From June 6th-8th 2007, the Summit of the 8 great world powers (the G8) will meet in Heiligendamm Germany, a small seaside resort by the shore of the Baltic Sea 20 kilometers from Rostock.
The Counter-Summit will take place from June 2th to 8th, after the “Marches against poverty, insecurity and discriminations” come from across the whole of Europe from mid May on to converge on Rostock on June 1. During its last meeting in October 2006 the European Coordination of the World March of Women decided to take part in these Marches.
Against an illegitimate G8
At this Summit, G8 countries say they want to discuss global warming and the reduction of poverty in Africa as priorities. Thus the countries that own more than half of the planet’s wealth, which pollute the most and control the IMF, the WTO and the World Bank, wish to look into the scourges their own system creates all over the world! It must be a joke! For sure all this farce will end up holding, as always, great declarations of intention followed by little effect. Or else they will address other issues, such as the world’s growing population, financial stability, free trade…
The G8 is the symbol of liberal, anti-social and irresponsible policies, especially from an ecologic and anti militarist point of view. In order to face it, tens of thousands of people from this region, Germany, Europe and all over the world will protest and highlight the alternatives to globalization. The Counter-Summit, just a few kilometers from the G8’s fortress – a 3m high and 15 kilometer barrier separates them from the rest of the world – will discuss its counter-proposals and call for action to explain that there are other orientations than those of the G8 for another possible and necessary world.
From all over Europe. Let’s march towards Heiligendamm against lives and jobs’ insecurity
The more wealth Europe produces the more insecurity there is. During more than three decades, mass long-term unemployment is part of the day-to-day life of tens of millions of men and women. In Lisbon in 2000 the European Union promised a paradise-like vision for 2010. In fact, not only has unemployment not been reduced but, on the contrary, precarious and underpaid jobs have increased; above all for young people, women, and immigrants. In addition to the “officially” unemployed, poor workers in cities and rural areas are increasingly numerous, from informal sectors, those who benefit from minimum social threshold (seuils mimima sociaux), young people who don’t have rights, homeless people (Sans domicile fixe - SDF) and increasingly pensioners. The general social security system (casse sociale généralisée) creates poverty and misery at the same time the profits of the actionists reach the summits. Social injustice has never been that strong.
Against lives and jobs’ insecurity, there is only one solution: equality of rights for everybody: the right to an income that allows us to live, the right to a job and education, the right to land, the right to housing, the right to healthy food, the right to free public health services of high quality, the right to circulation and installation, the right to full legal documentation, the right to culture, and public services to ensure these rights.
In order to express their demands effectively, the marches will start in mid-May from throughout Europe, and from Cologne, in Germany, on the weekend of May 26 and 27, 2007, to reach the “marches final push” of German groups and arrive in Rostock on June 1, for the great opening demonstration on June 2, and the Counter-Summit, when the Summit of precarious and other caravanes people will meet.
The European Coordination of the World March of Women, signing the call for the marches against insecurity, will do its best so that the most feminist militants possible take part and are able to, along each stage, explain how insecurity affects women especially, in their lives and jobs.
The Counter-Summit agenda
– from June 1 to 8: alternative camps will be held in the surroundings of Rostock;
– Saturday June 2: large demonstration in the afternoon in Rostock, followed by a concert;
– Sunday June 3: Day of agriculture and Summit of the precarious and excluded people;
– Tuesday June 5: day against militarism and permanent war;
– from Tuesday June 5 at 5pm to Thursday June 7 at 1pm: alternative summit parallel to the official summit addressing the following main issues: poverty, climate, finance and economical international architecture, democracy and migration;
– Wednesday June 6: blockage actions in the red district, preventing the G8 delegations from reaching Heiligendamm for the official summit opening;
– Thursday June 7: demonstration towards the red district and closing concert;
– Friday June 8: Day of climate change.
For further information:
http://anti-g8.effraie.org
http://dissentnetzwerk.org/node/49
www.heigendamm.de