour against the global corporations that dominate the "new economy".
For customer service representatives, a cap on mandatory overtime of 7.5
hours will take effect immediately, while for Verizon technicians, operators
and other staff there will be an immediate ceiling of 10 hours, falling to
eight hours next year. Customer service employees will have the guarantee of
30 minutes "off-line" per shift. The CWA also claims that the corporation is
specifically committed to hiring more workers, though as in the case of the
Teamsters' 1997 settlement with UPS, Verizon bosses may renege on the deal.
One of the unions' biggest achievements came with provisions curbing the
bosses' ability to transfer jobs into southern states with ironically named
"right-to-work" laws - a legal charter for keeping the unions out. Most
significantly, Verizon conceded the so-called neutrality card check.
This will mean far greater access for union recruiters to thus far
unorganised sections of the 3,500-strong workforce in Verizon's mobile phone
subsidiary. As a result the unions can avoid the bitter and costly exercise
of a recognition ballot under the supervision of the National Labor
Relations Board.
Robert Ross, an industrial relations academic, characterised the neutrality
card check deal as "a major, major accomplishment for the unions and a major
concession by the company". Elsewhere, US bosses have shelled out tens of
millions on union-busting management consultants to keep their workplaces
unorganised.
The Verizon strike shows the tide is turning in the US class struggle. Along
with the Teamsters' strike three years ago and the recent walk-outs and
inventive protests by mainly Latino janitors in and around Los Angeles,
there is growing evidence of a revival in workers' combativity from
coast-to-coast.
The strike is important, above all, because it took place in the heart of
the new economy. Much of the ideology of US capitalism rests on the illusion
of a golden internet-driven future. The Verizon strike was a sharp reminder
amid the e-frenzy: no workers = no internet and no new economy.
============================================================
>> SEND MONEY TO THE EAST EUROPE FUND
Sections of the League for a Revolutionary Communist International (LRCI) in
the Czech Republic and Ukraine urgently need money. Send UK cheques or
International Money Orders to Workers Power, BCM Box 7750, London, WC1N 3XX,
UK.
============================================================
>> BECOME A CORRESPONDENT FOR WPGW
The LRCI has members across the globe - but there are many countries where
we have no correspondents. Send us your news and views:
<mailto:newswire@workerspower.com>newswire@workerspower.com
14
Melbourne: Student union stifles student´s voice
[zurück]
From: fewor-netbase, fewor@no-racism.net
================================================
Melbourne: Student Union Stifles Students' Voice
Date:02-SEP-2000
Author: Susan Price
Source: Green Left Weekly
<http://www.greenleft.org.au/globalaction/s11/daily/000901_01_students.shtml>http://www.greenleft.org.au/globalaction/s11/daily/000901_01_students.shtml
Forwarded by: Diane Piedmont, <mailto:feralsage@sprint.ca>feralsage@sprint.ca
Style: Action Report
Keywords: Students/Student-Led Movements, Melbourne, Australia
Students' optimism turned rapidly to disgust at Melbourne University
yesterday, when the ALP-led student council succeeded in scuttling a student
general meeting, called to overturn an earlier student union decision to
outlaw support for the September 11 protests against the World Economic
Forum.
Union office-bearers informed the general meeting's organisers at the 11th
hour that they had received a petition for a referendum on the same motion,
superceding the need for the student general meeting.
The referendum will be held next week, but no decision will be announced
until after S11.
The document, allegedly signed by 50 part-time students, was not made
public.
Undeterred, over 350 students went ahead with a meeting in the North Court.
If the meeting had been a legitimate student general meeting, this number
would have ensured a constitutionally binding decision.
According to Ray Fulcher, a member of the S11 club, and an activist with the
Melbourne University Resistance Club, "The turnout by students today
demonstrates that they have strong opinions in favour of the protests
against the WEF and the need for their student union to support this
important event. "Despite the actions of the student union council, the
meeting today was an overwhelming success and represents a moral victory for
students against a conservative and undemocratic ALP-led student union."
"Union president Ben Cass and his ALP ilk are obviously continuing in the
same vein as the actions and statements of Victorian premier Steve Bracks,
who has repeatedly voiced his refusal to support protest action against the
WEF," Fulcher asserted. "This shows that Victorian students are no better
off under Labor than they were under the Kennett government."
Demonstrating their opposition to student union president Ben Cass, students
voted to march to his office and hold a sit-in. Despite over 150 students
having crowded into the student union offices and foyer, Cass was nowhere to
be seen.
Students later continued with their protests, demanding student
union-organised opposition to several corporate projects being pursued by
Melbourne University and its corporate wings.
These include the involvement of a consultancy company in supporting Shell
Petroleum's natural gas projects in Pakistan's largest and oldest national
park.
Redaktionsschluß:
3. September 2000, ca. 22.00 Uhr
Fehler möge frau/man mir nachsehen!
01 Nazikonzert in Vorarlberg
