Declaracion: Cumbre de los Pueblos Lima (Es)
http://www.enlazandoalternativas.org/spip.php?article194
Declaration: People’s Summit Lima (En)
http://www.radiomundoreal.fm/rmr/?q=en/node/25380
Via Campesina input. http://www.viacampesina.org/
Please add your links, comments.
http://english.aglob.info/readarticle.php?article_id=43
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An October for us, for Russia and the whole World:
http://www.alternativy.ru/en/razdely/sobytija/an_october_for_us_for_russia_and_for_the_whole_worl
Worker-popular resistance marked the May Day
ENGLISH (02.05.2008)- 1st of May, the international day of working class unity, solidarity and struggle was celebrated all over Turkey and Northern Kurdistan. The focus of all meetings was the Istanbul meeting in Taksim.
Taksim May Day was prohibited by the neoliberal AKP Government. The head of the government, Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan himself made the statement for the banning and threatened the workers with the words “If the feet try to rule the head, this will lead to armageddon”. The labor union confederations kept their determination for the Taksim meeting.
Taksim Resistance
The armageddon was on the streets of Istanbul, thus, on the 1st of May, 2008. Similar to last year, the police violence and worker resistance shook the central region of Istanbul. The police violence began at 06.30 am. with the attack against the central office of DISK (Revolutionary Labor Unions Confederation) where around 2 thousand workers spent the night to participate the meeting. The workers were attacked by water cannons and teargas. The police used a mortal sort of teargas bombs which are even prohibited in warfare. They sent many gas bombs inside the DISK building; an open attempt to kill the workers by choking them. This scene was repeated many times during the day time. The worker center was heavily damaged by police brutality.
Later it was proved that the gasbombs carried the security note ‘Cannot be used in social events’, but thousands of these bombs were thrown over the demonstrators whole day.
The clashes began at 10 o’clock in the Sisli district and continued throughout the whole day. The police attacked and dispersed all the demonstrating groups with heavy tear gas bombing and water cannons. Approximately 30 to 40 thousand people gathered in fragmented groups to march to Taksim.
A wave of popular-worker resistance covered all the grand region of city center. Demonstrating groups gathered again and again despite police violence. Resistance was spread to a large area including Sisli, Mecidiyekoy, Ferikoy, Kurtulus, Pangalti, Harbiye, Fulya, Besiktas, Dolmabahce, Dolapdere, Tarlabasi, Cihangir, Istiklal Street.
The leaders of DISK and KESK (Public Employees Labor Confederation) could not bear the heavy police violence and declared that they “gave up” the march towards Taksim in the noon time; “since the people does not have life security, and the government has gone mad, they will make massacre”. But practically, the demonstrations continued until 4 o’clock pm.
The leading force in the demonstrations through out the day were revolutionary political organizations like the Socialist Platform of the Oppressed (ESP), Front for Rights and Freedoms (HOC), popular organizations like the People’s Houses (Halkevleri) and the legal progressive political parties like ODP and TKP.
The workers approached the Taksim Square and tried to enter from two points, Istiklal Street and Siraselviler Street. Barricades were installed against police panzers.
Captive Square
More than 30 thousand policemen occupied the ‘captive square’ Taksim and totally enclosed the square with metal fences. Taksim, the ‘display window’ of Istanbul, the plave were every tourist see demonstrated yesterday the character of the regime.
At the end of the day, totally 2800 persons were detained, 38 were wounded (8 of them police).
The worker-popular resistance in Taksim Square became the primary agenda in the country. All the mainstream (bourgeois) press took a critical position against the government. Only the Islamist press fully supported the government, accusing the workers.
The ban on the Taksim Square is a state policy, applied since the year 1978. But the critical approach of nearly all the bourgeois fractions, accept Islamists, to Erdogan and AKP demonstrate how illegitimate this policy had become for the popular masses. An open survey in the web page of Milliyet newspaper indicates that more than %60 of the voters claimed their support for the legalizing of Taksim Square meetings. 1st of May 2008 further weakened this policy and proved that it is not sustainable.
The workers’ action also divided the ranks of the ruling class. The opposition party CHP openly supported the action, sent its’ parliaments to attend. Even the fascist MHP made a statement to ‘condemn’ the violence ordered by the government.
