RISE LIKE LIONS FROM SLUMBER
The rich governments of the west, the WTO (World Trade Organisation) and
IMF (International Monetary Fund) were under the illusion, that after
September 11th, the anti-capitalist movement would cease. And they attempted
to exploit this in every way they could. But what they fail to understand
is that the conditions that created the movement, are not only here, but
they are intensifying. So while Bush and his thugs roam the globe - trying
to kill or silence anyone who objects to their barbaric money-grabbing
ways, they will create the conditions that will not only make us bigger
but also more determined - and fight harder for a better world. In Munich
20,000 marched against those war criminals NATO (despite roadblocks, and
a ban on demos), in New York, despite the level of repression, over the
same 3 days 30,000 marched against the educated gangsters of the World
Economic Forum. And in Porto Allegro, Brazil in direct oppositon to the
WEF, 60,000 people gathered for a week long conference under the title
of The World Social Forum and under the banner of ‘Another World is Possible’.
They have tried many things to destroy this movement, even refusing to
report the effectiveness of resistance, in the hope it would not spread
- but it is spreading - we just wont read about it in their media. Over
the last couple of days the Italian Police have been raiding Social Centres,
trying to close down Indy Media sites. They know the truth is spreading.
And we know The revolution will not be televised. That is unless we establish
our own TV stations. Meanwhile real world news! Check out:www.thirdworldtraveler.com
THE NUKERS NUKED IN MUNICH
More than 20,000 activists defied a ban, to protest against the gathering
of those war criminals NATO in Munich. Heavy police repression resulted
in over 700 arrests. But demonstrators were still not thwarted and the
demos continued for three days. Meanwhile a demo in solidarity in Zurich
ended in a riot. Also there was a large demo in Bern as thousands of protesters
traveling to Munich were stopped by cops and turned back. How come we
didn’t see that in the news?
START SPREADING THE NEWS
Meanwhile on the same days as the Munich demo some 30,000 people protested
for three days in New York City, despite the heavy post Sept 11th stigma
and police presence. Some notable writers believed that aggressive police
tactics backfired on them and much of the public were clearly on the side
of the protester. Did anyone see that on the TV?
CANADA SPEEDING UP
As we go to press news is coming through of literally thousands and thousands
of people demonstrating in British Colombia, Canada, against the liberal
government cuts to public funding. Major cuts are to Education, Legal
Aid, Childcare, and Income Assistance to low paid workers and parents.
Do their policies sound familiar? One local activist described it as ‘the
biggest demo ever’ in British Colombia's history.
IN COLOMBIA THE BATTLE RAGES ON
In Colombia President Andrés Pastrana announced this week the end of peace
talks with the FARC revolutionary armies (see picture below) and the beginning
of a military operation in the Caguán area. The so called “Tanatos” (death)
operation has mobilized 13000 Colombian army soldiers. Massive aerial
bombardments are being carried out by planes and helicopters provided
by the United States government and manufactured in places like Sikorski
in Connecticut, USA to help with the “war on drugs”. With this operation
the Colombian government shows that it no longer recognizes the demilitarized
zone and FARC spokespersons as legitamate political representatives. In
January, a very important meeting between the government and the FARC
pointed to an enduring peace agreement. However, this process has had
a backward slide following a rise in the polls for right-wing presidential
candidate Alvaro Uribe and the kidnapping of a member of the senate committee
for peace, senator Eduardo Gechem Turbay. The FARC denies any part in
the kidnapping. Meanwhile the armed Guerrilas are not the only targets
of those sniffing for pats on the heads from the US. 180 Trade Unionists
were murdered in the first 11 months of 2001. By forces closly linked
to the Colombian army. It seems to me though ‘Peace’ means they do what
they want and we don’t fight back.
