Croatia: Students occupy faculties

[Lamanov]

Students in Zagreb and Zadar as of yesterday occupy several of their faculties, organize students' assembly, terminate standard classes and introduce alternative ones, concerned with social and student issues.

They demand free education on all levels and for all state sponsored educative institutions.

I'll keep you up to date.

See more (news, communiques, pictures, video etc.) on ad hoc blog (http://www.slobodnifilozofski.bloger.hr/) of occupied Philosophical Faculty in Zagreb.

[Stranger Than Paradise]

Brilliant stuff. Keep us posted on everything that happens.

[Oneironaut]

Wonderful news. I like that they have offered alternative courses. Are the students themselves teaching these classes?

[communard resolution]

Bravo! Education is not a commodity.

[Patchd]

Brilliant news, all the best of luck to them! :D

[Bandito]

Their slogan is "one world-one struggle", which gives even more significance to this protest.
Some of their professors are with them.
Also, students from the town of Zadar are now in solidarity with students from Zagreb and also in a blockade.
Croatian comrades from universities make perfect example of what workers must to afterwards.

Solidarity with croatian students!

[Lamanov]

Word is up: students in Rijeka and Split will convey their assemblies, and thus new occupations are due to happen.

That would be four major universities in Croatia.

One more thing. Students in Zagreb (Philosophical Faculty, where it all began) are refusing to speak with the ministers and government via individual negotiators, but will only address them as an assembly. I expect same developments elsewhere.


Wonderful news. I like that they have offered alternative courses. Are the students themselves teaching these classes?

Yes, but other people too, including some experienced in university occupations.

[mykittyhasaboner]

^^^Whoah, this is really developing fast. Solidarity to all the students.

[Hoxhaist]

This is an incredible movement among the students!! keep us posted if especially if their demands become political!

[Hoxhaist]

If the American student radicals of the 60's had been this coordinated and united, this could have become an incredibly different place!!!

[Bandito]

Students don't give up.
Thier demands stand, and the blockade will continue until all of their demands are fulfilled.
As said, some of the professors are with them, and there is a few who disagree with their methods and cause and still hold lectures, one of them in a local cafe.

They assembled now Independent Initiative For Right For Free Education and will represent themselves as this organization. Classrooms are locked. All over croatian universities are signs "One world-One struggle", "Knowledge isn't market goods", "Free education".

55% of croatian students pay for their studies. But this is only general. They, however, do pay participation, every exam, passing from one semester to onother, so basically, everybody pays dearly. Just these 55% pay even more.
8% are getting a right for a dorm that is cheap, the rest live how they manage and that "managing" is always 30 times more expensive than dorms.

[DancingLarry]

If the American student radicals of the 60's had been this coordinated and united, this could have become an incredibly different place!!!

Modern technology, cell phones, the net, Twitter, allow us means to act in a coordinated fashion over great distances that simply never existed before. It does also create vulnerabilities to authorities both "reading our mail" so to speak, and, more actively, using provocateur and disinformation techniques in our networks. The electronic battlefield has become part of the class war.

[Yehuda Stern]

Good news. Didn't one of the ex-Yugoslavia countries have an occupation like that a few years back?

[Lamanov]

Yes, University in Belgrade (Serbia), 2006.

[Rjevan]

Great news, education has to be free and for everybody, not just for some privileged ones! Stand firm, students!
But how's the police and the government in Croatia? Is it likely that the police will attack and smash the protest?

[Lamanov]

Not likely. I believe that would be a breach of laws (but I'm not sure though).

If it comes to that, students will resist in passively (typical sit in methods).

[Hoxhaist]

is there any potential for other groups in Croatia to join in solidarity with the student?

[DancingLarry]

is there any potential for other groups in Croatia to join in solidarity with the student?

Probably not a lot. For a number of complex historical reasons, Croatia is very dominated by rightist politics of one form or another.

[Bandito]

University in the town of Rijeka has joined the blockade!

Program for today in Zagreb's faculty of Philosophy:


09:00-10:15 A- 230
Morning Yoga
10:00-12:00 D5
Rechageable sources of enegry
Robert Faber

12:00-14:00 D2
Light polution
udruga Prototipus

12:00-16:00 A-119
Drama workshop-Iva Srnec

12:00 – 14:00 D5 lecture
World economy crisis and the Balkans
Paul Stubbs

14:00 – 16:00 D2
Reflections of knowledge
L. Centrih, L. Kovačević, T. Pupovac

16:00-18:00 D7 main subject:
Health System and righ for free health treatment
- Karmen Lončarek
- Nataša Škaričić

20:00 PLENUM

movie after plenum
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
r: M. Nichols


STUDENT CINEMA D6

11:30-13:00
THE REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE TELEVISED
r: K. Bartley, D. O'Brian

13:30-15:30
SICKO
r: M. Moore

18:00-19:30
THE TAKE
r: A. Lewis, N. Klein





Today, the students have been given official support by Independent Croatian Union.
Although this is not "red union", it still gives the picture that the workers and the public are with the students in thier struggle. Professor Mikulic from department for philosophy angrilly accused state's minister Primorac of passivity and blamed the government for using university authonomy as an exuse to raise prices for schooling.


