SLOVENIA:
MOBILIZATION AGAINST THE EU-USA SUMMIT IN SLOVENIA THIS JUNE:
Slovenia is a small country, one of those formed from the breakup of the former Yugoslavia. Since national independence its government has been the most forceful exponent of neo-liberal policies in the Balkans. This, however, has not been without opposition from workers, students and communities. One of the strands of this opposition is a vibrant and active anarchist movement. The following callout is from one of the Slovenian anarchist organizations, Autonomous Tribune, and it calls for opposition to the European Union- USA summit to be held early next month in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. The following article is taken from the A-Infos board. They have previously run an article from the "PGA-Inspired Newsletter #3' on the history and activities of the Autonomous Bloc and the Autonomous Tribune. The Slovenian comrades run their own website 'Avtonomna Tribuna', but it is entirely in Slovenian, a language that few foreigners are familiar with. The website of the Balkan Decentralized Network has reporting in English, and it will likely be a good site to visit for reportage of the events of next month.
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Call for mobilization Declaration of the Autonomous Tribune* about the EU-USA summit 2008 in Slovenia
In the beginning of June 2008 a meeting of the EU and the USA will be held in Slovenia, the country that is running the presidency of the European Union. The ruling elites of the two most powerful global powers will be taking decisions that are a direct concern of us all and will have a great impact on our future. Those, who take such decisions and consequently undertake actions, represent only the interests of power and capital and not the people. The EU and the USA are economic superpowers with interests which directly and indirectly cause social conflicts at home and abroad. ---- An insignificant minority benefits at the expense of the process of impoverishment of the majority.
This process has advanced on a global scale, and the EU and the USA are not exempt from it. The Slovenian ruling elite is not an exception when it comes to blindly following the neoliberal doctrine that results in subordination of all social spheres to the profit and the free market logic. Their interest is to recklessly destroy public spaces and privatise public goods that are thus increasingly less available to the people. Reduction of social rights, gradual restriction of access ability to education and health care are just some of the factors that pose a threat to a dignified life.
Just as the rulers feel the need to enclose themselves with fences and masses of armed police officers due to an increasing number of social conflicts, the whole system as well has the need to maintain the status quo to secure the interests of capital. By implementing powerful means of control – supervision cameras, increase of police surveillance, strict penal codes, Schengen walls... – they try to discipline us, tread down on our liberties and thus create conditions for further exploitation of people and the planet. But many times even such violent measures do not suffice and wars are something they can always resort to.
Under the pretence of spreading democracy and defending human rights, the rulers construct military conflicts that are intended to expand markets and increase the wealth of corporations and capitalists. Slovenia, too, has taken an active part in such nonsense actions. This small country has abroad, right after the USA, the largest number of soldiers per person. Even more, it intensively invests into the expansion of military infrastructure – e.g. NATO's air base in Cerklje that will serve as a military service. While more and more money is being spent for the defense budget, drastic cutbacks are performed in the field of health and educational institutions.
We believe it is important to raise awareness of the true intentions of the rulers and to protest against such exclusive politics and decision making. Therefore we have decided to organise ourselves and open a space for an alternative comprehension of the global situation. We support the existing alternative ways of thinking and acting and we encourage inventions of the new ones.Our disapproval will be manifested at the EU-USA summit that will take place on the 9th and 10th of June 2008 in Slovenia. We invite groups, organisations, individuals to join us and contribute to the creation of alternatives to the existing system. Let's build a world free of exploitation, discrimination and wars, a world based on dignity, justice, solidarity and true democracy!
Autonomus Tribune
Ljubljana, 13th May 2008
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