2007-05-08

May 8th 2007 Heiligendamm

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Appeal to a feminist women/lesbian/transgender resistance

To all G8-Activists

Appeal to a feminist women/lesbian/transgender resistance to the G8 summit in Heiligendamm (Germany)

The next G8-summit conference takes place from 06/06 to 08/06 in Heiligendamm, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. As a feminist women/lesbian/transgender league we appeal to a week of campaigns from 02/06-10/06/07 against the summit conference.

Besides other aims, the G8-summit serves to demonstrate the relations of power in this world in a media-wise effective way. Also, the rulers of the nations, who claim the economic domination in this world, make informal agreements here. They intend to maintain and aggravate the circumstances that are based on exploitation, oppression and utilisation of people and nature.
The logic of dominance, however, does not only pervade the minds of those who force this policy, but it is the basis of thought, feeling and acting of the whole society.
That is why it is important to us to not only offer resistance to the G8 summit but also in our daily life. We call attention to our aims by various actions in several cities.

We turn against patriarchal, capitalist, racist and any other form of oppression. It is important to us to show the link between the circumstances here and worldwide.
We also turn against classifications like man/woman, black/white. Status and chances in our world are influenced by affiliation to these categories.

Against the sexist status quo!
We want a self-determined life, free of domination!

Feminist arguments against G8-Politics

There are many good reasons to question the politics of the G8. A feminist perspective includes broaching the issue of effects on gender relations and the situation of women, lesbians, transgender and transsexuals. Globalisation under neo-liberal conditions aggravates the interaction of relations of power like patriarchy and racism. We assess who profits from this structure and who is particularly disadvantaged. We are aware of the fact that transgender/lesbians/women are affected by or part of different logics of power to a different degree.

The G8 Agenda offers sufficient starting points for feminist criticism - for example:

* Aim of the G8's financial policy is to create a most attractive climate for investments worldwide. This includes accomplishing and developing low-wage sectors with rigid regulations and discriminating working conditions leading to the absolute absence of rights. Here, countries in the global south are in the foreground. Mainly it is women and children who slave themselves away for starvation wages producing cheap clothes, groceries etc. for the rich west.
* The G8 also aims at "fighting poverty". However, they cancel out their schemes, e.g. the dept erasure, by their on policy. Social benefits are cut and common goods, knowledge and services are being privatised. Multinational big concerns are enabled to buy up. Thus, living conditions of most people deteriorate drastically. More than half of the people of our world live in poverty, most of them are women.

* More examples and contributions to the discussion are to be found on the following website: http://dissentnetzwerk.org/node/53

All over the world people no longer accept oppressing conditions and make a stand:
Women's unions in Indonesia fight for better working conditions and for protection from sexual harassment. The "Women's Army for Defence of Water" argues against industry and politics in Mexico.

Let us make a stand too, against those who destroy existences by their greed of gain!

Why we organise ourselves in terms of women/lesbian/transgender

We as a women/lesbian/transgender network want a strong anti-patriarchal opposition to the G8.

Our lives are determined by disadvantage and discrimination derived from gender categorisation and hetero-standardization. This is the basis for thinking, experiencing and acting in our society, even among the left-winged and radically-left movement. We reject this.

We opted for organising in female/lesbian/transgender terms. The individual members in this alliance have different approaches to fighting the sexist normality.
Our strategies range from politics in the name of women/lesbians/transgenders - as it makes patriarchal structures be attacked more easily- to the queer-feminist attempt to do without any of those categorisations - to avoid the danger of reproducing gender categorisation.

Further contributions to the discussion can be found online: http://dissentnetzwerk.org/node/53

What is important to us:
An alliance as broad as possible with all those who have a female background of experience (no matter how it has been acquired) and who want to fight with us for a life free of domination!