And here is the photo gallery:
http://www.jutarnji.hr/galerija?galleryId=437

[Bandito]

More photos:
http://www.javno.com/foto.php?id=13&rbr=13591&idrf=574669

[Bandito]

Croatian president Stjepan Mesic annonced that he supports students in their demands for free education.
What a bunch of bourgeoise crap. Now he supports them.:rolleyes:

[Rjevan]

Ah, so now it's time for the "playing the sympathetic patron and sedate the protestors with hollow promises"-tactic. :rolleyes:
Well, at least that shows that he doesn't underestimates their protest but hopefully they won't be conciliated with some foul compromises and a warm handshake from Mr. President but stay firm in their demands.

[punisa]

Great news, education has to be free and for everybody, not just for some privileged ones! Stand firm, students!
But how's the police and the government in Croatia? Is it likely that the police will attack and smash the protest?

Police is police, but I don't think it will come to that.
However if the protests turn to violence..

Government is somewhat shaky for some time, I really don't believe it will have the guts to confront students.
The main guy that students are revolting against is the minister of education Dragan Primorac.
Since the revolt started he already made public claims that he "agrees" with students.
I doubt that there is any sincerity in that statement, but elections are just days away and the ruling party will do everything in their power to avoid confrontation.

If they play it smart, they might even attract more voters. On the other hand students must remain firm and try not to deviate from their cause.
The worst thing that could happen now is if students settle down with some half results.

In other news, the president of the country himself said yesterday that students should have the free education, backing it up by the fact that he also had it (during the socialist Yugoslavia).

If you ask me there is way too much solidarity and understanding coming from people in power. I believe they are afraid that students might join with workers for a large scale revolt.
This could easily happen as Croatia's economy has been degrading since 2000 and many many are unemployed.

Some of my friends who finished good colleges couple of years ago can not get any job because of the "over - qualification". Can you imagine that??
If you are desperate to work in Croatia, in certain circumstances you must HIDE the fact that you hold a college degree !

For years now Croatia has been labelled as haven for right wingers and alike, even I wrote about it some years ago.
However this and similar actions that are being taken prove that this is not a complete fact.

The extreme right wingers are just louder and cause more trouble.
A skinhead that kills a person fills the headlines, but still he's just one person (in fact he ain't a person, he's garbage).
There is evidence that there are many left wingers in Croatia, especially among the younger generations.
These are generations that have not been emotionally scared by a bitter war that was going on here during the 90s, I sincerely hope these new kids will come to be much better people that my generation is.

The problems of the "left" in Croatia are still numerous. We don't have a single "real" socialist party to align with. The one that comes closest are the social democrats, but they are still just a bunch of fake money grabbers who wear red from time to time.

A real socialist party would easily win in Croatia, but the fact that there ain't none speaks a lot. Basically crime rates in Croatia are low, but if you have the guts to mess with politics, you might not be so lucky.

Another thing is that catholic church has an enormous influence on population and is very closely aligned with the right centrist party in power.
These people are the loudest condemners of socialism and communism and brainwash people every day.

Anyway, let's see how this plays out.

p.s I've posted some pics n' info in the "politics" section on this topic, I hope it can be merged into this one.

[Enragé]

any news?

[destr0000000000yer]

occupation of university continues.
things are starting to be intense since the rectors stopped to support the protests (assholes) and announced that teaching must continue or there will be take pressure on students. also, whole this semester will maybe be frozen

:)

[Red_Demoness]

Hello.

If you are interested to read, students do translations of news, articles and documents about our struggle to English and other languages. You can find them on this web site:

slobodnifilozofski.org

(Could someone edit the link, please? I can't post those yet.)

[Bandito]

Blockade continues...

Letter of support from Slavoj Žižek

Those among us who are old enough remember “specialized further education”, the last attempt of the Communist regime in the old Yugoslavia to streamline education to “social use” and narrow the space of dissent. Western Europe is now rediscovering it – it is called the “Bologna reform of the higher education,” a new attempt to subordinate higher education to the needs of social control and regulation. We need a cultural revolution to fight this dangerous tendency with all means available, violent civic disobedience included. You, students who occupy faculties, are doing not only the right thing, but the necessary thing. Go to the end, persist – no compromise!


Letter of support from Noam Chomsky

I have learned of the struggle of Croatian students to ensure that free education will be available to all. It is a worthy goal for every society — including my own, where such rights are not honored — and I would like to wish them success in their efforts.

Noam Chomsky




http://slobodnifilozofski.org/
The site contains translations to english, french, danish, german, italian, slovenian and swedish.

[Stranger Than Paradise]

Blockade continues...

Letter of support from Slavoj Žižek

Those among us who are old enough remember “specialized further education”, the last attempt of the Communist regime in the old Yugoslavia to streamline education to “social use” and narrow the space of dissent. Western Europe is now rediscovering it – it is called the “Bologna reform of the higher education,” a new attempt to subordinate higher education to the needs of social control and regulation. We need a cultural revolution to fight this dangerous tendency with all means available, violent civic disobedience included. You, students who occupy faculties, are doing not only the right thing, but the necessary thing. Go to the end, persist – no compromise!


Letter of support from Noam Chomsky

I have learned of the struggle of Croatian students to ensure that free education will be available to all. It is a worthy goal for every society — including my own, where such rights are not honored — and I would like to wish them success in their efforts.


Noam Chomsky





http://slobodnifilozofski.org/
The site contains translations to english, french, danish, german, italian, slovenian and swedish.

I was reading the Slavoj Zizek quote and I was thinking, oh I wish Chomsky had said something and then I saw the Chomsky quote, and I went Yeah!! :cool: