CANADIAN/INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS:

MADONNA FOR CHAIR OF THE IMMIGRATION AND REFUGEE BOARD OF CANADA:

Will wonders never cease ? Amazingly enough it seems like one of the schemes of our dearly beloved comrade leader Prime Minister "Sneaky Stevie" Harper has actually come back to bite him hard on the ass. What's this all about. As previously reported on this blog and elsewhere the federal Conservative government has long been stocking the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada with a fine collection of Holy Rollers and various neandertals from the extremist wing of their party. See THIS REPORT from the Harper Index (and past posts on this blog) for details. As I have expressed before on this blog Harper has to throw the extremist wing of his party the occasional bone, just to keep the preachers of Holy War lecturing the congregations to see failure to vote for the Conservatives as a sure ticket to eternal damnation. To date his tactics have been more than slightly successful. The bones that are thrown "look good" to the "Christian soldiers" while, at the same time being insignificant enough to not produce any major scandals that would be bad PR for the Harperites.

That is what Harper's appointments to the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada seemed to promise. To say the least the majority of Canadians don't stay awake at night worrying about their decisions. It's a plum job. Sit through an hour of a public meeting every once in awhile. Read about a case for 15 minutes. Sit and bullshit about it for half an hour with your other old friends on the Board, and adjourn for the mandatory $200 a plate tax payer provided fine dining afterwards. All this as part of God only knows how many tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars in honoraria as the "baseline" before expenses. Great work if you can get it, and a bonus for the neandertals is that they get to act out their fantasies of kicking those of the non-white persuasion behind the closed doors of a bureaucracy.

Really a great perk for the beneficiaries of the pork and more than sufficient to keep them rallying their troops to the ballot boxes-and an even better enticement and example for those who may get such non-work in the future. On the other side of the bargain the more intelligent section of the Conservatives surely thought that this was a great bargain as well. Get the support and put the crazies in positions where they can't do any public harm to the party image. Or so they thought. With an initiative of what can only be termed as "massive creativity" the Harper appointees have actually managed to provoke an international firestorm by their decision to grant "refugee status" to a white South African, Brandon Huntley, on the grounds that he is persecuted "as a white man" in his home country. I'll get back to comment on this claim later, but for now let us say that it has become a worldwide story, giving Canada a black eye all the way from Katmandu to Lviv to Sao Paulo to Karachi to Lagos. The government is in full damage control mode, and it may yet escape domestic repercussions, but the international news is one of the worst possible things that could happen diplomatically.

There's a lesson in all this. Always assume that half-wits can do you damage no matter how thoroughly you think you have contained and bought them off. Never trust your own schemes 100%. Here's the basic story from the New York Times Blogs. The same thing is being repeated gleefully all across the world and in Canada too.

HRHRHRHRHRHR

White South African Claiming Racist ‘Persecution’ Is Granted Asylum in Canada:
By Robert Mackey
South Africa plans to ask Canada to review a ruling last week by an immigration board in Ottawa granting asylum to a white South African carnival worker who claimed that he was forced to flee his homeland after being attacked seven times because of the color of his skin.

As The Ottawa Sun reported on Friday:
A Canadian immigration and refugee board panel ruled Thursday that Brandon Huntley, 31, could stay in Canada because he presented “clear and convincing proof of the state’s inability or unwillingness to protect him.”

“I find that the claimant would stand out like a ’sore thumb’ due to his color in any part of the country,” tribunal panel chair William Davis said in his decision to grant Huntley refugee status. "

Mr. Huntley, 31, claimed that he was called a “white dog” and a “settler” by black assailants while being mugged seven times during the years he lived outside Cape Town. According to The Globe and Mail, Mr. Huntley said that he had failed to report any of these attacks to the police in South Africa because he “did not trust them.”

The immigration and refugee board ruling said that Mr. Huntley had proven that the South African government, through “indifference and inability or unwillingness,” was failing to protect “white South Africans from persecution by African South Africans.”

The Ottawa Sun reported that Mr. Huntley said violent crime against white South Africans by black South Africans was racially motivated: “There’s a hatred of what we did to them and it’s all about the color of your skin.”

The Globe and Mail noted that the decision “has ignited a firestorm of controversy in South Africa, damaging relations between the two countries and denting Canada’s image in a country where it was once seen as a stalwart of the anti-apartheid struggle.”

On Tuesday Reuters reported that a spokesman for the African National Congress, which now rules South Africa, said “Canada’s reasoning for granting Huntley a refugee status can only serve to perpetuate racism.”

On Wednesday Agence France-Presse reported that Sue van der Merwe, South Africa’s deputy minister of international relations, said the decision “shows a lack of familiarization with the facts and reality of South African society.” Another A.N.C. official called the ruling, “preposterous and laughable.”

A spokesman for the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada told The Globe and Mail that the body is intended to operate independently, but added that Canada’s federal government does have the power to ask for judicial review of any decision.

In South Africa, the BBC found a unanimity of opinion from seven citizens of various races who said that while crime is a problem, Mr. Huntley’s claims were “absolute nonsense,” since “thugs attack you because they believe you have something they want.”

HRHRHRHRHRHRHR

So how does one judge such claims ? I think the last paragraph above says it all, even if some of Huntley's claims seem a bit over the top. He says that he has been mugged seven times, on some of which occasions he was stabbed. Yet he walks. Either a)he is one of the best street fighters in the world or b)he should really trying out for one of the Olympic track teams or c) that he so regularily walks with his horseshoes on across fields of four leaved clovers that I really want his advise on lottery numbers. I have no doubt that South Africa is a dangerous place. I also have little doubt that their are many blacks in the country who harbour a lot of dislike for white people. I will also grant that such racial hatred may account for almost 5% of the attacks on whites by blacks as compared to the more likely explanation that many criminals assume that whites have money or other valuables. I also have little doubt that Mr. Huntley may be in as much as 10% of the danger experienced by the ordinary black citizen in South Africa in terms of being victimized by criminals. In other words, probably about the same as an ordinary Mexican in a fairly bad place (but not the worst) in Mexico. Ahhhhh....

There's the point. A couple of months ago (on May 2 and July 22) Molly had articles on the opposition to the Canadian government's decision to require visas for anybody visiting Canada from Mexico and the Czech Republic. The idea was obvious- to keep out both Mexicans and Roma (gypsies) from Eastern Europe. Now there is little doubt that the Roma do experience racist persecution in several European countries, especially in Eastern Europe. I refer the reader to the above mentioned articles, amongst others, on this blog.

Let's see now. According to the Conservatives the Roma do not experience persecution and efforts have to be made to keep them out of Canada-special efforts no less. To date I have not seen this obvious comparison made, though I have little doubt that there are others who are writing about it even as I am. Yet there are others who do have a clue about world events, even if the neandertals that Stevie appoints do not. See the following story and understand why I am giving this free advise to the Conservative government: "Appoint Madonna to be the Chair of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada". The only thing that might be wrong with this brilliant suggestion is that Madonna would probably not properly appreciate the various petty freebies that go along with such "jobs". But if Stevie were to do it right, however improbable it might seem, he'd get somebody who could put in a good word to far more sheep (I mean loyal voters) than the Holy Rollers can. Here's what happened to Madonna a few days back on Romania. I call for this appointment because pretty well any rational person would chose to be interviewed behind closed doors by the subject of photograph "a" as opposed to that of photograph "b". Ahhh, love that interrogation technique.

HRHRHRHRHRHRHR

Madonna booed in Bucharest for defending Gypsies:
By ALINA WOLFE MURRAY (AP) – 6 days ago
BUCHAREST, Romania — At first, fans politely applauded the Roma performers sharing a stage with Madonna. Then the pop star condemned widespread discrimination against Roma, or Gypsies — and the cheers gave way to jeers.

The sharp mood change that swept the crowd of 60,000, who had packed a park for Wednesday night's concert, underscores how prejudice against Gypsies remains deeply entrenched across Eastern Europe.

Despite long-standing efforts to stamp out rampant bias, human rights advocates say Roma probably suffer more humiliation and endure more discrimination than any other people group on the continent.

