ALERT: Schengen to be suspended ahead of ESF meeting ??
alert reposted from italian esf list | 16.10.2002 15:30 | European Social Forum
Alert from Italy (15th Oct): Seems there is the possibility that media tycoon and fascist Berlusconi + his government may try to suspend Schengen agreement for the European Social Forum in Florence next month. Previously schengen has been suspended ahead of large protests for the purposes of stopping protestors and political activists attending events...
Dear friends,
While we were going to positively close all the agreements with the Local Authorities and the Local Representative of the Government in Florence, a very bad rumor appeared today in some newspapers.
It seems the Italian Government is planning to suspend the Schengen agreements' application during the ESF week.
Until now, there is no official confirmation of it.
We decided to open a very strong campaign in order to stop this decision before it will became a reality.
Today we interrupted the meeting with all the Local Representatives in Florence, as a symbolic action, explaining it's impossible to go on with the technical negotiations until we will know by sure which kind of scenario we will have in front of us.
In the Parliament today several parliamentarians from different parties asked formally the Government for an answer, and are planning other kind of pressures.
We are trying to organize a campaign at the level of the European Parliament.
We asked the Local Authorities in Florence to express clearly against this decision, and it seems they will do it.
There has been a press conference today. In the next days we will go on with a press campaign, and a specific campaign devoted to the citizens in Florence. And of course, we will go on with the preparation of the ESF!
We need your support!
We ask you to organize press conferences in your country to ask the Italian Government not to take this decision.
We ask you to send official statement to the Italian Government through the Italian Embassies and the Consulates, organizing - where possible - symbolic actions in front of the Embassies.
We ask you to involve intellectuals, politicians and prominent people to write appeals.
We ask you to send statements by all the international networks and coalitions.
Please, send copies of these statements in the mailing list.
We believe it's possible to stop this decision. But we have very very short time. According to our informations, it can become official at the end of this week. So, we have to move quickly.
Let's defend together our rights! A Europe without citizens'participation is a Europe without democracy.
Thank you very much to all of you.
The ESF Italian Coordination
While we were going to positively close all the agreements with the Local Authorities and the Local Representative of the Government in Florence, a very bad rumor appeared today in some newspapers.
It seems the Italian Government is planning to suspend the Schengen agreements' application during the ESF week.
Until now, there is no official confirmation of it.
We decided to open a very strong campaign in order to stop this decision before it will became a reality.
Today we interrupted the meeting with all the Local Representatives in Florence, as a symbolic action, explaining it's impossible to go on with the technical negotiations until we will know by sure which kind of scenario we will have in front of us.
In the Parliament today several parliamentarians from different parties asked formally the Government for an answer, and are planning other kind of pressures.
We are trying to organize a campaign at the level of the European Parliament.
We asked the Local Authorities in Florence to express clearly against this decision, and it seems they will do it.
There has been a press conference today. In the next days we will go on with a press campaign, and a specific campaign devoted to the citizens in Florence. And of course, we will go on with the preparation of the ESF!
We need your support!
We ask you to organize press conferences in your country to ask the Italian Government not to take this decision.
We ask you to send official statement to the Italian Government through the Italian Embassies and the Consulates, organizing - where possible - symbolic actions in front of the Embassies.
We ask you to involve intellectuals, politicians and prominent people to write appeals.
We ask you to send statements by all the international networks and coalitions.
Please, send copies of these statements in the mailing list.
We believe it's possible to stop this decision. But we have very very short time. According to our informations, it can become official at the end of this week. So, we have to move quickly.
Let's defend together our rights! A Europe without citizens'participation is a Europe without democracy.
Thank you very much to all of you.
The ESF Italian Coordination
alert reposted from italian esf list
Comments
Hide the following 5 comments
Don't you have a web site ?
16.10.2002 21:44
your hands at a bit of the old SPINNING ...
opo
no I don't have a website!
17.10.2002 01:10
"reposted from italian esf list"
This went out tuesday night on several esf mailing lists. If anyone finds out more please post it.
If you read it, it says this is a rumour in the Italian press - that's why there is also a question mark on the title.
-
From Globalise Resistance
17.10.2002 03:08
To:
Subject: [esf-uk-info] Statement against suspension of Shenghen
Date: 16 Oct 2002 18:50:32 +0100
Dear friends,
As discussed at last night's meeting, below is a statement demanding that the Italian government withdraws its threats to suspend the Shenghen agreement. We will be sending it to the Italian Embassy in London and the Italian government tomorrow morning. If you wish to add your name and/or organisation to the statement, send an e-mail tonight (or as early as possible tomorrow morning) to:
******
As individuals and organisations looking forward to participating in the first European Social Forum to be held in Florence next month, we are concerned about Italian press reports that the Italian government plans to suspend the Shenghen Accord from 6-10 November. Such a suspension would clearly be aimed a excluding representatives from around Europe attending the event.
The European Social Forum will be a unique opportunity for thousands of people from a wide spectrum of NGOs, trade unions, and campaigning groups to come together to discuss issues of vital importance for all our futures. It would be a scandalous attack on free speech and democracy in Europe for the Italian Government to restrict participation in the ESF by suspending the basic right to travel.
The threat of the suspension of Shenghen must be withdrawn immediately.
Yours,
Professor Alex Callinicos, University of York
Chris Nineham, Globalise Resistance
Dave Timms, The World Development Movement
Asad Rehman, Black Racial Attacks Independent Network
Rob Cartridge, War on Want
update
Is this a Publicity Stunt or What?
17.10.2002 04:56
"In fasionable society today, there's only one thing worse than being labeled as an enemy of the State...
And that 's not being labeled as an enemy of the State"
And so the worn out hacks of GR, SWP, DS, ATTAC et al. will gather in Florence in a vain attempt to reconfigure themselves so that they might graft themselves on to the movement of the base and thereby prolong their careers.
At no point does anyone provide a link, a direct quote or any reference to an original source for this rumour that the Italian government is proposing to suspend the Shengen agrement and control the access of people to this political non-event.
Yet these full time political hacks are asking us to sign up to these e-petitions - like some cyber version of signing the Socialist Worker petitions, that they ask us to sign on a Saturday outside the Supermarket.
In effect adding our addresses to their data-bases of future potential voters for the Socialist Alliance or some other such nonsense
So i ask our socialist comrades to please quote your sources,
or otherwise,
STOP MANIPULATING RUMOR TO ENHANCE YOUR POLITICAL STANDING
cause that's just the same as what the current bastards in power do
ciao
ru4real
Is this a Publicity Stunt or What?
17.10.2002 04:56
"In fasionable society today, there's only one thing worse than being labeled as an enemy of the State...
And that 's not being labeled as an enemy of the State"
And so the worn out hacks of GR, SWP, DS, ATTAC et al. will gather in Florence in a vain attempt to reconfigure themselves so that they might graft themselves on to the movement of the base and thereby prolong their careers.
At no point does anyone provide a link, a direct quote or any reference to an original source for this rumour that the Italian government is proposing to suspend the Shengen agrement and control the access of people to this political non-event.
Yet these full time political hacks are asking us to sign up to these e-petitions - like some cyber version of signing the Socialist Worker petitions, that they ask us to sign on a Saturday outside the Supermarket.
In effect adding our addresses to their data-bases of future potential voters for the Socialist Alliance or some other such nonsense
So i ask our socialist comrades to please quote your sources,
or otherwise,
STOP MANIPULATING RUMOR TO ENHANCE YOUR POLITICAL STANDING
cause that's just the same as what the current bastards in power do
ciao
ru4real