15MBcn Newsletter N.5 – March 20
Hello from Barcelona,
this is the weekly newsletter that will inform you about the activities of 15M movement in Barcelona, Catalonia and occasionally the main events in Spain. If you do not wish to receive it anymore, please say so.
1. STUDENT SPRING : THE STUDENTS IN BARCELONA KEEP FIGHITING AGAINST THE BUDGET CUTS – EDUCATION IS A RIGHT, NOT A BUSINNES
Last Wednesday, March 14th, it was approved by the UAB (Autonomical University of Barcelona) Governing Council a saving plan, that means new brutal cuts of 4million € in education, including a reduction in work hours for associated professors, the suspension of the sabbathical years. 300 dismissals are on their way according to the unions’s estimates.
The Plataform for the Defence of the Public University (PUDUP) called for a protest at 8.30am in front of the headquarters of the Universities of Catalonia Secreatariat in Barcelona, where the new plan had to be approved. They wanted to block this meeting, as they already did on February 15th in the main campus of Bellaterra. That time, the meeting was suspended due to the irruption of a student. This time it was impossible to stop the meeting, protected by a massive police presence showing, as usual, a blind agressivity, blocking the entrance to student representatives.
The next day, a new concentration took place in Bellaterra where the Rectorate asked to revoke the agreement of the day before and the rector’s resignment, while supporting resarchers and workers who are going to be fired because of the cuts.
Meanwhile, at the UB (University of Barcelona) 300 people of the PAS (Administration and Services workers association) occupied the hall on March 13th while a similar meeting was going on, finally suspendend by the rector.
The situation in public education is tense in Spain. Don’t forget when last December 16th at Girona University various students were injured and 3 arrested during the protest against the cuts, or the unfortunately famous resistance last month at a high school in Valencia, were the police attacked and injured high school students during days.
On the March 24th the Alternative Teaching Exhibition will take place. Education has to be a right, not a business: there is a call to boicot the official Exhibition (SAE), collapsing its Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/saloensenyament) and its Twitter with the #SAE2012 hashtag. Everyone can help.
http://reconstruimlapublica.wordpress.com/
twitter: @uniprecaria and @Primavera_BCN
http://numrl.com/63613 (photo of the amount of police blocking any attempt of entrance)
http://yfrog.com/oby4wbxj & http://saloalternatiu.wordpress.com/ (poster and web site of the Alternative Teaching Exhibition)
2 THE WAY TO THE TOTAL PRIVATIZATION OF THE HEALTH CARE IS OPEN
On Wednesday March 14th the Parlament of Catalunya passed the law that sets up the first medical copayment of the Country: Starting from June 2012, 1 € will be payed per each medical prescription, only in Catalonia. Indeed this is can be considered more like a re-payment than a co-payment, as people already pay specific taxes to have Public Health Care guaranteed.
This cis feared to be the first step to the privatization of the Sanitary Assistence.
At the same time, the government is encouraging citizens to contract private health insurance, for instance proposing to deduct this cost from the income tax declaration.
The RAAS (Self-managed network against Health Care privatization) has called out to take the streets on April 15th.
http://raas15a.wordpress.com/
http://sanidad.democraciarealya.es/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Jx2ndivIp7I
http://actuable.es/peticiones/al-sr-ministro-hacienda-no-la-desgravacinn-fiscal-de
3. #ACAMPADABANKIA: A MAN IS CAMPING IN FRONT OF THE BANK THAT IS EVICTING HIM
Pedro is not just another victim of the housing crisis in Spain, though his story is all too familiar. He lost his job, found he couldn’t keep up with his mortgage and tried to meet an agreement with the bank, but wasn’t taken seriously. His flat has been auctioned by the bank, he’s being evicted yet he still has to pay back 100.000€. So Pedro has decided to camp outside the bank that is evicting him, in the popular Parallel street in Barcelona. Bankia took his home, but they are still making him pay his mortgage, like in so many other occasions.
The famous Platform of the Affected by Mortgages (PAH in Spanish) is supporting him in his battle, as is the local 15M assembly in the Poble Sec neighbourhood.
On Monday 19th there has been a small solidarity action of neighbours and activists at 11 am to prove that Pedro is not alone.