Sometimes, it can be deadly: In neighboring Hungary, six Roma have been killed and several wounded in a recent series of apparently racially motivated attacks targeting small countryside villages predominantly settled by Gypsies.

"There is generally widespread resentment against Gypsies in Eastern Europe. They have historically been the underdog," Radu Motoc, an official with the Soros Foundation Romania, said Thursday.

Roma, or Gypsies, are a nomadic ethnic group believed to have their roots in the Indian subcontinent. They live mostly in southern and eastern Europe, but hundreds of thousands have migrated west over the past few decades in search of jobs and better living conditions.

Romania has the largest number of Roma in the region. Some say the population could be as high as 2 million, although official data put it at 500,000.

Until the 19th century, Romanian Gypsies were slaves, and they've gotten a mixed response ever since: While discrimination is widespread, many East Europeans are enthusiastic about Gypsy music and dance, which they embrace as part of the region's cultural heritage.

That explains why the Roma musicians and a dancer who had briefly joined Madonna onstage got enthusiastic applause. And it also may explain why some in the crowd turned on Madonna when she paused during the two-hour show — a stop on her worldwide "Sticky and Sweet" tour — to touch on their plight.

"It has been brought to my attention ... that there is a lot of discrimination against Romanies and Gypsies in general in Eastern Europe," she said. "It made me feel very sad."

Thousands booed and jeered her.

A few cheered when she added: "We don't believe in discrimination ... we believe in freedom and equal rights for everyone." But she got more boos when she mentioned discrimination against homosexuals and others.

"I jeered her because it seemed false what she was telling us. What business does she have telling us these things?" said Ionut Dinu, 23.

Madonna did not react and carried on with her concert, held near the hulking palace of the late communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu.

Her publicist, Liz Rosenberg, said Madonna and others had told her there were cheers as well as jeers.

"Madonna has been touring with a phenomenal troupe of Roma musicians who made her aware of the discrimination toward them in several countries so she felt compelled to make a brief statement," Rosenberg said in an e-mail. "She will not be issuing a further statement."

One Roma musician said the attitude toward Gypsies is contradictory.

"Romanians watch Gypsy soap operas, they like Gypsy music and go to Gypsy concerts," said Damian Draghici, a Grammy Award-winner who has performed with James Brown and Joe Cocker.

"But there has been a wave of aggression against Roma people in Italy, Hungary and Romania, which shows me something is not OK," he told the AP in an interview. "The politicians have to do something about it. People have to be educated not to be prejudiced. All people are equal, and that is the message politicians must give."

Nearly one in two of Europe's estimated 12 million Roma claimed to have suffered an act of discrimination over the past 12 months, according to a recent report by the Vienna-based EU Fundamental Rights Agency. The group says Roma face "overt discrimination" in housing, health care and education.

Many do not have official identification, which means they cannot get social benefits, are undereducated and struggle to find decent jobs.

Roma children are more likely to drop out of school than their peers from other ethnic groups. Many Romanians label Gypsies as thieves, and many are outraged by those who beg or commit petty crimes in Western Europe, believing they spoil Romania's image abroad.

In May 2007, Romanian President Traian Basescu was heard to call a Romanian journalist a "stinky Gypsy" during a conversation with his wife. Romania's anti-discrimination board criticized Basescu, who later apologized.

Human rights activists say the attacks in Hungary, which began in July 2008, may be tied to that country's economic crisis and the rising popularity of far-right vigilantes angered by a rash of petty thefts and other so-called "Gypsy crime." Last week, police arrested four suspects in a nightclub in the eastern city of Debrecen.

Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia also have been criticized for widespread bias against Roma.

Madonna's outrage touched a nerve in Romania, but it seems doubtful it will change anything, said the Soros Foundation's Motoc.

"Madonna is a pop star. She is not an expert on interethnic relations," he said.

AP Writers Alison Mutler in Bucharest, William J. Kole in Vienna and Nekesa Mumbi Moody in New York contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

INTERNATIONAL ANARCHIST MOVEMENT-ROMANIA:

REPORT ON 2008 LOVEKILLS ANARCHA-FEMINIST FESTIVAL:

The following story is from the A-Infos site, and it describes a recent anarcha-feminist gathering in Romania, hostile ground but increasingly-as in all of eastern Europe- putting down anarchist roots. The following has been slightly edited for reasons of English grammar and spelling.

...................................

Romania, Timisoara, Report on the 2008 Lovekills Anarcha-feminist Festival:

On 26th and 27th September 2008 the third edition of the anarcha-feminist festival Lovekills took place in Timisoara, although it seemed almost impossible to organise this kind of festival in a society where ignorance and materialism can be transformed very easy into a violent oppression against everything different. The first problem and the biggest one that the Lovekills Collective encountered was finding a place for this kind of event, but the ones who made this festival possible were the group H.Arta, those who assured us a place to host the workshops, the friends from Timisoara who agreed to put their own homes on the line and put so much time and effort into the so called "minor" problems like cooking, shopping and cleaning, and last, but not least, all the participants from all over that prepared and supported the different workshops.

The festival began at 12 o'clock with the "Welcome " and the presentation of the Lovekills Collective and festival, and it continued with the next workshops :

*Oppression of women by orthodox church

The lecture was focused on the Romanian context and it was part of a case study on the Romanian Orthodox Church related to: state, army, extreme right wing and oppression of women. The lecture was aiming at raising awareness: on how the church is manipulating and oppressing people, and especially women, how it is empowered by state, popular practices and traditions in doing so; bringing up issues that are not easily noticed, especially in regions where religion and church are no longer problems of actuality. Annex: exhibition.

*Latent prostitution

When we think of prostitution we mostly think of direct prostitution that means the direct sexual contact of a prostitute with a client that is supposed to end with money paid by the client to the prostitute but there is also a latent prostitution, a subtle way of prostitution and less evident. This type of prostitution is hidden, secret and has more silent agreement in society then direct prostitution. Latent prostitution doesn't have to be consumed in sexual way but it has similar connotations to sexuality.

*- cut & change-

Cut & change was a workshop about our possibilities to question, change, reinterpret and re-contextualise the messages that are mass- transmitted through our clothing or other items that we use daily. We will cut, sew, paste, draw, combine, rewrite and divert the sexist, consumerist and stereotype messages, transforming them into messages that speak about the possible alternatives.

*-To shave or not to shave …

This is the question – a review on how society looks at "growing" hairs on different parts of the human body, how is this connected with gender roles, what's the point of depilation, do people do it because of beauty standards, health, fashion or is it just one more subject that is just unquestionable.

*- Stencil making workshop –

Stencil is a graffiti technique to express your political slogans and favorite pictures on t-shirts, walls etc. So bring your pictures you want to use, good slogans and if you have papers, colours and thin cutters.

In the evening movies and documentaries were aired:

Habitual Sadness 2 (Naj-eun mogsoli 2 )

( Follow-up to "The Murmuring" )

1997

The story of the women at the "House of Sharing" continues. The old women who share a common bond lead a peaceful life in the countryside, raising vegetables, chickens and painting pictures. They are no different from the elderly women we see everyday. But they are all marked by pain and sorrow from their shared history of being comfort women during World War 2. They became subject to prejudice in their own homeland after their return to Korea. It is painful for them to watch other peoples' children and grandchildren, and they feel rage when the Japanese government tries to cover up the crimes they committed against them. The films asks us to remember what these women sacrificed and the shame and misery they faced even as these individuals pass away often forgotten by their own people.

Killing us softly

Jean Kilbourne's pioneering work helped develop and popularize the study of gender representation in advertising. Her award-winning Killing us Softly films have influenced millions of college and high school students across two generations and on an international scale. In this important new film, Kilbourne reviews if and how the image of women in advertising has changed over the last 20 years. With wit and warmth, Kilbourne uses over 160 ads and TV commercials to critique advertising's image of women. By fostering creative and productive dialogue, she invites viewers to look at familiar images in a new way, that moves and empowers them to take action.

