[Gipfelsoli Newsletter] June 13th 2007, Heiligendamm

[International Newsletter]

June 13th 2007, Heiligendamm

- British Demonstrator Nearly Blinded by G8 Police
- Legal Team Informations
- NO G8: Heiligendamm Report Back
- What's hot and not
- Deployment of Spy Jets against Protesters Angers German Opposition
- Reflections on Rostock
- G8-Sampler

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British Demonstrator Nearly Blinded by G8 Police

PRESS RELEASE Tuesday 12th June

A British demonstrator at the G8 summit was badly injured by German police water
cannon on Thursday 7th June. Matt from Liverpool said he joined the mass
protests against the G8 meeting in North Germany last week 'to show my
abhorrence to the G8 meetings which perpetuate exploitation, trade injustice
and wars. I was one of over a thousand people at a blockade of the West gate of
the police imposed exclusion zone surrounding the summit venue. The blockade was
a peaceful attempt to hinder access by support staff and delegates to the
meetings, using strictly non-violent means.'
However the festival atmosphere in the sun-drenched fields was shattered by
unprovoked violent assaults by the police against the protesters. Police used
pepper spray, baton charges and water cannons against peaceful demonstrators;
eighteen water cannons were used to fire high pressure concentrated blasts of
water from close range at targeted individuals faces. I was taken by surprise
by a sudden massive blow to my left eye' said Matt 'it felt like my eye had
been knocked out of the socket, the pain was intense. I was blinded for the
rest of the day and my vision will probably be permanently impaired.'
Volunteer medical staff spotted internal bleeding in the eyeball so Matt was
rushed to the specialist eye unit at Rostock's University hospital. Their
clinical examination revealed a tear and other damage to the iris, suspected
detached retina, early signs of cataract and probable glaucoma. The full extent
of the damage cannot yet be determined due to the internal bleeding. This was no
accident, six others suffered similar eye injuries from the water cannon blasts,
including a German journalist covering the events. Another protester sustained a
perforated ear drum. Matt and other protesters are challenging the legality of
the police's actions.

Please contact:
g82007antirep at gmail.com +44 7904452297 Jo Smith for more information


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Legal Team Informations

Saturday, the Legal Team lawyers were 6 hours at the phone with the KAVALA
(Police), JVA's (Prisons) and the procurror emergengy service to find out about
people still in jail. I was already sure in the afternoon that all Police
Stations were empty. We were however suspecting some wrong informations ant it
was still possible that some people were in some prisons as well for long
custody.
Frirday night, 6 people have been released from the JVA Prison in Lubeck and
some others have been transferred to the JVA Prison Waldeck. Nights at 2
o'clock, Anti-G8 people have been released from the Butzow prison at the same
time as Nazi's, resulting in a critical situation for their safety. Hoppefully,
the Prisonner Support Group could at the end drive everybody back home. Saturday
morning, the prison in Butzow was empty and the last 2 people in prison Lubeck
have been released after a solidarity demonstration in front od the jail.
Presently there are still 2 people in the prison of Waldeck. The first one is a
man coming originally from the Turkey and presently asking for asylum in the
Netherlands. In this case, solidarity is particulary important as many turkish
people asking for asylum in Europa in such situations are in danger that the
Turkey request their extradition for political reasons. He has a lawyer from
Rostock.
The second one is a man from Rostock which should have been released already on
the 3rd of June according to the Tribunal of Rostock. He was however kept in
jail after a second decision of the Tribunal of Rostock of which we don't known
the exact date. Nor his lawyer, neither the Legal Team were informed (after the
first decision of the tribunal to release him) of this second decision.
According to our information, he did not yet get any access to a lawyer. The
procurror emergency service has refussed any visit of the Legal Team over the
week-end. He will see a lawyer first on Monday.
Saturday afternoon, the police controlled a man at the Warnemunder plage. He was
kept 6 hours in custody at the police station Ulmenstrasse and released after
the visit of 2 lawyers from the Legal Team.

[g8-2007 at ermittlungsausschuss.eu]


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NO G8: Heiligendamm Report Back

Anti-Capitalist MovementThis year's meeting of the Group of 8 (or G8, the 7
richest nations in the world: Great Britain, United States, Germany, France,
Japan, Italy, and Canada, plus Russia) was held in the resort of Heiligendamm,
Germany from June 6-8th. At the meeting 13% of the world's population was
"represented" while policies were decided that will have tremendous effect for
the other 87%.
NO G8:

June 10, 2007
This year's meeting of the Group of 8 (or G8, the 7 richest nations in the
world: Great Britain, United States, Germany, France, Japan, Italy, and Canada,
plus Russia) was held in the resort of Heiligendamm, Germany from June 6-8th. At
the meeting 13% of the world's population was "represented" while policies were
decided that will have tremendous effect for the other 87%.
In response tens of thousands of demonstrators arrived in the area in an effort
to shut down the summit. The reasons for such a confrontation include the G8's
policies on aid to Africa, the propagation of neoliberal economic
globalization, the neglect of the fight against AIDS, and the inherent and
rabid undemocratic nature of the G8 itself, among many others.
What follows is a brief report back from the front lines of the fight to shut
down the G8. For more information check out de.indymedia.org/en.

Repression
On May 9th state repression of anti-G8 organizing exploded with the raid of 40
sites including private homes, social centers, and the alternative web provider
SO36.net. The locations of what were to be convergence centers in Hamburg and
Berlin were searched by police. The reason given for these provocations was
that they were needed in order to stop leftist groups who were allegedly
forming "terrorist organizations." However, after the police admitted they had
made no arrests and found absolutely no evidence of a terrorist plot or any
illicit materials, it became quite obvious that the real reason behind the
raids was simply to smash the infrastructure that had formed to counter the G8
summit. But the plans of the German police seemed to have failed as following
the raids thousands spontaneously took to the streets in cities across Germany
to denounce the raids and public support for the G8 opposition grew
tremendously.
Around the actual site of the summit in Heiligendamm a 12 km security fence was
built at the cost of $17 million in order to protect the grounds from protests,
and a no-go zone was created to keep people from getting anywhere near the
fence. During May most of the planned demonstrations were banned by the Kavala
(special police) despite having already received permits. After lawsuits were
filed for reasons of unconstitutionality many were then re-permitted, only to
be banned once again days before the G8 began.
Another measure the German state took to repress the anti-G8 movement was the
use of travel bans and the closure of relatively open borders within the
European Union. This same tactic was used to defend the G8 in Genoa in 2001,
where activists were turned away at the French border and prevented from
entering Italy.
This power that was granted under a supposed "State of Emergency" was in
actuality used less than many people thought it would be. But there is one case
worth mentioning where a group of Polish anarchists were stopped on a train
while attempting to enter Germany. The group was told that if they entered the
country they would be immediately arrested and in response they occupied their
train car, hanging banners out the windows, and after awhile were joined by
five Germans. After hours of threats the group left the train once the German
border patrol said that an anti-terror unit would board the car if they
remained.

