[Gipfelsoli Newsletter] Genoa -- Strasbourg/ Kehl -- Hokkaido

[International Newsletter]

- Letter to the Bolzaneto victims
- Report meeting on NATO summit 2009 at Buko, Sunday 11 May 2008
- Towards climate action in Copenhagen 2009
- London: Invitation to Groups and Individuals: Against the Borders, Against the
G8

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Letter to the Bolzaneto victims

Dear friends,

During the month of July, most probably on 21st or 22nd, the sentence concluding
the Bolzaneto trial should be announced.

The public prosecutors are asking to sentence 44 people that include
(high-ranking) officials and officers from the Police Force, from the
Carabinieri (military police), from the prison guard service, doctors and
nurses, all accused of acts of violence inflicted on those arrested or simply
detained, from Friday 20th to Sunday 22nd July 2001 in the barracks at Genova
Bolzaneto.

Since the specific crime of torture is not featured in our criminal code, the
Public Prosecutor’s Office has charged the above with offences ranging from
abuse of office, brutality, beating, grievous bodily harm, insults, abuse of
authority, threats, falsehood, to failure to provide medical referral or
medical assistance, amounting to a total of seventy-six years, four months and
twenty days’ imprisonment. None of the accused is likely to spend even a day in
prison, given that most of the crimes will have lapsed (according to the statute
of limitations) by 2009.

We will, however, have achieved something, even if minimal, if the Court
sentences those responsible and obtains compensation for the plaintiffs for the
damage suffered, both physical and moral.

For the occasion of the sentence the Truth & Justice Committee for Genoa is
organizing a series of initiatives and accommodation for all those coming to
Genova. The Mayor of Genova, Ms Marta Vincenzi, has offered to provide
hospitality, at the expense of the local council, for the plaintiffs who will
be coming to Genova for the sentence and, for this reason, we need to know who
is intending to come.

Via your e-mail address and our site we will be contacting you to inform you
about the initiatives that the committee is organizing for the event and to
provide all other essential information.

Best wishes,

Enrica Bartesaghi

President of the Truth & Justice Committee for Genoa

* www.veritagiustizia.it
* info at veritagiustizia.it


------------------------------------------------------------------------
Report meeting on NATO summit 2009 at Buko, Sunday 11 May 2008

1. state of affairs

* April 2009: NATO 60th anniversary: summit in Strasbourg (F) and Kehl (D)with
festivities and probably opening for review of NATO Strategic Concept
* start action at NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Berlin, 23-25 May
* in Freiburg a local preparation meeting already took place, with people from
Khel
* on 7 June an Afghanistan-conference takes place in Hannover, where some groups
(Mouvement de la Paix (F), IALANA Germany and INESAP) also called for a meeting
on the NATO-summit
* in the near neighbourhood of Kehl there are almost no active groups. 40 km
further, an active group exists in Freiburg. In Freiburg people are motivated,
also in Mannheim and Heidelberg.
* natogipfel2009.blogsport.de (regional website from Kehl)

* French peace movement just has a meeting where the NATO summit was discussed.
* in Belgium anti-militarist groups gathered after the Bombspotting action
* contacts with the anti-nuclear movement in France (Sortir de la Nucléaire),
Les Désobéissants, group organising the No Bordercamp 2002
* ATTAC has a gathering in France. ATTAC Germany has not yet discussed the NATO
summit.
* The Strasbourg/Kehl region is dependent on the EU and other institutions who
have their seat there. There is also a lot of military infrastructure
(Eurocorps) and the SIS-databank
* France has the EU Presidency in 2008.
* on which side of the Rhine do we want to make camps (only a few bridges!!)?

2. Communication / Logistics

* a German-language mailer already exists (“Bye Bye NATO”) which we are going to
use from now on for further networking (E-mail adresses of the people present
are sent to the Admin)
* how do we communicate internationally? New international and mainly
English-language mailing-list, not the old G8-int-list (but the new list will
be announced here).
* We make a broad coalition (how? with a clear position?)
* website? 2 languages (french-german)?

3. Public relations
schedule:

* action in Berlin: , groups check if they can sign the call and mail their
decision.
* ESF (19-21 sept) for international mobilisation
* international action conference in autumn (see down)
* call for international action day 14-15 November against military
infrastructure for intervention
* Peace conference Kassel (Friedensratschlag – start December)
* SiKo München (Security Conference), February 2009 as stepstone

No passive signing, but offer for active participation from diverse groups and
movements (like with G8-protest): active contacting groups about how coalition
building can look like, practically and concerning political positions.
Political debate: collecting position papers in an english language reader?

