Editor
24th June 2002, 17:31
Protest against EU Resolutions
Sevilla: Ten thousand demonstrated against the bulkheading of Western Europe.
More than 100.000 people showed their refusal in Sevilla, to the bulkheading of the EU. The Social Forum ended with a large demonstration in the southern Spanish city. Two days parallel to the EU summit, people from the whole world had discussed alternatives to the neo-liberal globalization and criticised the immigration policy of the union.
The Spanish government made,at the second summit of its council presidency "illegal immigration" topic number one. The conservatives also tried to cover the failure of their politics of the eastern extension and EU reform. The Spanish Prime Minister, José Maria Aznar, couldn't put through a bill that would "punish" the countries, which would not undertake anything against *illegal immigration, but still in this year the "repatriation" of "illegal immigrants" will start.
The demonstration and the social summit appealed against this resolution. The demonstrators joined in solidarity with the immigrants, who have occupied rooms for two weeks at a university in Sevilla, to call attention to their now already dramatic situation and to demand a regulation of their residence status. Some of the squatters broke through the police cordon around the university and lead the demonstration with representatives of the social forum, daytallers and slum residents. "Against the Europe of capital and war" the slogan of the guidance transparency read.
Even if the social forum welcomed the refusal of the attempt of Spain and Italy, to couple development aid to the good behavior of the recipient countries, the European Union politics were harshly criticised. The speaker for immigration, Carlo Hayes, criticised, "the word integration disappeared". *Immigration is only spoken about as a threat, but it is enriching for nations.* On the counter-summit also the agrarian -, military and development policy of the European Union was criticised, it demanded the cancelation of the debts of the poor countries - one of the main causes of poverty.
Despite massive provocations by the police, the actions of the counter-summit remained peaceful. The police tried again and again to stir up the crowd. The city was at boiling point,whoever wanted entry to it was controlled. Many people were held at the borders to Spain, among them about 500 summit opponents from Portugal. "So those governing want to end diversities of opinion in Europe", complained the rejected communist Miguel Portas. In Sevilla the police used the state of emergency for the illegal search of occupied houses.
The various declarations of intent at the end of the European Union summit make the failure of the second meeting of leaders under Spanish presidency clear. In the substantial questions, the EU bosses did not get ahead. Already in the apron the difficult questions - those about money - *had been excluded . Therefore the EU entry candidates must still wait *until November for a decision by the European Union on their admission.
What to think about the "priorities against terrorism" set by the Spanish presidency , the basque separatist organisation ETA made very clear. In the two days of the summit the ETA ignited five bombs in four cities of Spain, of which they warned precociously in every case. The government, that constantly talks about the end of ETA, explained, "not to overestimate *their capacity".* The British government does not trust this,however not completely officially - the British Foriegn Office warned their citizens of journeys to Spain.
First published by German newspaper Junge Welt (http://www.jungewelt.de).
http://www.jungewelt.de/2002/06-24/003.php
Translated using Babelfish (http://babelfish.altavista.com), revised, edited by James, SoS.
Sevilla: Ten thousand demonstrated against the bulkheading of Western Europe.
More than 100.000 people showed their refusal in Sevilla, to the bulkheading of the EU. The Social Forum ended with a large demonstration in the southern Spanish city. Two days parallel to the EU summit, people from the whole world had discussed alternatives to the neo-liberal globalization and criticised the immigration policy of the union.
The Spanish government made,at the second summit of its council presidency "illegal immigration" topic number one. The conservatives also tried to cover the failure of their politics of the eastern extension and EU reform. The Spanish Prime Minister, José Maria Aznar, couldn't put through a bill that would "punish" the countries, which would not undertake anything against *illegal immigration, but still in this year the "repatriation" of "illegal immigrants" will start.
The demonstration and the social summit appealed against this resolution. The demonstrators joined in solidarity with the immigrants, who have occupied rooms for two weeks at a university in Sevilla, to call attention to their now already dramatic situation and to demand a regulation of their residence status. Some of the squatters broke through the police cordon around the university and lead the demonstration with representatives of the social forum, daytallers and slum residents. "Against the Europe of capital and war" the slogan of the guidance transparency read.
Even if the social forum welcomed the refusal of the attempt of Spain and Italy, to couple development aid to the good behavior of the recipient countries, the European Union politics were harshly criticised. The speaker for immigration, Carlo Hayes, criticised, "the word integration disappeared". *Immigration is only spoken about as a threat, but it is enriching for nations.* On the counter-summit also the agrarian -, military and development policy of the European Union was criticised, it demanded the cancelation of the debts of the poor countries - one of the main causes of poverty.
Despite massive provocations by the police, the actions of the counter-summit remained peaceful. The police tried again and again to stir up the crowd. The city was at boiling point,whoever wanted entry to it was controlled. Many people were held at the borders to Spain, among them about 500 summit opponents from Portugal. "So those governing want to end diversities of opinion in Europe", complained the rejected communist Miguel Portas. In Sevilla the police used the state of emergency for the illegal search of occupied houses.
The various declarations of intent at the end of the European Union summit make the failure of the second meeting of leaders under Spanish presidency clear. In the substantial questions, the EU bosses did not get ahead. Already in the apron the difficult questions - those about money - *had been excluded . Therefore the EU entry candidates must still wait *until November for a decision by the European Union on their admission.
What to think about the "priorities against terrorism" set by the Spanish presidency , the basque separatist organisation ETA made very clear. In the two days of the summit the ETA ignited five bombs in four cities of Spain, of which they warned precociously in every case. The government, that constantly talks about the end of ETA, explained, "not to overestimate *their capacity".* The British government does not trust this,however not completely officially - the British Foriegn Office warned their citizens of journeys to Spain.
First published by German newspaper Junge Welt (http://www.jungewelt.de).
http://www.jungewelt.de/2002/06-24/003.php
Translated using Babelfish (http://babelfish.altavista.com), revised, edited by James, SoS.