Demonstration am 14.09 im Rahmen der Karawane-Tour in Magdeburg

sorry aber hab versehentlich den rohentwurf rausgeblasen. die demo beginnt jedoch 14.00 uhr und ist ein projekt von mehreren autonomen gruppen aus magdeburg (im zusammenhang mit der karawane- tour 2002).

Demonstration in the course of the nationwide Caravan Tour 2002
Contact:  azmagdeburg@hotmail.com (  caravan.halle@gmx.net )

Demonstration begins at 2:00 p.m. on 14th September 2002, at Universitätsplatz, Magdeburg.

THE BORDERS ARE NOT BETWEEN THE PEOPLE; BUT BETWEEN ABOVE AND BELOW!
The border is not between the peoples, but between above and below!

From 14th to 16th September, in Salzburg/Austria there is a meeting of the world’s mighty ones, where (against our will) they’ll go on deciding about all peoples’ and nature’s future. This time, it’s a meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF).
But Seattle, Praha, Genova, Bruxelles ... hardly any last years’ summit meeting of world economics and polictics without mass protests. We in Magdeburg will go out into the streets against the capitalist exploitation system on 14th September as well, just like millions of people all over the world, together with the “Caravan for the Rights of Refugees and Migrants”, against one part of this system full of scorn against life, which is the fortress Europe!!!

What exactly is the WEF?
The WEF was founded in 1971 as a platform of European top managers and continuously extended its influence since then. Since 1982, the WEF has been an “informal gathering” of economic representatives, members of parliaments, and heads of international institutions like IMF and World Bank.

Meanwhile, the WEF meeting may be called the „summit of summits“. Nearly 1.000 economic leaders, about 250 state representatives, circa 300 scientists, high-ranking arts and culture institutions, as well as a lot of media followers. So the WEF boasts about “enforcing results” concerning the realisation of (new) strategies of the multinational economy groups and of (their) states, and “to be able to maximize their profits”.

One can say without exaggeration, that the World Economic Forum controls practically all institutions (e.g. IMF and World Bank), many governments and the majority of the worldwide economic and military capacities. That meeting in Salzburg, too, will push forward the capitalist globalisation, also with military means, and will aggravate the living conditions of all of us.

Effects of the capitalist globalisation here, inside the metropolis ...

It’s a characteristic feature of the development of capitalism in Europe, that all areas of life (e.g. pension scheme, health insurance, energy supply, railway traffic, mail, communications...) are privatized, and that the workpower market is liberalized, with the effect of mass unemployment and steady decrease of real wages, while at the same time the hard-won social rights are cut. More characteristics of this development are Europe’s massive extension into a surveillance state inwards and into Fortress Europe outwards. So, on the one hand, the rich industrial nations (USA, Europe, and Japan) increase the pressure to the Third World countries by means of their politics of unlimited globalisation, on the other hand a wall grows around Europe, the asylum laws are aggravated (almost abolished) regularly and people deported into their miseries.

Moreover, it is for sure no incident, that at the same time the surveillance state is extended (extension of repression organs and their powers, aggravation of the laws, video surveillance of whole cities, Europol ...), when the “welfare state” is dissolved. The approaching social protests and disturbances are to be prevented. Also in Germany, the gap between poor and rich grows more and more clearly. Because of rationalisations of economy, because of their insatiable greed for profits, the crowd of unemployed grows unstoppable (in Magdeburg more than 22 %), the working hours are made flexible (people work at all times and conditions), the real wages are forced down, but the cost of living grows – rent, food, etc. Some key features of that development in the FRG (Federal Republic of Germany) look like this:
While the clear profits of businesses exploded from 1980 to 1995 by 116 %, the real wages went up by only 1,4 %. That means for low income groups, that their level of income has already fallen below the one from 1968.

Only between 1983 and 1993 the state tax income reduced to 240 billion DM due to tax laws changes. The biggest part of more than 170 billion DM was of benefit to the business sector. The tax on yields dropped to a historic record low, the rate of income tax on wages rose to a record high. More tax presents were added. So while the average tax burden on yields shrank from 20 % to meanwhile 7 %, the taxation and social security contributions on average earned income grew from 30 % to 40 %.

