CANADIAN/INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS:

MADONNA FOR CHAIR OF THE IMMIGRATION AND REFUGEE BOARD OF CANADA:

Will wonders never cease ? Amazingly enough it seems like one of the schemes of our dearly beloved comrade leader Prime Minister "Sneaky Stevie" Harper has actually come back to bite him hard on the ass. What's this all about. As previously reported on this blog and elsewhere the federal Conservative government has long been stocking the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada with a fine collection of Holy Rollers and various neandertals from the extremist wing of their party. See THIS REPORT from the Harper Index (and past posts on this blog) for details. As I have expressed before on this blog Harper has to throw the extremist wing of his party the occasional bone, just to keep the preachers of Holy War lecturing the congregations to see failure to vote for the Conservatives as a sure ticket to eternal damnation. To date his tactics have been more than slightly successful. The bones that are thrown "look good" to the "Christian soldiers" while, at the same time being insignificant enough to not produce any major scandals that would be bad PR for the Harperites.

That is what Harper's appointments to the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada seemed to promise. To say the least the majority of Canadians don't stay awake at night worrying about their decisions. It's a plum job. Sit through an hour of a public meeting every once in awhile. Read about a case for 15 minutes. Sit and bullshit about it for half an hour with your other old friends on the Board, and adjourn for the mandatory $200 a plate tax payer provided fine dining afterwards. All this as part of God only knows how many tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars in honoraria as the "baseline" before expenses. Great work if you can get it, and a bonus for the neandertals is that they get to act out their fantasies of kicking those of the non-white persuasion behind the closed doors of a bureaucracy.

Really a great perk for the beneficiaries of the pork and more than sufficient to keep them rallying their troops to the ballot boxes-and an even better enticement and example for those who may get such non-work in the future. On the other side of the bargain the more intelligent section of the Conservatives surely thought that this was a great bargain as well. Get the support and put the crazies in positions where they can't do any public harm to the party image. Or so they thought. With an initiative of what can only be termed as "massive creativity" the Harper appointees have actually managed to provoke an international firestorm by their decision to grant "refugee status" to a white South African, Brandon Huntley, on the grounds that he is persecuted "as a white man" in his home country. I'll get back to comment on this claim later, but for now let us say that it has become a worldwide story, giving Canada a black eye all the way from Katmandu to Lviv to Sao Paulo to Karachi to Lagos. The government is in full damage control mode, and it may yet escape domestic repercussions, but the international news is one of the worst possible things that could happen diplomatically.

There's a lesson in all this. Always assume that half-wits can do you damage no matter how thoroughly you think you have contained and bought them off. Never trust your own schemes 100%. Here's the basic story from the New York Times Blogs. The same thing is being repeated gleefully all across the world and in Canada too.

HRHRHRHRHRHR

White South African Claiming Racist ‘Persecution’ Is Granted Asylum in Canada:
By Robert Mackey
South Africa plans to ask Canada to review a ruling last week by an immigration board in Ottawa granting asylum to a white South African carnival worker who claimed that he was forced to flee his homeland after being attacked seven times because of the color of his skin.

As The Ottawa Sun reported on Friday:
A Canadian immigration and refugee board panel ruled Thursday that Brandon Huntley, 31, could stay in Canada because he presented “clear and convincing proof of the state’s inability or unwillingness to protect him.”

“I find that the claimant would stand out like a ’sore thumb’ due to his color in any part of the country,” tribunal panel chair William Davis said in his decision to grant Huntley refugee status. "

Mr. Huntley, 31, claimed that he was called a “white dog” and a “settler” by black assailants while being mugged seven times during the years he lived outside Cape Town. According to The Globe and Mail, Mr. Huntley said that he had failed to report any of these attacks to the police in South Africa because he “did not trust them.”

The immigration and refugee board ruling said that Mr. Huntley had proven that the South African government, through “indifference and inability or unwillingness,” was failing to protect “white South Africans from persecution by African South Africans.”

The Ottawa Sun reported that Mr. Huntley said violent crime against white South Africans by black South Africans was racially motivated: “There’s a hatred of what we did to them and it’s all about the color of your skin.”

The Globe and Mail noted that the decision “has ignited a firestorm of controversy in South Africa, damaging relations between the two countries and denting Canada’s image in a country where it was once seen as a stalwart of the anti-apartheid struggle.”

On Tuesday Reuters reported that a spokesman for the African National Congress, which now rules South Africa, said “Canada’s reasoning for granting Huntley a refugee status can only serve to perpetuate racism.”

On Wednesday Agence France-Presse reported that Sue van der Merwe, South Africa’s deputy minister of international relations, said the decision “shows a lack of familiarization with the facts and reality of South African society.” Another A.N.C. official called the ruling, “preposterous and laughable.”

A spokesman for the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada told The Globe and Mail that the body is intended to operate independently, but added that Canada’s federal government does have the power to ask for judicial review of any decision.

In South Africa, the BBC found a unanimity of opinion from seven citizens of various races who said that while crime is a problem, Mr. Huntley’s claims were “absolute nonsense,” since “thugs attack you because they believe you have something they want.”

HRHRHRHRHRHRHR

So how does one judge such claims ? I think the last paragraph above says it all, even if some of Huntley's claims seem a bit over the top. He says that he has been mugged seven times, on some of which occasions he was stabbed. Yet he walks. Either a)he is one of the best street fighters in the world or b)he should really trying out for one of the Olympic track teams or c) that he so regularily walks with his horseshoes on across fields of four leaved clovers that I really want his advise on lottery numbers. I have no doubt that South Africa is a dangerous place. I also have little doubt that their are many blacks in the country who harbour a lot of dislike for white people. I will also grant that such racial hatred may account for almost 5% of the attacks on whites by blacks as compared to the more likely explanation that many criminals assume that whites have money or other valuables. I also have little doubt that Mr. Huntley may be in as much as 10% of the danger experienced by the ordinary black citizen in South Africa in terms of being victimized by criminals. In other words, probably about the same as an ordinary Mexican in a fairly bad place (but not the worst) in Mexico. Ahhhhh....

There's the point. A couple of months ago (on May 2 and July 22) Molly had articles on the opposition to the Canadian government's decision to require visas for anybody visiting Canada from Mexico and the Czech Republic. The idea was obvious- to keep out both Mexicans and Roma (gypsies) from Eastern Europe. Now there is little doubt that the Roma do experience racist persecution in several European countries, especially in Eastern Europe. I refer the reader to the above mentioned articles, amongst others, on this blog.

