2006-09-06

6.9.2006 Heiligendamm

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The Prospective Agenda for the 2007 G8 Heiligendamm Summit

Laura Sunderland
Senior Researcher, G8 Research Group August 1, 2006

o Global Economic Imbalances
o Energy and Raw Materials
o World Trade and Intellectual Property Rights
o Poverty and Development Aid
o Africa
o Middle East
o Outreach
o Notes

This prospective agenda is compiled by the G8 Research Group from public sources as an aid to researchers and other stakeholders interested in the 2007 G8 Summit, which will be hosted by Germany in Heilgendamm on June 6-8. It will be updated periodically as the Heiligendamm Summit planning evolves and as more information becomes available about its intended and actual agenda.

Global Economic Imbalances
On July 27, the Financial Times reported that Merkel will focus the summit's attention on global economic matters, such as global imbalances.

Energy and Raw Materials
On July 27, the Financial Times reported that the central topics of the German summit will be global economic imbalances, energy and intellectual property protection.
Sustainable, renewable and environmentally sound energy policy will be a topic for the summit.

World Trade and Intellectual Property Rights
On July 27, the Financial Times reported that the central topics of the German summit will be global economic imbalances, energy and intellectual property protection.
The trade agenda will focus particularly on intellectual property rights.

Poverty and Development Aid
On July 27, 2006, it was reported in the Financial Times that Merkel will lead the G8 away from its focus on development issues.
Chancellor Merkel announced to Russian reporters that while the agenda for the 2007 summit is not finalized, "of course, it will include a struggle against poverty."

Africa
According to Larry Elliot, economics editor of the British daily The Guardian, Merkel has agreed to put Africa on the summit agenda.

Middle East
Chancellor Merkel announced to Russian reporters that "The topics will depend on the situation in the world then and will probably include a discussion on Iran, the Middle East conflict..."

Outreach
On July 27, the Financial Times reported that Merkel rejected a proposal to extend G8 membership to include China, India, Brazil, South Africa and Mexico. This proposal was supported by the UK.
On July 17, 2006, Chancellor Merkel stated that Mexico, Brazil and other countries invited to the 2006 summit will be invited to attend the G8 summit in 2007.

[http://www.g8.utoronto.ca/evaluations/2007heiligendamm/2007agenda.html]

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For mass blockades of the 2007 G8 Summit in Heiligendamm

Block the G8!

Almost every spectrum of the political left - from NGOs, church groups and trade unions, to Attac and the groups and networks of the radical left - have called for protests against the G8 Summit in Heiligendamm (near Rostock in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany), planned for June 2007. Already, a year ahead of the Summit, it is clear that it will be the biggest leftwing mobilisation in Germany in years, in terms of its breadth, number of participants, and the intensity of actions - on top of this, the mobilisation will be international.

According to the plan so far, and the way it was discussed at the Action Conference in Rostock in March 2006, the mobilisation won't be limited to the obligatory big demonstration, counter-conference and cultural event. The perspective held by many is that powerful days of resistance to the G8 and the current world order should also be an opportunity for the possibility of, and forces for, change to be made visible. The migration-political day of action and the camp play a role in this - along with an action perspective yet to be realised: Blockade the G8!

The critique of the G8 always returns to its lack of legitimacy. Alone the construction of the G8 as the group of eight most powerful and economically strong states on Earth illustrates their lack of a democratic basis. Discussions are held and decisions made with global implications, without the vast majority of those affected being represented in any way. But the G8 does not just lack a democratic legitimacy, but also one of political content.

The world dominated by the G8 is a world of war, poverty and misery, a worldwide attack on social and democratic rights, ongoing environmental destruction, and a political practice of removing rights and carrying out torture in connection with the "war on terror". All of this not despite but because of the politics of the G8 states - and the G8's alibi of debt forgiveness and "Help for Africa" cannot distract from this.
The issue here is not that the G8 should make other decisions. Rather, we want to call the G8 and its politics itself into question. We reject the legitimacy of the G8 as a whole. This clear "No!" is also reflected in the form of our protest.

From the perspective of a globalisation from below and a world of solidarity, democracy, peace and respect for natural resources, a political concept and the mobilisation of a large number of demonstrators is necessary, but by no means enough. Along with good arguments, a symbolic and practical break with the G8's claim to power is necessary in order to make clear that we want to do more than just register protest. A practical delegitimation needs to take place which expresses itself in the form of our actions: in which we do not recognise the power of the G8, in which we actively refuse, in which we obstruct. Ultimately, we need to appropriate the collective determination of our future.

