From the crisis’ edges to the power’s core

International Call to Participate in Blockupy 2013 in Frankfurt May 30th to June 1st and other struggles against the Troika

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Volunteers are increasing, but it is time for the state to act now

Posted by Angelos Maragos  on http://mkie-foreign.blogspot.gr
The Metropolitan Community Clinic at Hellinikon (a suburb in the south of Athens) provides FREE medical assistance to the UNEMPLOYED and POOR people without SOCIAL SECURITY or with very little income.

Helliniko 10 April 2013

The greatness of humanity, dignity, mutual aid and support is evidenced daily in the actions of ordinary citizens – in contrast to the official state which has gone deaf these last years of the memorandum and its austerity.
So many independent groups pop up all the time to answer some of the needs of those without shelter or means. Community clinics and pharmacies appear and multiply in an effort to fill the immense void created by the official state and an effort to support public health – which the state has neglected.

2 workshops on Social Protection at WSF2013 in Tunis

1.
Social Protection: the development of a new international consensus, its advantages and its pitfalls

Looking at what the new proposals (ILO, CCE, WB) mean and can mean – examples from the practice of Europe, Asia, Latin America, Africa.

In this workshop we will discuss the various proposals from ILO, European Commission, World Bank on ‘social protection’ and ‘resilience’. We will listen to various witnesses from Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America and discuss the possible advantage and problems of the new agenda.

Presentation of book on a universal and transformative social protection

Organizers:
Global Social Justice, Network for Transformative Social Protection, Social Forum on Health and Social Security, Action Aid, Safe Observer International

Speakers:
Francine Mestrum, Armando de Negri, Sabyte Lacson, Sandeep Chachra, Garance Upham, Matti Kohonen, representatives from Latin America and Africa …

2.
Universal and Transformative Social Protection: the development of a new social paradigm and a global alternative

Linking the social protection agenda up to other initiatives which can make for a truly new paradigm: social development, banning poverty and ‘the common good of humanity’.

In this workshop we will try to strategize for the coming campaigns on social protection, linking this important topic to other initiatives which can complete it and embed it in a truly global agenda. We will discuss the transformative potential of social protection to achieve systemic change.

Presentation of a book on universal and transformative social protection

Organizers:
Global Social Justice, Network for Transformative Social Protection, Social Forum on Health and Social Security, Action Aid, World Forum for Alternatives, Safe Observer International

Speakers:
Francine Mestrum, François Houtart, Armando de Negri, Tina Ebro…

FOR A EUROPEAN SPRING

Our Democracy against their austerity! – a call for action against the EU Spring Summit

‘For a European Spring’ is a call for actions, strikes and demonstrations all over Europe on the 13th of March, and for a pan-European demonstration and creative actions in the city of Brussels on the 14th of March. It is targeted at the EU Spring Summit, where leaders from across the continent will assemble on the 14th and 15 to strengthen the European Council’s response to the crisis.

The response to date from economic and political elites in the European Union amounts to a massive attack on welfare, social rights and democracy.  This has been achieved by undermining democracy, reflected in EU policies including the imposition of austerity, demands for deep cuts in social spending, attempts to weaken labour laws and the roll back of hard earned labour rights.

This course of action is dangerous, profoundly unjust, and must be reversed. While these policies are designed to rescue big banks and big business, we, the vast majority, are made to pay for the excesses of the privileged.

All over Europe struggles and strikes are happening against these unjust policies. These struggles are our struggles, and we reject the violent attempts of European states to suppress them. Now is the time for solidarity across borders and sectors, to be the force to create real democracy and social justice. We are seeking to build a society where solutions, very different to those defended by the elites and imposed by the EU, can be proposed and discussed by everybody.

We call for actions, strikes and demonstrations on the 13^th March across Europe as part of a week of European resistance, with a mass mobilisation on the 14^th in Brussels targeting the EU Spring Summit. We will show those in power that our growing movement will, sooner or later, be strong enough to change the course of Europe in the interest of us all.

-    Abolish all EU-austerity treaties and legislation!

-    For an ecological Transition!

-    Disarm Financial Markets!

-    Debt: Don’t owe, don’t pay!

-    Fire the Troika, not the people!

Invitation to the European Coordination

We invite you to our next European coordination of the network euromarch. We meet

• on 2 and February 3, 2013
• in Cologne-Kalk, in the Naturfreundehaus, Kapellenstraße 9a
• beginning 13:30

On the agenda we have

1. the EU project. We also start.
2. Then there is a report from Florence and Brussels and a view of the mobilizations in the coming months, and what we can contribute.
   2a. Equipping the Alter Summit in Athens and what we want to achieve there.
3. We should again make a round of country reports.
4. Last but not least we should access the website again, created by Laurent. We don’t work with it yet.

JOINING FORCES FOR COMMON EUROPE

More than 4 thousand participants, 300 networks and organisations from 28 countries from all over Europe and beyond, met at Fortezza da Basso in Florence from November 8th to 11th, to debate and strategize together for another Europe.  Over 100 meetings took place and many new networks and campaigns were launched.  A call for common action and a proposed roadmap emerged from the convergence meeting: