Radio

News about Budapest and Copenhagen today (Monday, 21 December) 17-00 - 18-00 CET at Freakuency Decentralized Radio: http://212.117.183.135:8008/listen.pls

Belgrade 6

Human Rights continue to be violated in Serbia, the country that strives to become a part of the EU. With current state policies fueled by money of mafia the European perspective of Serbia is unacceptable.

CASE STUDY: Belgrade 6
On Saturday, September 4, 2009, five* political activists were arrested in Belgrade on trumped up charges. The five, Tadej Kurepa, Ivan Vulović, Sanja Dojkić, Ratibor Trivunac, and Nikola Mitrović, are activists in or associates of the Anarcho-Syndicalist Initiative (ASI), the Serbian section of the International Workers’ Association (IWA). (*The sixth person sought by police, Ivan Savić, was also arrested some days later.)
The arrests are allegedly related to a direct action which took place at the Greek Embassy on August 25. Negligible damage was done: a crack in one window, a tiny burn mark on the facade and a circled A graffiti on the embassy as a act of symbolic solidarity with Thodoros Iliopoulos. The prosecutor however imagines this as an act of “international terrorism” and would like to charge our comrades with such. If the state allows such charges to be pressed, they could be facing 3-15 years in prison.

Members of ASI have clearly and publicly declared that they knew nothing of the action, which was claimed by a group nobody has heard of, Crni Ilja. It is not the first time that authorities have come after activists for no other reason than the fact that they are radical critics of the state. Powerful stakeholders are involved, and ASI activists were on their way, therefore they were silenced and put in prison.

The activist were in prison for several month without being informed about any charges, but in November they were accused in „international terrorism” and the trial took place. ON DECEMBER 7, THE COURT DECIDED TO HOLD THE 6 IN CUSTODY UNTIL THEIR TRIAL. THIS IS EXPECTED TO TAKE PLACE IN SPRING AT THE EARLIEST.

Now solidarity and media attention to this case is highly needed, as the activists are facing serious accusation without proof of their fault. What you can do is at least e-mai a protest letter to high Serbian officials, including the president and prime minister. You can access it here: http://asi.zsp.net.pl/free-the-anarchists/emailpage/
Sample letter from Slovenia can be found here: http://chtodelat.wordpress.com/2009/12/15/free-the-belgrade-six/

RUNNING START screening at the Infoshop

COP15 in Copenhagen

The show is going on! Danish Indymedia is burning!!!
Here are some links:

Climate Justice Action: http://www.climate-justice-action.org/index.php

Never trust a COP: http://nevertrustacop.org/Main/Propaganda

COP15 LIVE: http://cop15live.com/

COP15 Aggregator: http://icop15.org/

System Change, not Climate Change: http://climateandcapitalism.com/?p=1395

LMV: http://lmv.hu/koppenhaga2009

Copenhagen Cops and the Climate of Fear: http://blog.indexoncensorship.org/2009/12/14/copenhagen-cops-and-the-climate-of-fear/

COP15 Demos live: http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread526185/pg1

Poor nations and COP15: http://www.rechargenews.com/business_area/finance/article201687.ece
12 December, 100,000 protest: http://www.climateimc.org/en/climate-actions/2009/12/12/100000-protest-cop15-police-make-mass-arrests

14 December, Timeline: http://www.indymedia.dk/action_timelines/8

15 December, 196 arrests: http://indymedia.dk/articles/1772


Flickr: #1  #2  #3

XXIV конгресс Международной ассоциации трудящихся

С 4 по 6 декабря 2009 г. в Порту-Алегри (Бразилия) проходил 24-й конгресс анархо-синдикалистского Интернационала – Международной ассоциации трудящихся (МАТ). Интернациональное объединение анархистских профсоюзов было воссоздано в 1922 г. как продолжение антиавторитарного, федералистского крыла Первого Интернационала. Впервые за всю историю МАТ ее съезд состоялся на Американском континенте.

