summer

International Newsletter #5A #occupyNewsLetter

News, Newsletter, PAN

Weeks July 14 – August 4

Olympics
On Friday 27th July, in London:  while millions were watching the Olympics opening ceremony celebrating peace and friendship to the people all over the world and the greatness of British democracy, the Met police were criminalising cycling.  182 cyclists participating in a Critical Mass’s regular monthly bike ride were arrested, including a 13 year old boy. Many were held in a police kettle for two hours, handcuffed in buses for three hours and held in a police cells from six hours to two days. http://occupynewsnetwork.co.uk/cyclists-arrested-by-the-bus-load/
Critical Mass is a pro-cycling event that has happened on the last Friday of every month for the past eighteen years. The
Police said the protestors had permission to hold a demonstration in south London, but with the condition they would not cross north of the River Thames. However Critical  Mass are protected by case law where law lords found that they weren’t required to notify in advance their route. http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/nov/26/critical-mass-london-police
The unmotivated  police repression shows the real level of democracy in the UK. http://shar.es/voQXO  via @sharethis #criticalmass #occupy #policestate #fascists. Police confirmed the cyclists reports that pepper spray and kettling tactics were used against the Critical Mass ride participants.
Out of 182 cyclists, only 3 have been charged with any  offence.  However, all had bail conditions imposed on them until  September 18th  2012 restricting their freedom to move, assemble,  associate and live  their lives. Here you can find a petition to sign & share to support all 182 #CriticalMass arrestees http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/metropolitan-police-criminal-justice-system-uk-justice-for-the-critical-mass-182#
Still in London, on July 28 the Counter Olympics Network held a demonstration against the corporate takeover and  militarisation of the Olympic Games claiming ‘Whose Games? Whose City?’  http://counterolympicsnetwork.wordpress.com/
Under pressure from local campaigners, Tower Hamlets Council was forced to lift its ban on the demonstration. http://www.counterfire.org/index.php/articles/196-olympics/15922-tower-hamlets-council-tries-to-ban-anti-olympics-speeches. The protestors represented hope for all those for whom the Olympics have become a symbol of repression, eviction, greed and arrogance. They spoke out against the heavy military presence in London, which represents the heaviest militarisation in the UK since WW2; and they spoke out against the corporate takeover of the games that has turned them into a jamboree for  the rich, bringing only rent hikes, militarisation and traffic  jams to most Londoners. http://www.counterfire.org/index.php/news/15934-victory-of-free-speech-as-olympic-protestors-speak-out  more info : http://www.counterfire.org/index.php/articles/196-olympics/15931-an-activists-guide-to-the-olympics
Direct Action. Raising awareness and empowering the 99%
The Libor scandals, the Syrian process, and all the other signals are urging the movements all over the world that it is time to form the strongest global alliance among autonomous forces. On Monday 30th July an International Network of activists from OWS/Occupy/Indignados held a mumble meeting to create bridges between movements http://occupii.org/events/ows-occupy-indignados-international-network-meeting.
The aims of the meeting was to communicate and discuss a common agenda and exchange information, while  looking for ways to interconnect the various struggles and movements and agree on common GLOBAL action plans. Here is a summary of the meeting http://piratepad.net/ep/pad/view/ro.3vxT-D3YtFV/latest .
If you have any specific questions or if you would like to see the entire minutes of the meeting please email dinamization12m15m@gmail.com or politicainternacional15m@gmail.com
The International Network  is preparing a fresh new wave of gatherings, actions and campaigns and as usual invites everyone interested to get involved in their meetings and projects.
The next mumble meeting will be on the 18th of August  http://interoccupy.net/ttsinternational/ai1ec_event/internationalnetworkmtg/?instance_id=  .
The meeting will be held at 20:00 h CET (convert to your local time here http://mytimeconverter.com/cet-to-est)  within Server: Occupytalk.org  > Room or channel: Assemblies and  Rountables/OPEN SPACE
If you are not familiar with Mumble in this video  you can find out how it works http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SF90Qdm7mH8
or drop an email to dinamization12m15m@gmail.com  for guidance one or two days in advance
The agenda of the meeting is focused on:
Organizing a joint mobilization against Global Debt that combines the  different struggles against budget cuts and privatization.
Discuss international event, summits and actions prepared by various social movements all over the world. You can find a list of them here http://titanpad.com/listofsummits2012 . As usual everybody are invited to add their own proposals on this list.
Moreovre if you are interested in international actions/events you can have a look and/or partecipate in the  International Road to Dignity: Another world is on its way project http://roadtodignity.blogspot.com
A visualisation of upcoming events organised by social movements worldwide. The project wants to show how different mobilisations are interrelated and how people can join different organisational processes.
Anti-imperialist Camp in Assisi, Italy from 23 to 26 August. The camp is conceived as a forum, as a place where  anti-imperialist and anti-capitalist forces from across the  world can meet, exchange experience and elaborate cooperation.   The proclaimed aim of the Anti-imperialist Camp is to facilitate the formation of a  global Anti-imperialist Front.  http://www.antiimperialista.org/
Economy