Getting organised

The week of actions against the G8-summit will take place in and around Heiligendamm from 02/06 to 10/06/2007. There will be a variety of actions, for detailed information check the website http://dissentnetzwerk.org

At the initial demonstration on the 2nd of June there will be a feminist women/lesbian/ transgender block. On the 5 th of June we`re going to participate in actions on the day against militarism, war and torture. We also want to create a feminist-queer route with the queer network for the star-shaped march on the 7th of June. Moreover, we want to take part in the blockades.

You can find further details about us and other plannings on the net:
www.dissentnetzwerk.org

Latest news and information during that week will be most easily accessible at the different information points.

The camps will not only be used for accommodation but also to make plans and network. There will be a women/lesbian/transgender area.

We plan common actions and campaigns with the queer-network and we will organise our camp areas next to each other.

You can contact us via:
fem-g8 [at] riseup.net

The next Germany-wide meeting:
12./13. May (Rostock)

Moreover, there are activities in various cities. Join in!

Further info: You can find the queer-network on myspace: www.myspace.com/queersagainstg8

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19th of May: Caravan tour starts in Neuburg!

TO ABOLISH ALL REFUGEE CAMPS - AGAINST DEPORTATIONS TO AREAS OF CONFLICT OF THE WORLD !

Download call in german, english, kurdish/Sorani and soon also in arab: www.carava.net

19th of May till 4th of June: Anti-G8-Caravan from Neuburg to Rostock: "We are here because you destroy our countries"

Tourstart in Neuburg, Action-camp at Brandl-lawn: 19th-21st of May

>From 19th of May up to 4th of June 2007, the Caravan for the rights of refugees and migrants is travelling from Bavaria via Thuringen, Hessen, Nordrhein-Westfalia, Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen), and Berlin towards Rostock in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Over there, in the seaside resort Heiligendamm at the Baltic Sea representatives of the richest and most powerful nations in the world, the so-called G8 countries, will meet. Caravan is going to show the connection between the destruction in countries of origin of the refugees because of reckless exploitation and war through the politics of the G8-nations on the one hand and on the other hand the worldwide flight and migration movement. "We are here because you destroy our countries" is the central slogan of Caravan. The nationwide Caravan starts the tour the 19th of May 2007 in Neuburg/Danube.

Since two years refugees in Neuburg are defending themselves against the inhuman Housing in the "lager", against malnutrition by receiving only food packages, against prohibition to work and criminalisation, as well as against the everyday harassments by the social authorities and immigration office. With the start of the Caravan Tour in Neuburg we like to pick up the thread of this impressive protest of the refugees.

Action-camp in Neuburg/Danube: 19th-21st of May, at Brandl-lawn, close to the river Danube (Donau)

Saturday, 19th of May:

Demonstration:
Rally: at 1 o´clock p.m. in front of the refugee camp Neuburg, Donauwörtherstraße 82b

from 2 o´clock p.m.: demonstration through Neuburg, the final rally at Schrannenplatz

from 3.30 p.m.: public hearing about the situation of the refugees in Neuburg at Schrannenplatz

Train from Munich to Neuburg: Meeting point Sat, 19th of May, 10.30 am, Central Station/big Information Board

Sunday, 20th of May:

Action Sunday against the deprivation of rights and deportations of the Iraqian refugees

From 3 o´clock p.m. till the evening:
barbecues, music, football and volleyball games with the women and men and children of the refugee camp Neuburg at the Brandl lawn close to the river Danube (Donau).

Monday, 21st of May:

Rally for the right to stay
>From 10.30 a.m. Rally in front of "Landratsamt" Forchheim, Am Streckerplatz 3
Monday, 4th of June: International Demo in Rostock for Global Freedom of Movement and equal Rights

Close down refugee camps !
The government of Upper Bavaria (Oberbayern) is not going to alter its principle about the forced housing of refugees in the lager in Neuburg. There are people who are being drawn away from their social environment and sent to Neuburg because as a consequence of the proceedings of revocation they lost their flat or house because of prohibition to work. Besides the prohibition to work the Neuburger authorities are putting further pressure on refugees by denying the 40 Euro pocket money per month to make the lives of the refugees as unpleasant as possible. Many families in Neuburg are complaining that they and particularly their children are starving, because the food packages do not contain sufficient food.