Let's see now. According to the Conservatives the Roma do not experience persecution and efforts have to be made to keep them out of Canada-special efforts no less. To date I have not seen this obvious comparison made, though I have little doubt that there are others who are writing about it even as I am. Yet there are others who do have a clue about world events, even if the neandertals that Stevie appoints do not. See the following story and understand why I am giving this free advise to the Conservative government: "Appoint Madonna to be the Chair of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada". The only thing that might be wrong with this brilliant suggestion is that Madonna would probably not properly appreciate the various petty freebies that go along with such "jobs". But if Stevie were to do it right, however improbable it might seem, he'd get somebody who could put in a good word to far more sheep (I mean loyal voters) than the Holy Rollers can. Here's what happened to Madonna a few days back on Romania. I call for this appointment because pretty well any rational person would chose to be interviewed behind closed doors by the subject of photograph "a" as opposed to that of photograph "b". Ahhh, love that interrogation technique.

HRHRHRHRHRHRHR

Madonna booed in Bucharest for defending Gypsies:
By ALINA WOLFE MURRAY (AP) – 6 days ago
BUCHAREST, Romania — At first, fans politely applauded the Roma performers sharing a stage with Madonna. Then the pop star condemned widespread discrimination against Roma, or Gypsies — and the cheers gave way to jeers.

The sharp mood change that swept the crowd of 60,000, who had packed a park for Wednesday night's concert, underscores how prejudice against Gypsies remains deeply entrenched across Eastern Europe.

Despite long-standing efforts to stamp out rampant bias, human rights advocates say Roma probably suffer more humiliation and endure more discrimination than any other people group on the continent.

Sometimes, it can be deadly: In neighboring Hungary, six Roma have been killed and several wounded in a recent series of apparently racially motivated attacks targeting small countryside villages predominantly settled by Gypsies.

"There is generally widespread resentment against Gypsies in Eastern Europe. They have historically been the underdog," Radu Motoc, an official with the Soros Foundation Romania, said Thursday.

Roma, or Gypsies, are a nomadic ethnic group believed to have their roots in the Indian subcontinent. They live mostly in southern and eastern Europe, but hundreds of thousands have migrated west over the past few decades in search of jobs and better living conditions.

Romania has the largest number of Roma in the region. Some say the population could be as high as 2 million, although official data put it at 500,000.

Until the 19th century, Romanian Gypsies were slaves, and they've gotten a mixed response ever since: While discrimination is widespread, many East Europeans are enthusiastic about Gypsy music and dance, which they embrace as part of the region's cultural heritage.

That explains why the Roma musicians and a dancer who had briefly joined Madonna onstage got enthusiastic applause. And it also may explain why some in the crowd turned on Madonna when she paused during the two-hour show — a stop on her worldwide "Sticky and Sweet" tour — to touch on their plight.

"It has been brought to my attention ... that there is a lot of discrimination against Romanies and Gypsies in general in Eastern Europe," she said. "It made me feel very sad."

Thousands booed and jeered her.

A few cheered when she added: "We don't believe in discrimination ... we believe in freedom and equal rights for everyone." But she got more boos when she mentioned discrimination against homosexuals and others.

"I jeered her because it seemed false what she was telling us. What business does she have telling us these things?" said Ionut Dinu, 23.

Madonna did not react and carried on with her concert, held near the hulking palace of the late communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu.

Her publicist, Liz Rosenberg, said Madonna and others had told her there were cheers as well as jeers.

"Madonna has been touring with a phenomenal troupe of Roma musicians who made her aware of the discrimination toward them in several countries so she felt compelled to make a brief statement," Rosenberg said in an e-mail. "She will not be issuing a further statement."

One Roma musician said the attitude toward Gypsies is contradictory.

"Romanians watch Gypsy soap operas, they like Gypsy music and go to Gypsy concerts," said Damian Draghici, a Grammy Award-winner who has performed with James Brown and Joe Cocker.

"But there has been a wave of aggression against Roma people in Italy, Hungary and Romania, which shows me something is not OK," he told the AP in an interview. "The politicians have to do something about it. People have to be educated not to be prejudiced. All people are equal, and that is the message politicians must give."

Nearly one in two of Europe's estimated 12 million Roma claimed to have suffered an act of discrimination over the past 12 months, according to a recent report by the Vienna-based EU Fundamental Rights Agency. The group says Roma face "overt discrimination" in housing, health care and education.

Many do not have official identification, which means they cannot get social benefits, are undereducated and struggle to find decent jobs.

Roma children are more likely to drop out of school than their peers from other ethnic groups. Many Romanians label Gypsies as thieves, and many are outraged by those who beg or commit petty crimes in Western Europe, believing they spoil Romania's image abroad.

In May 2007, Romanian President Traian Basescu was heard to call a Romanian journalist a "stinky Gypsy" during a conversation with his wife. Romania's anti-discrimination board criticized Basescu, who later apologized.

Human rights activists say the attacks in Hungary, which began in July 2008, may be tied to that country's economic crisis and the rising popularity of far-right vigilantes angered by a rash of petty thefts and other so-called "Gypsy crime." Last week, police arrested four suspects in a nightclub in the eastern city of Debrecen.

Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia also have been criticized for widespread bias against Roma.

Madonna's outrage touched a nerve in Romania, but it seems doubtful it will change anything, said the Soros Foundation's Motoc.

"Madonna is a pop star. She is not an expert on interethnic relations," he said.

AP Writers Alison Mutler in Bucharest, William J. Kole in Vienna and Nekesa Mumbi Moody in New York contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

INTERNATIONAL ANARCHIST MOVEMENT-CZECH REPUBLIC:

DEMONSTRATION AGAINST NEO-NAZIS IN SVITAVY:

The following item comes from the A-Infos website. It has Canadian relevance because of the continuing refusal on the part of our Harper Conservative government, in terms of its refugee program, to recognize that the Roma people face persecution in Europe. Of course they do. Here is an example, one amongst many, of people demonstrating the sort of thing that government claims doesn't exist.

@@@@@@@@@@

Czech, Svitavy, East Bohemia, Media, Some 70 anarchists and other activists attended a one-hour protest against mounting neo-Nazi activities in the Czech Republic Saturday:

They paid tribute to all victims of neo-Nazi violence since the fall of the previous regime in late 1989.

---- "The police were monitoring the march, we dealt with no misdemeanour during the event," Svitavy police spokeswoman Anna Stegnerova told journalists.

---- The activists carried posters reading "No to further neo-Nazism victims" and "No to xenophobia and racism."

---- An anarchist claimed in his speech during the event that there have been more than 30 victims of neo-Nazis in the country.

--- The march was joined by about 20 Romanies from the association We Want to Live!

--- "We have arrived from Brno, we have come to pay tribute to Ota Absolon," a member of the association said.

--- The march of neo-Nazism opponents was held on the day when in the past years skinheads used to stage marches in support of the convicted skinhead Vlastimil Pechanec.Pechanec was sent to prison for 17 years for a racially-motivated murder of a 23-year-old Romany man in 2003.

