<nettime> june 18 1999 time for virtual and real direct action

[artactivism@gn.apc.org (reclaim the streets)]

.......On the streets and the superhighways - in their offices and on
their servers - in their lobbies and on their screens - in their face and
in their wiring ............ 

The resistance will be as global as capital on June 18th 1999.


UK J18 Bulletin no: 0

"The collapse of the global marketplace would be a traumatic event with
unimaginable consequences. Yet I find it easier to imagine than the
continuation of the present regime." George Soros, financial speculator. 

INTRODUCTION

You are being sent this bulletin because you have shown interest in the
June 18 1999 action, the simultaneous occupation and transformation of
Financial districts across the globe. This action - timed to coincide with
the first day of the G8 summit of world leaders in Koln, Germany - is
being networked around the world and hundreds of groups are beginning to
organise locally. This Bulletin has been compiled by some groups in the UK
and is just a glimpse of how planning is going for the day. It should also
act as a catalyst and start the new J18 email discussion list working. 

June 18th will be an extraordinary action - the ground is being laid for
huge social and political changes. Radical social movements from all over
the world are beginning to work together; this day could be a landmark in
that process. Never before has there been a time when co-ordinated action
across the planet has been so necessary and so possible. But there is a
lot more work to do if we want to make it truly effective, as well as
pivotal in the escalation and continuation of our struggle. Before the
news - for those who don't know what June 18th is - go to the end of this
message where you can read the action proposal which has been sent out all
over the world. 

1) THE NEW J18DISCUSSION LIST

This list is now up and running. The old list rtsdiscussion@gn.apc.org is
now defunct.  If you want to subscribe, send mail to listproc@gn.apc.org
with the following request: 

                subscribe J18DISCUSSION Your Name

So GET YOURSELF SUBSCRIBED 

The function of this list is to enable global discussion about planning
the J18 action. IT WILL ONLY WORK IF WE ALL PARTICIPATE IN IT. Let's
launch the list with a bang - send in news from your own region, tell
everyone how preparations and networking are going. What crazy ideas are
you having? What kind of groups are getting involved in your area? What
problems are occurring? etc. 

2) SOME NEWS FROM THE UK

20,000 lovely little folding leaflets have been printed and are being
rapidly distributed. (Contact us if you want some sent to you - they are
very specific to the UK action however.)

We have been holding monthly co-ordination meetings in London (the next
one is Sunday 13th December at 51 Argyle St from 12-3pm.). Representatives
from all UK groups are welcome.  These have been well attended by a
variety of different groups including Reclaim the Streets, London Animal
Action, London Greenpeace/Mclibel, Zapatista Support groups, Genetic
Engineering Network and Green Student Network. We still need to expand the
network by a long way and involve many more sectors - women, workers,
students etc. 

Local groups throughout the UK are responding to the action - Edinburgh
Autonomous Centre is going to do a local action the week before J18,
Bristol and London and Sheffield groups are planning to hold a large J18
gathering/conference in the new year. Sheffield's is on January 18th @ 8pm
at the Grapes Pub, Trippet Lane. Other dates and venues to be announced.
Groups as diverse as The Campaign Against the Arms Trade, Church Action on
Poverty, Sexual Freedom Coalition, Class War, National Union of Students,
Striking Tameside Care Workers and Earth First! are discussing making the
action part of their campaigning next year, and we were pleased to welcome
the Liverpool Dockers on board last month to add to the diversity which is
the key component to this day of action. Workshops have been held at
various gatherings including the Anarchist Bookfair and Third World First
conference, Earth First! gathering and the Bradford Mayday reunion. 

3) SOME INTERNATIONAL NEWS

The proposal for action is being networked all over the place - it has
been translated into Spanish, Portuguese, French, Russian, Punjabi, Dutch
and some indigenous Mexican Languages. Answers are coming back from all
sorts of people ranging from indigenous groups to street reclaimers in
Bombay, Sydney, Tel Aviv, New York, Prague and more - from Radical French
Unemployed activists to international hacktivist groups, from the Peoples'
Global Action network to the Anti-MAI network. 

Someone told a wonderfully inspiring story of how a J18 proposal email had
travelled from the UK - via New York, Colorado, several other US cities
down to Mexico city then to Chiapas and back to them personally - with a
note reading "wow this action looks exciting - have you heard about it?".
The power of global electronic networking can be amazing. 

Much more work needs doing. Many people feel that the day will only reach
its full potential if groups in Europe and the USA and the large social
movements from the South (e.g.. Zapatistas in Mexico/KRRS in
India/Movimento Sem Terra in Brazil) act together. 

4)SOME PUBLICITY IDEAS From London
The UK leaflets are doing the rounds - but there have been some other
publicity ideas:

- Stickers for ATM Cash machines
-Rubber stamping bank notes
-Posters made by screen printing onto pages of the Financial Times
-Regional meetings/workshops

There are also plans to publish a programme with action map of the City of
London (Location of key targets, stock exchanges, Bank HQ's, Transnational
Company HQ's, which will be given out before the day.)

5)SOME ACTION IDEAS for the London event: There have been many ideas
flowing around - some of which can't of course be talked about on email -
but here is a taster: 

-giving out free food to city workers at lunch time - Phone in Sick day
-get cycle couriers to strike -prevent company directors getting to work -
lots more custard pies (The head of the World Trade Organisation was pied
in London a few weeks ago) -Laughing all the way to the bank -Permaculture
gardens springing up in unusual places -critical mass bike demo -Pirate
radio -workshops in squatted office blocks -leafletting/agitprop handed
out -Pickets and actions on HQ's, exchanges, banks etc. -Throwing around
lots of fake money -Everyone brings a corporate share and burns it
collectively -Sound system in balloon floating above the City ! 

More brainstorming and dreaming is necessary....... A dream list will be
put together by the end of the month, which will be used to inspire ideas
for actions. If you have any ideas to add to the dream/wish list email
them to the discussion list. 

6) J18 WEB SITE
A special J18 web site has been designed and its url is www.gn.apc.org/june
18. We hope that local groups will put up their own pages on it.

7)THE TRANSNATIONAL CARAVAN

An amazing action which is related to June 18 is the Transnational Caravan
(working title) - organised by groups involved with the Peoples' Global
Action. This is an action tour of Europe by 500 radical Indian activists,
which begins in May and ends at the G8 in Koln on June 18th. The idea is
to bring issues affecting the South to the doorsteps of the companies and
institutions responsible in the North. If you would like to help with this
or find out more email tcp@pga.org

8)WHAT NEXT

Let's have more dialogue and more news - June 18th has enormous potential
- SPREAD the idea NETWORK, ORGANISE local meetings, CHOOSE your favourite
Transnational Corporation or bank and find out as much as possible about
them so that you can PLAN your action, and most of all DREAM DREAM
DREAM.............. IMAGINE WHAT IS POSSIBLE....... 


    Proletarian revolutions will be festivals or nothing,
        for festivity is the very keynote of the life they announce.

                                                Mustapha Khayati


ACTION PROPOSAL FOR JUNE 18TH

A PROPOSAL FOR: A day of protest, action, and carnival in financial
centres across the globe on 18th June 1999. 

        ....Wherever there is oppression there is resistance.....