However, on the other hand there are also signs of concrete success because of the protests of refugees in Neuburg: As it happens, the Landkreis is opposing generally against the housing of any tolerated refugee in camps. Furthermore, there was an approval to arrange a discussion between the head of magistrate and representatives of the refugees, to liberate the "Residenzpflicht" (the law, not to leave the Landkreis without permission). This affirmation is certainly far from the demand to abolish the racist law of "Residenzpflicht" completely, however, even those little improvements would never have happened without the protests of the refugees. And it is a great success that since two years the topic of the living conditions in the "lager" are now and again in the view of the public.

Also in Forchheim refugees are protesting. There, the inmates of this camp is a right to stay according to the Interior Ministers conference from November 2006 is systematically.
The right to stay instead of deportations!
Beside the inhuman living conditions, for the refugees the main emphasis lies in the topic of threatening deportation. Since three years, the German authorities try to prepare deportations to the Iraq, not considering the deaths day after day, the war, the occupation and terror. Even to asylum granted refugees their refugee status had been withdrawn; permissions to stay in Germany had been rejected or not been extended. Of the 300 refugees who are living presently in the camp in Neuburg, about 60 are from the Iraq. Many of them have been sent to the camp after they received only Duldung (toleration status) , after their refugee status had been rejected. Since the 17th of April refugees from North Iraq are being prepared for deportation. For the sake of the public´s opinion there is the legitimation that for the time being only criminal convicts should be deported. A convict in this case is already one who has been convicted to more than 50 days rate. A refugee can easily get such a punishment (fine) if he travels twice to Ingolstadt without permission, that means, in this case he can be deported. These plans for deportation are only the beginning; on the long run , all Iraqis, who have no safe status, are being threatened.

Also against Ethiopian refugees the German authorities try in cooperation with the authorities of the dictatorial and war forcing regime Ethiopia to force deportations. The Ethiopian regime keeps going a bloody war as deputy of the USA in Somalia, while at the same time the Ethiopian population suffers from poverty and hunger, and all oppositional forces are being suppressed brutally. Since the 11th of September 2001 Germany is cultivating a close political relationship with Ethiopia. Ethiopia is a base of possibilities for military interventions in a part of the world which consists mostly of muslims. In the view of these relations there is a way of playing down crimes of the dictatorial regime and their demand for extradition of the members of the opposition parties by way of deportation.

Nigerian asylum seekers have almost no chances of approval. In this huge country like Nigeria it is possible for anybody to find anywhere a safe little place, according to the Bundesamt. Not considered is that everywhere in Nigeria for the majority of the population the living conditions in the past 30 years have been unbearable, while a corrupt rich elite together with transnational companies like Siemens, Berger-Bilfinger, Shell and Agip exploit the land, destroy the environment and suppress any resistance of the people with military forces.

Iraq, Ethiopia and Nigeria are three acute examples for how Germany terrorises refugees by deportation and at the same time makes war worldwide, supports dictatorships, and profits from corruption and poverty. Deportations and deprivation of human rights are also inflicted on all the other refugees who are coming to Germany in search for security and a human dignified life. Therefore, on the 19th and 20th of May and afterwards, during the Caravan-Tour and in Rostock and Heiligendamm we all together want to step forward and oppose against the inhuman German refugee policies and against the exploiting globalisation of the G8 with our protest and resistance.

In this sense we demand:
a worldwide right for a dignified human existance!
a world without exploitation, oppression and wars!

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QueerFestival against the G8, on the 19th of mai

Dear people, soon we start the summer with political actions against patriarchy, neo-liberalism and corpurate greed up in Heiligendamm. Its gonna be an effektive and stressfull time for all of us.
Thats why we call on everybody to join us for a afternoon and an evening of workshops, cultural events, and great party till the morning at the Köpi, Köpenikerstr. 137, on the 19th of mai, for solidarity with the queerbarrio.

the program is as follows:

17:00 o clock:
In peliculoso (the cinema space): Final evening of the Entzubert, uncomercial queer D.I.Y. filmfestival with films running through the party. The filmfestival starts at the wagonplace Schwarzer Kanal, Michaelkirchstr. 20, few days before, on the 16th of mai.