CANADIAN POLITICS:

DON'T CLOSE CANADA TO REFUGEES:

News of the following demonstration, sponsored by No One is Illegal Toronto comes Molly's way via the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP). The issue has been in the news recently with the Harper government deciding to impose visa requirements on visitors from both the Czech Republic and Mexico. Needless to say this has led to all sorts of bitterness in the countries affected. The supposed justification is that many people from these countries (the Roma in the case of the Czech Republic and those wishing to escape the drug wars in the case of Mexico) apply for a refugee status when they land in Canada, a status that the ruling Conservatives feel they don't deserve. The question of whether the Roma in all of eastern Europe are being persecuted (they are) or whether parts of Mexico are ineed overwhelmingly dangerous is beside the point to the government.

To Molly's eyes this sort of petty grandstanding (the stacked refugee boards routinely deny such status anyways, at least to Mexicans) on the Conservative's part has all the aspects of "throwing a bone" to their more rabid right wing supporters. This sort of thing, along with such visible petty actions as denying funding to gay festivals (in Montréal) or demoting ministers who let such grants slip by (as in Toronto), will, according to the hopes of Harper and his cronies, serve to pacify the right who must look askance at the recent conversion of the Conservatives to what will undoubtedly be very long term deficits and who will be ill at ease with the need to serve a more left wing administration in Washington. Throw the buggers a few little bones and they'll keep on marching out from the churches to the voting booths. Or so the Conservatives hope.

Others are appalled at this bit of vindictiveness. Here's the story of what's happening tomorrow. If you live down TO way try and join up with the demo.

CPCPCPCPCPCPCP

No One Is Illegal-Tor July 23: Don't Close the Border on Refugees:

No One Is Illegal-Toronto Events, Updates & News

http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org

++++++++++++++++++++++++

No Visa? No Rights?!

DON'T CLOSE THE BORDER ON REFUGEES!

Community Rally & March

Thursday, July 23rd 1:00pm

Meet at the corner of Davenport & Perth (to get there by transit, take the168 Symington bus from Dundas West station)

Come raise your voice against the Canadian government's recent decision to impose visa requirements on Mexico and the Czech Republic!

Using arbitrary powers, granted to him under Bill C-50, Kenney single-handedly slammed the door on migrants and refugees from Mexico and the Czech Republic last week.

Kenney's decision shows blatant disregard for asylum-seekers fleeing racism, violence and persecution and prevents families from reuniting. Following US-style workplace raids this spring, these new visa requirements are a clear escalation in the attack on migrant communities that force people to apply for a tourist visa before being able to apply for refuge. This change limits poor and working people's entrance to Canada to precarious and temporary work programs.

Rather than considering the individual merits of each case as stated under the Refugee Protection Act, Kenney has just decided that all claims from these countries are "bogus and illegitimate"!

NAFTA and the SPP regime are responsible for displacing millions within Mexico. The American led, Canadian backed War on Drugs has resulted in violence that has killed over 6000 people in 2008 alone. On one hand, the Canadian government has warned Canadians against traveling to Mexico (in a travel advisory this spring issued by DFAIT), but on the other hand continues to assert that Queers, Women surviving domestic violence and others fleeing persecution can be safe in Mexico.

Obviously there are two standards of safety: one for Canadians and one for people in the global south. The escalation of racist violence in the Czech Republic has gone unmentioned in Canadian and EU political circles. Kenney has turned a blind eye to vicious neo-Nazi attacks on the Roma people. Kenney also lies about the failures in Roma refugee cases - for when the Immigration and Refugee Board has actually heard a Roma case, even this arbitrary body has granted status 85% of the time.

Lets learn from history - don't let the borders be shut on refugees and immigrants!

Join your neighbors in defense of our rights!

Demand Status for All!

There will be speakers at the rally from the Roma Community Centre, the FCJ Refugee Centre, No One Is Illegal-Toronto and others.

Organized by the Bread and Bricks Davenport-West Social Justice Group. For more info call 416.652.7867 ext. 237.

Endorsed by: No One Is Illegal-Toronto

To read more on Kenney's lies and attacks, read:

http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/node/300

on facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=103940003093

...email at nooneisillegal@riseup.net

...facebook at

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2232590266

...twitter at

http://twitter.com/noii_to

...youtube at

http://www.youtube.com/user/nooneisillegal

...join the listserv:

https://lists.riseup.net/www/subrequest/nooneisillegal

Ontario Coalition Against Poverty

10 Britain St.

Toronto, ON M5A 1R6

416-925-6939

ocap@tao.ca

www.ocap.ca

ANTIMILITARISME/ANTIMILITARISM:
CONTRE LE RADAR DE 'STAR WARS' DANS LA RÉPUBLIQUE TCHÈQUE/MANIFESTATION À BRUXELLES///AGAINST THE 'STAR WARS' RADAR IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC/DEMONSTRATION IN BRUSSELS:
Ce qui suit est du site Web tchèque ' ; La force de Non-Violence' ;. Ils sont un groupe opposé à la guerre en général et spécifiquement à la construction de le radar anti missile dans la République Tchèque. Ils espèrent faire pression sur le nouveau gouvernement des États-Unis pour abandonner ce projet provocateur.
...............................
The following is from the Czech website 'The Force of Non-Violence'. They are a group opposed to war in general ans specifically to the construction of the anti missile radar in the Czech Republic. They hope to pressure the new US Administration to abandon this provocative project.
.............................
Bulletin de News - 02_2009 / News Bulletin:
February 02_2009‏

Chers amis,
[The English version of the newsletter is below.]
Dans l’attente que le Président Obama prenne position clairement, pèse un climat d’incertitude par rapport à la réalisation en Europe du dénommé « Bouclier spatial ». Néanmoins, notre protestation continue et elle a permis que le Gouvernement tchèque n’ait pu ratifier définitivement à ce jour l’accord avec les USA.Nous vous remercions tous pour le soutien reçu.




À Bruxelles, le 18 février 2009, une rencontre au Parlement Européen aura lieu entre plusieurs députés et 20 maires de la république tchèque, membres de la Ligues des Maires contre le radar, Giorgio Schultze (Europe for peace) Jan Tamas (Humanistes tchèques contre les bases) et des délégations de plusieurs pays européens. À l’initiative de Bruxelles, participeront aussi des maires de plusieurs villes de Belgique et seront également remis à cette occasion des messages de soutien de maires italiens en solidarité avec les protestations en République tchèque.




À 14 heures, une manifestation commencera devant le Parlement et tout au long de la journée des manifestations similaires auront lieu dans de nombreuses villes européennes.




La manifestation s’appellera « Les invisibles » car 70% de la population tchèque est contre la base radar des usa. Ils sont invisibles pour les médias, de même que restent invisibles à leurs yeux 95% de la population mondiale qui sont contre les guerres.