A proposal has been made by various groups and movements of activists from
Great Britain to hold an international day of action aimed at the heart of
>the global economy: the financial centres, banking districts and
>multinational corporation power bases.  The suggested date is the 18th June
>1999.  Movements involved include Reclaim the Streets (RTS, a popular
>movement seeking the liberation of city streets and public spaces using
>direct action, and now Western European Convenors of Peoples' Global
>Action), and London Greenpeace (a group independent of Greenpeace
>International, recently involved in a large successful battle with
>McDonaldís).  This proposal is made in the spirit of strengthening our
>international networks and follows from the success of co-ordinated global
>action during May 16-20th 1998.  These days saw actions, protests and
>demonstrations on all continents, for example over 30 reclaim the Streets
>parties  in over 20 countries - a combination of illegal carnival, protest
>and direct action, catalysed by RTS in London.  In Brasilia 50,000 landless
>peasants were on the streets, while in Hyderabad, India, 200,000 were
>protesting. These events coincided with the 'G8' meeting in Birmingham,
>Great Britain, and the third ministerial meeting of the World Trade
>Organisation in Geneva, Switzerland.  The 'G8' consists of the leaders of
>the eight most industrialised countries and exists solely to promote
>economic globalisation, ëfreeí trade and corporate dominance.
>
>Next year between the 18th-20th June the G8 will meet in Koln, Germany.
>The idea is to take action around the globe to coincide with this meeting.
>This also links with the proposed tour of Indian farmers/activists in
>Europe to campaign against the World Trade Organisation and multinational
>corporations.  The proposal is to encourage as many movements and groups as
>possible to organise their own autonomous protests or actions, on the same
>day (June 18th), in the same geographical locations
>(financial/corporate/banking/business districts) around the world. Events
>could take place at relevant sites, e.g. multinational company offices,
>local banks, stock exchanges.  Each event would be organised autonomously
>and co-ordinated in each city or financial district by a variety of
>movements and groups. It is hoped that a whole range of different groups
>will take part, including workers, peasants, indigenous peoples, women,
>students, the landless, environmentalists, unwaged/unemployed and
>others....everyone who recognises that the global capitalist system, based
>on the exploitation of people and the planet for the profit of a few, is at
>the root of our social and ecological troubles.
>
>The proposal has already been discussed by movements and groups on all
>continents, for example the Karnataka State Farmers (KRRS, India), the
>Rainbow Keepers (ecologists from ex-USSR states), Processo de Communidades
>Negras (Colombian Black communities movement), Friends of the Earth,
>Uruguay (Environmentalists), CTERA (Argentinean teachers Union), Reclaim
>the Streets (New York, USA; Prague, Czech Republic; Sydney, Australia),
>COMUTRAS (textile workers union, El Salvador), peasant movements in
>Mozambique and many more.  Plans are already well advanced in London, and
>Koln, Germany.  Ideas are flowing and enthusiasm is growing.  We'd very
>much like to hear what you think.  PleaseIf subscribe to the
>j18discussion@gn.apc.org email list , send mail to listproc@gn.apc.org with
>the following request:
>
>                subscribe J18DISCUSSION Your Name
>
>then you can email j18discussion@gn.apc.org and your message will
>automatically go to other interested groups around the world to facilitate
>wider discussion of this proposal.  Or write to 'June 18th', PO Box 9656,
>London, N4 4JY, Great Britain.
>
>OUR RESISTANCE WILL BE AS TRANSNATIONAL AS CAPITAL!
>
>for more information on Peoples' Global Action visit http://www.agp.org
>for more information on Reclaim the Streets visit http://www.gn.apc.org/rts/
>for more information on London Greenpeace / McLibel visit
>http://www.mcspotlight.org
>
>PLEASE PASS THIS PROPOSAL ON TO OTHERS.
>
>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
General info: Reclaim the Streets: 0171 281 4621; rts@gn.apc.org
LONDON MEETING EVERY TUESDAY 7pm  - phone for meeting place address as it
often changes

June 18th 1999: global carnival against capital in financial centres...
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For a copy of Reclaim The Streets: The Film contact 0181 802 0466 or e-mail
<rtsfilm@hotmail.com>

Reclaim the Streets
PO BOX 9656
London
N4 4JY
NOTE NEW WEBSITE ADDRESS! -  http://www.gn.apc.org/rts/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

@@@@@@@@@@@@- RECLAIM THE STREETS -@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

"the collapse of the global marketplace would be a traumatic event with
unimaginable consequences. Yet I find it easier to imagine than the
continuation of the present regime." George Soros

  Go here today: http://www.gn.apc.org/rts/

 THE RESISTANCE WILL BE AS TRANSNATIONAL AS CAPITAL

order your copy of Reclaim the Streets - the Film now -
 from:  rtsfilm@hotmail.com


               


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