Конгресс заседал в помещении театра «Компания де арти» в историческом центре столицы бразильского штата Риу-Гранди-ду-Сул, раскинувшейся на берегу озера Гуаиба. В работе форума приняли участие делегации от большинства секций Интернационала: Аргентинской региональной рабочей федерации (FORA), Бразильской рабочей конфедерации (COB), британской Федерации солидарности (SF), Национальной конфедерации труда Испании (CNT), Итальянского синдикального союза (USI), Норвежской синдикалистской федерации (NSF), Португальской секции МАТ (AIT-SP), российской Конфедерации революционных анархо-синдикалистов (КРАС), словацкого «Прямого действия» (PA), сербской Анархо-синдикалистской инициативы (АСИ), Национальной конфедерации труда Франции (CNT-AIT), а также наблюдатели от Союза польских синдикалистов (ZSP). Две секции МАТ – Свободный рабочий союз Германии (FAU) и чешская секция – прислали свои решения в письменной форме. В ходе конгресса ZSP был официально принят в состав МАТ в качестве ее секции в Польше. Были получены приветствия от анархо-синдикалистских организаций Перу, США, Австралии и Чили.

Представители анархо-синдикалистских организаций мира встретились в трудный для Интернационала момент. В сентябре 2009 г. секретарь МАТ Ратибор Тривунац был арестован в Белграде вместе с 5 другими активистами АСИ и сербскими анархистами. Им попытались приписать швыряние двух бутылок с зажигательной смесью в здание греческого посольства в Сербии – инцидент, который вызвал чисто символический, минимальный ущерб. Хотя арестованные товарищи категорически отрицают свою причастность к делу, и никаких реальных доказательств их участия нет, судебные власти Сербии обвинили анархистов ни много, ни мало в «международном терроризме», и теперь анархо-синдикалистам и анархистам грозит до 15 лет тюрьмы!

Кроме того, арест секретаря Интернационала на время парализовал международную работу и угрожал поставить под вопрос само проведение конгресса. Пришлось принять срочные меры и избрать специальную комиссию, которая вместе с временным секретариатом и бразильскими товарищами завершила подготовку к форуму в Порту-Алегри.

Неудивительно, что вопрос о «Белградской шестерке» стал одной из основных тем, обсуждавшихся на конгрессе. Делегация АСИ представила подробный доклад о ситуации и перспективах ее развития, после чего состоялась подробная дискуссия. Выступавшие делегаты отмечали, что нынешние репрессии касаются не только сербских товарищей. Дело не только в том, что сфабриковано дело, которое призвано разгромить одну из секций Интернационала. Власти Сербии опробуют сценарий, который может быть в будущем применен против любого социального протеста, любого сопротивления, любой оппозиции. В этом отношении белградское дело имеет характер модели и сопоставимо по значимости с делом Сакко и Ванцетти. Поэтому крайне необходимо развернуть широкую международную кампанию солидарности с арестованными, привлечь международную научную и культурную общественность, правозащитные организации, собирать по всему миру подписи под петициями протеста, пригласить юристов из-за рубежа, направить делегацию на процесс, который намечен на весну. Но самое главное – нужно обязательно координировать выступления и акции протеста в разных странах. Эту работу будет выполнять Секретариат Интернационала. Одновременно решено создать Комиссию помощи заключенным.

Другой темой на конгрессе был нынешний капиталистический кризис с его социальными последствиями. Секции МАТ активно участвуют в борьбе против закрытия предприятий, безработицы, ухудшения условий работы, прекаризации и заемного труда. Делегаты поддержали проведение международных анархо-синдикалистских кампаний. Так, в течение двух последних недель апреля 2010 г. и 1 мая будут организованы скоординированные выступления против заёмного труда. В те же недели следующего,  2011 г. планируется проведение международных анархо-синдикалистских дней борьбы против границ и за солидарность с трудящимися-мигрантами. Решено координировать действия секций в борьбе против ТНК, прекаризации и сезонной занятости, а также укрепить контакты между членами секций различных стран, которые заняты в одной и той же отрасли экономики. Обсуждалась возможность организации символической интернациональной антивоенной стачки. Отмечалась необходимость активного распространения анархо-синдикалистских идей и практики в мире (в качестве одного из регионов, где необходимо организовать подобную работу, был назван Китай).

Делегаты конгресса отклонили предложения об изменении принципов голосования в МАТ и приёма в Интернационал. Анархо-синдикалисты исходят из федералистского принципа «одна секция – один голос» и отвергают принцип представительной демократии, который дал бы преимущество более крупным секциям. Подтверждена антипартийная позиция МАТ: члены партий не могут занимать ответственные посты в Интернационале.