Our objective is blockades in which thousands of people from different political and cultural spectrums, and with experience of different action forms, can take part; in which actions do not only respect and tolerate one another, but where a way is found to genuinely act together. For this, we don't need "heroes", but rather the strength which comes from the solidarity and collectivity of many. Our action plans, therefore, are not oriented towards the needs of the apparently most committed or radical. Rather, as calculable situation as possible should be created in which decision making structures are transparent, the boundaries of everyone are respected and a political and practical responsibility for seeing through the blockades are taken on. We are convinced that these are the conditions in which thousands of people from different backgrounds would genuinely be able to actively participate.

Even if the blockades do have a symbolic meaning as a symbol of resistance and social disobedience, we are not aiming for a purely symbolic action. Our objective is a genuine blockade of the 2007 G8 Summit and to cut it off from its infrastructure. We will occupy points through which the enormous number of service providers, translators, ordinary delegation members and so on... need to pass - and we will not leave these points voluntarily. We are not, however, looking for confrontation with the police. Our objective, rather, is to realise lasting and mass blockades, and to create a situation which is calculably and transparently created by as many blockaders as possible.

We understand ourselves as fundamentally in solidarity with action concepts from other leftwing summit opponents and it is not our intention to limit the diverse ways in which the movement expresses itself. At the same time, we take for granted that everyone who takes part in the actions will respect the consensus reached at particular blockade points.

The big opportunity presented by the anti-G8 mobilisation - which motivates everyone involved - is to realise commonality and facilitate communication over the borders which currently divide spectrums and concepts, and on this basis open the movement for many new activists. Through this, a long term strengthening and empowerment of the leftwing political movement could grow from the days of protest and resistance in June 2007. It is on this basis that we are convinced of the necessity to leave divided conceptions of action and blockade forms behind and to look for new forms of commonality in action.

We come from different traditions of protest and resistance: from the youth environmental and anti-nuclear movements, from Attac and the radical left, from non-violent action groups and the autonomous antifascist movement. We bring with us, into this cooperation, diverse and years-long experience of blockade actions: experience from the CASTOR (nuclear waste) transport in the Wendland (in northern Germany), experience of successful blockades of Nazi demonstrations in Berlin, Kiel and Leipzig, experience from the Resist campaign against the Iraq war, and of course experience of summit blockades, for example in Evian in 2003.

Aware of our differences, we have decided to take responsibility for the mass blockades of the 2007 G8. Many questions remain to be answered within an exciting processes of getting to know one another and finding ourselves. For all of us, the conviction about, and optimism for, successful mass blockades of the 2007 G8 summit, along with a lasting, positive action experience for activists can only come from moving beyond the borders of our respective spectrums and acting together.
This Call Out primarily has the objective of presenting our thoughts about mass blockades up until now. We hope that blockade groups which can imagine taking part in such actions will be established in as many locations as possible over the coming weeks and months. With a common "Blockade on Tour" trip, beginning in the Autumn, we hope to be able to support the process of group building. We hope that many of these blockade groups, and others, will come to the International G8 Action Conference in Rostock from 10th-12th November 2006 to call the blockade network into being.

4th August 2006

Antifaschistische Linke Berlin [Antifascist Left Berlin], Avanti - Projekt undogmatische Linke [Avanti - Project for an undogmatic left], Gruene Jugend (Budesvorstand) [Green Party Youth (Federal Steering Committee)], X-tausendmal quer [a network for mass blockades of nuclear waste (i.e. CASTOR) transports].

Along with individual activists from: Attac (Germany), Solid [Socialist Youth], and Werkstatt fuer Gewaltfreie Aktion [Workshop for Non-violent Action].

We are contactable by email via: blockade@g8-2007.de

[blockade@g8-2007.de]

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Mobiler Gipfel der Bewegung
Europatreffen des Netzwerkes Peoples Globale Action