Hamburg and the ASEM Conference-
The international demonstrations began on May 28th in Hamburg, the first day of
the 7th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM). ASEM is an inter-regional forum consisting
of the European Commission and the 27 members of the EU and the 14 members of
the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Plus Three regional
grouping. The "Three Pillars" of the ASEM conference are political dialogue,
security and economy, and education and culture.
At least 5,000 people--several thousand in the black bloc alone--marched from
the St. Pauli neighborhood of Hamburg. The original route of the march was
changed last minute by the police, despite the demonstration organizers having
secured proper permits. Thousands of riot police (almost outnumbering
protesters) lined the march, completely surrounding it, and numerous police
vans, water cannons, and armored tank-like vehicles used for clearing
barricades followed closely behind. The spirit was lively as the black bloc led
the march through the city streets, followed by a diverse crowd including
marching bands, dancers, and various leftist groups and parties.
As the march neared its destination--the Hamburg city hall where the conference
was taking place--riot police cut off the demonstration. Some of the black bloc
ended up on the other side of the police line and watched quietly while riot
cops kept back the rest of the march.
Soon scuffles broke out between demonstrators and riot police, as the latter
began to forcefully end the march. From that the situation escalated until a
small riot broke out. Bottles were thrown at police vans and riot units and
snatch squads chased after small groups of black-clad protesters. A molotov
cocktail streaked through the sky but missed its target of a police van below.
Fireworks were popping off from all directions. And water cannons soon raced
through the streets, blasting away as the crowd dispersed.
But close by other groups from the black bloc had successfully made their way to
the city hall and small street battles began with the police at the security
fence. At one point a riot cop--who had taken off his helmet and armor--was
caught alone outside his van as the riots drew close. And in a moment
reminiscent of Genoa and the death of Carlo Giuliani, the officer drew his gun.
But just as he raised his gun in the air the back window of his van exploded
from behind him by some flying object and he retreated to cover.
As demonstrators dispersed many headed back to Rote Flora--the huge squatted
theater serving as a social center and convergence point for the G8
demonstrations, which had been a main target of the police raids on May 9th. As
people relaxed, ate food from the kitchen, drank Astra (the local beer, held in
very high esteem), an army formed blocks away.
Thousands of riot police flanked water cannons, vans, and armored vehicles as
they advanced towards Rote Flora. As they arrived they were showered with glass
from beer bottles. Water cannons tried to disperse the angry crowd, most likely
to allow police to enter Rote Flora, but they were held back by a defensive
bloc at the door. Small running street battles continued for several hours as
blockades were formed and subsequently dismantled by police. Finally they
withdrew, but only after taking 86 prisoners throughout the day.
Back at Rote Flora there was an excited atmosphere as the militant march had
largely been able to hold its ground against the repressive police measures,
and people anxiously discussed their journeys to Rostock, where the anti-G8
movement would be based.

Rostock Convergence Center
Many months before anybody came to Rostock for the G8, German activists moved
there in order to prepare the necessary infrastructure needed to oppose such a
summit. Rostock lies roughly 30 km from Heiligendamm and served as the main
point from which the protests were to be centered. Amazingly the city, slightly
disgruntled at the enormous costs of having such a summit nearby, donated a
school building for use as a convergence center.
The Elm-Welk School was a four-story building with three wings, covered ground
to roof in revolutionary murals, banners, and graffiti. Inside was housed a
large Indymedia Center, equipped with computers and video editing stations, as
well as a radio station broadcasting over three continents. There were also two
press groups operating, sending press releases to thousands of media outlets in
over 35 countries. Numerous rooms were set aside for sleeping, a large kitchen,
a bar, a cafe, art room, and outdoor bike workshop, among other facilities.
Despite threats of Nazi attacks and police raids, the convergence center
functioned throughout the summit and was a valuable asset for the
demonstrations.
Many times a tense atmosphere hung over the school during periods where police
or Nazi raids seemed a serious risk. Only on June 7th was there any serious
confrontation, however. A large group of local Nazis, numbering from 50-70,
gathered at the Convergence Center. Soon organized anti-fascist groups from the
surrounding camps arrived at the school to form a counter-presence. Police then
arrived and surrounded the Nazi group and acted as a buffer. Although pledging
not to raid the school, the police did set up a checkpoint for anyone entering
or leaving the building and were conducting mandatory searches, allegedly
looking for "weapons."

Camp Rostock
Camp Rostock was located within the city on a piece of land overlooking a lake
and a Soviet-built nuclear power plant. A few thousand people, mostly from the
groups involved with the Block G8 campaign, as well as other large
organizations such as Attac, were located there, among many others. Because of
its proximity to the city center it was the scene of much police repression
following large actions such as the one in Rostock on June 2nd and after days
of blockades, both of which will be mentioned later. Police checkpoints,
searches, ID checks were all commonplace.
On the night following the first blockades up to 1,000 riot police and two water
cannons surrounded the camp and sealed it off for several hours. They apparently
wanted to enter the camp but their request for a search warrant was denied and
they slowly withdrew and resumed the operation of checkpoints. For the
remainder of the G8 Camp Rostock was without serious threat of a raid.

Camp Reddelich
Camp Reddelich was a half hour train ride from Rostock Main Station. One of the
action camps, it was the closest camp to the security fence and the so-called
"Red Zone." Several thousand made this their home during the summit. The camp
was equipped with an Indymedia Center, several kitchens, a bar, playground,
outdoor projection screen for watching documentaries and G8TV, a stage where
concerts were held each night, and watch towers to spot possible police
attacks.
Police presence was a defining characteristic of the camp. The train station,
the main entry and exit point from Reddelich, was constantly occupied by
several police vans and riot cops, sometimes conducting searches and ID checks.
Police vans drove up and down the road in front of the camp and were
occasionally stationed at the entrance.
Raids were a constant worry at the camp and defensive measures were prepared in
case of attack. Barricades were built from scrap wood and metal, trenches were
dug to stop police vehicles, and bottles and rocks were gathered for defense of
the camp.
The alarms were sounded twice at Reddelich. The first time was on June 6th at
3:30 AM when six vans pulled up to the front entrance and police in riot gear
stepped out. The night watch rang the alarm and the camp quickly awoke and
mobilized. Within three minutes a large black bloc had formed at the front gate
and all around people were standing ready and prepared. The vans left as quickly
as they arrived, however, and the camp settled and returned to sleep.
But the next day, at 5:30 AM the alarm sounded again. An hour earlier there had
been an attempt by a black bloc to leave the camp and head towards the West
Gate to Heiligendamm. Nicknamed the "Suicide March" (in reference to the much
more successful breakout from an encircled camp at the 2005 G8 in Gleneagles,
Scotland), a group of about 300 conducted a desperate attempt to attack the
summit gates after other attempts at coordinating militant marches had failed,
but were met by riot police after leaving the back entrance of the camp. A
fight with the police began and after some arrests the "Suicidals" retreated
back into the camp.
Most likely as a result of this confrontation riot cops amassed at the front
gate. The alarm went off again and the camp mobilized. After a half hour of a
tense and confused waiting game, police backed off and the camp relaxed again.
This was the last serious threat to the camp for the remainder of the G8
summit.