What was moved to the side of capital, had been carried away with both hands from below. The amount of savings in the field of welfare and social security in 1998 is as much as about 100 billion DM.

The former matter-of-factness of guaranteed, protected employment contracts has become a privilege of an increasingly small group of employees today. 30 % of the current employment relationships are handled without any core workforce, by temporary contracts or work contracts limited to single projects.

The numberless aggravations of the laws concerning unemployment and welfare result in systematic de-qualification, in addition to the increased opportunities to exclude people formerly entitled to benefits by the obligation to accept worse employment conditions. Thus, moreover, a way of payment is legalised which is much below the low-wage sector.

While some years ago there was at least the entitlement to be protected from poverty when grown old, now, with the pension reform 2000 even this entitlement has been buried. From now on everyone who cannot afford any additional private provisions with their poor wages, rush headlong into certain poverty in old age. This listing of aggravations of the living conditions of our class could be carried on endlessly.

Effects on the “Third World”
The globalisation is pushed through in the „Third World“ both economically and military. This is to be about the economic aspect. Key instruments are World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF). Task of those two institutions is to open up the developing countries for foreign investors (from the metropolitan areas) and their speculative interests. That means to remove all conditions by which the poor countries tried to protect their environment and their less competitive economies against the rich countries’ capital.

The World Bank is the biggest credit lender to „Third World“ contries. In the past, it always supported dictatorships willingly, which also invested the money straight in military means to repress social unrest and revolts.

As a rule, the World Bank gives credits only in connection with „structural adjustment programmes”. That means for agriculture: no more subsistence, but export. Thus fields where people (especially women) grew basic food before, are converted into plants for the production of e.g. coffee and cocoa, with enormous technical expense. Enormous technical expense means first and foremost orders for international/multinational big concerns such as Daimler-Chrysler. That way the World Bank pays the loan directly to the concern which delivers. Anyhow the area for basic food is lost forever. That means: more hunger, rural exodus (to the cities), fleeing into neighbouring countries etc.

The debts of a country incapable to pay back are transmitted to the IMF. But not hunger, disease, and environmental pollution are the problems that the IMF and World Bank are going to deal with, but the establishment of the ability to pay is their intention. This is meant to happen by means of the notorious structure adjustment programmes. The wages are forced down even more, and the expenses of state are brought to a minimum, with the result that the food subventions are cancelled, welfare expenses strongly reduced (almost to zero), state businesses privatised and the country’s currency devalued. Privatisation means mass dismissals, even more people below the poverty line. The devaluation of the currency is to make people consume less, but less consume means more hunger.

In addition, World Bank and IMF finance frequently the controversial projects to construct reservoir dams which already have made millions of people become refugees by resettlement, floods and draught. All this is very interesting also with regard to how a rich country like FRG whose concern groups rake in lots by over-exploiting the “Third World” thinks of refugees.

Already since the first deep cut into the right of asylum (1993), less than 4 % of all applicants for asylum have been accepted each year, but 95 % and more are rejected. More than 50.000 people are annually deported.

Asylum seekers are separated from the German society and isolated. Many camps and asylum homes are situated in remote areas, deep in the forest or at the edge of small villages. The so-called Residenzpflicht prohibits to leave the district that they are allocated to. Thus the refugees are made invisible as human beings, and on the other hand a picture of thread is painted in public.

With the Caravan Tour 2002, refugees and supporters appear before the public and break through isolation. We declare our solidarity with them and their demands:

Together we resist against:
- the criminal deportation practices and new detention camp politics
- the situation hostile to life for refugees in the FRG and racist persecution
- racist propaganda in the media and by politicians

Together we struggle:
- for the rights of refugees and migrants
- for the people that the refugees had to leave behind in their home countries
- against war and destruction

Everyone is called to demonstrate together with us for a different world in Magdeburg on 14th September 2002! Let’s bring our resistance against these inhuman circumstances into the streets in our town, too! Let’s fight together against exploitation and oppression, and disrupt their Fortress Europe! Let us together win a world free of hierarchy and class!!!

Start f the demonstration is on 14th September 2002 at 2:00 p.m. at Universitätsplatz in Magdeburg.

TOGEHTER WE ARE STRONG !!!


autonomer zusammenschlusz-magdeburg