Острым вопросом для некоторых секций является наличие в их странах раскольнических группировок, которые пытаются узурпировать их название или, не имея на то никаких оснований, претендовать на место в Интернационале. В этой связи о поддержке попросил итальянский USI, против которого ведет кампанию отколовшаяся группировка «USI – Рим». Аналогичные проблемы существуют во Франции. Делегация КРАС выразила полную солидарность с итальянскими товарищами в этом вопросе, объяснив, что недавно российская секция столкнулась с подобным фактом враждебных действий со стороны маленькой группы, исключенной из ее рядов за антисиндикализм и этницизм (форму национализма). Конгресс МАТ выразил поддержку секциям, которые оказались в такой ситуации, и тем самым подтвердил их безоговорочное признание.

Решено организовать международный летний лагерь МАТ в 2010 г. в Хорватии.

МАТ выразила поддержку развитию анархо-синдикализма в Латинской Америке. COB (Бразильская рабочая конфедерация), которая наряду с конгрессом организовала различные лекции, дискуссии и культурные мероприятия, пояснила, что положение трудящихся в Бразилии очень тяжелое, и репрессии оказывают
неблагоприятное влияние на независимое рабочее и анархистское
движения. МАТ также решила оказать финансовую поддержку библиотеке и образовательным центрам, которые откроет СОВ.

Параллельно с конгрессом состоялись семинар "Свободный синдикализм в Америке" и общенациональная встреча бразильской COB, на которой присутствовали делегаты от Рабочих федераций Риу-Гранди-ду-Сул и Сан-Паулу, а также групп из Санта-Катарина, Баия и Сержипи; собравшиеся отдали дань памяти прославленному анархо-синдикалисту, историку Эдгару Родригешу, который скончался в мае 2009 года.

В рамках конгресса товарищи из бразильской COB продемонстрировали организованную ими выставку. посвященную истории и современности анархо-синдикалистского движения в Бразилии, либертарного образования и коллективизации в Испанской революции. Ну и, конечно, очень важным и интересным для КРАС был обмен мнениями с участниками других делегаций, с активистами из Бразилии и Аргентины.

Следующий конгресс анархо-синдикалистских профсоюзов намечено провести в 2013 г. в Испании. Функции Секретариата до этих пор решено возложить на норвежскую секцию - NSF.

В целом, несмотря на некоторые трудности технического характера, 24-й конгресс МАТ можно признать успешным. Следует надеяться, что он будет способствовать развитию и распространению мирового анархо-синдикалистского движения.

Source: http://aitrus.info/node/496

Radio Show on Freakuency Decentralized Radio

Today the first radio show about activist life in Budapest is coming out. It will be from 5p.m. to 6p.m. CET on Freakuency Decentralized Radio at http://212.117.183.44:8008/listen.pls

More details can be found here.
You can find the podcast here too: radio 1.mp3.html

COP 15 Demonstrations: 1st Day

12 December 2009. Police broke the demonstration against the COP 15 in Copenhagen with riot vans during the protest. Almost 400 people were blocked inside the trap. Police forced the people to sit down in the middle of the street. Then they were taken away handcuffed and put on to buses.
Today is the first day of mass demonstration in Copenhagen against COP 15 summit that reached its middle. Although the demonstration was peaceful, still, hundreds of people (700-900) were arrested in Copenhagen today after some of the demonstrators threw bricks in police. Several activists from Budapest who went to Copenhagen to participate in the demonstration were arrested today, but they are already released.
More information at: http://indymedia.dk/articles/1526

Human Rights Day

Amnesty International Hungary organizes the Human Rights Day on Thursday, Decemebr 10th in Tűzraktér (Hegedű u. 3).

PROGRAM

16:00-20:00, Tűzraktér Courtyard: Human Rights Galleryí - experience human rights through someone else's eyes
16:00-24:00, Tűzraktér Café: Letter Writing Marathoní - use your pen to fight human rights abuses! Cafe
16:30-20:30, Human Rights Quizesí: How much do you know about human rights? (new quizzes every hour!)
17:00-19:00, Tűzraktér Kiskávézó: Living Libraryí- challange your stereotypes!
17:30: Human Rights Quiz Level 2
18:00-21:00 Human Righs Charity Market
18:30: Human Rights Quiz Level 3
19:30: Human Rights Quiz Level 4
Humana Human Rights Journal
AI posters exhibition in the Couryard
Info Table

Detailed program can be found at http://web.amnesty.hu/amnesty/dec10

Antifa Demo in Budapest

The demonstration against murder of Ivan Khutorskoy and neo-nazi movement in Russia started around 4p.m. and lasted for more than one hour. Ca. 30 participatns, mostly red skinheads (a stream of skinhead movement that celarly opposes any racism and nacism and follows clear antifa goals) and antifa activists, gathered in front of the Russian embassy in Andrassy St. in Budapest. It is worth mentioning that this location is rather close to Heroes' sq. - one of the favourite places of Hungarian neo-nazi gathering.

