Europe/Global-Koln 99

Koln - 99

One thousand will march from Brussels to Cologne. Because of the logistic problems of moving such a large body of people, the March will be limited to One Thousand.

To ease the burden of looking after such a large body of people, the Marchers will be organised in "Collectives", groups of Marchers organised by national co-ordinating committees and organisations. Each Collective must have the necessary resources to sustain itself through the whole March. Sleeping bags, tents, food, transport and the necessary cash. All Marchers must be registered, by the national co-ordinating committees, with the main organising committee in Brussels, and the Collectives responsible for providing all the above basic needs. There will be some supplementary provisions available at stopovers and local organisations will provide areas, be it campsites or sports halls, for sleeping at nights.

The March, and the demonstrations during the March, will be ways to express our different struggles. The local Belgian and German organisers will be "arranging" different events and actions. The March will give them its full support in all their decisions. The itinerary so far is for Marchers to arrive in Brussels on 24 May, where a welcoming reception will prepared from 2pm onwards. In the evening all Marchers will assemble for a pre-March briefing.

Tuesday 25 May; Rally, Demonstration and March in Brussels and depart to Louvain.

Wednesday 26 May; Louvain to Liege

Thursday 27 May; Liege - across the German border - to Aachen/aix la Chapelle

Friday 28 May; Aachen/aix la Chapelle to Cologne.

Other Marches are now taking shape.

11 May; Cyclists will depart from Prague and route through Dresden, Leipzig, Hanover, Munster to Cologne.

18 May; March departs from Munich to Mannheim, then on to Cologne.

The planning for the March across the Rhur is also going well and full details will known soon.

29 may - The "Big" Demonstration in Newmarktplatz at 1pm. The success of this demonstration will be measured in the numbers turning out. Over 50,000 were in Amsterdam. Over 100,000 is estimated to be coming to Cologne. This "success" will be dependant on the efforts of the organising "collectives".

The object of the Cologne Demonstration is to focus attention on the unemployed and job insecure throughout Europe. It is also an important occasion to show the extent of international convergence of struggles. The "Sans Papiers", people without official papers i.e. Refugees and asylum seekers, will be taking part, as well as delegations of the "Indian Farmers" and delegations from South America.

European Parliament of the Jobless and Insecure Workers in the Struggle. May 30 to ?(to be advised)

The term "Parliament" was deliberately chosen for its ironic overtones, as it is also a means of showing that people active in the Struggle are not being listened to. This initiative of the European Marches network is an integral part of the Counter-Summit and is being jointly prepared. The object of the "Parliament" is to create conditions for open and serious debates between grassroots activists and associations from different countries. So it would be ideal if as many collectives as possible from towns and regions contribute to debates.

At least three major subjects will be debated: income and all forms of social rights (including women's rights); Work (the fight against precarisation; reduction in working time etc.); the struggles for the rights of populations with immigrant origins (including the question of free circulation of people), linked to the fight against unemployment.

This "Parliament" could confirm or even specify issues or make contributions to complete demands already adopted by the network. It must organise future common struggles that would help us avoid remaining in "suspended animation" between the fixed dates of the European Summits.

The sleeping arrangements will probably be on a campsite. To take part you must register before-hand with your national co-ordinating committee.

The G8 Demonstration on June 19 (and the world-wide June 18 Demonstration)

The European Marches network support initiatives aimed at the G8, notably a demonstration jointly planned for June 19 with the Counter-Summit. We also plan to participate in the June 18 World Action with Reclaim the Streets (June 18 is a global day of protest against global neo-liberalism)

The European marches network fully supports the World March of Women to Eliminate Poverty and Violence Against Women, and initiatives such as the Intercontinental Caravan and the Brazilian March of the Landless.

The European marches will also be an active participant in the International Meeting of Movements in the Struggles called by ATTAC (International Movement for the Democratic Control of Financial Markets and their Financial Institutions) the Coordination against the Clones of IMA, World Forum Alternatives, and CADTM. The meeting will take place in Paris on June 24-26 1999.


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