Widerstand in Bewegung - dieser Slogan wird in Frankreich zur Zeit konkret umgesetzt. Noch bis Anfang September findet dort das Europatreffen des globalisierungskritischen Netzwerkes Peoples Globale Action (PGA) statt. Die Aktivisten orientieren sich an der zapatistischen Bewegung. Eine widerständische Haltung zu staatlichen Institutionen sowie eine Absage an Hierarchien gehören zu den Grundlagen des Netzwerkes.
Mit der dezentralen Organisationsweise hat man bei dem diesjährigen Treffen schon mal angefangen. Die Aktivitäten sind nämlich auf mehrere französische Städte verteilt. Begonnen haben sie in einem selbstverwalteten Kollektiv in der Nähe des Örtchens Frayssinous im Süden Frankreichs. Die Protestkarawane wird unter anderem nach Bellevue, Toulouse und Lyon in Dijon Station machen. Dort sollen die Protesttage dann mit einem Kongress beendet werden. "Uns geht es darum, auf unseren Treffen die Art unseres Widerstandes schon ein Stück weit zu leben", erklärte eine PGA-Aktivistin den häufigen Ortswechsel.
Ein allzu trockener Kongress würde auch nicht zum Selbstverständnis einer Bewegung passen, die praktische Aktionen vor endlose Theoriediskussionen setzt. In der Vergangenheit gab es europäische PGA-Treffen im italienischen Mailand, im holländischen Leiden und vor zwei Jahren in der serbischen Hauptstadt Belgrad. Die Themenpalette der in Frankreich angebotenen Arbeits- und Mitmachkreise ist breit. Umweltschutz und Kampf gegen unterschiedliche Unterdrückungsformen stehen ebenso auf dem Programm wie die immer wieder gestellte Frage nach der Durchbrechung der politischen Isolation.
Viele Aktivisten sehen die Chance, gegen den G 8-Gipfel im Juni 2007 im Ostseebad Heiligendamm eine breite Gegenbewegung auf die Beine zu stellen. Deshalb wird die europaweite Vernetzung des Protestes einen zentralen Stellenwert auf dem PGA-Treffen in diesem Jahr einnehmen. Schließlich gehören Gipfelproteste zu den nach Außen wahrnehmbaren Aktivitäten des linken Netzwerkes.
Allerdings wollen die Aktivisten nicht darauf reduziert werden. So beschäftigen sich viele Arbeitskreise auch mit konkreten Alternativprojekten, vor allem im Bereich von Schule und Erziehung. Eine wichtige Rolle hat dabei auch die Beschäftigung mit alternativen Medienstrukturen. Nicht zufällig entstand das Internetprojekt Indymedia parallel zu den beginnenden Gipfelprotesten der Jahrtausendwende.
Doch gerade auf diesem Gebiet hat die mehr als fünfjährige Praxis zu mancher Ernüchterung geführt. Nach den Massenprotesten in Genua 2001 begannen auch für das Netzwerk PGA die Mühen der Ebene. Das Europatreffen in Frankreich ist dabei so etwas wie ein kleiner linker Hügel.
http://pgaconference.org/en/2006

[http://www.nd-online.de/artikel.asp?AID=96317&IDC=41]

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G8 Germany: Activists Reclaim Beach Outside 2007 G8 Summit Venue
Saturday, August 12 2006 @ 11:09 AM PDT

"Camp Inski", the preparation and information camp for the forthcoming G8 summit in Germany drew to a close on August 11, 2006 with a direct action "bathing day" on the beach outside the Hotel Kempinski where the summit will be help. Approximately 400 people followed the call and arrived at the beach from various directions. There were various actions to Samba sounds - apart from the communal swim, a building was briefly occupied, highlighting the expropriation of the Kempinski family by the Nazis. Police used heavy handed tactics, pepperspray and batons when a train was occupied.

swimming against the G8
People faredodged several trains to get to the beach. However, a small holiday train was stopped by police and activists taken off it to walk for much of the way - penned in by police units. The situation at the beach was calm, peaceful and colourful, until several activists occupied a house nearby. A swift eviction was prevented by a show of solidarity of anti-G8 swimmers and the Rebel Clown Army. The Hotel's security guards also couldn't prevent people getting as close as to the Hotel's walls of the future summit venue. Attempted arrests on the beach were also prevented at that time.
Only when about 180 people occupied a train leaving the beach did the police's strategy escalate. Officers shut the coaches doors and sprayed pepperspray into the train. Children and babies were equally affected as asthma sufferers. Several people were taken from the train by riot police and one person kept in custody.
All in all, activists speak of the day as a success, despite the shocking end.
"Camp Inski" opened its doors on 4 August in North West Germany. There, more than 500 activists prepare for the protests against the G8 2007 summit, to be held in the nearby town of Heiligendamm. Numerous workshops and action training provide information and skills while at the same time direct actions are already being carried out in the area.
Somewhat less than one year before the G8-summit, autonomously organized resistance meets and plots for several days in close proximity to the future summit location. Numbers are difficult to guess - several reports speak of more than 500, but the kitchens prepare 1,500 portions per meal.
The Camp tries to unite groups and individuals from diverse political currents - but conflicts have already threatened to split the coalition. A bar collective, trying to raise money for its own political projects, was banned from the camp. The Israeli-Hezbollah war is another dividing factor, with anti-imperialists pledging support for oppressed Arab peoples, while many anti-nationalists denounce the Left's support for Islamic fundamentalism and warn of a new wave of anti-Semitism.
Meanwhile, preparations for the summit are well under way and acts of defiance have already begun. A "Door Knocking" exercise saw activists going from door to door in nearby villages and towns to inform residents of the future protests. A villa was occupied in opposition to the commercialisation of the increasingly posh seaside resort. An anti-racist demonstration was held in the nearby city of Rostock, an area infamous for its neo-Nazi activities. Anti-fascists have also warned of National Socialist infiltration of anti-capitalist protest during the summit.

[http://www.infoshop.org/inews/article.php?story=20060812110919655]