THE MAGDALENE SISTERS, 2002

A thoroughly mind provoking film about 3 young women whom, under tragic circumstances see themselves cast away to a 19th-Century Magdalene Laundry home for supposedly 'fallen' women. Here, the women endure agonizing punishment and a long, harsh working system which leaves them physically drained and mentally challenged. As the girls bond together, it soon becomes clear that the only way out of the Magdalene convent is to escape, but with twisted Sister Bridget running the wing, any chances seem limited...

The day was closed with a vegan dinner.

Saturday the festival started at 13.30 with

-Self-defence open ended workshop-

Feminism - not just for women –

Discussion on the way patriarchal system is affecting men as well. Why are some men perceiving "feminism" as a struggle only for women ? And how can we overcome some preconceived ideas about this "separatism".

- Color hair-

D.I.Y workshop about how can you paint and cut your hair

- D.I.Y. – Computer Security workshop-

Let's discuss why computer-security is also for you important. Let's find out how it works on different computer system software (windows, linux, mac) to mail encrypted with gpg or pgp and how to make secure partitions on your hardware.

- Drag Workshop/drag-„

dressed as guy" or „dressed as girl" describes the performance of a gender which is not your biological one. After a short introduction about the history and idea of drag shows, drag kings and queens as a part of transgender practices and some basic skills like faking beards, breasts or penises, there was time for experiences.

Also in the evening the movie But I'm a cheerleader was shown - Megan is an all-American girl. She's a cheerleader, she has a boyfriend, etc. But she doesn't like kissing her boyfriend very much. And she's pretty touchy with her cheerleader friends. And she only has pictures of girls up in her locker. Her parents and friends conclude that she *must* be gay and send her off to "sexual redirection" school, full of admittedly homosexual misfits, where she can learn to how to be straight.

The night ended with a vegan dinner, that was followed by a good-bye party that we hope left behind some good times and memories. In my opinion, the most important element was the the feeling of friendship that the participants had. Some of them pointed out the fact that people could communicate and express their ideas freely and with no holding back, in a way that contravened all the prejudice and clichés in the actual society. The first thing is that the festival was anarcho-feminist and which the number of male participants, a large number, has to be mentioned in this article without a doubt in mind. The male participants got involved actively and were from all over, including outside the Romanian borders. The patriarchal ideal and sexism that it generates can easily be removed because they are absolutely outrageous and they do nothing but to destroy inter human relationships. The third edition of the LoveKills festival demonstrated again how the feminist practice could create anarchy.

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR-ROMANIA:

CONSTANTA DOCK STRIKE ENDS:

The following update on the strike at Constanta, Romania, one of Europe's main ports, comes from the LibCom site. It is an account from someone who was in Constanta and was able to talk to the strikers. The strike ended with only partial gains for the workers, and the stage may be set for further conflict in the future.

.................................

Strike in the docks of Constanta

Account of the recent strike at DP World Container Port in Romania.
Strike in the docks of Constanta
In Romania the strike wave continues: on Thursday morning, 17th of July 2008, five hundred dock workers at the Agigea Sud terminal went on indefinite strike. The terminal belongs to the container port of Constanta, a town at the Romanian coast of the Black Sea. Their main demands: a wage increase of 700 RON (about 200 Euro), a bonus for seniority, extra-payment for over-time and a clear regulation of the working-time.

The author of this article has been in Constanta and was able to talk to the workers.
The first day of strike
At the main gate of the container port Constanta Agigea Sud a wind-torn leaflet announces an indefinite strike, starting at 7 am, 17th of July 2008. On the port premises no movements can be seen, the cranes remain silent and unused. The company has locked out the strikers. About 150 workers on picket-line have gathered at the gate, shouting slogans: "We work, and we want to be paid for it!", "Thieves, thieves" and "We won´t be slaves in our own country!". The Constanta South Terminal is run by DP World, well equipped with modern facilities. 85 per cent of the total container turn-over of Romania's biggest port happens here. According to their own figures last year the company made twelve Million Euros profit.

Five years ago the terminal ran its first shift. When hired, people were promised that the work would be done according to European standards and that soon (western-)European wages would be paid. To this day the latter has not happened. The port workers earn an equivalent to about 400 Euro per month. There was an increase: an increase in work pressure, in numbers of containers, which had to be shipped or unloaded per shift and an increase in over-time, which is still paid without any bonus payments.

The demand of 700 RON isn't that high if you take the current inflation in Romania into account. The price for (cooking and heating) gas has hiked by 20 per cent since the beginning of June 2008. The food prices are comparable to those discounter supermarket like Aldi and Lidl in Western Europe. Many dockers had to take out loans in order to buy a car or a flat. (1) The inflation means it becomes increasingly difficult to pay the instalments demanded.

It is not only the wage issue which triggers the dock workers' anger. One of their most important demands is the adherence to the standard working-time. The terminal runs on a 12/24-hours shift-scheme, which means that a single shift is twelve hours long, after that the worker has got a 24-hours break. After each fourth shift there is a break of 48 hours. The workers have to switch constantly between day- and night-shift. The management does not stick to this scheme, workers are often called to work on their day off; they are supposed to start work within an hour. They have to be available on their mobile phones at all times. If they don't answer the phone the management puts it as 'unmotivated attitude', meaning that in the 'cartea de munca', the employee's record book, the remark 'absent without valid excuse' will be entered. (2) After three of these 'unauthorised absences' you get the sack. The striking workers tell that due to being permanently 'on call' they are not able to make plans for their free time with their families. Or as a docker puts it straight: "The work fucks you up and you are not even paid properly for it".

There is a cheerful and lively atmosphere at the picket-line. The sun blasts down, there is no shade in front of the head office. In an hourly routine the strikers gather in order to shout their slogans and make some noise with horns and whistles. "The strike won't go on for too long, they have to fulfil our demands. We blockade the freight traffic of the whole country, even of some of the neighbouring countries. The big industrial areas depend on us!", states an older dock worker.
Suddenly an enormous chorus of car horns can be heard. On the other side of the terminal hundreds of lorries have queued up, waiting for their load. The strike has a heavy impact on the truck drivers, they are paid by kilometers, not by the hour. But most of them see the strike as a justifiable act, even though they have to return empty for today.

The strike is union led. In the terminal two small unions are registered; both are affiliated to the FNSP - the National Trade Union Congress for Dock Workers. During conversations with the dockers it becomes clear that it was not the unions who had called for a strike,but that the workers had put pressure on them. "Last year they negotiated and signed a contract without asking us, and the contract was shit. They are in process of negotiating for five months now, but this time we are watching them closely!" - "To walk out is the only way to enforce our demands."
For the following day at 3 pm the management of WP World has staged a new round of negotiations. There are lively debates amongst the workers,because the negotiations are supposed to take place in Hotel Ibis, which is twelve kilometer distance from the picket-line. One of the strikers thinks that it was wrong to have given in to the managements' proposal for the venue. "We are hundreds of strikers here, they should come here and negotiate with us. They have the space here to do that. Not behind our backs at some far away location".
At 7 pm the night-shift takes over the picket-line. According to the workers the company wouldn't find any scabs anyway, because the qualified workers have all gone abroad.
The second day of strike
Five big container ships lie off the terminal, waiting for the dispute to be solved. DP World tries to send some of the cargo work to be done by the ports in Odessa, Ukraine.

In the national television news there is hardly any information about the strike. Only a local channel broadcasted some news. But one of the dockers said convincingly: "It doesn´t really bother us, if they don´t report about us anyway. What is important is that here everything keeps being at stand-still. In the end the country will take notice of the blockade."

It's late afternoon. On the square in front of the main office 150 strikers have gathered again. Their faces display tense emotions.

The talks have failed. The management pretended to be unmoved and didn't change their initial offer even one tiny bit. They even threatened to withdraw their current offer of about 100 Euro wage increase. A union leader and member of the negotiation table - he himself a dock worker in the port - reports in details to his fellow workers: "At some point the management all left the table saying 'Right, we will meet again in front of the court. We will check whether the strike is legal at all. That's it for us now, we don't want to waste our time.' They said that they have made plans for the weekend, that they will take a trip to the delta of river Danube, go fishing." Many questions come up and long discussions start amongst the striking workers: what would be the result of a legal suspension of the strike, would the union pay strike money if the struggle carries on for a longer period of time? There isn't much hesitation about the main question: The strike will be continued. We don't give in! "Do you know what, guys, on Monday we will turn up and change our demands, as well. We will keep up the demand of a 700 hike,but not 700 RON, we talk about 700 Euro!"