Independent Media
An impressive network of independent media was set up to cover the G8 protests.
There were two Indymedia Centers set up within the city of Rostock--one at the
Convergence Center and another at a school in the city center--one each in Camp
Rostock and Camp Reddelich, and another mobile van that followed the action. An
up-to-the-minute account of the events was kept on the Indymedia website and
was sent out via text message to anyone who signed up for the service. The
"ticker" was kept alert through phone calls from participants of the actions
and proved to be a valuable service. (To see archives of the ticker go to
de.indymedia.org/ticker/en.) Photographers, writers, filmmakers, and techies
from Indymedia collectives from around the world took part in producing the
news for the main German Indymedia site as well as relayed info back home.
A radio group called Jetsam broadcasted from the Convergence Center in Rostock
and through networks with free-radio collectives around the world was able to
be heard in several countries across several continents. With live broadcast
Jetsam relayed the news in German and English as it happened, and also had
specific times to hear a summary of the days' events in multiple other
languages.
G8TV was a video group that formed from a coalition of many different
video-activist groups and individuals. A large group of camera-operators were
present during actions capturing remarkable footage. Individual clips would
then be posted online and also a newshour was produced everyday compiling clips
and interviews from the days' actions, in-studio interviews with organizers, and
other such information. These were then posted online and available for free
download. Each night at the camps G8TV would be projected on large screens so
the camp could have a solid summary of the days' events. (Archives can be
viewed at g8-tv.org.)

The Bombodrom is Settled
At around 4 PM on June 1st 700 anti-war activists occupied the bombing range in
the Bombodrom area for use as an additional camp. The former command tower was
painted an anti-militaristic color of pink in a reference to the German
anti-nuclear demonstrations of the past. In past occupations military
facilities would be painted pink because the military detested the color so
much that it would destroy the buildings instead of leaving them pink.
The camp was left alone because civil police have no jurisdiction on military
bases, and it is believed the military police were busy providing security at
the military airport at Rostock-Laage that would serve as the arrival point of
G8 delegates.

June 2nd
Make Capitalism History: The Riots in Rostock
June 2nd marked the first day of action against the G8 with the Make Capitalism
History march bringing together a very diverse crowd of tens of thousands from
NGOs, trade unions, Communist groups, various leftist organizations, a
5,000-person black bloc, and 13,000 German police.
Initially the police presence along the march route was rather minimal. However,
as the march grew closer to the harbor, where the concluding rally and concert
were to take place, riot police arrived en masse, especially surrounding the
black bloc. Once the bloc had entered the harbor something provoked scuffles
between police and protesters. Several stories have circulated as to the
catalyst of the following events, mostly involving police aggression such as
snatch squads and false arrests, or attempts to divide the black bloc in two
using force, but it remains unclear.
But the reaction was quite the opposite, as has been extensively presented for
view by the international media. The riot police attempting to control the
demonstrations were pelted with bottles and rocks as cobble stones were torn up
from the street for additional ammo. Running battles began, going on and off for
hours. Police would charge and be forced to retreat under a barrage of stones,
chased after by hundreds from the black bloc. Then the situation would quickly
switch, and the demonstrators would run again from a police charge. Cars were
flipped and one set alight for use as barricades, as well as dumpsters and
other objects. One police van was destroyed after being caught on the wrong
side of the street fighting.
Police had been using pepperspray to keep back anyone who got too close,
including nonviolent activists and even the large numbers of press present with
cameras. As things progressed water cannons were brought in and tear gas was
used. By the end of the day over 125 protesters had been arrested in Rostock,
and according mainstream press accounts over 500 injured, 433 of them police
officers. (This last figure is widely believed to be extremely exaggerated by
police and media. But it is certain that many more injuries than reported were
sustained by demonstrators as they were typically treated by the medical
collectives who do not cooperate with the authorities, or simply not treated at
all. It is also fairly safe to assume that the protesters' injuries were far
more serious than those of the police for lack of protective armor and helmets,
and weapons to inflict damage.)

Schwerin: Anti-Fascist Demonstration
But that's not all that happened on June 2nd. Rostock lies in the German
province of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, a region that is known for having its fair
share of Nazis and sympathizers. In the region's capitol, Schwerin, the
super-right nationalist National Democratic Party (NPD) was planning to have
its own anti-capitalist march--but in the name of racism, antisemitism, and
fascism, not self-determination and participatory democracy. In response
anti-fascist groups had been organizing to counter the Nazi march, however in
the days leading up to the 2nd, both demonstrations were officially banned from
the city. The reason given was that the police didn't have enough available
forces to protect the Nazis.
On the morning of the 2nd anti-fascists traveled from Rostock to Schwerin to
confront the Nazis which had pledged to march despite the ban. After leaving
the train station over 150 anti-fascists were immediately surrounded and
detained by the police. Others never left the train station and immediately
returned to Rostock because of the massive repression. Schwerin, however, was
fairly deserted as the Nazi demonstration instead had been discreetly moved to
Berlin, where around 140 were present, and other smaller cities.

June 4th

Japanese Anarchists Confront the Japanese Delegation
A small group of Japanese anarchists travelled to Rostock for the
demonstrations. On the morning of the 4th they entered the hotel where the
Japanese delegation was staying, unfurled banners, and declared their
opposition to the G8 summit. Next year's summit will be held in a spa resort at
Lake Toya in Northern Japan. Check out http://a.sanpal.co.jp/no-g8/ for more
info.

Make Borders History: International Day of Action on Migration
Early on the morning of the 4th around 2,000 people gathered at the immigration
offices in Werftstraße. Although the department was conveniently closed,
supposedly due to a "sudden software breakdown," the rally continued with
street theater, a samba band, and a general lively atmosphere.
A few hours later people moved to the Sonnenblumen House in Lichtenhaben where
there was to be a protest in memory of an incident in 1992 called the "Three
Days in August" where Nazis attacked a refugee center and hostel for Vietnamese
workers for days with rocks and firebombs killing several inside, while police
refused to respond. Awhile after the protest had begun snatch squads of riot
police rush the crowd and dragged out three protesters dressed all in black.
One protester, a refugee from Cameroon, had his nose broken by police when they
charged into arrest the three mentioned above, and a journalist was injured
after police shoved his video camera into his face.
Demonstrators coming by train from Camp Reddelich to the main rally and march of
the day located at an immigrant detention center were repressed through
searches, ID checks, and detentions. Most were able to make it to the main
march just outside of Rostock, but more problems followed.
When the march attempted to leave, police stopped it and the sides were lined
with riot cops, with water cannons and armored vehicles on every side. They
said the reason was that 500 "violent demonstrators" (i.e.- dressed in black)
were present. Despite the demonstration expressing repeatedly that it was
explicitly nonviolent due to the precarious immigration status of many of its
participants, police pledged to arrest anyone wearing a combination of a black
hoodie and sunglasses, or a mask, or holding a bottle.
Finally the march was able to proceed but was frequently stopped for unknown
reasons. Eventually it reached the outskirts of the city of Rostock and was
again stopped by police. They said it could not proceed to its original
destination of the harbor because the permit was only allowed for 2,000 people
and 10,000 were present. In a rare moment the police actually exaggerated the
numbers, as there weren't more than 5,000 present, but the claim successfully
ended the march.
The organizers of the protest urged participants to disperse and congregate in
the harbor. Within an hour or so, despite massive police checkpoints, thousands
gathered in the harbor to continue the protest.

June 5th

Vigil Canceled
A vigil planned by the Occupation 40 Coalition at the security fence was called
off at the last minute. The purpose of the protest was to commemorate the 40th
anniversary of the Six Day War and the Israeli occupation of Palestinian
territory, and protest the construction of the apartheid wall. Organizers
decided to cancel after refusing to be escorted by police and denounced the
police declaration that the action had to be limited to 15 people.
Many who were to go to the canceled vigil then joined the anti-Catterpillar
action at the company's headquarters. Over 350 people protested against the
company's manufacture of bulldozers used by the Israeli army to demolish
Palestinian houses and land.

Blockades Begin
The first attempts to blockade the G8 began on the 5th with arrival of some
delegates and most notably President Bush. Around 4,000 people marched to Gate
2 leading into the fenced off area and around 2,000 attempted to block the
entrance. There were several arrests but a fairly limited police presence.
However 12 police helicopters circled above monitoring the situation, many
carrying rapid-deployment teams of riot police.
Close to the Rostock-Laage military airport, the main arrival point for foreign
delegates, around one thousand people gathered. There was much worry about
arrests as the permit that was attained for the protest was issued only for 50
people, although the number requested by organizers was 1,500. At main
transportation points that lead to the airport buses and trains that normally
run were skipping stops where protesters were waiting. Several buses were
stopped and searched, ID's were checked, and video was taken for identification
purposes. Many planning on attending the demonstration were never able to make
it close to the airport.
Bush was flown in and boarded a helicopter around 7 PM to be taken to
Heiligendamm. Chants such as "George Bush--terrorist!" grew louder and louder,
but his trip was uninterrupted.
Later on several blockades took place along the main road to the airport. Police
made up of units from Berlin made some brutal arrests and snatch squads were
quite active. Late at night, as all bus services were stopped, several hundred
protesters walked back to the main train station to return to their camps,
surrounded by police.

June 6th
On the morning of June 6th people began to leave the camps to head towards
different blockade points as part of the coordinated Block G8 effort. Police
attempted to stop the different convergences but with so much space it proved
impossible as protesters dispersed throughout the fields. By the time the first
main group reached the no-go zone they numbered 5,000. Police helicopters
hovered overhead but generally did not engage the demonstrators below.
Surprisingly many of those trying to reach blockade points were not hassled as
much as was expected by police. Some buses were searched and some were detained
but the massive repression that had been expected, and was foreshadowed by
previous events during the week, was not carried out.
Later however, as about 2,000 people trekked through fields towards the security
fences they were chased by police and water cannons and tear gas was used.
Helicopters occasionally landed teams of riot units to control the
demonstrations but direct confrontations were rare. Overall by the afternoon
the blockades were deemed to generally be a success as over 10,000 people were
participating. 5,000 were blocking Gate 2 alone after skirting police lines,
and most of the roads into Heiligendamm were blocked either by protesters or
police. Around 2:30 PM about 500 participated in the dismantling of part of a
NATO-constructed security fence.
Several of the smaller autonomous blockades were crushed by riot police later in
the afternoon. Dozens were arrested, often brutally, while defending their
positions. The West Gate was officially cleared by police later in the
afternoon after a snatch squad encircled a group of clowns who were then told
to leave or be arrested. By 5 PM the gate was deserted.
The large blockade at Gate 2, however, was still present by nightfall around 9
PM, as well as some other smaller, but still mass blockades on other roads.
Attempts had been made to bring in food and blankets but the police wouldn't
let it reach the blockades. The group at Gate 2 numbered at around 1,000 when
they decided to stay overnight at 10 PM. By this time around 200 arrests were
made during the day, about 60 of which were in a parking lot near the
Rostock-Laage airport.

June 7th
Small blockades were attempted along main roads in the area surrounding
Heiligendamm on the morning of the 7th but many of the participants were penned
in by police in the surrounding woods. All together 80 were arrested from this
action and taken to a detention center. Two journalists who happened to be
nearby were also arrested, their press passes confiscated and stamped
"invalid."
The 7th was supposed to be the date of the Star March, where demonstrators would
leave from five different points and converge on a single target at
Heiligendamm. After initially being banned in mid-May the courts overruled the
decision and the march was to be allowed. However, just days before it was
again banned. From this a meeting was planned for the morning of the 7th at
Camp Reddelich to decide whether to march anyways, without a permit. At 9:30
the group decided to leave the camp and over 2,000 people began their walk
north towards the fence.
Meanwhile the blockade at Gate 2 was still active. Supporters arrived with food
and supplies early in the morning. The police presence was strong but at around
11 AM twenty police vans and a tank left the gate presumably to head towards the
abandoned Gate 1 where the march from Reddelich was expected to arrive.
At around Noon water cannons arrived at Gate 1 just in time to meet the
Reddelich march as they emerged from the woods and scattered into the fields.
About 200 protesters were at the gate and surrounded by police and the first
order to disperse is given. By 1 PM almost 3,000 people were present at Gate 1.
The police attempted to push two groups together in order to clear the road and
scuffles broke out as police used water cannons, tear gas, and batons to push
the crowd while the demonstrators pushed back using banners to try and regain
the road.
Thousands of protesters spread themselves out along the fence throughout the
afternoon in an effort to disperse police. The cops were unable to control the
entire crowd due to the area covered and so were unable to forcefully disperse
the demonstrators.
Meanwhile at Gate 2 water cannons had stood by as the blockade continued. Cars
with G8 delegates were delayed extensively and some eventually had to turn
back. Eventually at around 5:30 PM the water cannons were used to attempt to
disperse the crowd. The same begins at Gate 1 where the police violently
attacked the blockade with water cannons and batons. Several injuries were
reported, one of which was extremely serious forcing the street medics to ask
for help from the police medics to transport the victim to the hospital.
Throughout the night water cannons and police attack protesters as they try and
hold the blockades. By Midnight five people were injured badly enough to have
to be hospitalized, mostly as a result from the water cannons. As the night
turns into morning the blockades are eventually completely cleared by police.

Berlin
On June 8th the G8 officially wrapped up and most began to leave the greater
Rostock area. As the summit closed there was a move to bring things back to
Berlin and continue the spirit of resistance.
A "Reclaim the Streets" (RTS) was organized in central Berlin for 9 PM. Around
300 people showed up, a smaller number than most expected. About an hour later
as the march began police immediately flanked the crowd. The march started to
run down the street and a few car windows were smashed as well as the window of
a building. At the first large intersection police were able to successfully cut
off the crowd.
A small group tried to escape back the way they had come to continue the RTS but
appeared to get cut off as well. As the crowd lingered in the intersection the
mood was tense as riot police surrounded the area. Snatch squads repeatedly ran
into the crowd and dragged people out, creating small scuffles. As the police
had completely surrounded the intersection the crowd slowly dispersed and
eventually the police, too.
Several other small actions in the Berlin area had been rumored to be planned
but nothing was reported to have occurred. And thus was the end of the
resistance to this year's G8.

Conclusion
The blockades seemed to have been the most effective aspect of the week, which
was surprising for many who had opted out of participating in favor of
conducting more militant actions that never really manifested. And it will no
doubt be used by strict pacifists as an example of successful nonviolent direct
action. But it is important to look at the diversity of tactics and how they
compliment each other. During the 1999 anti-WTO protests in Seattle the small
black bloc was generally thought of as a success by the more confrontational
wing of the radical movement and that was possible because the massive
nonviolent blockades detracted most of the police attention. Here the situation
was exactly the opposite. The massive nonviolent blockades were largely
successful because of autonomous blockades and the employment of more
confrontational tactics that took police presence away from the main gates. But
time will tell how these events are analyzed and lessons are learned.
All in all over 700 people were arrested during the protests against the G8
summit. Many had already faced their "fast-track" trials by the time the
conference ended and had been sentenced to long prison terms--up to ten months
without probation in a number of cases--for crimes such as throwing rocks at
the police. The repression against the anti-G8 movement was extreme to say the
least, and will most likely continue for a long while following the conference.
And it should be unnecessary to state this, but nevertheless: As this summit has
drawn to a close we must remember to take the fight back home and keep up the
militancy generally exhibited in the streets and camps surrounding
Heiligendamm. What we saw in Germany was a week of intense action, but what we
didn't see was the massive organizing effort and sustained resistance to
repression that made the counter actions possible. We must always be working
against the G8 and the system they represent.

[http://www.infoshop.org/inews/article.php?story=20070612082401642]


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What's hot and not

* Wandergesellen
An itinerant crafts people with a tradition dating back to the 12th century. Not
only do they sport shapely, arse-hugging, double zipper cords and sexy Han Solo
waistcoats they also created the most incredible camp at Reddelich. We were all
feeling the spacious showers, the capacious bar and the bodacious children's
playground. As a cultural phenomena they have gone from geek to chic in an
astonishingly short space of time

* Widening the cracks*
The resistance metaphor du jour and an 'an endless source of smirks, giggles and
wise-cracks'. ho ho! . From the five fingers* widening the cracks of the G8
summit itself to the Anarchist Teapot Sound System  for widening the cracks of
activist music dogma. -cracks were widened everywhere.

* The unsung heroes of the resistance
It was not all about front-line glory - from the guy who spent every afternoon
picking up the litter,   Carlos Camper who fielded the world's media at the
camp gates to the people that held the front-line of porta-loo hygiene. None of
it would have been possible without them.

* Tandems - the new buddies

* The Concierge - Welcome tents are so last year

* Centralised washing up systems
A massive leap forward in camp hygiene and a possible explanation for this
year's lack of Dissent!ry

* Pink and black international brigades t-shirts
This season's must have commodification of our resistance

* Out of Action barrio
Providing medical help, chill out, support spaces and great coffee!
Mobile Kitchens at the blockades for feeding the front lines

* The Hedonist International
For squatting extra land at Rostock, for the old skool hay bale rave and for
mobilising the musical cavalry to the demos and blockades
Working with the local communities
Never goes out of fashion. There was not enough but what there was, was hot

* Dry nights before actions
BLOCK FIRST - DRINK LATER
Slightly undermined by all the other bars everywhere but a great idea.

* Forest, poppies and relentless sunshine

* The blockades

Both mass and autonomous- huge, diverse, sexy, inspiring- Que scorchio!!!!!
You could not see the five fingers in action without it stirring your loins so
many tales of caring, sharing, solidarity, dignity and grace under pressure.
Having a plan made a big difference and we hope to be seeing more of this in
seasons to come.

* And last but by no means least
A marked improvement from 2005- The main event  was stopping the G8 from
happening   rather than welcoming them to do more--- Hot!

What's not

* Lack of queer male wandegesellen
Don't worry boys!  The what's hot team have it on good authority that there is
one joining in six months time

* Insurectionary ManArchists

* Aggressive,unreasonable, and a constant source of movement strife. Can you
please go and insurrect someone where else and come back after you have had
some gender awareness workshops!

* "Confusing tactics with political principals -In reference to those who would
rather fight than win"

* Gender balance in Turbulence- otherwise it would have been on the Hot list.

* Shitting by the sides of the blockades- Companer at s  please!!!!!!

* Peter Wahl from Attac
Could  you take any more distance ? Actually yes, please take more distance.

* Chemical toilets and the absence of compost toilets

* Silo guarders
A big thank you to all the people that put there time and energy into protecting
the strategically important grain silos. Not only were our beautiful Mexican
companer at s  not allowed up there but the Queer barrio took action against the
silo guarders due to reports that they had their binoculars trained on the
showers during women's showering hours... so not hot

* Queer Identitarianism- kind of defeats the whole point, no?

