http://germany.indymedia.org/2003/01/40087.shtml
The strange change of Munich's mayor Christian Ude
von pressgroup - Anti-NATO-Alliance Munich - 30.01.2003 01:15

Between anti-capitalism and the alliance for the protection of children

Discussions are getting heavier, statements ever absurd: The NATO-Security Conference from 7th till 9th February in Munich is already providing concern.

Horst Teltschik, the organizor of the "Conference for Security-Policy in Munich" - this is the official name of the conference - is talking about a "peace-conference", the opponents are talking about the "meeting of the war-elite of the world". The "Alliance against the NATO Security Conference", which already organized the protests of last year together with ATTAC and the Peace-Alliance Munich, is stirring action against the
conference, which will take place from 7th till 9th February in the "Hotel Bayerischer Hof" in the city center of Munich for the 39th time. Since a few weeks they are joined by the alliance for the protection of children Munich, the Protestant Church and parts of trade unions. The main point is that the mayor of Munich, Christian Ude declared during the SPD-meeting (social
democratic party) on 6th January, that he also wanted to join the
demonstrations. Since then there are hard discussions between CSU (christian social union), the police of Munich, the organizers of the NATO Security-Conference about the former chancellor advisor Horst Teltschik, the SPD and the Green Party, who would defend their rhetorics of "NO war in Iraq" ever helpless while mayor Christian Ude will be at the official champagne welcome together with the participants of the NATO Security-Conference.



Between anti-capitalism and the alliance for the protection of children

Discussions are getting heavier, statements ever absurd: The NATO-Security Conference from 7th till 9th February in Munich is already providing concern.

Horst Teltschik, the organizor of the "Conference for Security-Policy in Munich" - this is the official name of the conference - is talking about a "peace-conference", the opponents are talking about the "meeting of the war-elite of the world". The "Alliance against the NATO Security Conference", which already organized the protests of last year together with
ATTAC and the Peace-Alliance Munich, is stirring action against the conference, which will take place from 7th till 9th February in the "Hotel Bayerischer Hof" in the city center of Munich for the 39th time. Since a few weeks they are joined by the alliance for protection of children Munich, the Protestant Church and parts of trade unions. The main point is that the mayor of Munich, Christian Ude declared during the SPD-meeting (social
democratic party) on 6th January, that he also wanted to join the
demonstrations. Since then there are hard discussions between CSU (christian social union), the police of Munich, the organizers of the NATO Security-Conference about the former chancellor advisor Horst Teltschik, the SPD and the Green Party, who would defend their rhetorics of "NO war in Iraq" ever helpless while mayor Christian Ude will be at the official champagne welcome together with the participants of the NATO Security-Conference.

The strange changes of Christian U.
The mayor of Munich Christan Ude has a big problem: Last year he
intensionally backed the local government unit and supported the prohibition of any protests against the NATO security- conference. In the final run of local elections he tried to gain votes of even right wing electors with a hard policy. Up to now there was no evidence given by authorities for the "up to 3.000 slobs and violent persons" which are said to have wanted to
destroy windows of shops and banks. On the contrary: indications intensify that this statement was a made up story. It is nearly the same to the warnings which were spoken out by the Bavarian Ministry of the Interior in 1992, when the World Economic Summit took place in Munich. Also then people spoke about "3000 slobs", the warnings from that time are in parts the same words as in February 2002. Now mayor Ude is aware that his strategy of last
year did not work. On the contrary: He had to let wash himself over with derision and hardest critisism. Therefore Ude doesn't want to make any mistake this year. This year he wanted to "allow demonstrations" one could hear him say already in December. CDU in Munich reacted promptly and warned about "white washing". Its chairman Johannes Singhammer polemized in usual regulars' table tone about "violent slobs one had to show their limits".
Then on 6th January, mayor Ude let himself get to this fatal announcement to participate in demonstrations himself, maybe to put right the mistakes of last year.

The zigzag course of Ude and Co
With this statement a tightrope walk began, through which he will not see through very long anymore. Because the answer from organizers of the protest-activities was promptly given: They would be pleased about the fact that Ude wanted to join the protests against an Iraq war and against the NATO Security-Conference, as well as the "war-policy of the government" said Claus Schreer from the "Alliance against the NATO Security-Conference" during a press conference early January.

Mayor Ude walked into a trapp, because he doesn't want to protest against "his party". Since the beginning of January he tries desperately to find an answer without loosing his face. Because - different than to last year - since a few weeks also the "mainstream" press in Munich explicitly refer to the content of the mobilization-leaflets, in which the connection between
capitalistic globalisation and war-policy of NATO-countries is emphazised. A connection, which mayor Ude doesn't want to see. He plans to protest against war in Iraq, but rejects - of necessity - to participate in the demonstration on 8th February, because "there the national government is slandered, which of all European governments stood up against the war most uncompromisingly". Ude desperately swings his arm back.
Meanwhile however a few other groups and organisations blindly followed the mayor of Munich into the trap. For example Heidrun Kaspar, the chairwoman of the alliance for the protection of children in Munich, calls upon parents and grandparents to join the protest march, due to the fact that "children are the most affected victims of war". Also the Church obviously trust in Ude and declared officially to offer dosses to demonstrators who travel to Munich. As well as other free-riders they must have been convinced, that Ude would be successful in pocketing the opposite organizations and to shorten the protests against the NATO Security-Conference to a simple message of a "peace demonstration". But with this plan Christian Ude has despicably
failed.

Democrats and Greens lie - also in Munich
What happens in Munich these times, you can compare to the naive attendants of the Chancellor Schröder and the Foreign Minister Fischer, Germany would not participate in a war against Iraq, while various newspapers point in numerous articles that Germany is already in the middle of it all: US American institutions and facilities are protected by Federal Armed Forces, German soldiers are flying in the Awacs-reconnaissance aircrafts and report dates of targets and the Anti-ABC-units in Kuwait will also come into
operation.
Ude tries to copy in Munich, what Schröder shows in Berlin. A few weeks ago he declared, that a solemn welcome for the participants of the NATO Security-Conference, would depend on who would have the say, Annan or Rumsfeld. Meanwhile Annan withdrew his participation and the announced deputies of the US-government will most likely use their appearance in Munich to substantiate the US-American Iraq policy and at least enforce it.
But still Ude emphazises that he wants to arrange a solemn welcome. To present himself as a dove of peace to the same time, he will apply his own demonstration together with the federation of trade unions and the Church - status 21st January -. This demonstration should explicitly be aimed at the war in Iraq. His party pal Maget however said on 18th January: "It is hard to reconcile, welcomming the participants of the conference with champagn and at the same time protesting against a war in Iraq." The Green party follows a dual-track policy too: While parliamentary party leader Benker wants to protest against the NATO Security-Conference, the 2nd mayor Monatzeder defends the conference: They would have to "use every opportunity to keep the USA from war".

Microcosmos Munich
With dull Anti-Americanism and ever bigger contradictions the government in Munich, as well as that in Berlin tries to sell its policies to the people.
Then they stumble over criticism among their own party members and on the other hand over the obvious reality of the active participation of Germany in that war. Regardless of the outcome of the demonstrations in Munich it could be a big success of the protests against the NATO security conference in advance, to have made these discussions public. The rhetorics of "war for human rights" as well as of "Peaceauthority Europe" is losing its
credibility more and more. The behaviour as well as the statements of politicians in Munich will do the rest to discredit this position. The political worst case scenario for Ude and his company would be the following on 8th February: On Marienplatz tenthousands of people demonstrate against the NATO security-conference, militarism and capitalism, while parallel only a few come to the rally of mayor Christian Ude.
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 http://germany.indymedia.org/2003/01/40086.shtml
NATO-"Security Conference - it's getting wild!
von Indy-Germany - 30.01.2003 00:58
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