Vidéo de la manifestation déjà réalisée à Prague :
http://www.europeforpeace.eu/news.php?id=1036&country=




Mais surtout nous voulons vous informer de la Marche Mondiale pour la Paix et la Non-violence, la Marche la plus grande jamais organisée dans l’histoire humaine. Elle commencera en Nouvelle-Zélande le 02 octobre 2009, proclamé journée mondiale de la non-violence par les Nations Unies. Elle traversera une centaine de pays sur les cinq continents et se terminera dans les Andes argentines le 2 janvier 2010.




Des centaines d’organisations et de personnalités ont adhéré telles que la Président du Chili, Michelle Bachelet, le Dalaï Lama, l’équipe de football de l’Inter de Milan, l’acteur Viggo Mortensen (« le Seigneur des anneaux ») et beaucoup d’autres...




Participez et rejoignez la Marche pour dire définitivement non aux guerres et à toute forme de violence !
Informations :
http://www.marchemondiale.fr/
Conférence internationale contre « la Défense par les Missiles » à Séoul, en Corée du Sud, du 16 au 18 avril 2009 :Informations :
http://www.space4peace.org/actions/gnconf_2009.htm
Autres informations Brève présentation sur le bouclier spatial, utile pour informer de façon simple des institutions, des amis, des associations :
http://www.europeforpeace.eu/documents-detail.php?id=1050&country=fr
Lettre ouverte aux maires et aux organisations à propos de l’activité du 18 février :
http://www.europeforpeace.eu/news.php?id=1044&country=fr
Appel de la présidente du Chili à participer à la Marche Mondiale et pour un monde sans guerres (en espagnol - en anglais) :
http://www.nenasili.cz/en/3039_video-president-bachelet-endorses-the-world-march-for-peace-and-nonviolence
Entretien avec Noam Chomsky sur le bouclier spatial en Europe (en anglais, en italien)
:http://www.europeforpeace.eu/video-detail.php?id=1034&country=it
Entretien avec Noam Chomsky sur rôle possible de l’Europe pour éviter une catastrophe nucléaire (en anglais) :
http://www.europeforpeace.eu/video-detail.php?id=1029&country=
Conférence au Parlement Tchèque du député euro-parlementaire G. Chiesa : “Le bouclier divise l’Europe“ (en anglais)
http://www.europeforpeace.eu/video-detail.php?id=1030&country=
-----------------
Dear Friends,
With the expectation that President Obama may take a clear position, there is an air of uncertainty regarding the materialisation of the so-called Space Shield in Europe. Nevertheless, our protest continues, and this has allowed that until today the Czech Government has been unable to definitively ratify the agreement with the USA. We thank everyone for the support received.




In Brussels, on the 18th of February 2009, there will be a meeting in the European Parliament among various MEPs and 20 Mayors of the Czech Republic, members of the League against the Radar, Giorgio Schultze (Europe for Peace), Jan Tamas (Czech Humanists against the bases) and delegations from various European countries.Mayors of various Belgian cities will participate as well in the initiative in Brussels and messages of support will be handed in from many Italian Mayors expressing their solidarity with the protests in the Czech Republic.At 2 pm, a demonstration will start in front of the Parliament and throughout the same day similar demonstrations will be carried out in numerous European cities.




The demonstration will be called “the invisibles”, because the 70% of the Czech population that is against the US radar base are invisible for the media, as are the 95% of the world’s population that are against wars.
Video of the demonstration already held in Prague:
http://www.europeforpeace.eu/news.php?id=1036&country=




But above all, we would like to inform you about the World March for Peace and Nonviolence, the biggest march ever organised in human history.It will start in New Zealand on the 2nd of October 2009, proclaimed by the United Nations as the International Day of Nonviolence. It will pass through a hundred countries on five continents and will end in the Argentinean Andes on the 2nd of January 2010.




Hundreds of organisations and personalities have already endorsed the March, like Michelle Bachelet, Chilean President, the Dalai Lama, the Italian football club Inter Milan, the actor Viggo Mortensen (from “the Lord of the Rings”) and many others. Participate and join us in this March to say “no” decisively to wars and any form of violence!
Information:
http://www.worldmarchforpeace.org/
International conference against Missile Defence in Seoul, South Korea, between the 16th and 18th of April 2009. Information:
http://www.space4peace.org/actions/gnconf_2009.htm
Other information:
Video bulletin about the World March:
http://www.marchamundial.org/en
Brief presentation about the Space Shield, useful to inform institutions, friends and groups in a simple way:
http://www.europeforpeace.eu/documents.php?country=&keyword=documents
Open letter to Mayors and organisations about the activity on the 18th of February:
http://www.europeforpeace.eu/news.php?id=1040&country=
Call of the Chilean President to participate in the World March and for a world without wars:
http://www.nenasili.cz/en/3039_video-president-bachelet-endorses-the-world-march-for-peace-and-nonviolence
Video with Noam Chomsky about the Space Shield in Europe:
http://www.europeforpeace.eu/video-detail.php?id=1027&country=
Video interview with Noam Chomsky about the possible role of Europe in order to avoid a nuclear catastrophe (in English):
http://www.europeforpeace.eu/video-detail.php?id=1029&country=
Conference in the Czech Parliament with the MEP G. Chiesa: “The shield is dividing Europe”:
http://www.europeforpeace.eu/video-detail.php?id=1030&country=
VIDEO: Interview of Russia Today with Jan Tamas - US Radar provokes wars:
http://www.nenasili.cz/en/2921_us-radar-provokes-wars
http://www.nonviolence.cz/

INTERNATIONAL ANARCHIST MOVEMENT-CZECH REPUBLIC:

ANARCHISTS PROTEST VISIT OF CONDOLEEZZA RICE TO PRAGUE:

The following is from the A-Infos website. It's a brief description of the anarchist role in the protests that greeted the visit of US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to Prague to sign an agreement with the government of the Czech Republic allowing the US to build a radar installation on Czech soil as part of the "missile defence" project that President Bush wishes to leave as a poisoned legacy of his term of office. The actual interceptor missiles are planned to be based in Poland. Public opinion polls have found that up to 70% of the Czech population is opposed to the base, but the government continues on irregardless. The website of the Czechoslovak Anarchist Federation has a much longer article on the events, but it is unfortunately entirely in Czech. Still, it is worth looking at for the graphics alone. The following differs from the original because it has been slightly edited for English grammar and spelling-including the utterly forgiveable misspelling of Rice's bizarre first name.

......................................

Prague, Czech Republic: Anarchists Protest Condoleezza Rice:

On the Tuesday 8th of July, a group of anarchists around the CZECHOSLOVAK ANARCHIST FEDERATION (CSAF), welcomed the U.S. ministress of foreign affairs(Secretary of State-Molly) in front of the Cerninsky Palace in Prague, where Rice, along with Czech companion “Earl” Karel Schwarzenberg, signed a contract about building the U.S. Military radar base in theCzech republic. The anarchists greeted Rice with shouting like: “Rice go home!“ “Anarchists against radar”

---- A Friendly welcome by the anarchists waited for Minister Schwarzenberg as well, who was hit by tomatoes. Then, the “ reception committee” joined the anarchist block on the demonstration of the alliance of “NE zakladnam” (NO to the bases). Around three thousand people joined this demonstration. With never-ending yells, they went through the centre of town down to Prague castle and settled themselves near the place, where the U.S. ministress dined along with Czech representatives of government, who are constantly and arrogantly overlooking the opinion of the majority of people about the presence of U.S. army base.

..............................

Lest you think that this is one more example of "anarchists blowing their own horn" here is an item from the English language 'Prague Daily Monitor' showing that the mass media had to pay attention to the anarchists' role as well. The following has also been slightly edited for English grammar.

.........................

Hundreds of people protest in Prague against US radar base:
Prague, July 8 (CTK) - Hundreds of people came to Prague's Wenceslas Square yesterday to protest against the signature of the treaty on stationing a U.S. radar base on Czech soil and they followed with a march to Prague Castle.

The treaty was signed in Prague today by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her Czech counterpart Karel Schwarzenberg.

The police estimated the number of protesters at 1800 while the organisers from the No to Bases group speak about 3000 people.

The Prague police spokeswoman told CTK no incidents had been reported during the demonstration.

During the unannounced march the participants blocked traffic at some places in Prague for several tens of minutes.

Close to Prague Castle the riot police blocked the demonstrators' access to the area around Prague Castle and the Foreign Ministry where a reception was held in Rice's honour in one of the palaces in the neighbourhood.(Molly Note-there's a certain irony in this as these palaces are basically Hapsburg creations. May the US Empire become such a distant memory in years to come as the Austro-Hungarian Empire has become)

No to Bases spokesman Jan Tamas tried to break through the police barrier and hand over a letter for Rice, but failed.

He said he will therefore try to hand it to the U.S. embassy together with a gift - a piece of barbed wire from the site of the future radar base.

The demonstrators shouted slogans like "Shame to the government," "We do not want the radar here," "We will not be silent," "Topolanek out."

Topolanek is Czech prime minister.

Tamas said protests will continue and that the activists will try in parliament to prevent the building of the base.

To take effect, the treaty has to be ratified by parliament and signed by the Czech President.

The demonstrators called for a referendum to be held on the radar base. They said some 100,000 people have signed a referendum petition, and that seven million out of the ten million Czech citizens are opposed to the base.

The protest action brought together Communists, Greens as well as anarchists. Jan Neoral, mayor of Trokavec, a village close to the site of the future radar base, was also present.

Communists (KSCM) chairman Vojtech Filip and Social Democrat Jan Kavan, former foreign minister and former U.N. General Assembly President, were observing the protest action.

The Prague demonstration was supported by several tens of people outside the Czech embassy in Warsaw.

They also called for a referendum to be held on the stationing of the other part of the U.S. anti-missile system in Europe - interceptor missiles in Poland.

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A Final Molly Note:

While looking things up for this blog Molly found that googling "+"Condoleezza Rice" +protests" produced 1,340,000 hits. Given this statistic Molly hazards a guess that Rice probably has the title of "most unpopular woman in the world" sewed up tightly. One wonders if anyone predicted this in her high school yearbook.

ANARCHIST MOVEMENT-CZECH REPUBLIC:

THE STRIKE IS OVER-WHAT NEXT ? :

Molly has previously reported on the limited general strike that has recently occurred in the Czech Republic. Here is a further statement on the part of the Czech Anarchist Federation (Molly Note- the federation retains the name of the "Czechoslovakian Anarchist Federation" even though it is unclear if they have any serious support from the country of Slovakia which separated from the Czech Republic many years ago) on the strike, its aftermath, and the lessons derived. The following article from the A-Infos website has been slightly edited for English grammar and spelling.

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Czech Anarchist Federation: The strike is over, what next?

On the Tuesday 24th there was a strike against government reform, announced by a lot of labour unions. According to pre-estimates, almost one million people joined the strike. There was a strike in health services, in railways, transport in many cities was totally or partly stopped, in many factories and bureaus there was no work for one hour, taxi drivers in Prague blocked the airport, farmers blocked the Prague’s artery, and many more...

---- The strikers and the strike-breakers ----

Both trade unionists and unorganised working people joined the strike. Some people didn’t stop their work, however; they expressed their solidarity with the demands of the strikers at least with posting banners in their workplace. The number of people who joined the strike is considerable, no matter how the government tries to play this amount down.

However, in many places we could see the disunity of the working people. The reasons are various. It can be fear of losing job, career, or enforcement. In some cases, the drivers of the city transport even got lump-sum bonuses, if they didn’t join the strike.

We cannot neglect the fact, that after the Bolshevik regime in Czech Republic, there is not any tradition of striking and consciousness of solidarity among the working people.

In addition, mainstream medias in this country have always been directly or indirectly against the labour unions.

Considering all these facts, one million people in strike is good beyond expectations.

The anarchists also joined the strike

CZECHOSLOVAK ANARCHIST FEDERATION (CSAF) has decided to support the strike.

There was a manifesto and critical appeal for joining the strike on the website of CSAF.

The members of CSAF actively joined the strike, not only by direct involvement.

They also notified the public of the anarchist perspective on the government reforms, which are one of the asocial displays of the capitalist system. A lot of leaflets and stickers have been printed.

Some members of CSAF elected quiet support of the striking people in the several hours rejection of their work. Those who couldn’t join the strike directly, supported the protests by dealing leaflets, pasting stickers or by street art.

One of the CSAF regional groups hung out the anarchist flag and banner “General strike against the reforms!” on the bridge above the railway station.

The strike is over, what next?

The labour union leaders claimed the strike was successful. In the number people who joined the strike, it was certainly a success in the conditions we described above.

But we surely cannot talk about any “win”. The government politicians keep, as expected, their arrogance and the hour-long strike underwhelms them. They ignore public opinion on the reforms as well as on the U.S. radar base, which could be built here.

We can hope, this arrogance will raise “healthy” fury instead of resignation, which will be expressed through other strikes and protests.

Union leaders are speaking indistinctly about another resistance to the government reforms .However, will they lead the working people into another strike or will they rather discourage the people from it?

The strike on the 24th of June was successful only at that time. When will other steps follow, preferably the time-unlimited general strike, which the government will not be able to laugh at, anymore.

csaf@csaf.cz

www.csaf.cz

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR-CZECH REPUBLIC:

ONE MILLION PEOPLE JOIN ONE HOUR GENERAL STRIKE:

Over one million people joined in a one hour protest strike last Tuesday, June 24 against planned "reforms" on the part of the Czech government according to THIS REPORT. The policies of the present government have resulted in rising inflation that has reduced real wages. Further plotting on the part of the government and its "reforms" includes gradually increasing the age for claiming pensions and transforming health insurers and teaching hospitals into private companies. Public transport, aside from the Prague Metro (where employees handed out leaflets in support of the strike but didn't participate due to safety concerns), was paralyzed throughout the country. The strike was larger than the 1994 protests when 500,000 people stopped work to protest changes to the pension system. Teachers and medical workers also joined the strike.

