Brussels 2001

by nicked from uk news sheet Thu Jan 31, 2002 03:28

(also see: "over the top in Brussels"
http://uk.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=19089
for a good debate about tactics and aims)

Another Europe is Possible!
Indymedia UK Report on D14
Brussels Protests:

Belgium, which has just come to the end of its six-month EU presidency, hosted a crucial inter-governmental conference in Laeken, Brussels between 13-15 December 2001.

EU leaders met to discuss a draft of a European constitution, enlargements of the Union to the East and common policies on privatisation, unemployment, asylum, security, surveillance and definitions of 'terrorism'.

You may have missed hearing about the demonstrations that accompanied the summit since there was almost no mention at all in the UK media (no doubt because there was no riot and this time no one was shot by police).

In advance of the events, border controls are tightened, vehicles searched, people denied entry to Brussels, some are arrested photographed and have their passport details recorded, then are allowed to proceed (their details no doubt are now on the Schengen Information System database).
In Germany some protestors who were arrested (but not charged) at the bloody and brutal raid on the Diaz School in Genoa are visited by police who confiscate passports to prevent them from traveling to Brussels.

Meanwhile at the EU Parliament in Strasbourg victims of the Diaz raid and people from the Austrian Publix Theatre Caravan (who were tortured in Genoa) attend a hearing where an official process to get the parliament to consider if sanctions can be imposed on Italy for its violations of human rights in Genoa is set in motion.

An old train station building directly opposite the Brussels Parliament building is squatted and turned into an information centre and community café. Throughout the week political and cultural meetings, exhibitions and conferences are held.

Radio Bruxxels (a collaboration between Indymedia and other radio groups) starts broadcasting over the Internet and on several FM stations. Interviews from the UK with Statewatch, Amnesty and others about the new EU wide anti-‘terrorism’ legislation that directly targets anti-globalisation protests are broadcast.

Wed 12th:

As demonstrators are arriving in Brussels scores of activists non-violently occupy Brussels headquarters of CEFIC, the European lobby group of the chemical industry. Almost all are arrested and the majority deported within 24hrs.

Razor wire barricades are erected throughout the city. Temperatures are freezing and there is a severe lack of accommodation (many locals respond to a plea and take protestors into their homes).

A solidarity demonstration for those arrested takes place but over 100 are arrested including legal teams, although are later released.

Thurs 13th:

In the early hours of the morning police raid a new squat that had been set up for accommodation, around 30 people are arrested and deported, around 20 escape the raid. A large security checkpoint is operating at the German border with 3000 police (the following day protestors manage to outwit the police and make a mass border crossing).

The first of three days of protests begin with a massive Trade Union march of over 100,000 with unions from all over Europe including contingents from Croatia, Poland and Slovenia, led by workers from Sabina, the recently collapsed Belgium airline.

There is a strong anti-war stance. The march is colourful, regimented and loud with huge banners, bands and balloons; there are no clashes with Police and no arrests.

Fri 14th:
The D14 coalition demonstration begins with around 25,000 from NGO’s, anarchists, socialist groups, students and others.

The protest is colourful and more creative than the trade union march with soundsytems (including an Indymedia truck), home made banners, bands and a more militant feel. The police keep a low (almost non-existent) profile but deploy undercover police.

The march does not deviate from the negotiated route and turns off from the road leading to the summit. A police station, police garage and several banks get their windows smashed along the route.

Back at the convergence centre where the march finishes huge numbers of riot police surround the crowd before pushing everyone inside and water cannoning those in the courtyard.

At one point the situation looks very dangerous as police bring in huge numbers of reinforcements. Thousands of people are held inside and only allowed to leave one by one after being searched and photographed. Police make around 20 arrests. That evening the streets are tense and full of police - rumors of police raids are everywhere.

Sat 15th:
An anti-war march of thousands of people snakes its way through south Brussels sometimes sitting in the road. The march is supposed to be ‘illegal’ having not sought permission, but the authorities give it permission anyway. Police presence is non-existent.

At the same time another anarchist ‘illegal’ protest of around 2000 followed its own route to the north of Brussels, where property damage and some clashes with police occurred - there were a number of violent arrests by undercover police.

Both marches converged on the meeting place for a late afternoon / evening Reclaim the Streets party. Around 5000 people met with 3 sound systems, a samba band and lots of high spirits. There was little police presence but again there were several unprovoked violent arrests by undercover police in the surrounding area. The party wove its way through back streets playing cat and mouse with riot police as the sun set until the police finally blocked the whole crowd in at an intersection with water cannon and dogs. People partied to an eclectic mix of music, bought beer from shops and drank in local bars as the police looked on and attempts at negotiation were made.

After some tense moments the party was allowed to continue its way and the majority of the police withdrew - people decided to stop heading north and finish the protest with a good party.

The police closed off the main road, a bank was spray painted with slogans, food given out, a group of 15 undercover police ejected from the party and finally things were officially called a day. All of the sound systems got out without any problems.

After The Protests:
The next day much of Brussels returned to normal while the legal teams continued their hard work, despite obstruction from the authorities, and the medical teams could relax. There has been much discussion about tactics, some seeing Brussels as a success after the bloodbath of Genoa and repressive atmosphere following the 911 attacks in the US, proving that the anti-capitalist/anti-globalisation ‘movement’ is certainly not dead - others seeing it as a success for the authorities with little media coverage outside of Belgium, the splitting of different groups into their own demonstrations on different days, while increasing the use of undercover police and upping the numbers arrested, deported, databased and detained away from the actual protests.