4. International action conference

* initial launch must not be a copy of the Rostock Conference
* open invitation for preparation meeting?: this invitation will be prepared by
a small group from diverse movements from this network meeting
* action conference preferable in Strasbourg
* include local people
* who has to be contacted: Friedensratschlag, unions, IL, Attac, MSF, Bundeswehr
wegtreten, Antiracist and migration groups, etc, etc (no consensus)

next meeting, where the preparation of an action conference has to be on the
agenda

Sunday 1 June, Third World Haus Frankfurt (Dritte Welt Haus Frankfurt), Falkstr.
74, 60487 Frankfurt (this meeting will be publicly announced)


------------------------------------------------------------------------
Towards climate action in Copenhagen 2009

First international planning meeting

We invite you to join the 1^st international planning meeting in Copenhagen from
the 13-14th of September 2008. The meeting aims at preparing a large
mobilisation for direct action against the root causes of climate change in
Copenhagen and throughout the world during the UN Climate Conference (30 Nov-11
Dec 2009).

We stand at a crossroads in history. The facts are undeniable. Global climate
change, caused by human activities, is happening. We all know that, world over,
we’re facing a manifold and deepening crisis: of the climate, energy, food,
livelihoods, and of political and human rights. Scientific, environmental,
social and civil society movements from all over the world are calling for
action against climate change.

Massive consumption of fossil fuel is one of the major causes of global warming,
a problem that threatens the lives of hundreds of millions of people around the
world. Instead of leading the way, governments are prioritizing economic growth
and corporate interests while ignoring the speeding train of climate change
hurtling towards the abyss. The corporate exploitation of the planet’s
resources cannot be allowed to continue any longer. We have precious little
time to react to this threat. We need action NOW to stop climate change, and if
the so-called ‘leaders’ won’t lead the way, we must.

On the 30th November 2009, world leaders will come to Copenhagen for the UN
Climate Conference (COP15). This will be the most important summit on climate
change ever to have taken place, and it will determine how the countries of the
world are going to respond to the climate threat. The decisions taken there will
define the future for all the people of the world. The previous meetings give no
indication that this meeting will produce anything more than empty rhetoric and
a green washed blueprint for business-as-usual.

There is an alternative to the current course and it’s not some far-off dream.
If we put reason before profit, we can live amazing lives without destroying
our planet. But this will not happen by itself. We have to take direct action,
both against the root causes of climate change and to help create a new, just
and joyous world in the shell of the old. And so, we call on all responsible
people of the planet to take direct action against the root causes of climate
change during the COP15 summit in Copenhagen 2009.

The exact plans for our mobilization are not yet finalized. We have time to
collectively decide what our best course of action may be. We encourage
everyone to start mobilizing in your own countries. It is time to take the
power back from the leaders not responsible enough to hold it. The power is in
our hands!

Practical information

The meeting is free for everyone, accommodation and food will be provided by
local activists. Note also that the meeting will be held the weekend prior to
the European Social Forum (ESF) in Malmö, September 17-21. People are welcome
to stay in Copenhagen in the intermediate days.

Please announce your arrival to _sept08 at klimax2009.org _. We’re happy to respond
to any questions you might have. You can also subscribe to the international
mobilization mailing list.

Please circulate, translate and distribute this call widely


------------------------------------------------------------------------
London: Invitation to Groups and Individuals: Against the Borders, Against the
G8

Why Croydon?
Looking at institutions that could be somewhat equivalent for Britain to what
the G8 is for managing global capitalism, it seems like the Home Office and its
Border Agency fulfil a similar function in policing and disciplining the
movement of people. One of the physical locations of the Home office is
Croydon:

Lunar House, the nerve centre of the UK Border Agency, where people claim asylum
and where their claims are dealt.

Electric House, a reporting centre. Who goes in side may never come back - they
may be detained and deported. But failing to report can lead to deportation.
Both Lunar and Electric House contain detention facilities.

Apollo House, where data is collected and evaluated, in order to determine which
migrants are "useful" and allowed to stay or not and deported.

Croydon also has an Army Recruitment Centre and a nice big Shopping Centre

The idea is to cooperate with different groups, each adopting a location or
topic and coming up with some form of action around it. Topics could include,
but are not limited to militarism, capitalism, surveillance, sexism, racism,
borders and control.

Activities could include info stalls, speeches, performances, music or whatever
else the groups come up with, allowing people to move freely from one point to
another.

Come and prepare the Croydon Treasure Hunt, meet nice people, exchange ideas and
get creative

3pm, Sunday 1st June at the
Pullen Center, 184 Crampton Street, SE17, near Elephant and Castle