February 2008
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In case you wonder what happened to the January Newsletter: There wasn't one. In January we had meetings in Ljubljana and Berlin, new funding applications to finish, and actions to do (and spending time in jail accordingly). With big anti- NATO protests coming up, and the 5th anniversary of the Iraq war, we thought it was time for a newsletter on 'Militarization'. So here we go:
**Contents
1. Stop Wars Block NATO! - March 22, Brussels
2. Stop the Shield – March 29, Slupsk - Poland
3. Anti-NATO Days – April 2nd-4th , Bucharest
4. On the Verge – The Smash EDO campaign film
5. Frontex – the militarization of EU's borders
6. The Iraq body count
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1. Stop Wars Block NATO!
Europe serves as a staging ground for military interventions world-wide. The framework can differ: NATO, EU, US coalition of the willing, UN. The target as well: Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon, ....
But the departure points not: military bases, airports and harbours in Europe. Europe hosts a large military intervention machinery protecting economic interests and sustaining the existing global order.
Brussels hosts NATO's European headquarters. Peace activists from all over Europe will join on March 22 2008 for the first edition of 'NATO, Game Over'. Five years after the Iraq war started, we'll go to NATO's
headquarters and close them. Literally. We'll close the gates and entries. Nonviolently and resolutely. At the same time, Bombspotters will enter and inspect NATO for evidence of war preparations.
'NATO – game over' is not a demonstration. Neither is it a game. Uptill today, every nonviolent direct action at or around NATO's headquarters was met with large numbers of police, miles of barbed wire, probhibitions,... This will not stop us. Through nonviolent direct action we prevent wars and stop war crimes.
Join by contacting international@bombspotting.be
or check www.bomspotting.be/
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2. Stop the Shield, March 29 Slupsk – Poland
The Campaign against Militarism, Poles for a Referendum, the Anarchist Federation and other groups are calling for a large-scale mobilization against the installation of missiles and the building of the US base in Poland. The action, called for March 29, can be seen as part of a larger anti-militarist struggle which is taking place throughout Europe (see Brussels and Bucharest).
The action in Poland will take place mainly in the city of Slupsk, near the Baltic Sea Coast. They want to build the base in Redzikowo, 4 kms. from the city. We will go to this town for some direct actions but also will do
some things in Slupsk. To follow up, we would like to hold some public and activist meetings in other, larger cities nearby Slupsk, namely Szczecin and Gdansk.
Currently, the situation with the Polish base in Redzikowo is up in the air, which increases our chances of getting the message across. There is still a chance that the base will not get build and a determined opposition to it will only help those chances.
See www.m29.bzzz.net
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3. Anti-NATO Days April 2nd- 4th Bucharest
In March 2004 Romania became a NATO member. Romania now has military troops in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq. There are 4 US military bases in Romania, hosting more than 2.000 American soldiers. This April Romania will be the host of the 20th NATO summit which will be the largest in the history of NATO. The organizational costs will be circa 35 million dollars. Some of the topics will include: NATO
extension (new member might be Croatia, Macedonia and Albania), the anti-missile defense system, information systems security, energy security...
There will be a range of events in Bucharest and other places. Those coming from the north, can for example stop by at the Anti-NATO info-point in Iasi (at the Ukrainian and Moldovan border) before continuing their way to Bucharest. If you are coming from the south you might be interested in joining the preparation for the Anti-NATO bike tour and the critical mass, to be contacted over katarzis@riseup.net. In Bucharest are plenty of opportunities to join into the Anti-NATO Days: a legal march, direct actions, and many more.
Still you should keep in mind, especially if coming from the west, that the ‘scene’ is not as big and equipped as you might be used to. So try to be as self-organized as possible: bring a sleeping bag, try to organize food (dumpster diving is not so common, but you can still find some stuff) or even join the local FNB group (or bring in your local group for joint actions). Organizing legal sleeping spaces on mass still requires money, so every soli-action is welcome. But also you might want to check out one of the plenty abandoned houses in
Bucharest, waiting for a better use.
For flyer see: www.contra-doxa.com
For more detailed info:
http://contra-doxa.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=25&Itemid=44
For future updates see also www.romania.indymedia.org
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4. On the Verge – The Smash EDO campaign film
In 2004 a group of Brighton peace campaigners began to bang pot and pans outside their local arms manufacturers EDO MBM in disgust of their part in the Iraq war. This has grown into the Smash EDO
campaign, which has cost the company millions, been the subject of large scale police operations and has tested the right to protest in the UK.
Using activist, police and CCTV footage plus interviews with those involved in the campaign, 'On The Verge' tells the story of one of the most persistent and imaginative campaigns to emerge out of the UK's anti-war movement and direct action scene.
check out www.schnews.org.uk/schmovies/index-on-the-verge.htm
and for the campaign www.smashedo.org.uk/news.htm
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5. Frontex – the militarization of EU's borders
What's Frontex? Frontex is the French abbreviation for “frontieres extérieures” (external borders). The full name says more: Frontex is the “European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of the Member States of the European Union”.
The Warszaw-based agency became operative in 2005 and has since then been functioning as the bouncer at the gates of Fortress Europe. Equipped with aeroplanes, helicopters and vessels it is patrolling along the borderline and prohibits migrants from entering. The right to seek asylum is being contested here and, furthermore, organizations supporting refugees estimate that with the arrival of Frontex, the rate of refugee deaths, among those who leave Africa by the sea, has grown – meaning by drowning, hunger and/or thirst.
Read www.no-racism.net/article/2401/
And the German site Frontexwatch www.frontex.antira.info
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6. The Iraq body count
The worldwide update on civilians killed in the Iraq war and occupation.
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Published electronically by EYFA.
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