Either way while the people were on the streets the EU agreed new definitions of ‘terrorism’ that can be directly applied to such protests - for more information on this new legislation check out www.statewatch.org

For more information on the Brussels protests and background on the issues see:
http://belgium.indymedia.org

by Finghin Kelly - Socialist Youth UCD Mon Feb 04, 2002 16:37 info at syucd dot cjb dot net

Over 500 young people from 15 countries took took part in The morning session included young International Resistance and
International Socialist Resistance members speakers from Belgium, France, Sweden, Germany and Britain outlining different political
aspects of the effects of globalisation and the capitalist EU. There were also reports from the campaigning activity of International
Resistance and International Socialist Resistance from around Europe. Stormy applause greeted a telephone link up with an anti-capitalist
activist from Pakistani Occupied Kashmir, particularly when the conference heard that students there have launched a Free Education
Campaign as a result of the work done by ISR/IR in Europe.
The conference then broke up into four commissions on the environment, anti-capitalist campaigning, youth rights and education. This gave
newer members of ISR/IR and other participants to the conference more opportunity to intervene in the discussions and debates at the
conference.
The final session of the conference discussed a name, structure and a founding statement for the new international organisation. The
founding statement was agreed in principle on the understanding that the different IR/ISR organisations would continue discussions on it
and would have the opportunity to make further amendments and changes to it. The name agreed upon was International Socialist
Resistance. A structure was agreed upon made up of two representatives for each affiliated organisation to attend an international
coordinating committee with meetings to be held 1-2 times a year depending on finance. All these proposals were agreed by the vast
majority of the conference with only a few abstentions or votes against.
Steph from International Resitance (Belgium) proposed that ISR should launch an international campaign for Free education and against
the privatisation and commercialisation of education with an international day of action early in the new year.
Speakers in this last session included a South African member of the Committee for a Workers' International (CWI), Ty Moore from the US,
Ilya from Russia and speakers from several European countries, including Joe Higgins, a Socialist Party member of parliament in Ireland.
The conference atmosphere was enthusiastic and determined, and we decided to organise new international meetings at future
international demonstrations.
During the lunch break over 50 people attended a meeting organised by the CWI entitled "Talkin' about a revolution...Don't just talk - Join
the CWI".

by Finghin - Socialist Youth Mon Feb 04, 2002 16:40

EU-summit

100.000 people demonstrate on the trade union organised demonstration. There were big contingents from France. After the demo
there was a CWI meeting with 200 present. Speaking at the meeting were Silvio Marra (Forges de Clabecq), Roger Bannister
(NEC-member UNISON, the biggest public services union in Britain), Ursel Beck (from a leftwing union network in Germany) and Clare Daly
(shopsteward Air Lingus in Dublin). A collection to support the court case against the Clabecq workers raised over 10.000 Belgian francs.
The daily paper 'De Morgen' has an article on the arrest of CWI-member Per Johansson who was sent back to Sweden for
flyposting. (See below) As a result of the publicity surrounding this case, Swedish CWI and ISR members report:
"We where in the biggest daily newspaper Dagens Nyheter twice that week, on national radio both in a news analysis programme,
Studio 1, and the a news programme, Ekot as well as on national TV news once, Rapport.

In Eastern Flanders and a Limburg city the busses went on strike to protest against a possible privatisation. In other areas
busses are carrying posters with a warning for the EU-summit saying "this bus will never drive for a private company".
Translation of an article in the biggest Swedish morning paper Dagens Nyheter (Daily News).
Swede sent back because of a poster.
On Sunday night Per Johansson, from Ornskoldsvik, was putting up posters critical of the EU in Brussels. Now the Belgian police have
decided to send him back to Sweden - without giving any indication of how long this decision (of him being denied the right to entry
Belgium again) is going to last.
Per Johansson has been asked to leave Belgium before Wednesday (12 December). The decision by the Belgian police also means that
he is not allowed to enter any of the other 15 countries within the Schengen agreement apart from Sweden, unless he has “appropriate
documents”. The police in Brussels do not mention when he will be allowed back into Belgium.
It was on Sunday night that the unemployed welder Per Johansson from Ornskoldsvik, together with three Belgian comrades, went out
fly-posting the streets of Brussels. The four were captured and searched by the police and then taken for questioning at a police station.
At the time of their release, early Monday morning, Per Johansson was informed that he was no longer welcome, that he had to leave
Belgium.
Police gave two reasons for the decision: 1) he did not carry his passport. 2) “He has caused serious problem to public order”.
Per Johansson is aware of the fact that permission has to be given for fly posters in Brussels as well as in Stockholm.
“You can put up posters in two ways. Either without any sense (vandalism) or in a way that is appropriate, and we did the latter”,
commented Per.
The posters gave information about meetings and were critical of the EU, “that’s was all”, according to Per, and there were no reasons for
the police to be upset.
Per Johansson is member of Rattvisepartiet Socialisterna (RS) and was in Brussels to prepare for an anti-capitalist Conference the coming
Saturday. The three who fly-posted with him are members of RS sister organisation in Belgium.
“We all did the same, but the police obviously singled me out and that is why I was ordered to leave Belgium”, explains Per.
Dagens Nyheter has been speaking to government officials who question the decision that Per is not allowed to enter other countries within
the Schengen zone.
A spokesperson for the Swedish police, Leif Alabo, an expert on Schengen claims that the decision by the Belgian police could be seen
as logical in the sense that other countries are affected. But the Swedish police would not take a similar decision (including the whole
Schengen area). The same spokesperson is surprised by the fact that Per was not given a time limit.
“How long it the decision will last is important for anyone expelled. I think the police, because of the Summit, in Brussels have decided to
take a tough stand. But despite this; the police should have given him a time limit as we did in Gothenburg”, says Leif Alabo.
Anders Solling