Some participatns of the demo put the portrait of Ivan and an article about him on the fence of the embassy. A bigger portrait of Ivan surrounded by candles and flowers was put on the floor in front of the fence. The participanss gathered around the portrait and commemorated the memory of the murdered antifa activist who was one of the leaders of Russian red skinheads.

The participatns were holding banners "Szolidaritás az orosz antifasisztákkal" ("Solidarity with Russian Antifascists"), "Skins gegen (against) nazis", one antifascist flag and one anarchy flag. After a while, the participants brought the transparency in Russian "How many more people need to die? Enough!"

Everyone was standing in front of the Russian embassy fence, and there was also police, but there was more police than as if it were for a small demo of 30 people, as there was a threat of a possible attac by Hungarian neo-nazis that were indeed circulating around the embassy watching the antifa demo and making their evil plans. Unfortunately, this is the bitter reality that the right for assembly (peaceful demonstration) needs to be protected by police in Hungary.

The passers by were generally interested, and some even stopped to ask what was going on.
This demonstration was an important step to raise awareness of people in Budapest about neo-fascism threat and movement in Russia, as well as to express solidarity with Russian antifa activists.

For the rest of photos >>click here.

Antifa Demo

At 16-00 on 5 December 2009 a solidarity demonstration that commemorates Ivan Khutorskyy will take place in front of the R u s s i a n embassy in Budapest. Ivan Khutorsky was a Russian antifa activist (one of the red skins leaders) that was murdered by Russian neo-nazi on 16 November.
More details about this accident: http://antifa-action.org.ua/node/113
A summary of solidarity actions in Ukraine: http://antifa-action.org.ua/node/124
and Russia: http://www.antifa.ru/3483.html

Anarcho-Syndicalist Presentation at the Infoshop

Education is not for Sale

On 30 November a group of activists appeared in the park near Petöfi bridge in order to protest against commercialization of education. The location was not chosen randomly, as this park is on a way of students from tram 4 and 6 stop to ELTE.
At 8 the action began as two activists took the transparency with the words 'Education is not for sale' in English and Hungarian of it. They were standing just in the middle of the road from the tram stop to the university so that all the students and teachers who were going to the university could see the transparency. As the studies start at 8-15 a.m. and 8-30 a. m. accordingly, around 400 students and teaching stuff saw the transparency.
Most of the students were in a hurry, but some stopped on their way to ask for the reasons of this small action. There were also several professors that got interested in this action as they had negative attitude towards commercialization of education, as well as implementation of Bologna system in Hungary. The most interesting experience was the question by one of the professors about the reason of the action: "Who wants to buy the university?"
Overall, it was a successful action and hopefully it made students think about the system of education and their place in it. Moreover, if there is such an action, this means that not everyone is satisfied with the current state of arts in higher education system in Hungary, but not many people can do anything about it, or even express their concerns openly to the public. Hopefully, this situation will change in the future, and Hungarian students will start learning how to fight for their rights.

On a way to BREAD and CIRCUSES. Crisis Edition

The Workshop "On a way to BREAD and CIRCUSES. Crisis Edition" takes place from the 4th of December 2009 until the 6th of December 2009 in Tűzraktér, Budapest. It is organized by Art Sector Foundation, Budapest within crisis_mania project about alternative ways of living during crisis.
With the support of Embassy of Czech Republic and Czech Center in Budapest.

The system is experiencing its crisis that is affecting each and everyone nowadays. At such times people will start thinking about satisfying their basic needs like finding food and ensuring they have a place to live. In order to find food, people need to move, change their locations, they NEED TO TRAVEL. Usually, the people need to travel within their cities or towns.
After people find food (BREAD), they will need CIRCUSES, and for that they will need to travel outside their cities or towns. The reasons for traveling outside the cities/towns can be, of course, various, and it can be disputed whether traveling is a basic need of human being or a luxury.
The fact is, that during crisis people tend to travel less, just because they think it is too expensive.