The unions involved included the Bohemian and Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions (CMKOS) and the smaller Independent Union's Association (ASO).

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THE STRIKE AND THE ANARCHISTS:

The Czech Anarchist Federation supported and participated in the strike, but they felt that it (obviously!) didn't go far enough. This is their statement. The following has been slightly edited for reasons of English grammar and spelling.

Czech Anarchist Federation: Against the reform by the time-unlimited general strike:

Members of the Czechoslovakian anarchist federation (CSAF) are fully supporting the strike announced on the 24th of June and any other protest actions against the government reforms.

---- Members of CSAF are directly joining the strike, according to their possibilities, or expressing their solidarity by other forms of protests. Also we, the anarchists, say NO to these asocial reforms and that´s why we call upon everybody – working people, unemployed people, students, pensioners and the other groups of unprivileged people, to join the strike or express their solidarity with the strikers..

---- Against the reform by the time-unlimited general strike!!

---- (Part of leaflet created by CZECHOSLOVAKIAN ANARCHIST FEDERATION, on the occasion of the strike, declared by the most of the Czech main labour unions against the government reforms)

NOTE: The government reforms in Czech republic are hand in glove with orders and recommendations of monetary institutions and OECD..For the common people it means another enormous increase of their expenses.. The worst measures are for example : food consumer tax increase, introducing charges at the doctor (everybody, even small children and pensioners, now have to pay during the visit of their doctor), raising the limit for retirement, decrease of parental allowances....

Members of the Czechoslovakian Anarchist Federation are fully supporting the strike announced on the 24th of June and any other protest actions against the government reforms.Members of CAF are directly joining the strike, according to their possibilities, or expressing their solidarity by the other forms of protests. Also we, the anarchists, say NO to these asocial reforms and that´s why we call upon everybody – working people, unemployed people, students, pensioners and the other groups of unprivileged people, to join the strike or express their solidarity with the strikers..

Don´t let ourselves to be separated, don´t forget that our strength is in our unity and solidarity.

It is foolish to trust in political parties or supreme labour union leaders. Don´t let them abuse us for their political or power ambition. Trust ourselves and our colleagues!

As the anarchists, we don't think that reforms can be stopped just by one-hour or one day-long strike indeed.The only way out, the only method, how to beat down the government and stop reforms, is a time-unlimited general strike, which would be stopped only at that time, when government will withdraw and abolish their asocial reformative plans and measures.

There are a lot of ways, how to join..

If you can´t stop or quit your job or study for any reason, express your solidarity with the striking people, for example during your journey to work, or by hanging out the banner “ I support the demands of the strikers” in your workplace or window.

If you are unemployed, for example you can occupy and block the building of Bureau of Labour.

Extend the ideas of self-organization, direct action and the time-unlimited general strike.

Create your own posters, stickers, leaflets, street art stencils and set out to the streets. There are offices of political parties in every bigger city. The forms of protest are various : symbolic lockout of these offices, blockades, verbal confrontation of the politicians, throwing rotten fruit or sprayed the walls of their offices..

The struggle doesn´t end with one strike.

Reformist labour unions have no will to stop the recent government reforms. It is not possible to be a responsible part of the capitalist system and at the same time defend the interests of the working people.

The history of social struggles has clearly shown us that negotiations with those, who have the power, is simply pointless.The government will withdraw and annul reformist plans only at that time, when the time-unlimited general strike will take place. The strike, which will threaten the profits of the lobby groups of employers. In fact, especially these groups have the eminent concern over realization of these reforms promoted by the government. At the same time, we will see what the labour unions seek to do – to defend the interests of the working people, or to maintain their soft jobs..

www.csaf.cz

csaf@csaf.cz

ANTI-MILITARISM:

WORLD HUNGER STRIKE DAY AGAINST STAR WARS:

As Molly has reported on other occasions here on this blog people in the Czech Republic and in Poland are organizing and protesting the placement of components of the US's planned anti-missile system in their countries. Part of this protest has been a series of hunger strikes, especially in the Czech Republic, but also in other countries. The following report from the Polish anarchist news site Centrum Informacji Anarchistycznej describes what happened on the international day of solidarity hunger strikes, last Sunday.

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June 22nd - World Hunger Strike Day Against US Star Wars

In feline solidarity, Miaou, my cat, fasted today against the delusional US Star Wars proposal for Poland and the Czech Republic! But he only lasted 10 mins, then started eating a cheesecake, so I took over for him. Why fast today? Well Sunday, June 22nd, was declared by our Czech colleagues as World Hunger Strike Day Against Star Wars - sensibly calling on financial resources to be divested from the US missile defence programme, and militarism in general, and to be directed towards addressing real human needs - food, education, health, sustainable environment, etc.

Please read on to find out more about this initiative, videos against Star Wars, photos and comments from participants in today's fast.

On the 2nd June, after 21 days, Jan Tamas and Jan Bednar suspended their hunger strike. The protest against the proposed US Star Wars system for Poland and the Czech Republic continues, however, in the form of a relay in the Czech Republic with the participation of politicians, scientists and artists, etc.
video message by Jan Tamas

To give more force to this great non-violent protest, the Czech campaigners launched a Worldwide 1-Day Hunger Strike today, June 22nd, proposing a simple but significant gesture: let’s not eat for one day to oppose Star Wars and say to the world powers: “Stop feeding the war machine and start feeding the people!”

The Czech campaigners declared that it’s scandalous one thousand million dollars are destined to military spending, when with different choices this money could solve the problems of hunger, lack of education and the environment.
Here you can look at photos and messages from today's hunger strike participants

If you’d like more information please have a look here:
Contact Us

Campaign in the World
In Italy, Giorgio Schultze started a hunger strike on the 1st of June and suspended it on the 13th of June in Brussels where, together with Jan Tamas, he met with Luisa Morgantini – Vice-President of the European Parliament and many other MEPs (Members of the European Parliament). On the 9th of July, there will be a meeting and press conference in Strasbourg with MEPs opposed to the Star Wars project. He will present the signatures gathered by the on-line petition: A great opportunity to redouble our efforts and reach 200,000 signatures!

Giorgio Schultze and Jan Tamas will participate in the European Humanist Forum “The Strength of Nonviolence” in Milan, Italy on the 17th, 18th and 19th of October where they will be guest-speakers on the Disarmament panel. For more information about the forum see the website: Humanist Forumand download the monthly bulletin here.