While hundred thousands of holiday-makers lay around choc-a-bloc sunbathing on the beach of the Black Sea, only few kilometers away the strikers prepare for a longer struggle. The union head-organisation FNSP has announced a solidarity strike in the entire port of Constanta for Monday. (3)

The cranes are still silent. The lorries have returned. The ships are waiting.
-------------------

Footnotes:
(1) In Romania only few flats are rented out. The rents are very high.People who have been lucky own their home, house prices were low before 1989.
(2) A kind of income tax form containing remarks about the employee's performance.
(3) According to the Federatia Nationale a Sindicatelor Portuare (FNSP)the port of Constanta employs about 9,000 workers. In total thirty unions are affiliated to the FNSP, representing 6,000 members.
--------------------

DP World Constanta South Container Terminal
The strike has ended
After thirteen days of the strike at the DP WORLD Container-Terminal in the port of Constanta, the union and management reached an agreement on July 29th. The workers at the port have been able to wrench some concessions from management: a wage rise amounting to 650 RON (180 euros) overall, to be awarded in two stages (see box), one more day of holiday, a 30% increase in Easter and Christmas money and the promise to respect statutory work and rest periods. But management is not willing to grant the seniority bonus which is a mandatory part of the labor law. This issue is due to be inspected by the regulatory agency for labour issues (inspectia munci).

Although not all the strikers' demands were met, the majority decided to accept the offer and end the strike. Yet some workers are unhappy.

"If we had continued the strike for one or two more days they would have faltered and eventually given in to all our demands. But what can you do, there were only about fifty of us willing to continue. The others got scared or maybe didn't believe any more that we could win", said one of the strikers, a truck driver, after the decision to take up work again. He is pissed off: "We could have got more. But in the last few days we were lacking cohesion. Too many were satisfied with the result."

Last Saturday there was another 7-hour round of negotiations. Management adjusted its offer three times. The bargaining committee (mostly workers from the terminal) and the strikers who had come along refused three times. The port workers initially agreed to a wage rise in two stages (the first from July 1st 2008, the second from January 1st 2009, shortly after which a new round of negotiations would start). But many thought this was a trick by management, intended to delay long-term wage rises. There were heated discussions amongst the strikers and disappointment at the fact that several of their fellow workers did not show up even though they had all been informed of the ongoing negotiations. No agreement was reached on that Saturday. In its last offer that day, management reduced the previously proposed wage rise by 50 RON, offering monthly gift vouchers over a value of 100 RON instead. These do not have the same status as a wage rise, and this strategic move newly angered the strikers. They decided to continue striking.
---------------------------

Wage development
The new labour contract provides for a wage rise in two stages: an increase of 475 RON (132 euros) from the July 1st and another of 175 RON (48 euros) from January 1st. Altogether 650 RON (180 euros). The workers had demanded a 700 RON wage rise with immediate effect. Compared to the wages before the strike the increase amounts to 30-45 percent, depending on the workers' qualifications and the relevant pay-scales. Up till now the wages at the DP World Container-Terminal were 350 euros for skilled workers such as metalworkers, turners and electricians, 400-500 euros for truck drivers and 600-650 euros for crane operators. With the first wage rise from July 2008 those on the lowest pay scale will now get 500 euros, those on the highest scale 800 euros.

The workers at the Dacia-Renault car factory were able to push through a wage rise of 30-50 per cent with their strike this spring. Since then they have been earning 300-400 euros per month. Textile workers and shop assistants earn a monthly wage of about 150-200 euros, depending on the region.

Romania's legally determined minimum wage was raised from 139 to 150 euros last week.
(All wage details refer to gross pay).

------------------------

A strike against the transition to flexible working hours
Despite the concessions, one important point remains open: work stress and the availability of port workers at all times. The strikers had repeatedly told us that they receive calls on their mobile phones in their free time telling them to get to work within the hour. Conversely, if there is not enough work their shifts are cancelled on short notice and they do not get paid for the lost shift. Accordingly, they had demanded adherence to the statutory rest periods of 24 and/or 48 hours, as well as 100% extra pay on short-notice shifts – which the workers would be free to take or leave. Additionally, the company would have to pay 75% of the full pay in case of a lost shift.

With this demand the strikers were ultimately not able to prevail. It was only noted down that the shift system of 12/24 and 12/48 (i.e. twelve hours work, 24 hours break, 12 hours work, 48 hours break) must be adhered to. Also, a list is currently being compiled of all the workers generally willing to work overtime, thus making themselves available to the company at all times. Refusing overtime will apparently not be penalised. Extra pay for overtime was not arranged. And shift cancellations during low periods will still not be paid.
Gruelling day-to-day life on strike
Management's strategy of (officially) ignoring the strike and thereby bullying the strikers was partly successful. The workers' insecurity increased with every day of the strike. They did not know whether they would achieve anything by stopping work. And the media was hardly reporting the strike. The strikers felt isolated. Day-to-day life on strike consisted mainly of a gruelling wait. Some bloggers attacked the strikers on the web because of their comparatively high wages. Numerous truck drivers who work for shippers across the country lost almost two weeks' pay because of the strike, as the goods they were supposed to drive had been blocked at the port for so long. There were fights in the strikers' families because of the pay lost through the strike.

But the strikers were aware that they were working in a modern and highly productive part of the port which they keep running day and night, 365 days a year. Container transport at the port of Constanta is booming. The volume of container traffic has increased more than tenfold between 2001 and 2007, which is mostly due to the completed DP World terminal, where 85% of all the containers are handled or unloaded. The goods blocked there through strike action remained blocked. It was impossible to use scabs, because there are not enough qualified workers in the region.

"We could have got more"

The strikers showed their teeth and were able to win some of their demands. But the concessions they won mainly relate to wage rises. They only got a vague assurance regarding availability around the clock and adherence to the statutory work times. They have not been able to change anything about the stress at work, the pressure which they are subject to because of the intensity of the work, the few breaks (only 30 minutes break in a 12 hour shift), and the increased risk of accident because of exhaustion.

Or, as a port worker pointedly put it during the strike: "What use is a higher wage if I do the work of two men and then die in an accident?"

ANARCHIST MOVEMENT-ROMANIA:

ANARCHA-FEMINIST FESTIVAL IN ROMANIA:

The following is a callout for the third annual 'LoveKills' anarcha-feminist festival to be held this September in Romania. While anarchism may have come late to the ex-Soviet bloc it is more than making up for lost time.

.............................

Romania, Timisoara,

CALL OUT FOR LOVEKILLS FESTIVAL #3 26th-27th September 2008

The LoveKills collective is trying to organize the third edition of the festival. It is our strong desire to continue this festival, as we consider it to be very important for our struggle to make a difference especially in the Romanian context, to live up to our anarcha-feminist ideas in a fundamentalist/ orthodox/ patriarchal society and even in a completely ignorant+sexist 'scene'. We are welcoming every individual/collective involved/interested in anarcha-feminism to take part in our festival, to support and help us. The festival will be taking place in Timisoara (West of Romania) during the last week-end of September 26th-27th. Anyone who is interested in presenting a workshop/lecture/ documentary/ exhibition, in performing or playing or anything else please contact us.

http://aro.ecobytes.net/lovekills/

www.lilith-lovekills.blogspot.com

ROMANIA:

PUBLIC REACTION TO THE POLICE ATTACKS ON THE ROMANIAN ANARCHISTS:

In the aftermath of the repression directed against protesters during the recent NATO summit in Bucharest public opinion is gradually swinging to sympathy for the victims of the police repression. See the site of the Romanian anarchists, Contra-Doxa, (yes they seem to be regularly on-line now)where they have begun to reprint reactions to what happened from the mass media in their country. Also video footage of the events and reports of solidarity actions in other countries. Seems that even the government has to seem at least "half apologetic".

ROMANIA:

THE BUCHAREST DECLARATION:

Despite vicious police repression at the site of the NATO summit protests still took place, and the actions of the Romanian anarchists actually met with some public sympathy. The following declaration appeared today in both Contra-Doxa (now online again at least for now) and the Romanian Indymedia site.

.........................................................

:: co-written / 05.04.08
The Common Voice from the anarchists and anti-militarists who gathered in Bucharest in April 2008 to protest against the NATO summit.

As long as there will be war, as well as systems and organizations that support militarization, murder, and profit-making from conflicts, there will be always movements protesting against them. Nowadays NATO is the most influential military alliance in the world. That’s why wherever a NATO summit will take place there will be people resisting it. Bucharest is not an exception.

In spite of the media intoxication as well as governmental repressions, which started already months before the summit, hundreds of anti-militarists both, Romanian and international, gathered in the capital city, Bucharest.

The mainstream media bombarded the Romanian population with an image of the anti-militaristic activists as careless, terrorists, hooligans and enemies of the common Romanian people, who were only coming to destroy the city. This was all absurd and obviously fabricated as most of the mass media never even bothered to try and find any information from the anti-militarist side.

Also local authorities tried their best to intimidate anyone who might take part in the protests months before the summit. People from different parts of Romania were observed, received phone calls and visits from various law enforcement authorities. While this is common practice, recently law enforcement authorities intensified the repression to an extreme.

At the same time people from other countries were repressed when trying to cross the Romanian border. Many of them were denied entry to Romania without being given any legal reason. In the days before the summit many activists were stopped and harassed by police, but this heavy police presence also affected regular citizens in many ways.

The peek of the repression took place on the 2nd of April 2008 when the jandarmerie (special forces) brutally stormed the space which activists were using for accommodation, gathering and events. This legally rented space was raided without warning. This aggression was without any legal backing. The jandarms behaved brutally both physically (kicking, hitting and using gas) and mentally (shouting homophobic, xenophobic and racist insults). Most of the people were hit, but several were badly injured. This was a desperate, but unsuccessful attempt on behalf of the Romanian state to stop the protest activities.

What happened after was a combination of, on the one side, a reaction from the movement, and on the other, from the mainstream media which recognized the abuse of power and force. The anti-militarists remaining free initiated spontaneous anti-repression marches and pickets in front of police stations together with several human rights organizations and lawyers. In many countries, solidarity actions took place, like demonstrations in front of Romanian embassies. Facing this kind of reaction, Romanian state was forced to weaken their stance. Ten hours later all activists had been released and the activists’ space was reclaimed.

Even if full trust in the real intentions of the mass media has not been restored, it is clear that at that moment they took a serious step towards presenting the real intentions of the international anti-militarist movement more accurately.

It is important to stress that the actions and protests in Bucharest had both local and international participants, as militarism is not only a local problem. This movement has no masters or leaders, so no single person or group can be blamed or take credit for organizing the protests. In particular, it is important to emphasize that the attention of the international movement will focus on the developments in Romania after the summit. Romanian authorities should know that any further attempts of repression against Romanian anti-militarists will not be left without a strong reaction from the international community. Solidarity strengthened because of our experiences in Bucharest and will be built upon.

To conclude, despite massive repression as anti-militarist activists managed to conduct a number of public events and recognized that many inhabitants of Bucharest sympathized with anti-militarist ideas as they were greeting us at every step. For us this is a clear sign that there is no consensus within the Romanian society on topics like NATO, militarism or even state interventions in social relations. In fact many people were negative or at least critical about it. One could ask: if so many Romanian people are critical, why did they not go on the streets to express their opinions? The answer is clear: The state created an atmosphere of fear and terror which reminds Romanian citizens of the times before December 1989.(The date of the Romanian revolution against Communist dictatorship-Molly Note)

We have shown in Bucharest that no matter how restrictive the repressions are, it will never stop our resistance.

They can break our bones, but not our ideas! Anti-militarists protests will continue!
more images

ROMANIA:

REPRESSION IN ROMANIA- YET ANOTHER ARTICLE:

The following article is from Statewatch, another of the internet watch groups. It focuses on the legal maneuvers of governments, with a concentration of the European area.

......................................................

ROMANIA-NATO:

Police actions against anti-NATO protests in Bucharest

On 2 April, hundreds of police raided the convergence centre of the anti-NATO gathering in Bucharest and arrested an estimated 46 people. All the arrests were made inside the convergence centre, no demonstration was taking place at the time. Many police reportedly wore ski masks and were hostile to journalists trying to access the scene. Romanian media did not report any violence during arrests, Indymedia however reports severe beatings by police. The repression against political activists was already stepped up a few days ago, with police arresting and detaining people arbitrarily. Once detained, the police appear to construct "offences", such as interpreting the carrying of a pocket-knife as arms possessions. People coming to or leaving the convergence centre, set up for demonstrators from Romania and other parts of the world, were also arbitrarily detained. The detained are interrogated, photographed and fingerprinted in police stations, and held for up to 24 hours. At the Romanian border several groups of activists have been denied entry into the country.

Protests are directed in particular against NATO's ongoing expansion to Eastern Europe, as well as the extension of its activities to areas formerly not within NATO's mandate. On 28 February 1994, NATO took its first military action, shooting down four Bosnian Serb aircraft, thereby violating a UN-mandated no-fly zone over central Bosnia and Herzegovina. On 24 March 1999, NATO saw its first broad-scale military engagement in the Kosovo War, where it led an 11-week bombing campaign against what was then the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. A formal declaration of war never took place. After 11 September 2001, NATO confirmed that the terrorist attacks were an attack against the entire group of members. On 16 April 2003, NATO agreed to take command of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, which was the first time in NATO's history to take charge of a mission outside of the north Atlantic area.

Sources: Indymedia report in English: http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/04/02/18490151.php

Indymedia report in German: http://de.indymedia.org/2008/04/212209.shtml

English summary: http://gipfelsoli.org/Home/Bukarest_2008/4906.html

Indymedia Romania Background information on the protests against the NATO summit in Bucharest and protests against it:http://www.wombles.org.uk/article2007111364.php

ROMANIA:

MORE NEWS ON REPRESSION IN ROMANIA:

The last time I checked the Romanian anarchist site Contra-Doxa was still down due to the cyber attack launched against them. Going through other anarchist sites from the Balkans I found some others that seem to have been attacked in the same way. Yet the internet is like a river. dam it in one place and it finds another channel. here's another article on the recent events in Bucharest, this one from the London Indymedia.

............................................................................

Violent Repression At NATO Summit in Romania


At approximately 12:30pm on 2nd April hundreds of Romanian police violently raided a convergence center in Bucharest, the country's capital. The convergence space was set up to facilitate an anti-NATO gathering and was legally rented. It is reported that during the raid at least two protesters were hospitalized. Various reports state people are badly beaten while in custody and even while taken to hospital. Numerous people are reported to be seriously injured and some have been refused medical assistance while in custody.

It is estimated that 46 people have been arrested. No demonstration or action had happened before the raid and all the arrests were made inside the convergence center. Police officers were masked and reportedly very aggressive towards journalists trying to access the scene. The convergence center is located near the center of Bucharest, which is hosting a NATO summit that just got underway today. It is estimated that up to 27,000 police officers, military, snipers and secret police are 'guarding' the city. The security alert code yellow has been announced, meaning that all demonstrations are forbidden in the whole city amongst other restrictive laws.

Indymedia articles: Riot police storms convergence centre at Bucharest anti- NATO protests Massive Repression during the NATO Summit in Romania Anti-NATO Convergence Centre in Bucharest attacked by Anti-Terror Police Breaking News: Mass Arrests during NATO summit in Bucharest, Romania Mass Arrest of demonstrators in Bucharest Anti NATO activists faced police brutality
Other media: Massive Repression during the NATO Summit in Romania Videos of the raid on the convergence centre Photos of mass arrests Info for anyone going to Romania Solidarity demo in Berlin Protests at police stations
Links: Indymedia Romania (English)

ROMANIA:

NEW REPORT ABOUT THE NATO SUMMIT IN BUCHAREST:

(FROM INDYMEDIA GREECE)

The following is a new story that has been published at the Indymedia Greece site. Once more the following has been slightly edited for English grammar (and to replace American spelling with Canadian spelling).