This workshop will discuss alternative ways of TRAVELING inside and outside cities/towns, we will discover how TRAVELING can exist outside the rules of the current system, and which practices are the best. We will emphasize eco-friendly nature of alternative ways of TRAVELING, as well as compare the situation in Hungary, Slovakia and Czech Republic with regards to TRAVELING.

The topics covered by this workshop are:
- Hitch-hiking;
- Public transport;
- Bicycling and Critical Mass movement;
- Ecological ways of traveling.

The PROGRAM of the workshop:


Friday, 4 December (Tűzraktér, Infoshop): Welcome Day
18-30 - 20-00: Dinner + introduction round
21-00: PASO Concert at Dürer kért

Saturday,  5 December (Tűzraktér, 3rd floor): City, Ecology & Transport Day
10-00 - 11-00: Expectations, experiences
11-00 - 12-00: Ecotopia Bike Tour (http://www.ecotopiabiketour.net)
12-00 - 12-15: Coffee Break
12-15 - 13-00: Discussion on Bicycling and Biking Tours
13-00 - 14-00: Lunch
14-00 - 15-00: Film about Critical Mass + discussion about Critical Mass movement in Visegrad countries
15-00 - 16-00: Short films about public transport, city, bikes and alternative transportation within a city in general
16-00 - 16-15: Coffee Break
16-15 - 18-00: YOU and the CITY: Public transport, pedestrian rights, alternative travel in the city, ecological aspects of city. Presentation & interactive play 'design your city'.
18-00 - 18-15: Wrap-up
18-15 - 19-00: Dinner
19-00 - 20-00: Film about crisis in Cuba
20-00 - ...:   Birthday party of Bike Kitchen

Sunday, 6 December (Tűzraktér, 3rd floor): Hitch-hiking Day
10-00 - 10-30: Expectations round
10-30 - 11-45: Hitch-hiking in Asia
11-45 - 12-00: Coffee Break
12-00 - 13-15: Changing the world without taking power: Hitchhiking
13-15 - 14-15: Lunch
14-15 - 15-15: Hitch-hiking: Pitfalls, caution, self-defense, creative solutions: simulation game
15-15 - 16-30: Psychology of hitch-hiking & cultural experiences
16-30 - 16-45: Coffee Break
16-45 - 17-45: Wrap-up



See you there!
In case you want to participate, please, drop a line at mojito@riseup.net

Buy Nothing Day

On November 25 around 30 activists celebrated 'Buy Nothing Day' in Budapest. 'Buy Nothing Day' is an international day of anticnsumerism that is celebrated all around the world. On this day activists and supporters express their protest against capitalist world and in particular it's consumerism oriented approach. Moreover, people are encouraged to 'unshop' and 'unspend' the money on such a day.

The selection of 27-28 November is not random as these are one of the busiest shopping days in the entire year in the consumerism heaven of the US and Canada. As this day is usually celebrated on a Friday after American Thanksgiving in North America and the following day internationally, in 2009 the dates are November 27 and 28 respectively. This day was founded by Vancouver artist Ted Dave and subsequently promoted by Adbusters magazine, based in Canada.

Modern capitalist world encourages people to buy in different ways, starting from fashion shows and TV advertisement to success in the society due to the success in buying more and better things. The wwhole capitalist machine works in a way that the things people buy are not good enough or are simply out of fashin in a very short period of time, so that people need to throw them away creating additional piles of garbage and polluting the planet, and buying new and more trendy things that will be thrown away soon too. Therefore, it is important for public to show it's disagreement with the current system that fuels the fire of consumerism and also overconsumption.

In Budapest the celebration was held at TESCO in Fogarasi ut close to Pillango u. metro station. The action started at 22-00 and lasted for 20 minutes. First, the people with empty shopping carts were going around TESCO and afterwards everyone made a long line at the same cash desk with these empty shopping carts. As there were 30 people, it was quite a long line. Other people who came to buy things at TESCO, security and shop assistants were a bit surprised and they did not show great interest, but their attitude was al least neutral. At the cash desk the participants of the 'empty shopping cart race' gave the information about this action to the cashier and left.
It was a good action to attract public attention, but next time it should be even more numerous and rather on the weekend so that more people become aware of the pitfalls of consumerism.

A useful link explaining what 'Buy Nothing Day' is about: http://www.buynothingday.org/faq.html