The bulletin is also available in French, Spanish and Italian.

On 22nd June in the USA

Video about “Star Wars” (reduced version of 10 minutes)

20 minute version

Other Information

Support this campaign by letting your friends know, in your city, among organisations and the media. Only with everyone’s help can we change the future, a future that is today in the hands of a few unscrupulous crazy people.
Adapted from original article by Tony Robinson

info@europeforpeace.eu

www.nonviolence.cz

CZECH REPUBLIC:

HUNGER STRIKES AND OTHER PROTESTS AGAINST US PLANS FOR MISSILE INTERCEPTORS IN EASTERN EUROPE:

Over the past two years the US government, in cooperation with the governments of Poland and the Czech Republic, has moved slowly and inexorably towards the stationing of an anti-missile system in the territories of the two east European countries mentioned. This project has proceeded much more quietly than the Reagan area 'Star Wars' circus- which amounted to nothing substantial-, and the Bush administration has probably been wise to move via stealth rather than rhetorical fireworks in this case. For an overview of the Reagan era 'Star Wars' overhyped project see THIS WIKIPEDIA ARTICLE. Also consult 'National Missile Defense' for an overview of the general subject.

The present plan is that the radar station for the project will be situated in the Czech Republic while the interceptor missiles themselves will be situated in Poland. The location of the installations makes it quite obvious that they are aimed as a threat towards Russia rather than what the US government claims- that they are meant to intercept missiles that might be launched from so-called "rogue states". To date only North Korea has demonstrated both missile and nuclear capacity. The idea that interceptors based in Poland could overtake missiles launched from North Korea eastwards is, of course, ridiculous. Iran presently has neither nuclear capacity nor missile capacity to reach western Europe. Of course the interceptor missiles involved will not be anywhere near as capable as their proponents claim them to be. What they are,however, is a device to "thin" any Russian launch, perhaps even- perish the thought- simply a retaliatory strike against the only state which has both used nuclear weapons in warfare and threatened to use them on many other occasions. Perhaps the missiles that would be launched from Russia wouldn't be aimed at western and central Europe at all but rather at some unnamed "rogue state" that has demonstrated its willingness to both use and, especially, threaten nuclear annihilation numerous times in the past.

But if these installations are built they will automatically become necessary targets. This project hasn't been without opposition in both Poland and the Czech Republic. It is certain that the majority of Czechs oppose the construction of the radar base on their territories, and it is probable that the majority of Poles oppose the location of the interceptor missile on theirs. Presently some of the opposition to this "Star Wars Version 2" has taken the form of a series of hunger strikes carried out by Czech citizens to bring the world's attention to the situation. Ongoing news about these protests can be found at the Europe for Peace website. These hunger strikes are undertaken by humanists who hold to the philosophy of "non-violent direct action". Molly might quibble about whether their self-applied description is indeed "direct action". To my lights it is merely another form of "petitioning", just as pointless riots at economic gatherings are. Neither tactic directly changes the situation. Both merely try and force the hand of established power to comply with ethical demands. Both are protest rather than "direct action", but the tactics of the hunger strikers at least have the advantage of occupying the moral high ground.

In their own words, here is the underlying philosophy of the humanist protesters against the location of tracking radar in the Czech Republic, from The Strength of Non-Violence website.

What is active non-violence?

Non-violence generally refers to some or all of the following: a system of moral concepts that disavows violence; the mass movement led by Mahatma Gandhi in India in the first part of the twentieth century; the struggle for civil rights by African-Americans in the United States under the leadership of Martin Luther King; and the activities carried out by Kwame Nkrumah in Ghana. The activities of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Andrei Sakharov, S. Kovalev, and other famous dissidents opposed to Soviet totalitarianism are often included as well.

The idea of non-violence is expounded in the Bible and the writings of other religions in the exhortation not to kill. This idea has been developed by numerous thinkers and philosophers; Russian authors Leo Tolstoy and Fyodor Dostoevsky expressed it in profound formulations. Tolstoy's formula proclaiming the supremacy of love and the “non-use of violence against evil,” or better, the impossibility of fighting one evil with another, found worldwide resonance, inspiring a somewhat singular sect of “Tolstoyists.”

The non-violence movement developed by Gandhi prepared the ground for Great Britain to renounce its supremacy in India, though Gandhi himself was killed by a paid assassin. Also M.L.King's struggle ended without victory. He was assassinated in the balcony of his hotel in Memphis, while assisting a protest which denounced the low salaries of the black people who collected the trash. Nonetheless, the concept of non-violence , including non-violent forms of protest, continues to be a vital, evolving force in the world. Daily mass actions by lower strata of workers, meetings and protest demonstrations, strikes, women's and student movements, farmworker and peasant demonstrations, leaflets, neighborhood newspapers and periodicals, appearances on radio and TV, all these constitute the contemporary forms of the ethic and practice of non-violence.

New Humanism, developed by Silo(Who???-Molly) since the 1960s until today, strives to reduce violence to the greatest extent possible, to create perspectives which go completely beyond violence , and to use all possible methods and forms of bringing resolution to conflicts and dichotomies along the path of creative non-violence.

Non-violence is frequently equated with pacifism , when in reality the latter is neither a method of action nor a style of life but rather a sustained protest against war and the arms race. From the above it follows that non-violence and active non-violence (1) consist of a personal commitment, a style of life and a methodology for social change.

The two pillars of the methodology of active nonviolence are civil disobedience and non-participation.

Civil disobedience has the following ideological and philosophical justification: If the State imposes laws which are violently unjust, discriminatory, etc. and the application of such laws affects people negatively because it transforms people into agents or receivers of injustice or discrimination, then people have the right and the moral obligation to not comply with such laws. Civil disobedience and non-cooperation intentionally break the unjust law and accept the punishments, for example imprisonment, as a dignified consequence of their actions.

Non-participation or vacuum towards violence implies avoiding involvement in violent situations – which usually has a negative economic effect to the transmitter of violence – proclaiming publicly the moral posture of both parties.

In the cases of Gandhi and M.L.King, the interest was in changing unjust laws or social realities, and only when the searched for steps could not be achieved through negotiations and persuasion, direct action with planned activities was used. (Examples of Gandhi, Salt Law and Salt March; Martin Luther King, state laws of racial segregation, bus boycott, sit-ins, marches, etc.).We can see that these predecessors of active non-violence, and many others, were people who also had a strong and vital spiritual and religious feeling. This shows that historical moments of great changes have been accompanied by new feelings of religiosity. They are moments of hope. In such moments a great moral force is put into motion and the human landscape changes.
(1) ACTIVE NON-VIOLENCE: The strategy for struggle of New Humanism, which consists of the systematic denunciation of all the forms of violence exercised by the System. Also, a tactic for struggle applied in specific situations in which discrimination of any type is occurring.