18:00 o clock:
Workshops including the topicks: "What is the G8 and why are we against it" and "what is queer resistance." There will be some coffee and cakes for the workshoppers, still if u got to much cookies and so at home bring it with also. Also feel free to bring your own workshoptopicks that u think would fit.

22:00 o clock:
Grand performancegala, goes on during the whole festival
Queeromatik, open end discotek in the basement
Anaeroba, live crust punk from Slovenia, plays in KomaF
Videos
Exebition
Installations
Sexy chill out space

Pleace come and join us for loads of unbelivable great fun..

[http://www.queersagainstg8.blogspot.com/]

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Resistance is fertile - Action day global agriculture 3rd of June in Rostock

Every year, 30 million people all over the world die from starvation or malnutrition. Diverse processes like the forced opening of markets, price dictation by supermarket chains, or the export subsidies for food production systematically destroy the existences of numerous small farmers, especially in poor countries. Monocultures and factory farming have catastrophic consequences for natural resources like the soil, water, or biodiversity. Also, the quality of food suffers significantly. Multinational corporations from the North like Monsanto and Bayer are taking over the genetic resources of the South by using 'intellectual property rights' and try in this way to gain control of food production. But in the industrialised countries, there are ruinous price pressures and massive concentration processes in agriculture also. Contrary to the rhetoric of fighting poverty and hunger that accompanies every G8-summit, the rich, industrialised countries are pursuing destructive, extremely neoliberal agricultural and fishing policies that lead to more displacement, hunger, and rapidly growing inequality. The profits of these policies go mainly to multinational companies and large commercial farmers. All over the globe, small farmers, farm workers, and the landless are organising themselves in order to struggle for their interests against large land owners, corporations, governments, and international institutions. They occupy land, fight against the privatisation of water, burn down GMO-fields, and create cooperatives and projects to protect their traditional seeds. They fight for their food sovereignty- the right to decide themselves about their agriculture and nutrition. In solidarity with this global resistance and because food and agriculture are a basis of life for everyone, we are taking our protest to the G8-summit in Heiligendamm.
The action day on the 3rd of June wants to invite as many people as possible to be part of the diverse forms of action. It begins with a protest march with tractors and large puppets through the inner city of Rostock and ends with an event at the 'Agro-Bio-Technikum,' which operates the GMO trial fields in Gross Luesewitz, 15 kilometres east of Rostock. There will be a rally passing through several information and action points. Representatives of small farmer associations, farm worker organisations, and GMO-critical networks from North and South will be participating (Via Campesina, Conféderation Paysanne, and others).

Protest march from the University Rostock to the New Market
* 10.00 Prelude (Faculty for Agricultural and Environmental Science, University Rostock)
* 10.30 Start (Faculty for Agricultural and Environmental Science, University Rostock)
* 11.30 Protest march
* 12.30 Final gathering

Rally from Rostock to Gross Luesewitz
13.30 Start of Rally at location of final gathering, passing by several stations with info and creative actions in relation to the G8 and global agriculture: grain silos in the port of Rostock, strawberry plantation with questionable employment practices, factory farm, fast-food restaurant, institute for animal tests, food discount market, and more
There are no limits to creativity during the actions or to the way of participating in the rally: by foot, rollerblade, bicycle, tractor, car, bus. However, there is a regional train that goes to Gross Luesewitz every hour.
Gathering and village party in Gross Luesewitz
13.00: Colourful protest against the local 'Agro-Bio-Technikum' and its controversial GMO-research and field trials. Gathering, stage performances, information stands, action stands, food stands, street theatre performances, games, music and much more.

Info and contact: Aktionsnetzwerk G8 und Globale Landwirtschaft, www.g8-landwirtschaft.net