* Camera Paranoia
There are helicopters flying overhead with technology beyond our imagination,
cops on every demo with a plethora of cameras and everyone has a mobile with a
camera on it anyway. So why go intimidating and in some cases attacking
movement-based independent journalists?

* The Suicide Block
For going 100m away from the camp to the small village of Reddelich, taking down
some garden fences, dismantling a rockery garden, throwing some mollies around
then going back home to bed. Oh and bringing the riot cops home with you. A lot
of posturing for, well, nothing really.

* The Counter summit for taking place on  the same day as the blockades. Whose
bright idea was that?

Footnotes

*the word crack has several meanings, in this case it is provoking giggling as
it is a slang word for the part between your buttocks.

*the five fingers tactic was the technique used to break through the police
lines and worked incredibly effectively. Upon reaching a police line the mass
of people would divide into five fingers- becoming an ungovernable mass.


Do It Yourself. A Handbook for Changing Our World
Edited by The Trapese Collective
Out May 2007

"This is a wonderful book. It starts from a simple and brilliant premise. We
know that we are heading towards the destruction of humanity, but we don't know
what to do about it...The book offers a simple suggestion: that we should do it
ourselves, take our lives into our own hands... I recommend it with enormous
enthusiasm." John Holloway, author of Change The World Without Taking Power

info at handbookforchange.org
www.trapese.org


------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Deployment of Spy Jets against Protesters Angers German Opposition

A senior member of the Social Democrats claims that Germany's conservative
Defense Minister lacks political judgement because of his decision to deploy
reconnaissance jets on a mission to spy on G-8 protesters.
The kerfuffle began in earnest after protesters alerted Hans-Christian Ströbele,
a Green member of the German parliament, that they had seen a reconnaissance
jets conduct a flyover of the camp in Reddelich near Heiligendamm.
The jets had been deployed in order to monitor the area for signs of a possible
terrorist attack or danger to G-8 leaders meeting at Heiligendamm as Germany
hosted the group's annual summit. On Tuesday, Germany's Defense Ministry
confirmed that two of the jets, which are currently being used to monitor
Taliban activity (more...) in Afghanistan, had been deployed during the summit
to monitor the area surrounding the massive security fence that had been
erected to separate G-8 leaders from protesters. One of the planes flew over
the G-8 protest camp at the lowest permitted altitude of 150 meters (492 feet)
on June 5, one day before the summit kicked off.
Spying on Protesters
Ströbele claimed the flyover had violated the German constitution. "It crosses
all limits of acceptable technical help for the police, if reconnaissance
fighter jets are used like in Afghanistan to spy on protesters," he told
SPIEGEL ONLINE.
In a newspaper interview published on Wednesday, the leading domestic policy
spokesman for the Social Democrats (SPD), the junior partner in Merkel's
coalition government, accused the Defense Ministry of acting recklessly.

While the decision to spy on protesters at the camp may not have violated the
German constitution, politically the move was "extremely dumb and insensitive,"
Dieter Wiefelspütz of the SPD told the Passauer Neuen Presse newspaper. In
pointed comments directed at Defense Minister Franz Josef Jung of the Christian
Democrats (CDU), Wiefelspütz added: "It's a provocation. Jung shouldn't
aggravate us." He said police could have managed the same kind of
reconnaissance using their own helicopters and accused the defense minister of
lacking "political instinct."
The Defense Ministry, which confirmed the deployment of the Tornado jets at
Ströbele's request, stated: "The flight was carried out just like other flights
in the context of the technical administrative assistance that had been
requested by the G-8 organizing staff of the state of Mecklenburg
Western-Pomerania." The purpose of the reconnaissance flights in May and June
of 2007 was "to recognize changes in the condition of the soil and
manipulations near important street sections by comparing the photo material."
The aerial photos, including some of Camp Reddelich, were passed on to
"Kavala," the special police force charged with providing security and order
during the G-8 summit.
The Green Party's spokesman for defense issues, Winfried Nachtwei, said the
deployment crossed the line of technical administrative assistance and said he
would seek to address the issue in Germany's parliament, the Bundestag.

In separate post-G-8 fallout, senior members of the Green Party are also
displeased about the way protesters at the G-8 summit were treated after
violent riots broke out (more...) on June 2 in the German port of Rostock,
located near Heiligendamm. Renate Künast, who heads the Greens' parliamentary
group, said she would take up the issue in the Bundestag. Many protesters, she
said, were "unjustly" arrested and were not provided with access to attorneys.
Detained protesters were also placed in cages that Künast said evoked images of
"animal husbandry." Those detained, she said, were under "constant video
surveillance, they could be seen (in the cages) from all sides, there was no
gender separation and the lights were on constantly."
"These are inhumane accommodations," she said.

[dsl/Reuters/AFP]


------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflections on Rostock

Future generations of propagandists will be offered the anti-G8 demonstrations
this month as a text-book example how globalization crudely manipulated public
opinion by demonizing demonstrators and labeling opponents terrorists.
On the other side future protesters will see Rostock as a symbol of civil
disobedience, of determined resistance to the few power brokers who have
usurped the democratic rights of the many and make decisions for all behind
closed doors.