Pedro exlains his story:
http://youtu.be/81fN2m5RTx4
On Pedro’s battle:
http://assembleapoblesec.wordpress.com/2012/03/15/acampat-davant-loficina-de-bankia-de-paral%C2%B7lel-que-li-reclama-un-deute-impagable/
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1W57FgMGLzNgHLAK2LcSJ-tZ30uuU11qTQ0-1uae9O5M/mobilebasic?pli=1
PAH, top group in housing rights activism
http://afectadosporlahipoteca.wordpress.com/
4. “REBELAOS” IS OUT! TO OPEN PATHS TO SELF-MANAGEMENT AND CIVIL DESOBEDIENCE
March 15th was a very important date: the printed version of the magazine “rebelaos” (rebel!), totally financied by crowdfunding, was born. It starts off by distributing the 500.000 copies of it’s first issue in the streets, public transport, parcs, houses, social centers, associations and so on. A lot of people are behind it.
“Rebelaos” is a project of the collective “Afinidad Rebelde” (Rebeld Affinity). Their aim is powering the trasformation process through the delovpment of a local self-management.
Actually, the declared intentions of this publication are: to promote a horizontal and collective process where all the people can interact freely and in the same conditions; to create a communication network of people commited with change and ready to act; to find collective solutions to problems that interfere in our lifes; to facilitate the access to the resources that make self-management possible; to participate in building networks of mutual help which should be horizontal, assembleary and generated from the grassroots.
You can find and download this publication in several languages at the following web site: https://www.rebelaos.net/
http://www.goteo.org/project/rebelaos-publicacion-por-la-autogestion (to help funding the project)
https://www.autogestio.cat/
twitter : @afinidadrebelde
5 ROAD TO DIGNITY : BARCELONA PREPARES NEXT ACTIONS
#29M General Strike: A workers’ strike has been called by the main trade unions to protest against the Job Reform. Even if most of the 15M collectives and groups think that the trade unions are actually supporting the Government’s constant reduction of workers’ rights, they agree to join the strike, though without flags nor parties.
Our specific actions are being prepared and a tight calendar of preparatory assemblies has been going on, likeThursday March 15th’s specific assembly to discuss how each local group and each themed commission can prepare for March 29th. This rythm will intensify during the next two weeks.
#12M15M preparatory assembly: Although we know that many of us have been working on the May 12th-15th week of global action, we are now intensifying the rythm and forming several workgroups covering different aspects, locations and networking among groups. But perhaps Sunday March 18th was when we really started specific and systematic work towards #12M15M, with an open gathering at Ciutadella Park fom 11am to 6pm with members of several local assemblies and commissions, some coming from other cities in Catalunya, all eager to make it really big. Transversal workgroups have been formed and it has been agreed to meet every Sunday until May 12th-15th.
Every Saturday on Mumble there is an international meeting to coordinate the May 12th-15th actions.
You can easily participate:
server: mumble.democraciarealya.es
Tutorial: How to use mumble
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmQw8MWFvAY
You can listen to the latest recording on the International Commission livestream channel http://www.livestream.com/icbcn/video?clipId=pla_b8ce6354-e0c2-4e56-9af7-72647ab18021
The National Coordinator for prevention of Torture is celebrating a 2-day symposium on torture and brutality against migrant people this wekend -Friday 23rd & Saturday 24th. http://www.prevenciontortura.org/general/jornadas-sobre-torturas-y-tratos-inhumanos-crueles-o-degradantes-en-los-procesos-migratorios/
Poster http://www.prevenciontortura.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/cpt_cast_b1.jpg
The Campaign to Close the Alien Internment Centres (CIEs in Spanish) is calling all citizens to come out and demonstrate on Saturday 24th demanding the end of these ilegal centers in Spain. The demo is on March 24th, and as fellow activists for migrants’ rights are visiting Barcelona for the symposium against torture, we wxpect it to be a great success.
Campaign to Close the Alien Internment Centres:
For a thousand reasons, we must close the internment centres.
Text in several languages, English too.
http://tanquemelscies.blogspot.com.es/2012/03/el-24m-sobren-raons-tanquem-els-cies.html