In the Uk, Barclays’ recent scandal of submission of false Libor (London interbank offered rate) rates has left the world at hands with the financial crime of the century. LIBOR, The Largest Banking Scandal in History, explained in infographic: http://4closurefraud.org/2012/07/10/infographic-the-libor-candal-explained-the-largest-banking-scandal-in-history/
Despite being set in London, the LIBOR is the average interest rate  agreed by the world’s largest international banks and it indexes the short  and long term interest rates for ten currencies across the world. The LIBOR scandal is being  described as possibly the biggest fraud in history, affecting hundreds  of trillions of dollars of financial transactions.
the Occupy times editorial August 2012: http://theoccupiedtimes.co.uk/?p=6314
New Statment form Occupy London about a Primary policy for banking reform http://occupylondon.org.uk/groups/economics/docs/20120803-bank-reform-ga-1st-steps-v-5
New  statement from Occupy the SEC (a working group of Occupy Wall Street)   The Need for Criminal Prosecutions to Redress the Bank Excesses of the
And if all this is not enaugh to re-think the bank role in our society have a look at how major banks help client’s hide millions in off-shore tax havens
Movements 
In Spain, millions of protestors took to the streets in over 80 cities around the country. Struggles converged as miners, firefighters, judges, public employees, unemployed and even the army stood up against EU-enforced cuts.
Panoramic and interactive view of the Sol square
Piratepad with all the relevant links
In Syria each day the news gets worse. Clashes between government forces and the  Syrian opposition are accompanied by the brutal massacre of Syrian people by Assad and his forces. Syria Watch:the fall Of Assad – Live Blog: http://beforeitsnews.com/war-and-conflict/2012/07/syria-watch-the-fall-of-assad-live-blog-2405488.html
Rebels  are  fighting for their freedom and dignity. The more brutal Assad`s forces  are, the larger and more determined the protest becomes. http://www.therevoltingsyrian.com/
People  from www.culturesofresistance.org/ have made a documentary about Syria.  They request everyone interested to host a screening for their communities to spread awareness. The trailer is here https://vimeo.com/46501281 .  If you can host a screening/debate, please contact : info@CulturesOfResistance.org
The camp in Frankfurt (Main) is under threat of eviction. The activists applied for a preliminary injunction against the eviction at the court.
In Hong Kong. Deadline for Occupy Central protestors. Protestors occupying an area under HSBC’s headquarters in    Central have been given two weeks to explain why they should not be evicted.  http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-07-16/hsbc-asks-court-to-order-hong-kong-occupy-protesters-off.html
In Cina, local residents clash with the police during a protest against an industrial waste pipeline under construction  in Qidong, Jiangsu province July 28, 2012. Here Qidong China Protest Photos : http://cryptome.org/2012-info/qidong/qidong-protest.htm
Repression and police brutality
In Italy, 11 years after the anti G8 protest in Genova,  the repression still bites the movement.
On the 5th of July the Italian Supreme Court convicted thirteen police heads involved in the brutal raid at the Diaz schools of the 21st of July 2001.  Most of them, who were previously cleared, received convictions of up  to five years, even though others have been now cleared because of the 10-years-time limit that Italian law sets on trials. After eleven years, this is the very first time in which high ranking policemen have been  convicted for their brutality during the anti-G8 protests in Genova. However, none of them will ever go to jail. Meanwhile, ten activists have been under trial for street disorders. They are all accused of “Destruction and Looting”, an item introduced into the Penal Law Code under the fascist regime.  One of its features is  that people can be convicted just for  “psychological co-participation”,  without the state having to prove any  explicit association between the  defendants. http://www.10×100.it/?page_id=928 .The activists have already been sentenced for a total of 100 years combined. http://strugglesinitaly.wordpress.com/2012/07/17/en-genova-2001-11-years-later-a-bitter-sentence/
A campaign, called 10X100 (i.e., 10 people, 100 years of prison) has been launched to support the defendants. http://www.10×100.it/?page_id=40
Housing
In Berlin social housing tenants and activists have occupied a  central square to demand a rent freeze and nationalization of social housing
In New York 3 women starting with a rent strike ended up making their building theirs
Environment
The Global Frackdown, an International Movement to Ban Fracking, has launched its new website  to help promote and coordinating the global day against fracking. http://www.globalfrackdown.org/
People around the world who will be hosting events in their communities to ban fracking on September 22nd, 2012 are invited  to  register their event on the website to show that  people will be doing things all over the world and to gather partners. Here is the Facebook event page https://www.facebook.com/events/137678913040126/
In London, the Reclaim Shakespeare Company held a protest performance  at the BP-sponsored Shakespeare exhibition at the British Museum www.bp-or-not-bp.org. The company went into the exhibition and performed a piece of surprise “Guerrilla
Shakespeare” based loosely on Macbeth. http://vimeo.com/46239547
Collective Memory: video and photos on the 99%
Pots, Pans and Other Solutions a documentary about what happened in Iceland last year directed by Miguel Marques.
[Eng, with Por subs]
Barcelona 2012, The awakening of the squares. A documentary by Lluc Güell Fleck and Jordi Oriola i Folch. The documentary examines the rise of the 15M movement, a year later from the view of six people who lived in the Barcelona’s occupation of Catalonia Square.
[Esp, with Eng subs].