reclaim solidarity idea behind

8/3/2019 Reclaim Solidarity Idea Behind

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{ reclaim solidarity

the idea behind the campaign

www.reclaim-solidarity.org

Who is the campaign: { reclaim solidarity is a bottom-up project by leftist groups, small initiatives andorganizations as well as individual activists motivatedto shape it.

The preparatory group consists so far of: United for intercultural action (Europe) Youth Human Rights Movement (Russia) Dur de! Say stop to Racism and Nationalism! (Turkey) Lassalle Centre Wroclaw (Poland) Foundation of Subjective Values (Hungary) Kampania Przeciw Homofobii, Campaign Against

Homophobia (Poland) Never Again Nigdy Wiecej (Poland) Visual Culture Research Centre (Ukraine) Alternative Cultural Organisation (Serbia) Rosa Luxemburg Foundation Berlin (Germany) Rosa Luxemburg Foundation Brussels Office AG Russland (Germany) individual activists from Ukraine, Germany,

France, Great Britain, Austria, Czech Republic andBelgium

This group of activists is organizing the campaign andthe kick-off event in an egalitarian process (see who

we are -paper attached).

Goal: The campaign shall create the sensation of aEuropean, anti-racist, emancipatory leftist movementand to establish a clear all-European position againstgrowing nationalist, right-wing populist, racist and

neo-fascist tendencies which are already even to befound inside governments.The campaign will be considered as successful if thecommon logo and slogan, the manifesto (see attached)and other materials that have been created throughoutthe campaign are being used by initiatives all overEurope.

State of preparations: A manifesto, a logo and aslogan with high symbolic and recognition value havebeen created. They can be used in own activities andregional campaigns by all supporters all over Europe.

The { reclaim solidarity campaign shall then kick offwith a congress on June 6-10, 2012 in Budapest.The congress shall attract up to thousand grassrootsand political activists from larger Europe. A publicwebsite will go online in November 2011. Highlightsof the campaign could be activities that developthroughout Europe with much public impact such asmass rallies, large public events, internet happenings,petitions, rock for people events, human chainsetc. It will be very important to seek support fromindependent European intellectuals and artists not only as figureheads, but also as active co-

campaigners.

Contact: [email protected]

Visit our website:

ROSA

LUXEMBURG

STIFTUNG

Supported by Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, Berlin


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who we are and what we stand for

We are grassroots activists from various backgroundsunited under the same cause. Being concerned withthe recent right-wing backlash all over Europe, wewant to raise our voices loudly and take action againstracist practices, discourses and ideologies all over thecontinent, from Portugal to Russia and from Iceland toTurkey.

We are all carrying out our daily struggles against

discrimination in our communities, which manifestthemselves in various forms of social exclusion: fromanti-immigration laws to hate crimes, from nationalismto anti-Romani racism, from anti-feminist backlashesto homophobia, and from religious fundamentalism toanti-democratic state repression, the latter worseningduring the current systemic crisis of capitalism.

All European countries face the problem of socialbenefit cuts, privatization of the public sector and thetoughening of labour legislation. In such precariouseconomic times, populist groups look for scapegoats to

distract the public from the true causes of instability,using fear and hatred as a weapon. Still, neofascistmovements, right-wing populists, mainstreampoliticians and racist ideologies widespread in theso-called political middle of the societies arechanneling social frustration into anger directedagainst refugees, Muslims, LGBTQ people and otherminorities.

Looking at this concerning development also ourpolitical response and activities have to be updated.What we want to achieve instead is a society builton the principles of equality, solidarity and universal

dignity. We urgently call for personal involvement in

decision-making on social and political issues.We demand equal social and political rights and civilliberties for everybody; such as freedom of expressionand protest, healthcare, social services, housingand education not only for EU citizens, not only forcitizens of all European states but also and especiallyfor minorities, refugees and immigrants (with or withoutlegal status).

We need emancipation and self-empowerment of avivid civil society. What we really want is freedom ofmovement instead of barbed wire fences set up aroundfortress Europe and immigration control regimes.It is our belief that the precondition for this kind ofsocial transformation is peoples solidarity, awarenessand efforts towards building a society based on self-governing communities that share responsibilities andresources in a sustainable way.

This is why we launch the { reclaim solidarity campaign.The campaign unites under a common name and

logo those people who share our vision of a more justsociety and believe that common action and protest isthe method to bring about change.

{ reclaim solidarity is a grassroots campaign. It isrun by the people who join it, not by anyone else. Thecampaigns focus is on networking, communicating,stimulating, raising awareness, supporting oneanother, and last but not least - direct action. Allprojects and actions that are based on the principles ofinspiration, respect and critical analysis rather than onintimidation, patronage, corruption and immaturity cancarry the { reclaim solidarity banner. Its an emergency:

the only think one can do wrong is doing nothing.


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manifesto 2012

Today, the face of Europe looks like an evil grimace. It ismarked by political and social exclusion that manifestthrough hate and prejudices against others; inother words, minorities, whether they be Roma, Jews,Muslims, people with other sexual orientations,refugees and migrants, women, underprivilegedgroups, or people who feel like they belong to the lef tside of the political spectrum in their country and inEurope, as well as many others, including all national

minorities.

Against the backdrop of the nationalism that is risingup anew all over all of Europe and was believed tohave been long vanquished, there have been pogroms,murders, persecutions, state racism, human rightsviolations of unforeseen magnitude and sociallyacceptable everyday racism. This can be bloodcurdling; [in Norway, in July 2011, this developmentculminated in the horrendous, bloody, mass murder ofleftist youth.]

Right-wing populism, fundamentalism, alarminglywide-spread racism and misanthropic attitudes alwaysneed scapegoats to distract from the true reasonsfor the social and political decline in the respectivecountries and all over all of Europe. When the Europeaneconomy is on the brink of collapse, many peopleare left without any opportunities what leads tomarginalization.

It takes away peoples hope and the freedom to decidehow they want to live their lives. In a demagogicway, this national and European chauvinism blamesthe weakest amongst us, and claims that they are

expendable and the cause of the general decline.The real reason for the crisis and social escalation

(namely, a dramatically expanding capitalistic worldorder with uncontrollably sprawling markets, as isintended by the leading industrial nations) disappearsunder the proverbial rug in the form of a simple, yetirrational scapegoat rhetoric.

This is not our Europe. We have, still, a vision of a socialEurope, created from the bottom up, in which people,beholden to political and civil rights, self-organize their

lives together

beyond marginalization and racism, beyond utilitarian consideration and moneyed

interests, beyond practical (bureaucratic, economic and political) constraints, beyond neo-nationalist egotisms,

in order to be able to develop in solidarity, love, trustand regard for nature as well. Amidst the roar ofnationalism and the screams of demagoguery, we

want to make this emancipatory leftist vision visibleand audible in order to assist in a breakthrough in ourcountries.

We believe that true democracy can only exist incommon struggle for equal society with socialguarantees for everyone.

Our long-term goal is to establish a fair social order, aswell as the respectful treatment of the planet we alllive on, and the sustainable use of all our resources.

Thats why we/I support the campaign { reclaimsolidarity which will be started up by grassrootsinitiatives in 2012.


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budapest 2012

The { reclaim solidarity campaign will kick-off with acamp from June 6th to 10th, 2012 in Budapest/Hunga-ry.This starting event shall attract up to thousand grass-roots activists from all over Europe and leave roomfor talking, workshops and taking action for our visionof Europe on the principles of equality, solidarity anduniversal dignity.

The congress with an extensive program with lectu-res, world cafes, open spaces, experience exchange,socializing, workshops, action preparation and working

on topics, as well as a cultural program with concerts,theatre, poetry-slam, cinema a.s.o. will take place in aformer pioneer camp. We will be preparing, determiningand forming the campaign together.Those who want to join the preparatory team are verywelcome to contact us:[email protected]

For the detailed program: coming soon / Your own sug-gestions are welcomeOnline application from February 2012 on

save the date: June 6.10. 2012 Budapest

{ reclaim

solidarity

{ reclaim

solidarity

reclaim solidarity idea behind

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