[Onthebarricades] ROSTOCK G8: Workers' power reports

[Andy]

http://www.fifthinternational.org/index.php?id=14,1168,0,0,1,0
     "Police debacle in Heiligendamm" - "Demonstrators outfox police"
      8 June 2007
      These are the headlines on the website of the prestigious German news magazine Der Spiegel. Reuters likewise reported "Thousands of protesters successfully blocked delegates from accessing the G-8 venue at Heiligendamm on Wednesday."
      Reports on the Der Speigel, Indymedia and other websites and directly from League for the Fifth international and Revolution members participating make it clear that the blockading of the summit on its first full day was a tremendous success. 

      Of course nobody seriously expected that the G8 criminals themselves could be prevented from gathering at the luxury Grand Hotel Kempinski at the Baltic seaside resort. They all flew into the Rostock-Laage airport and were duly ferried by helicopter over the 16,000 police and 10,0000 demonstrators. But the large numbers of "sherpers" and journalists who had hoped to come in by rail and road were seriously disrupted. 

      The high court ruling, extending the anti-democratic ban on all demonstrations to a large area beyond the steel, concrete and razor wire fence, was openly defied and proved completely unenforceable.

      Der Spiegel makes this clear. "Outwitting the police: protesters at the G-8 summit in Germany managed to sneak past officials to the security fence at Heiligendamm." 

      The only cavil one can have with this is that a column of 2000 demonstrators marching through open oat fields, with helicopters clattering overhead can hardly be described as "sneaking." Der Spiegel continues with 'sneaking' admiration: 

      "It was also a clear indication that the anti-G-8 crowd are outstanding strategists. Fully 16,000 police are on hand for the event and the roads near Heiligendamm on Wednesday were crawling with bright green police vans speeding in every direction. Police helicopters likewise buzzed overhead. Nevertheless, the long-prepared policing plan 
      proved to be deeply flawed. Groups of demonstrators -- some numbering just a few dozen, others as strong as 2,000 and more -- appeared almost out of nowhere to block important roads and thoroughfares in the area."

      According to police themselves some 10,000 protesters made it as far as the 12-kilometer-long fence reaching the east entrance gate and other points along it. The police are not only frustrated and wrathful but their moral is sagging badly. As reported to Der Speigel, Konrad Freiberg, the head of Germany's police union, said that uniformed officers were already "exhausted." He reported that the police looked like "zombies" and that they had been suffering from a lack of sleep and G-8 deployment shifts that ran upwards of 20 hours a day." He said reinforcements were desperately needed from across Germany. 
      Another important feature is the effective rejection of diversion of holding a counter summit during the blockades perpetrated by the official sponsors of the anti-G8 mobilisation, in particular, Attac, the Linkspartie and the NGOs. Only a thousand of so attended the spiritless gathering and even they, when a representative of League said that it was an absolute shame that this had been deliberately organised to clash with the blockades, he received loud applause. 

      The mobilizations, as our comrades on the spot have reported, have been a remarkable success. Heligendamm- Rostock has renewed the militant spirit of the anti-capitalist movement. It has been a mobilization of unprecedented length - seven days already- no wonder the police are tired. The demonstrators are also obviously feeling the effects of a weeks camping, tear gas and water cannon, marching and blockading. 

      But they are buoyed up and urged on by solidarity and success, as well as by belief in the justice of the cause for which they are fighting. They realize that they represent millions of victims of the G8- victims who are now rising up and g fighting back. This gives them a combative spirit the hired heavies of the G8 criminals can never achieve. Of course frustration and rage may lead the police to further brutality. If they do, as in Genoa it will only compound their defeat and multiply the forces of resistance. 

      After the Summit we must ensure that the spirit of the protests - anticapitalism and anti-imperialism, is taken back to every country, that the movement of resistance grows and becomes more militant. It must be a spur to unity in action to fight the G8 and their system, honest debate about the kind of world we need to replace their one with, and the methods for reaching it on every front   
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http://www.fifthinternational.org/index.php?id=14,1167,0,0,1,0

After the violent police assaults on the mass demonstration one thing is clear: they cannot break our resistance!
L5I Statement, 8 June 2007
The events of recent days during the mass protests against the G8 summit in North Germany are of extraordinary importance. Rostock became a microcosm not only of imperialist "democracy" but also of the resistance against capitalist globalisation.