DIRECT DEMOCRACY IN ARGENTINA
Tens of thousands of Argentinians converged in Buenos Aires to forge alliances
and develop alternatives to the economic and political crisis that is
gripping their country. Through public meetings and protests, people from
virtually every sector of Argentine society are taking matters into their
own hands to come up with solutions to problems that their government
and economists have failed to resolve. On Friday 23rd Feb, thousands of
people converged downtown to occupy Plaza de Mayo for a cacerolazo and
to camp out overnight. On Saturday 24th, an unprecedented gathering of
workers and piqueteros occured downtown. On Sunday, local asambleas from
around the country converged in Buenos Aires for a national asamblea.
And, in some parts of the country, workers have taken over and are running
factories that owners have abandoned. Once a model student of the International
Monetary Fund and promoted as a model for the rest of Latin America to
follow, Argentina fell into crisis under the weight of about $140 billion
in international debt and has instead become a model of an imploding neoliberal
economy. One observer described Argentina as “a laboratory of struggle.”
OPERATION ENDURING NONSENSE
Somalian phone and internet users have become the latest target of the
'war on terror', Somalia Internet Company and the countrie's largest company
al-Barakaat which runs phones and post among other things, are suspected
by the US of funnelling money to al-Qaida. Their assets have been frozen
and their international communications shut down, forcing them to close
and leaving Somalis without internet access and many without the phone.
Many Somalis rely on money being wired from relatives abroad, making this
extra bad news. The companies deny the accusations.
THEY KILL EACH OTHER, WE MAKE £££
Meanwhile, Blair's peacekeeping efforts and foreign trips are once again
undermined by Britain's busy arms trade. Since Jan 1999, £122 million
of arms exports have been licensed by government for sale to India, while
Pakistan have bought £18 million. One is a military dictatorship and the
other is getting flak for human rights abuses in Kashmir. Both countries
have much poverty and perhaps better things to spend their money on, although
the same could be said for Tanzania which will soon be the proud owner
of a shiny new, made in Britain, military communication system.
WORKERS TAKE ON OIL BOSSES
Nigeria's trade unions are resisting fuel price increases of between 18%
and 29%. The government plans to deregulate the petroleum market and attract
investment, but its methods threaten the welfare of many and the NLC (union
umbrella group) are threatening a general strike, similar to the successful
one of 2000.
SCHOOL OF ASSASSINS
There is a place in the USA based at Fort Benning, Georgia, called 'THE
US ARMY SCHOOL OF THE AMERICAS' (SOA) where USA Military and Police experts
have trained and continue to train thousands of Latin American military
and Police. They train them in combat, counter insurgency and interrogation
techniques like torture, execution, blackmail and arresting the relatives
of those being questioned. Of the 60,000 Graduates from the school many
have become notorious dictators like Manuel Noriega and Omar Torrijos
of Panama, Leopoldo Galtieri and Roberto Viola of Argentina, Juan Velasco
Alvarado of Peru, Guillermo Rodriguez of Ecuador, and Hugo Banzer Suarez
of Bolivia. Many others have been responsible for the murders of thousands
of civilians, and for Americas worst human rights crimes. What's more
the fees for students are free. Students at the school will attend such
trying academic classes like 'how to spot a communist/terrorist' (they
are viewed as the same thing). The school has been known throughout Latin
America for years as 'escuela de golpes' or Coup school. Last January
due to years of bad publicity, the US congress decide to reform the school,
they called it the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation
(WHISC) Since then, countless children, women and men have been forced
into exile or made refugees in their own country. Union organizers, student
activists and others working in solidarity with the poor have been assassinated.
Across Latin America, thousands continue to suffer rape, torture, murder,
disappearance and arbitrary detention at the hands of SOA graduates and
their cohorts in the paramilitaries. You've guessed it - the US thought
be changing the name it would dupe people.
On November 20th some 10,00 people marched on the school, with over 3000
breaking through its fences and marching on its grounds. It's good to
know we've got a lot of friends doing stuff over the other side of the
Atlantic.
http://www.soaw.org/