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There is presently an international online petition, which has so far gathered over 100,000m signatures, against the US plans for this project. The following, from the Europe for Peace site gives the text of the petition and a backgrounder. If you'd like to read more and sign the petition go to the EfP site.

Petition Text:
"I do not agree with the installation of a US military base on Czech Republic territory, as part of their NMD (National Missile Defense) project. The implementation of this project is increasing international tensions, generating a new arms race and is the first step towards the militarization and control of space. Since more than two thirds of the Czech population are against this project, I think it is only fair that the Czech people have the right to decide on such an important question by means of a referendum."
Declaration
The NMD project of the United States – their national missile defense system, is a very complex project which involves the production of new weapons, and the installation of US military bases in different parts of the planet. In particular, in Europe, the first step is the installation of a radar system in the Czech Republic, as well as a base for interceptor missiles in Poland.

This plan has divided Europe, which at the moment is not able to give a united, coherent and nonviolent response to the United States’ aggressive policies. The reaction of Russia and China has created a “cold war” atmosphere. International tensions are increasing, and the crazy arms race (both conventional and nuclear) has restarted. Above all, the bases are being installed to militarize and control space. More than two thirds of the Czech population are against the presence of United States military on Czech territory. Despite this, the Czech and US governments are continuing the negotiations which are, by now, reaching their concluding phase.

The Czech people will declare that any contract that the Czech government may sign with the US Government concerning the project to install US military bases on Czech territory will have no legal value. And so the Czech people will not feel in any way bound to any type of commitment. The formal respect for laws passed in Parliament by a relative majority is not enough to be considered as real democracy. When a Government takes a decision which clearly goes against the will of a majority of its citizens, it is not respecting either the spirit or deepest essence of democracy.

The US government must clearly understand that it is not carrying out a dialogue with the Czech people, but with a minority that does not represent the will of the majority of Czech citizens. For this reason, any agreement will have no legal value. Our American friends must clearly understand that their government’s policies are generating a widespread feeling of “anti Americanism” which was not present before in Czech culture, and in this way, their aggressive policies will only turn against them. We know that a nonviolent action to boycott American products has already begun, and that this phenomenon could quickly spread beyond the boundaries of the Czech Republic.

The majority of Czechs do not want foreign military bases on their territory.

The majority of Czechs want to decide these problems themselves by means of a referendum: a fundamental instrument of any democracy.

Jan Tamáš

Nonviolent Movement against US bases in the Czech Republic

Dana Feminová

Europe For Peace

CZECH REPUBLIC:

PROTESTS AGAINST US MISSILE DEFENSE PROJECT:

Some of the behind the scenes negotiations at the recent NATO summit in Bucharest Romania involved negotiations between the USA and the governments of Poland and the Czech Republic over the proposed "missile defense shield" to be built in those two countries. According to the US plan the radar system will be built in the Czech Republic while the interceptor missiles will be based in Poland. Molly has reported before on the anarchist opposition to this plan. The plan is a barely disguised effort to hold a military threat over the head of a newly energy rich Russia, and its utility against so-called "rogue states" (should we include the USA in this category ?) is remote at best. The actual long term plan is to dissuade western Europe from further economic detente with Russia by provoking sabre rattling on the part of the Russians.

Yet this plan has not been without its opposition. Here's a report from US NEWS, a source that one could hardly accuse of "radical biases" about the opposition to the plan in the Czech Republic.

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In Prague, Protest Against a U.S. Missile Defense Deal
Hunger strikers pressure the government to say 'no' to Washington
BERLIN—Petitions, mass protests, and widespread public opposition so far have failed to kill plans for a U.S. missile defense shield in eastern Europe. So it is safe to say that Jan Tamas faces some long odds with his hunger strike.

On Tuesday in central Prague, Tamas, spokesman for the No Bases Initiative in the Czech Republic, began his third week of a water-and-tea diet alongside activist Jan Bednar. Their aim is to pressure the Czech government to halt negotiations over the controversial radar facility to be built in Brdy, 55 miles southwest of the capital, Prague.

After two years of talks—and three failed attempts to sign a treaty since February—Washington still faces a challenge in pushing through the plan that President Bush says will bolster NATO defenses against potential future attacks from Iran and other rogue states. The plan envisions installing 10 missile interceptors in Poland and a radar base in the Czech Republic.

The Czech government last week gave its approval to the draft of the bilateral missile defense treaty, and officials said it could be signed in the next month or so. However, Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek's sagging popularity and his conservative coalition's wafer-thin hold on power make it uncertain whether he can gain the necessary approval from parliament.

That political picture is giving hope to opponents, who are campaigning against what they call the start of a new arms race and a return to Cold War-style politics. "This is not only about the radar base anymore or about international security. It is about democracy. We are afraid for democracy in our country," says Tamas, an IT consultant whose hunger strike since May 13 has been documented on his website and has gained support from antiwar activists and luminaries of the left, including former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich, linguist Noam Chomsky, and playwright/human rights advocate Ariel Dorfman.

Tamas's colleague, Bednar, was briefly hospitalized with liver problems over the weekend but vowed to continue the strike until the Czech government opened up a public dialogue on the issue.

It was the Velvet Revolution in Prague nearly two decades ago that helped topple communism in eastern Europe and symbolized the power of peaceful protest in the modern era. Now, a new type of grass-roots movement is developing that the Czech Republic has never seen before, with local antiwar chapters and civic groups springing up in towns and cities and more than 60 organizations powering the No Bases Initiative. "We have tried almost everything, but our government has failed to listen; it continues to ignore the fact that more than two thirds of Czechs oppose this plan," Tamas adds in a telephone interview. "These methods remind us of times before 1989—times we don't want to be repeated."

Bush and Topolanek have sought to wrap up a deal but missed three target dates—Topolanek's February visit to Bush at his Crawford ranch, the NATO summit in Bucharest in April, and this month's canceled visit to Prague by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Further complicating matters are the steep demands from Poland, reportedly too steep as far as some U.S. officials are concerned. Prime Minister Donald Tusk is seeking several billion dollars from the United States to modernize Poland's own military as part of the deal for accepting the missile interceptors(Molly Note-A very rational response on the part of the Poles-as long as the buggers are flailing about hit them for as much money as you can, maybe enough to equal three stealth bombers).

The Czechs themselves are skeptical about what benefits they will gain apart from a few jobs building the roads and infrastructure around the radar base. The biggest question for Czechs, however, isn't whether or not security should be increased against threats from abroad, argues Tamas Weiss, a researcher at the Institute of International Relations in Prague. It's the way they choose to go about it. "If you ask people, 'Do you think the threat of ballistic missiles is real?' the majority [of Czechs] say yes. 'Do you think the Czech Republic should be protected?' they say yes. But ask them, Weiss says, 'Do you support an American missile defense base on your soil?' and they say no."