It is true stones were hurled. It is true black-clad masked youths, the Black
Blocks, clashed with police. It is true cars burned and a number of windows
shattered. But how puny were these incidents compared to the bloody, unprovoked
wars and destruction the G8 members have launched or supported?
Did these incidents justify demonizing 80,000 protesters who had trekked to
remote Rostock to oppose the way the world is run by members of the exclusive
G8 club, a club whose main task has been likened to 'ironing out inconveniences
for the world's major business corporations,' a club whose political-economic
strategies have made the rich richer, the poor poorer and caused death,
destruction and misery across the world.
The lies and exaggerations 'deployed' to discredit protest at Rostock resembled
the fake information strategy that led to war in Iraq. It also illustrated how
desperate our power cliques have become.
As usual the orchestrated smear campaign was conducted by the mass media, the
serfs of power, which regurgitated amazing statistics about mayhem the police
and politicians pulled out of their magic hats.
It is true a few people were injured in the clashes. The original statement said
a dozen before the dozen turned into a hundred, then five hundred and ended up a
thousand. For those of us who were on the spot the battle should have left
bodies scattered everywhere. It didn't. For those of us present the infamous
Black Block did not run amok, Rostock was not devastated. We saw two cars
burning.
'Four hundred and forty policemen wounded' the headlines cried, 'fifty of them
seriously'. Yet no one saw wounded cops. Rostock hospital reported some forty
people sought first aid treatment during June 2 for minor injuries, two thirds
more then during an ordinary day. All were sent home after treatment, except
one police woman kept for observation.
Four days later the Rostock fire brigade reported total damage to the city was
'around 50,000 euros ($65,000) mostly in torn up pavements, damaged traffic and
street lights, a pittance for a major demonstration, a pittance compared to the
tens of million of euros the German Government spent to host and feed the G8.
The worst was yet to come. The mass media, quoting statements by 'officials' and
'expert' commentators (who apparently are more trustworthy then non-officials)
demanded the ban on rubber bullets be lifted so they could be used by security
forces against 'radical elements.'
'Officials' clamored for special European laws to identify troublemakers. Others
warned of the imminent use of police firearms and the deployment of troops after
declaring a state of emergency. A minister called for a ban on all black
clothing during demonstrations to neutralize the 'Black Block'. Police claimed
protesters had stuck razor blades into fruit they hurled and had launched, with
the help of rubber catapults, stones 'the size of baby heads.'
For the ordinary citizen the official hysteria conjured visions of a German
State in the pangs of revolution by masked barbarians. Shopkeepers barricaded
their show windows, residents locked their doors. Among protesters the official
reaction rekindled memories of the Berufsverbot four decades ago when tens of
thousands of German dissidents were placed on black lists -'not to be
employed.'
After a few days the more sober of he mass media admitted the tales of chaos and
mayhem had been grossly exaggerated, there was even suspicion some of the
trouble had been started by plainclothes police as part of a diabolical plot to
alienate the population against 'demonstrating rabble' and pave the way for more
repressive laws.
But who reads these row-backs on the back pages days later?
The whipped-up terror talk resulted in special courts rescinding already granted
permits for demonstrations at Rostock and declaring off-limits the zone around
Heiligendamm (Dam of the Saints) where the G8 met. Anyone entering could and
was prosecuted.
And that is when the Rostock protests really took off.

PROTESTS TAKE TO THE FIELDS
Dr Vandana Shiva, a physicist, eco-feminist and one of the world's leading
anti-global activists summed up the sentiment that has made Rostock a watershed
for future action: If laws are repressive they must be broken, she argued then
added: "the fight for our future is the fight for human life on earth."
By then nearly ten thousand had trekked knee-deep through hops-fields to outfox
a police cordon around the G8 meeting site. The strategy was called the
five-finger attack. The crowd advanced towards the police cordon in the form of
a tight fist. Then a 'middle finger' column went face to face with police
forcing security forces to close in from all sides to oppose the column. This
police concentration allowed the four remaining 'fingers' to spread and
outflank the police chain, now weakened by the concentration towards the
center.
Suddenly thousands of demonstrators appeared behind the outflanked police lines.
The scheme was repeated again and again. Eventually some 400 of the 'middle
finger' were sacrificed (arrested) before the protesters reached the barricade
around Heiligendamm and camped there for three nights in defiance of the court
rulings, a token victory for the right to say 'no.'
When police used water cannons the drenched protesters moved further along the
fence, blocking access roads to the G8 site, accompanied by musical bands and
an army of clowns whose antics kept everyone entertained. When police ordered
Black Bock protesters to take off their ski masks men and women stripped naked
(a national German pastime known as FKK) and danced in front of the police
contingent.
The tide was turning. In spite of the massive anti-protest propaganda the people
of Rostock supplied demonstrators with water and food and generously ferried
many back to their tent-and-van camps.
Rostock, despite the heavy presence of 33,000 police and a 12 km long security
fence around the G8 site at Heiligendamm, is being hailed today as a symbol of
civil disobedience, the essence of future protests.
Then there was the academic side.