Kurdish participation
The Kurdish participation to the 1st of May was also a notable feature. PKK made the call for all the Kurds to participate in the 1st of May meetings. May Day was celebrated all over Kurdistan with massive participation. In Diyarbakir, where the government tried to ban the demonstration, tens thousand Kurdish laborers attended the meeting. DTP also took part in the organization of the Taksim meeting. Kurdish youth was an active part of the resistance.
After Newroz (21st of March, national day of the Kurdish people) in which the Turkish revolutionary movement took a more active part, 1st of May was a second step towards the united action of the working class and revolutionary movement of the West and the Kurdish national movement.
Social awakening
1st of May 2008 was a sign of the awakening social consciousness which has deep roots in the popular masses; and this awakening is forcing the traditional repressive framework of the state. The IMF-guided neoliberal program, applied by the AKP government had caused a severe social penetration among the popular laboring masses. This, as a result is creating a struggling energy. While the economical-financial crisis is approaching, the workers’ movement is gaining strength and the working class is learning how to act as a subject both in the social and political fields.
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Photo gallery about May Day:
http://www.atilim.org/haberler/fotogaleri
Video-story of the events:
http://www.atilim.org/haberler/video/video.html
(fse-esf lists)
Please add your links, Comments etc,.
http://www.ifj-europe.org/
Protection of Journalists’ Sources.
Media Concentration and decline of quality journalism in Europe .
Public Service Media the cornerstone of European Democracy .
http://www.esf2008.org/registrations/european-federation-of-journalists
http://www.etuc.org/a/4897
TU Declaration:
http://www.etuc.org/IMG/pdf_DeclaracionLima2.pdf
(English Language to follow) .
Peoples’ Summit Lima Peru 13th-16th May 2008
http://www.enlazandoalternativas.org/spip.php?article94
EU - Latin America, Caribbean Summit 16th May 2008:
http://www.eu2008.si/en/Meetings_Calendar/Dates/May/0516_VrhEU_LAK.html
Huge mobilizations and general strike in Greece
Hundreds of thousands of people demonstrated in many Greek cities last Wednesday March 19. Only in Athens, it is estimated that more than 150.000 people participated in the demonstration organized by the trade unions and other social movements.
http://news.pathfinder.gr/photoscope/greece/news/798.html
http://syriza-ymittos.blogspot.com/2007/12/blog-post_6923.html
http://www.indy.gr/newswire/poreia-asfalistiko-athna-19-marti-2008
It was one of the most successful general strikes in the last decades. The workers are protesting against the neoliberal reform of the social security system. The conservative government is going to vote a new law that is violently limiting worker’s rights. People should work for more years (from 5-10 years) in order to get smaller pensions. It is estimated that more than 2,000,000 workers (mainly women and youth) will be the victims of the new law.
Before the general strike, workers in the electricity companies, in local authorities, in public transport and in the ports held for many days strikes against the government’s neoliberal reform. Chaotic situations occurred: black outs for many hours, streets full of garbage, enormous traffic jams… Besides the strikes many actions were also held: occupation of electricity stations by electricity workers
http://news.pathfinder.gr/photoscope/greece/news/2275.html
http://news.pathfinder.gr/photoscope/greece/news/2274.html
clashes between the police and the municipalities workers (in the video you can see them throwing garbage at the police)
http://www.in.gr/video/default.aspx?videoID=65149
clashes between the police and the electricity workers
http://news.pathfinder.gr/photoscope/greece/news/2140.html
Occupation of the Athens city hall by the local authorities’ workers
http://www.indy.gr/newswire/mpoykarise-kosmos-sto-dimar3c7eio/
blockades to tracks that were breaking the strike,
and destruction of police surveillance camera by the Network of Political and Social Rights
http://www.indy.gr/newswire/meion-mia-kamera/
We should also underline that the government is trying to criminalize the movement by persecuting trade unionists for the black outs.
Although the government has no social legitimation, it has the parliamentarian majority (152 deputies in a total of 300). That’s why after an initiative of the party of SYRIZA (Coalition of the Radical Left) all the opposition parties and the trade unions are launching a campaign for a referendum on the social security reform.
Yannis Almpanis Network for Political and Social Rights-Greek Social Forum