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G8 2007 Action Conference: Rostock, Germany 10-12 Nov '06

x | 04.10.2006 09:47 | G8 Germany 2007 | Globalisation | Repression | World

The date for the second G8 2007 Action Conference has been set. A broad preparatory group have agreed that “Rostock II” will begin on Friday 10th November 2006 at 7pm, lasting until Sunday 12th November. The Conference will take place at Rostock University.


The preparatory group have published an initial invitation.

Dear Friends,

The next G8 Summit is going to take place in June 2007 in Heiligendamm, a seaside resort on the Baltic coast near the city of Rostock. Things are already on the move: in NGOs, environmental federations, leftwing and antiracist networks, unions, political parties and local anti-G8-coalitions – the next G8 Summit is on everybody’s agenda. The summits are focal points within the institutional networks of the powers that be. Their policies stand for ever increasing poverty, debt, environmental damage and the destruction of social and democratic rights. This is why discussions about alternative political visions and events against the Club of the Rich and Powerful have already begun for 2007 in all kinds of movements and coalitions.

In the past, G8 protests were most successful when they managed to combine diverse political forces and different kinds of activities without losing sight of the identities and thematic interests of all the actors concerned.

In order to advance what is being planned for a wide range of protests in Rostock and Heiligendamm we invite you to participate in an

International Action Conference

November 10-12 2006 in Rostock

The conference is to promote both the exchange of views about the political plans and activities of the participants and the international perspectives of activists from all over Europe. This idea is endorsed by the final declaration of this year’s European Social Forum in Athens, which cites Heiligendamm as a focal point for activities in Europe. In order to strengthen the international aspect, the conference will be held in both English and German.

Apart from evaluating this year’s G8 Summit in St. Petersburg, the conference should serve to assess the common ground of those involved. We want to ask all activists, from Germany and elsewhere, to state their main reasons for taking part in the protests and to express their demands. We will try to put the answers in relation to each other and thereby hope to find common denominators and interfaces for the protests. We see a constructive discussion about different analyses and approaches and the search for common ground as one of the major challenges for this conference, which will give us the groundwork for the political impact we are hoping to achieve.

Preparations for the different kinds of activities that are being planned (i.e. rallies, an alternative summit, activities on migration, civil disobedience, the camp and political events before the summit) will be presented and are to be discussed and developed in working groups. These discussions should end in binding agreements about a joint international preparatory process.

As we are on the spot in Rostock, we would like to organise a little event to highlight our concerns and protest the G8, combining this with a walk-through.

The main aim of the conference is to widen the range of G8 protests and to offer an opportunity for people from different political backgrounds to hook up with each other. Everybody should be able to participate fully in the plans for events and activities. This is why we see it as an important aspect of the conference to give time and space to the creation and consolidation of local networks in order to create as many local coalitions against the G8 as possible under the motto: "Think Globally, Act Locally".

Hugo Braun (German Social Forum)
Mona Bricke (German NGO Forum on Environment and Development)
Kristian Golla (Network of the German Peace Movement)
Marco Heinig (solid)
Willi van Ooyen (Federal Peace Committee)
Werner Rätz (attac)
Paula Riester (Green Party Youth Organisation)
Gregor Samsa (NoLager Bremen)
Monty Schädel (Rostock Coalition and German Peace Federation)
Thomas Seibert (medico international)
Katja Strobel (Interventionist Left)
Sabine Zimpel (erlassjahr.de)


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International Action Conference, 10-12 November 2006 in Rostock, Germany

University of Rostock, Department of Social Studies (Wiso-Fakultät), Ulmenstrasse 69, kick-off: 7pm
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For up-to-date information about the Conference, questions, criticisms and suggestions see:
www.heiligendamm2007.de
www.g8-germany.info

Registration:
 anmeldung@heiligendamm2007.de
 rostock@heiligendamm2007.org
 registration@g8-germany.info

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- Homepage: http://www.heiligendamm2007.de