WORKSHOPS AT THE ALTERNATIVE SUMMIT
The city simultaneously hosted the 'Alternative Summit' with 150 workshops held
in stately city churches or the dinghy holds of moored ships. The organization
was amazingly efficient, with maps, brochures, summaries and guides.
Once again (and surely not the last time) some of the world's foremost experts
warned time is running out on slowing down climatic changes, time is running
out on a halt to environmental ravages, on rescuing an ailing war and
corruption-riddled Africa before a massive exodus of African boat people floods
Europe, on implementing fairer trade and on ending the brutal exploitation of
developing nations by multinationals that have no intention to curb their vast
profits even if it costs millions of lives.
While the G8 came up with an ineffective call for the U.N. to look at ways to
stop carbon emissions and an even more ridiculous proposal to allow only a two
degree temperature rise by 2050 environmental experts at the Alternate Summit
warned that within ten to twenty years life on our planet will already be
unbearable for the great majority of the human race unless we do something
'now.'
"The G8 is a façade for democracy, an economic dictatorship by corporations,"
Vandana Shiva told five thousand people gathered for the final declaration at
the Church of St Nicholas: "Who gave seven to eight governments the right to
decide about the world? This democracy is dead!"
Bologna professor and author Sandro Mazzadra argued the protesters are labeled
'radicals because we question the capitalism of today.' He advocated more
alternative institutions to explain new ways of thinking to a public
preconditioned by prejudices perpetuated by the mass media.
Like many others Mazzadra addressed the phenomenon of the African boat people
trying to reach Europe across the Mediterranean, a sea he said had been turned
into "a cemetery with a thousand drowned every day." (7,000 alone drowned on
the way from Africa to the Canary Islands)
While the G8 heralded its pledge of $60 billion aid for Africa cynics warned the
pledge would remain on paper as happened on previous occasions. In the meantime
corporations from the European Union and the U.S. would continue to strip
Africa of its remaining resources, dump their surplus products on the black
continent and negotiate one-sided deals like the European Union's EPA (Economic
Partnership Agreements) the near secret trade pacts which allow the EU to dump
subsidized products on third world countries.
(In India many farmers have committed suicide, deprived of their livelihood
because they could not compete against the flood of subsidized U.S. cotton on
the world market.)
A workshop on immigration was told in Ghana subsidized European chicken (EPA)
forced the once booming national poultry industry into bankruptcy as Europe
undercut local prices by half. Once the local industry was forced off the
market the price of the imported goods steadily rose.
In Mauritania (population three million) an EPA agreement allowed fifty European
trawlers to fish in local waters in a country where 53 per cent of the nation's
income is derived from fishing. As usual the money for this sweetheart deal
went into the pockets of the elite.
In Nigeria Ike Okorie reported oil spills have destroyed the most fertile parts
of his country and exterminated coastal sea life. He said all oil is in the
hands of foreign (U.S, Dutch and Italian) companies. Their foreign workers live
in luxury, one reason why armed gangs now kidnap oil workers for ransom.
Okorie saw Africa's main hope is an already fledgling regional commercial
cooperation, trading each others goods, if necessary by barter trade, rather
then relying on imports from industrialized nations.
African delegates said Pakistani U.N. soldiers sell weapons and gasoline for
gold and diamonds while a continent where 80 per cent of the population worked
as farmers can no longer feed itself because wars have ruined harvests, a
phenomenon, so the Africans said, Palestinians can verify. The Palestinians
lost their crucial olive groves when Israeli raids bulldozed them into oblivion
as punishment.
At the root of Africa's problems is the tragedy of a past that allowed no rival
democratic movement to emerge after independence. This left African nations in
the hands of greedy native elites that substituted the colonial masters and
pocketed the money that should have been set aside for social services. In turn
this led to the proliferation of diseases, among them AIDS, and the explosion of
wars waged by those eager to grab power - and its spoils.
Flagellated by exploitation, then wars, greed, disease and hunger Africa today
resembles a graveyard.
"But we are not going to lie down and die. Expect us to come to you in ever
greater numbers," Gyeke Tanoh, of the African Trade Work in Ghana told a
cheering meeting on immigration from Africa, a meeting entitled: "We are here
because you are there".
Across town in the hold of a small cargo freighter a workshop on militarization
by U.S. bases found a new phenomenon: Growing civil mobilization against base
extensions. The most virulent are protests against the planned U.S. base at Dal
Molin in Vicenza, Italy and in Japan against the planned Henoko base on already
base-crowded Okinawa Island.
Tadaaki Kawata of Japan's Peace Committee reported local anti-base protest
movements had found support across Japan which now hosts 135 U.S. military
bases with 54,000 soldiers, a network Washington intends to expand even
further.
"We are being joined by trade unions, social organizations, resident committees,
mayors and municipal councilors. We have protested against naval bases with
canoes and formed human chains around other bases. One referendum around a
proposed base near Tokyo showed 43,000 voters were against the base only 5,000
in favor," Kawata reported.
He and others advocated pressure on governments to refuse financial
contributions to U.S. bases, one of the anomalies of the U.S. global base
networks which are partially paid for by the taxpayers of countries 'occupied'
by Washington's military installations.
Author and activist Walden Bello argued the U.S. military presence in South East
Asia to contain China prevented an alliance for peace in the region in 1990
because Washington objected to a proposed multi-structure in South East Asia to
resolve conflicts. The U.S. argued unilateral protection by the U.S. through its
military bases was a superior solution. The U.S. argument obviously found
converts among the region's leaders.
"Normal relations between neighboring countries are impossible until we get rid
of the U.S. military presence," Bello argued.
The emphasis at the Alternate Summit was on change.
A much applauded prediction also came from Bello, an expert on global finances,
who sees the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) institutions
on their way out. He said the Bank has been discredited, bad loans have hurt
the Fund and no country in their right mind wants to borrow from either.
Bello felt it was now obvious the economies of countries that had not pursued
the neo-liberal policies of the Bank or the Fund, including China and Malaysia,
did well while the economies crashed in those third world countries that loyally
followed the American-spawned neo-liberalist policies of the Bank and the Fund,
mainly the privatization of their resources.
Arguing that neo-liberalism has had its day he added on economic issues "I
personally would rather go with (Hugo) Chavez' instincts then even leftwing
economists".
Public indignation is growing over trade deals that favor the powerful and
punish the weaker economies.
Mexico's Anna Esther Cecena, Professor of sociology at Mexico's Autonomous
University, lamented the U.S.-Mexican Free Trade accord (1994) had ruined
diversity and the economy in her country. But Bello pointed out the successful
mass protests in Thailand recently not only led to the suspension of the
Thai-US Free Trade talks but precipitated the demise of Thailand's billionaire
Prime Minister Thaksin, a fierce advocate of the trade accord.
"Globalization is in serious trouble," Bello predicted: "The world is moving
away from corporate globalization. We need something very different."
In fact the motto of the Alternative Summit was: "Another World is possible!"
But those who came to listen may well ask: "What kind of world will that be?
Obviously criticism is far easier then solutions and many of the 'experts'
offered interesting 'historic lectures' for students of the past as well as
articulate hindsight. But as some of them admitted it is time to promote the
new ideas rather then dwell on the errors of the past.
One tentative suggestion tabled was based on regional cooperation between
neighboring countries, small blocks or 'unions' trading with one another, if
necessary by barter trade rather then cash.
This system has already been applied by Hugo Chavez in Venezuela. He bartered
cows from Argentina for Venezuelan oil, imported Cuban doctors to boost his
backward rural health institutions in return for oil, traded oil for Bolivian
soybeans and instituted the first non-cash exchanges of goods, an idea beyond
the logic of traditional capitalism.
The idea at Rostock has been to bring the market back into society, ensure
diversity, ban genetically modified seeds (a multi-trillion dollar business for
the U.S. seed giant Monsanto) ban monoculture and remain skeptical against all
doctrinaire gurus preaching a one-way solution to problems.
Speakers argued the principles of alternatives to outdated neo-liberalist models
already exist. And when neo-liberal gurus like Jeffrey Sachs and Joseph
Stieglitz abandon their philosophies it means the legitimacy of neo-liberal
economic models is in trouble.
There was also general consensus Latin America, once the problem child of the
globe, had taken the lead in adopting some of these alternatives - Chavez in
Venezuela, Kirchner in Argentina, Morales in Bolivia and the revolutionary
indigenous Zapatista movement in Chiapas, Mexico.
As expected the official G8 summit was a dismal failure spun-off as a success
story by the spin doctors.
At the G8 every member, especially the United States, tenaciously safeguarded
their own interests. On the other side of the 12-kms long security fence the
Alternative Summit also brought together people with diverse ideas but one
common ambition - to create a more just world, one that will survive the
ravages of G8-protected greed.

Ends
http://www.uli-schmetzer.com/

[http://de.indymedia.org/2007/06/184416.shtml]


------------------------------------------------------------------------------
G8-Sampler

Dieser Sampler ist ein Gemeinschaftsprojekt von folgenden Bands:
COR, Astray, Protest, PhonoOne, Mitsnakker, Johnnie RoOk, D-Turm, Mainpoint,
Höllenhunde und Jetpilot
Wir bieten den Sampler kostenfrei zum Download an, um Weiterverbreitung wird
gebeten!!!

COR Lied vom Schwein (das sich...) Mainpoint Gib uns Deine Stimme D-Turm
Heiligendamm Astray Revenge Mitsnakker Öllampengeist Johnnie Rook Spiegel
Protest Krieg PhonoOne Lord Phono Jetpilot Tom Höllenhunde Freiheit

[http://www.kernkraftritter.de/cor/G8-Sampler/MP3/G8-Sampler.rar]