PRESS RELEASE


FRENCH GOVERNMENT STAMPS OUT PROTEST


French Government ministries are blaming each other and the Italian government for the cancellation of a chartered train of protesters.

The train, carrying 450 protesters from the UK was due to travel to the French border to be met by a fleet of coaches taking the demonstrators on to Genoa for the actions against the G8 summit starting o Friday. A fax recieved by Globalise Resistance this morning (Tuesday) informed them of the decision to cancel. Globalise Resistance has been offered a refund, but expenses incurred in advertising and organising other parts of the journey will not be covered.

Guy Taylor for Globalise Resistance said "We are fighting this decision. Democracy without the right of protest means nothing. On our train are pensioners, trade unionists, children, socialists and envirnmentalists. We have already had a huge amount of support for our right to demonstrate. It shows the weakness of the authorities and their policies that they feel it necessary to stop people having a voice at all."

"Our members and supporters will be going to Genoa anyway. While fighting the decision we are booking other means of transport and encouraging everyone to make their own way there. We spent an enormous amount of money on transport and now we're denied the services we have bought - so much for the free market!"

Globalise Resistance members have a 100% clean record on violence. Since setting up in February, not one member has been arrested for a violent crime - although many have been arrested for non-violent protest.

Despina Mavrou, also from Globalise Resistance asked "What are they scared of? We only want to put the case for preserving the environment and cancelling third world debt. This whole thing is ridiculous"

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For more information / interviews please phone:

Amy Jowett: 07947 433 445
Guy Taylor: 07956 681 328
Despina Mavrou: 07940 105 446


SUPPORTING THE CAMPAIGN TO RE-INSTATE THE TRAIN ARE:

Tony Benn (former MP)
George Monbiot (activist & columnist)
John Pilger (film maker)
Noreena Hertz (writer)
Louise Christian (human rights lawyer)

Demo at the French Embassy to protest at the banning of the GR train.

5pm Tommorrow (Wednesday)

So while the french and italians collude / blame each other for the SNCF cancellation the question that MUST be answered is WHY?

While the GR train has been cancelled today in Genoa we are expecting around 26 special trains full of protestors to arrive at the main brignole train station. The station was supposed to be closed from today but then they ordered to keep it open, probably because the logistics of ferrying so mahy people from other places by coach would be unworkable. It is also understood that plans were existing for demonstrations in places if trains were stopped.

So with 26 train loads of assorted protestors coming why cancel the UK one? This could be understood if the hundreds of people were self declared full on confrontational direct action types, but this is a globalise resistance train with all types of GR members etc - uk trade unions had supported the train and were paying for their members to travel on the train, there were socialists, members of the swp etc etc - not groups associated with disorder.

They MUST provide a full explanation of their reasoning in preventing this train from travelling - this is a blatent infringement of peoples rights to travel and to demonstrate. (one wonders what the hell they think theyre doing - its only going to look really bad for them!)

While it is said it is the result of italian/french collaboration one also wonders if this is a result of uk politics - like blair and his anarchist travelling circus accusations, like the articles that have been in the uk press about the GR train calling it an "anarchist express" and others saying that the two most extreme and dangerous groups in the uk involved in planning for genoa were GR and.... Drop The Debt! (this would be funny apart from the fact that this is blatant propaganda / shite lies / utterly poor reporting from the corporate media about an issue charged with emotions about violence and state oppression).

Ya Basta!

Good luck with protests outside french embassy - and lets keep pushing for full explanation and redress.

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Corp media articles in:

British protesters' train to Genoa cancelled
Guardian - Wednesday July 18, 2001
 http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4223624,00.html

Protest train halted in attempt to protect Genoa  Financial Times  22:13 17-Jul-01 

Anarchists protest as train is cancelled
The Times Jul 18 2001

i always have had extreme doubts about globalize resistance; wierd name, and, from all reports, wierd people with wierd goings on in meetings. methinks thou dost protest too much with your "non- extremeist" entourage. the euro-state can easily tell between a coach load of tourists and of activists, swp or otherwise

The train is on, and emptier than realised. If you can get to Dover b4 9am tommorrow you may get a place.

I repeat, IT IS ON!!!!!!!!!

All people with tickets will have a place, obviously

We owe gratitude to the French Rail Workers Union and Globalise Resistance in Britain and Genoa for putting enough pressure on the authorities for them to cave in!!

Leeds GR

The Globalise Resistance train is back on the tracks to Genoa.

Due to pressure placed on the French government by amongst others; Noam Chomsky, Susan George, George Monibiot and Tony Benn, the French Government have capitualated and allowed the our train to run.

The most significant pressure came from the railway workers union for Sud-RAIL, they denounced SNCF as 'collaboraters of Berlosconi', they also stated that it was disgraceful that the French government should attack the right to protest.

This is an important victory for the anti-capitalist movement as they train has become a symbol of the Europe-wide mass mobilisation for the protests at Genoa. This victory shows that we have the power to overturn our rulers attempts to silence us.

It also shows that international solidarity is not just tokenism but, in fact, it is the way to get results.

I expect someone pointed out to the French government that, whilst it is OK to infringe on the democratic rights of protestors, it is quite unacceptable for them to interfere with legitimate, paid for business deals such as a train charter.

Isn't it remarkable what rights the state don't have?

a lesson that is, in how to build up your own organization at the expense of a movement that is a little unsure of its direction as of yet.
remember, the SWP (GRs shadow sponsors) were nowhere to be seen in the city in 1999, for they were too busy supporting serbian nationalists.

sponsors or core funders?

thout Globalise resistance were a coalition

do let us know :#)