...............................................

New report about the NATO Summit in Bucharest

indy.gr
Repression and beating of protesters in Bucharest

The police entered the convergence centre of the anti NATO demonstrators yesterday and beat people.

The NATO Summit is being held in Bucharest from the 2nd to the 4th of April. The repression of any voice against it has gone wild. Right at the start of the Summit, the Romanian police entered the convergence centre that the anti NATO demonstrators had legally rented, in order to accommodate the workshops and the antimilitaristic sessions. It arrested around 50 people (photos and video). Some protesters were beaten by the police while being transported to the police station. One German activist is being held by the police.

In a solidarity movement, activists in numerous European countries organised actions to inform people about what's going on in Bucharest. In one of them, in Berlin, on the evening of April 2nd, around 60 activists demonstrated in front of the Romanian embassy . The police arrested 2 people there, because they... rang the bell of the embassy!

In Skopje, Macedonia, around 50 people demonstrated against NATO in front of a government building .See also: http://indy.gr // Ιndymedia Romania // http://contra-doxa.com // summitnato.wordpress.com/

ROMANIA:

CYBER-ATTACK ON CONTRA-DOXA CONFIRMED:

This morning both the Contra-Doxa site and the Centrum Informacji Anarchistycznej sites are working. The Romanian comrades confirm that there has been a denial of service attack on their site (see below). They hope to keep the site up and running, but the attack is ongoing. They, therefore, offer other alternatives for information. The now working site also has two videos of the police attack on the gathering point for the planned protests. More on this matter later. I reproduce the following without my usual nit-picking editing.

.....................................................................................

Flooding on Contra-Doxa and SummitNato


Published in : The News, NATO
Starting the day of 1st of april the sites www.contra-doxa.com and www.summitnato.ro are a continuous attack from different ip's.
We will try to keep the sites up as much as possible.
The sites aren't canceled they are just flooded using a D-DOS attack.
whoever can offer us a better hosting ... let us know using this email:

contradoxa@gmail.com


This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it



we will post updates as fast as possible
it the sites are down use the following: romania.indymedia.org summitnato.wordpress.com balkans.puscii.nl
Last update: 03-04-2008 12:16

EASTERN EUROPE:

IS THERE A CYBER-ATTACK AGAINST EASTERN EUROPEAN ANARCHISTS ???

As Molly has mentioned here before there have been problems with the connection to the Romanian anarchist site Contra-Doxa in the last two days. Molly was agnostic about the cause of this though she was suspicious because it was occurring at the same time as the Romanian state was attacking their local anarchists. When you attempt to access Contra-Doxa you are diverted to a page from Ask.Com, a search engine. No amount of trying will get you from there to Contra-Doxa. Ask.com is the successor to the old 'Ask Jeeves' search engine. This company has been engaged in some past shady practices as you can see from the article on them on Wikipedia.

All that is fine and good. As I said before I have never seen this happen in the many months that I have been accessing and reading Contra-Doxa via my Links section. Imagine my surprise when I attempted to access the Polish Centrum Informacji Anarchistcznej site, which has been linked to this blog for far longer. The exact same thing came up. Now the C.I.A. (an unfortunate acronym) has never seen such a thing before. I've started to go through other eastern European sites. Avtonom and three Czech sites haven't been affected. But I think that the fact that both the Romanian site and the Polish one have had their connectivity cut is much more than coincidence.

Who to blame ? Perhaps Ask.com, as some sleazy business maneuver. Perhaps fascist groups. Perhaps the Romanian government. perhaps some other set of secret police. Who knows. All that I can say is that something seems to be happening that is rather disturbing as it points to a vulnerable spot in present day anarchism.

ROMANIA:

MASS ARREST OF DEMONSTRATORS IN BUCHAREST:

The following news item is from the San Francisco Indymedia site. it seems the Romanian state is overanxious to prevent even the semblance of dissent against their policy of rapprochment with the American Empire. Wouldn't want the Emperor George II to see any unhappy plebian faces after all. By the by, the Contra-Doxa site is once more down this evening, after having recovered function earlier today. Trying to access leads one to a commercial search engine. It may be that the sort of traffic the Romanian comrades are receiving these days overwhelms the site and causes technical problems. Still...I haver had Contra-Doxa on my Links section for many months now, and I find it suspicious that this sort of thing starts happening just as the Romanian government is trying to crack down. As to another matter I mentioned earlier. It's true, the US State Department did drop by here at Molly's Blog as part of a search they were doing on "Contra-Doxa". One wonders if the buggers were inspired by what they saw. Anyways, here's hoping Contra-Doxa is on line again soon.

..........................................................................................

Breaking News – Mass Arrest of demonstrators in Bucharest Bucharest, Romania, April 2, 2008 (Please see http://www.contra-doxa.com/ for more background info on the NATO summit in Bucharest, as well as the anti-NATO convergence)
-->
At approximately 12:30pm today, hundreds of police descended on the convergence center of the anti-NATO gathering in Bucharest. At this point, some organizers on the scene estimate that 46 arrests in all have been made. All the arrests were made inside the convergence center. There was no demonstration happening. Many of the police were wearing ski masks, and were very hostile to journalists trying to access the scene.

The convergence center was located near the center of Bucharest, which is hosting a NATO summit that just got underway today. It was located in an industrial space which the anti-NATO demonstrators had legally rented. According to the police, there were accusations that some protesters used aggression against one of the guards near the site.

By 3:15pm, 3 large paddy wagons had already left the site, carrying demonstrators inside. Some other protesters and media were gathered on the other side of the street, chanting to release the demonstrators.

A police spokesperson gave a few statements to the media in Romanian. (I don't speak Romanian, but the following info was loosely translated for me by a Romanian speaker) According to the spokesperson, the police found anti-NATO banners and some paint inside the convergence center. There was nothing illegal. He stated that the protesters were not terrorists, and that they had been taken to the police station to have their identities verified. Among the group of people arrested were local activists as well as foreigners. The spokesperson also stated that this police intervention is not against the national constitution of Romania, and that liberty of expression is guaranteed.

At this point (5:10pm Bucharest time), all the protesters are still being detained. One organizer has stated that a few were badly beaten.

It should be noted that these arrests were made before any organized actions against the NATO summit had taken place, and also in a context where the authorities have stated they would not tolerate any opposition to NATO during the summit. The local corporate media has also been in a frenzy about "dangerous anarchists" who are going to descend on the city and break store windows. One TV news report on Realitatea TV yesterday morning encouraged viewers to throw rocks at any demonstrators that they see on the streets.

Hopefully we can have a more complete report soon. Keep checking http://www.contra-doxa.com/ or http://romania.indymedia.org/ for more info.

ROMANIA:

CONTRA-DOXA BACK ON LINE:

As of this morning Contra-Doxa, the website of the Romanian anarchists, is back on line. Seems that whatever happened yesterday was a mere technical glitch. Good thing for the US State Department, as they were searching this morning for info on Contra-Doxa. Wouldn't want the poor buggers to remain ignorant. The irony is amusing. Anyways, stay tuned to the Contra-Doxa website for more news about the protests against the NATO summit.

ROMANIA:

CONTRA-DOXA WEBSITE OFFLINE:

As has been discussed here and and elsewhere the Romanian anarchists are planning a series of events to protest the NATO summit that starts tomorrow in Bucharest, the capital of Romania. As of this evening Contra-Doxa their website is off-line. One hopes that this is merely a technical glitch, but, if not, one hopes that the worst that it signifies is the determination of the authorities to close down the website, and not the people involved. If any of Molly's readers have further information it would be appreciated. If not i will continue to try and see what has happened.

ROMANIA:

ANTI-NATO WEEK IN BUCHAREST 2008:

Molly has blogged previously on this subject. See our article on the 'Projectile Anti-Nato Events' on March 15th on this blog. Right now here in Canada our dearly beloved comrade leader Stevie is brushing his teeth, gargling with Listerine and rechecking his lipstick collection, all in the vain hope of seeming to be important as he sets to shining George's shoes. The US sees this meeting to be held on April 2-4 as quite important in terms of getting further agreement on Afghanistan from the "alliance of the half-convinced" and also in its hopes of continuing its encirclement of now oil-rich Russia. Pundits expect Croatia, Albania and Macedonia to be admitted to NATO at this meeting. The possibility of admission of Ukraine (where the majority of people oppose such membership) and Georgia will also be on the list of subjects for discussion. The official NATO press release on this conference can be seen HERE.

In preparation for the summit the Romanian government has gone all out to eliminate stray dogs, beggars, mud puddles, traffic jams and April Fools jokes (literally!!!) from their capital. An amusing report of their efforts can be found HERE. As Molly can attest from visiting Athens soon after their Olympics such efforts rapidly fall to pieces once the event is over. In the case of Romania expect the woofers to be back on the streets by the morning of April 5th.

The Romanian anarchists haven't been idle in opposing this gathering. Please refer to their site Contra-Doxa for news of the events as they develop. In addition to what Molly has previously blogged on this matter here is a little guide to the NATO summit provided by the Romanian comrades. The following has been slightly edited for grammar.

..................................................................................

Anti – Nato Week Bucharest 2008


By anarcha_erinye, on 28-09-2007 00:59

Published in : Documentation, Nato

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is a military alliance, established by the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty on 4 April 1949. With headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, the organization established a system of collective defense whereby its member states agree to mutual defense in response to an attack by any external party.

“ The Parties of NATO agreed that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all. Consequently they agree that, if such an armed attack occurs, each of them, in exercise of the right of individual or collective self-defence will assist the Party or Parties being attacked,individually and in concert with the other Parties, such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area. ”

The initial treaty was signed by Belgium, Netherlands,Luxembourg, France, United Kingdom, the United States of America, Italy, Norway, Denmark and Iceland which were followed after 3 years by Greece and Turkey. In 1954 Russia wanted to join NATO but was rejected by the NATO countries. In 1955 West Germany was incorporated into NATO, shortly after the Warsaw Pact was signed. The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact in 1991 removed the de facto main adversary of NATO. At the moment NATO includes the following countries: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, United Kingdom, USA, Greece, Turkey, Germany, Spain, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia.

With the re-evaluation of NATO’s purpose in post-Cold War we could see a still ongoing expansion of NATO to Eastern Europe, as well as the extension of its activities to areas that had not formerly been NATO concerns. On 28 February 1994, NATO took its first military action, shooting down four Bosnian Serb aircraft violating a U.N.-mandated no-fly zone over central Bosnia and Herzegovina. At the end of 1995 the war in Bosnia resulted in the Dayton Agreement, with the help of air strikes by NATO. On 24 March 1999, NATO saw its first broad-scale military engagement in the Kosovo War, where it waged an 11-week bombing campaign against what was then the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. A formal declaration of war never took place. The conflict ended on 11 June 1999, when Slobodan Milošević agreed to NATO’s demands. NATO then helped establish the KFOR, a NATO-led force under a United Nations mandate that operated the military mission in Kosovo.After September 11th NATO confirmed on the 4th of October 2001 that the attacks on one were an attack against the entire group of members.

On 16th of April 2003 NATO agreed to take command of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, which was the first time in NATO’s history that it took charge of a mission outside of the North Atlantic area. But most people do not realize that there are approximately 49,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan, about one-third the number in Iraq. Of those troops, 28,000 are from the United States: 15,000 operate under NATO and 13,000 are part of the Pentagon’s Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). The U.S.-NATO dichotomy is misleading, however, because the largest contingent of NATO troops is from the United States (the second-largest contingent from the UK is much smaller, only 7,700 soldiers). In addition, the military head of NATO operations, U.S. General Dan K. McNeill, is also the chief of OEF. In other words, America dominates all foreign troop operations in Afghanistan.In fact, U.S. and NATO troops are doing the same things in Afghanistan and Iraq: bombing civilian areas, invading villages, rounding up people without evidence, torturing detainees, causing deaths in custody, and shooting into crowds. At the 9th of May 2007 the NATO secretary general met with the North Atlantic Council in Brussels and had discussions on the subject of civilian deaths. But the conversation was less about how to reduce casualties, than about how to explain them to European governments. To most officials, the criminality and injustice of the civilian deaths alone are not enough to condemn them. But when they undermine the support base at home or in the host country, and threaten the crucial “winning hearts and minds” portion of NATO’s counterinsurgency campaign, they become a strategic problem.

The facts are also clear, that there were secret prisons, certainly in Poland and Romania; and that people who were suspected by the CIA of involvement in terrorism were interrogated and sometimes tortured in these prisons. NATO was also involved in the system of secret prisons and transports. After the US had, in 2001, issued a call for mutual support under Article 5 of the NATO treaty, NATO became a platform where the United States received the go-ahead and protective measures necessary in order to be able to begin the secret operations in the "war against terrorism". But of course NATO refuses to reveal details of the agreements concerning its involvement in the CIA Operation. But well who can be surprised if remembering that NATO also had a long held covert policy of training paramilitary militias such as ‘Gladio’, known as ‘stay-behind’ armies, for a possible Soviet invasion of Western Europe, whose role would have been to wage guerrilla warfare behind enemy lines.After September 11th Romania has expressed its willingness to join the USA in the war on terror and offered to help by sending military forces into Afghanistan and Iraq. In 2002 Romania was invited to the summit in Prague and began the accession process. In March 2004 Romania became a NATO member, as a ‘gratitude for it’s loyalty’. Romania now has military troops in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq. There are 4 US military bases in Romania, hosting more than 2.000 American soldiers.

20th NATO SUMMIT BUCHAREST

"We are here to thank the Government of Romania and the Romanian people for the support they have offered to us on several occasions. We are allies in the fight on terror, generally, in Afghanistan and Iraq. We are allies in promoting democracy and we appreciate the support of Romania’s President"

Stephen Hadley, Bush’s National Security Advisor, October 23, 2005

On 21st of September the Romanian Vice Foreign Minister Victor Micula and North-Atlantic Council Secretary Berndt Götze signed the memorandum for hosting the NATO summit in Bucharest in April next year. This 20th NATO summit will be the largest one in the history of NATO, as all the 23 member states of the NATO Partnership for Peace will attend, besides 26 member states of the alliance. Approximately 3.000 high-ranking officials are expected to participate in the summit, whose security will be guarded by some 9.000 Romanian troops, officers of the Special Guard and Protections Service, police officers and gendarmes. The expenses of the event are estimated at 30-35 million euro.Where to find a better place to hide than in the Palace of Parliament in Bucharest, the summits venue?

The building known as Casa Poporului (the house of the people) was build during Ceausescu’s regime. It is 84 meters tall with 12 floors, being one of the top 5 tallest buildings in Romania. Its area surface (64.800 square meters) makes it the second largest after the Pentagon Building; its underground floors, measuring down to 92 meters below the ground (more that over the ground); it's volume (2,55 billion cubic meters), third largest in the world (after Cape Canaveral and the Quetzalcoatl pyramid in Mexico).

But even if you are not able to catch a guarded or even better ‘unguarded’ tour through Casa Poporului, or you are not even able to get any closer to the area,because of suddenly appearing stable or moving fences during your visit in April 2008, don’t worry there is much more to explore (still watch out for the local teams, who might be willing to take you on a tour).

Since you are in the capital, with an estimated 1.862.930 (2006) residents, many other institution, worth a visit, are located here. So for example Casa NATO, which promotes Romania as a reliable member of NATO as well as free market institutions and enterprises. Casa NATO is located in Bucharest’s Primaverii Palace, headquarters to Romania’s Euro-Atlantic Center and activities since 1992.

If you want to continue your travel a bit further east, you might want to stop by the Mihail Kogalniceanu airbase near Constanta. Not only known for the US troops heading towards Afghanistan and Iraq, but also as a CIA detention center for Iraqis and Afghans.Surely you will find a worthwhile target, to make the ANTI-NATO-WEEK in Bucharest as disruptive, creative and long-lasting as possible.

FORCES OF REPRESSION

As activists in Romania have never experienced protest against an event of this scale in the country, it is hard to draw from former experiences in regard to state repression.

So here will follows an introduction to the different forces you might be confronted with during your visit.

The main forces of repression in Romania are the National Police (Politia Română), the Romanian Gendarmerie (Jandarmeria Română ) and the Border Police. The Romanian police is devided into two forces, the Politia Română (the civil branch) and the Jandarmeria Română (the military branch).

Romania also has a paramilitary structure, besides a police force and a military force. The Jandarmeria is the structure that should really keep order, as the Police is meant only to investigate crime, while the military is meant only to defend the country from outside threats.
Politia Română
The Romanian Police is divided into 41 territorial inspectorates, corresponding to each county (judet), and the General Directorate of the Police in Bucharest. Each county inspectorate has a rapid reaction unit (Detaşamentul de Politie pentru Interventie Rapidă, Police Rapid Intervention Squad). The similar unit attached to the Bucharest Police is called Serviciul de Politie pentru Interventie Rapidă (Police Rapid Intervention Service).Before 2002, the National Police had military status and a military ranking system. In June 2002 it became a civil police force and its personnel was structured into two corps:.

Corpul ofiterilor de politie (Police Officers Corps) -corresponding to the commissioned ranks of a military force..

Corpul agentilor de politie (Police Agents Corps) -corresponding to the non-commissioned ranks of a military force.Politia Comunitară is the name for the local police in Romania - on city or commune level. They are subordinated to the mayors and their main duties are to enforce the local ordinances and to assist the National Police and the Gendarmerie.

Also worth mentioning:

*DIAS Detasamentul de Interventii si Actiuni Speciale[Police rapid intervention (local)] The Special Intervention and Action Detachments are the special units of municipal police in Romania. DIAS are called whenever a Police operation may encounter severe problems.

*SPIR Serviciul Special al Politiei pentru Interventie Rapida [Police rapid intervention (Bucharest)] The Special Rapid Intervention Service is the name of the much-expanded structure in Bucharest.

*SIIAS Serviciul Independent de Interventii si Actiuni Speciale[Police Special Forces]The Independent Special Interventions and Actions Service is an elite unit under the command of the Romanian Police.

*Politia de Frontieră Between 2001 and 2005, the Romanian Border Police has undergone four stages of reform of its internal structure, in order to bring it into compliance with similar structures of the European Union.

*SASI Serviciul Actiuni Speciale si Interventie[ rapid intervention force ] SASI was created on October 1st, 2005 and represents the rapid intervention unit of the Border Police.

*Jandarmeria Română The Romanian Gendarmerie(Jandarmeria Română) is the state’s specialized institution, with military status. The Romanian Gendarmerie is divided into 41 territorial inspectorates, corresponding to each county (judet), and the General Directorate of the Gendarmerie in Bucharest. Additionally, eight Gendarmerie Mobile Groups (Grupări Mobile) operate on a territorial basis, with headquarters in Bacău, Braşov, Cluj Napoca, Constanta, Craiova, Ploieşti, Târgu Mureş and Timişoara. The Romanian Gendarmerie was re-established on July 5, 1990. Starting in 2006, the corps abandoned conscription and in 2007 it became an all-professional military force.

The Romanian Gendarmerie is for example tasked to:

• ensure public order during meetings, marches, demonstrations, processions, strikes, and also other similar activities carried out in public areas and involving large crowds;

• re-establish public order when it has been disturbed by any kind of illegal actions;

• maintain public order during official visits or during other activities in which Romanian or foreign high officials take part, on Romanian territory, in the competence area and in the places where the activities are carried out.

The Romanian Gendarmerie has two brigades, the 11th Mobile Brigade ‘Baneasa’ and the Special Brigade ‘Vlad Tepes’, as well as the Batalionul 1 Interventii Speciale(anti-terrorist force) and the Batalionul 2 Misiuni Speciale (special missions).

The Brigade is divided in two units:Brigada Specială de Interventie a Jandarmeriei (Gendarmerie Special Intervention Brigade, BSIJ) is a special operations force belonging to the Romanian Gendarmerie. The unit carries the name "Vlad Tepeş".

• 1st Battalion "Actiuni Specifice şi Antitero" (Specific Actions and Counter-terrorism)

• 2nd Battalion "Misiuni Speciale" (Special Missions)

POLICE ARMS

Well the usual stuff: you can find crowd control paddy wagons, water canons, as well as the use of horses and dogs. Water canons, tear gas and rubber bullets have been used by the Romanian police before, for example at the Gay Parade in Bucharest.

GETTING TO THE ACTIONS

People from following countries are able to enter Romania without a visa for up to 90 days: Andorra, Argentina, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Chile, Cyprus, South Korea, Costa Rica, Croatia (30 days), Denmark, Switzerland, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, United Kingdom, Monaco, Nicaragua, New Zealand, Norway, Holland, Panama, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Holly See, El Salvador, Singapore (30 days), Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, United States of America, Sweden, Hungary, Uruguay, Venezuela. Since January the 1st 2007 people from the Republic of Moldova can travel with a free issued visa. If you come from a country which is not listed above, you need an entry visa (if you are not intending to pass the green border, swim through the Danube river or overrun the border control with a huge crowd of other people protesting against the fortress Europe).

The law bans:

• the possession of narcotic substances, even if for personal use

• bearing arms, hunting or sports weaponry must be mentioned in your passport.

Bear in mind that the time difference to Central Europe is + 1 hour.In 2005 the new leu (RON) was introduced, phasing out the old leu (ROL) in 2006. The new Leu (plural: Lei) is 100 Bani (notes in 500, 100, 50, 10, 5 and 1 Lei, coins in 50, 10, 5 and 1 Bani). The exchange rate is something around 3.4 lei for 1 €. Romanian is the official language, with parts in the border regions where also Hungarian, German, Bulgarian and so on, is widely spoken.

Anyway, in good old ‘tradition’ some useful words and phrases:

please, thanks, sorry = te rog, multumesc, imi pare rau

where is… = Unde este

fuck off = Du-te naibiicome

with me = vino cu mine

move on = continua

the cops are coming = vine politia

cops are attacking = politia atacato

piss off = dispari

to attack = atac

attacking the cops = ataca politiaI

need help = ajutor

good, bad = bine, rau

I am not guilty = nusunt vinovat

I want to call my lawyer = vreau sa sun avocatul

BE AWARE….

also the nationalists, nazis and neo-legionaires are for sure mobilizing actions against the NATO summit in Bucharest. The main nationalist actor is ‘Noua Dreapta’ (New Right). You can check them out at http://www.nouadreapta.org/ also easy to identify by their T-Shirts with the face of Corneliu Codreanu.

The ‘usual’ nazis-scum are dressed like neonazi-skinhead, mainly with boots, shaved heads and even using openly signs like swastikas, celtic crosses or hate-bands. Also the football clubs are full with nazis, the most known are Steaua and Dinamo, both from Bucharest. Be aware of that and get informed at the actions in Bucharest, where the nazis might make a march or usually gather.
ACCOMODATION and ACTIVITIES

There will be a range of events in Bucharest and others place. Those coming from the north, can for example stop by at the ANTI-NATO info-point in Iasi (at the Ukrainian nd Moldavian border) before continuing their way to Bucharest. The city also held for a week in July the first squat ‘Rebil’ in Romania (an English report can be found at ttp://de.indymedia.org/2007/07/188166.shtml).

If you are coming from the south you might be interested in joining the preparation for the ANTI-NATO bike tour and the critical mass, to be contacted over

katarzis@riseup.net.


This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it


In Bucharest are plenty of opportunities to join into the ANTI-NATO week: a legal march, direct actions, probably the NoBorder from Timisoara seeking exile in Bucharest and many more.Still you should keep in mind, especially if coming from the west, that the ‘scene’ is not as big and equipped as you might be used to. So try to be as self-organized as possible: bring a sleeping bag, try to organize food (dumpster diving is not so common, but you can still find some stuff) or even join the local FNB group (or bring in your local group for joint actions). Organizing legal sleeping spaces en mass still requires money, so every soli-action is welcome. But also you might want to check out one of the plenty of abandoned houses in Bucharest, waiting for a better use.