On June 2nd, 80,000 people demonstrated against the G8 summit in the North German town. They expressed the broad rejection of capitalist globalisation by the working class and youth. The reaction of the ruling class is instructive. They used every means at their disposal to defend a meeting of the most powerful terrorists in the world. The police attacked the protesters with extraordinary brutality; water cannon, teargas, physical assaults, more than 100 arrests. Nothing was too much for the state's well-paid fighters in their attempts to silence the protest. The scandalous result of this orgy of state violence was 1000 wounded. The police even tried to disrupt the demonstration for the rights of migrants with arrests and a blockade of the previously agreed route. Police helicopters hovered over the protesters' camp sites without a break.

At the same time, recognising the unpopularity of the G8 summit amongst the general population, the ruling class launched an ideological offensive in its attempt to weaken the resistance to capitalist globalisation, to divide it and to prepare for increased repression. The Bild newspaper, a reactionary hatemonger, ran the headline "Do you hooligans want deaths?", suggesting the demonstrators were trying to provoke a situation in which someone would be killed. It then demanded the intervention of the anti-terrorist units against the demonstrations. The supposedly left liberal media such as the "Tageszeitung" joined the campaign against militant resistance with the headline "Rostock, never again!"

By these means the bourgeoisie is trying to justify the expansion of its repressive apparatus. Reactionary politicians and police representatives, including the police trade union, are demanding even more brutal attacks on the demonstrations, the use of rubber bullets, the sharpening of the so-called gagging orders and the wider use of the provisions of emergency powers. The ruling class is trying to create the climate for a second Genoa!

That is what their "democracy" looks like! Of course, every few years we can put our vote in the ballot box. But this doesn't have the slightest influence on the power and the policies of the capitalist class whose interests the various governments serve. In order to preserve their interests against resistance, the capitalist class maintains a state apparatus which it can use against the protests of the working class, the youth and migrants, violently if necessary. Their "democracy" is the hidden dictatorship of the capitalist class!

Despite this, the plans of the counterrevolution have for some time not been achieving the success they wanted. Instead, they have actually strengthened the activists against capitalist globalisation. On June 2, there was a massive and fully justify resistance by many demonstrators against the brutal police attacks. It was clear that the police were taken by surprise by the scale of this resistance which left them with 480 wounded. On June 4 , even according to police estimates, there were more than 10,000 on the demonstration for the rights of migrants and that is despite the remoteness of the site, the fact that it was a work day and the numerous attempts by the police to prevent people reaching the demonstration. Among the activists there is a broad solidarity against the batons of the ruling class.

We demand the immediate release of all those arrested! No deportations of those being held! Stop the repression and the suppression of democratic rights! The camp against the G8 summit in Rostock deserves the solidarity and support of the labour movement and all the oppressed of the whole world through mass demonstrations, mass meetings and protests.

That is not how the official representatives of the movement see things. They can't move fast enough to give in to the demands of the bourgeoisie. ATTAC's speaker, Peter Wahl, associated himself with the police position by laying the blame on the radical sections of the demonstrators, demanding their exclusion from the demonstrations ("we don't want you here!") and calling for their denunciation. In a similar vein, the leading PDS politician, Monty Shaedel, a speaker for the demonstration organisers, argued on television that in future they would need to work more closely with the police and help them to identify lawbreakers.

The real face of any political force doesn't show itself in Sunday speeches and empty party conference decisions but in the real class struggle. In Rostock, the reformist ATTAC leaders showed that when it comes to the crunch they will stand on the side of the capitalist state and not on the side of the anticapitalist workers and youth. They act as strike breakers and agents of the bourgeoisie within the ranks of the movement.

That doesn't alter the fact that there are many activists who want to fight capitalist globalisation. Rostock shows that a whole new generation of fighters has grown up in recent years. These activists understand ever more clearly that the root cause of the evils of war and poverty are not simply this or that bad leader but the capitalist system itself. This shows itself in the politicisation of the protests. The left critic of globalisation, Walden Bello, drew attention to this in his speech to the demonstration on June 2 when he pointed to the difference between the G8 protests today and those in Scotland two years ago, where the scene was dominated by pop stars such as Bono and an NGO elite. At that time the motto was "make poverty history" today it is "make capitalism history".

All this confirms the analysis of the world situation and the perspectives of the League for the Fifth International. The crisis of the capitalist system is leading to an increased sharpening of political and social contradictions and of class struggles. However, at the same time, the world situation is also characterised by a dramatic crisis of leadership of the working class. Under fire from the capitalist offensive, all the reformist leaders seek to defend the interests of the ruling class and are therefore more and more prepared to make compromises at the cost of the workers and youth. As we have seen, they go so far as to offer themselves to the capitalist class as strike breakers and informers. With such representatives we certainly cannot win.

We have to replace these traitors at the top of the movement who are prepared to sell out to secure their own place within the capitalist system. This is the task facing everyone who wants to see the victory of this resistance against the offensive of the ruling classes, imperialism and capitalism. The League therefore calls on all organisations and activists of the anticapitalist left to work together to coordinate their activities. Such an anti-imperialist and anticapitalist coordination could more effectively intervene not only in common actions and campaigns against the capitalist offensive but also within the mass organisations of the class, in the trade unions and in the social movements such as the European Social Forum and the World Social Forum.

In all these struggles, we must fight for the self organisation of the class; for the building of new organisations based on, and controlled by, the rank-and-file members - action committees, strike committees, self defence organisations for demonstrations against the attacks of the state or the fascists. The experience of Rostock shows that the creation of organised self defence against police provocation and repression is vital if our struggle against the politics of the G8, against imperialist war, torture, plunder of the world and exploitation of the working class, is to be led successfully.

Coordination of the struggles and of the fighting organisations, however, will not be enough. We also need a discussion over the perspectives for the movement and its political direction.

The struggle of the working class and youth needs a revolutionary perspective, a perspective of determined struggle against all the attacks of the bourgeoisie with the objective not of reforming the system but of destroying it and replacing it with a socialist society. We need an organisational force which can put this perspective into practice, a revolutionary party. Such a party is necessary not only in each individual country but internationally. We need a world party for the socialist revolution, a new, Fifth International.

In Rostock we were able to demonstrate the progress that has already been made. On June 2, we marched together with the comrades of the Italian trade union, COBAS, in one demonstration block and on the next day organised a meeting with their leading representative, Piero Bernocchi. For some time, we have been working together closely with numerous organisations in the "Anti-G8 Alliance for a Revolutionary Perspective" and the "Anti-imperialist and Antifascist Action Alliance against the G8" which included organisations such as, ATIK, the New Democratic Youth, ILPS, AGIF and Young Struggle. Together with these comrades, and thousands of others, we have defended the demonstrations on the second and fourth of June, and organised action against police attacks. Everybody who lived through these days in Rostock knows that something quite out of the ordinary has happened. We have experienced days not only of capitalist attack but also of determined resistance, days of solidarity and collaboration among the anti-imperialist and anticapitalist forces. They can't break our resistance! We will go forward together in the struggle for another world. It is now more clear than ever: no future without socialism! No socialism without revolution! No revolution without a party! Forward in struggle for the Fifth International!

http://www.fifthinternational.org/index.php?id=14,1170,0,0,1,0

Resist police repression in Rostock!
8 June 2007
Press Statement on the Police Repression in Rostock by the Internationalist and Revolutionary Barrio, the Anti-G8 Alliance for a Revolutionary Perspective, and the Anti-imperialist and Antifascist Action Alliance against the G8


June 5, 2007

Yesterday, 10,000 people demonstrated against state racism, one of the biggest ever demonstrations for the rights of immigrants in the Federal Republic of Germany. Comrades and activists from every area of the social movement, from migrants' organisations and from the radical and revolutionary left, took part in the huge demonstration of solidarity and at the meeting in Rostock Lichtenhagen.

It was precisely because of this that the meeting in Lichtenhagen, which was held in memory of the pogrom against the asylum-seekers hostel that took place there in 1992, and the demonstration in Rostock on June 4, came under massive attack and many comrades were arrested. Water cannon were used and sections of the demonstration, including our block, were surrounded. Above all the state had the blocks of the radical and revolutionary left in its sights.

Even the police's own account showed that all the dirty tricks carried on against the demonstration, and the ban on it marching through the city centre " because it was too big", were decisions taken at the highest level.

These attacks are a continuation of the strategy of the police, public prosecutor's office and the government, in other words the entire state apparatus, against a growing and increasingly militant protest movement. The state and the bourgeois press libel us and denounce us, they try to criminalise us and divide us precisely because we are fighting against the imperialist war policy of the Merkel government and the G8, the attacks on the workers and immigrants and to defend our democratic rights.

The G8 is organising the plundering and impoverishment of the world, they are building a terror network that is calling forth the justified resistance of the workers and oppressed peoples of the whole world.

They libel us because they fear a united resistance and the ever-growing solidarity and unity of the movement. That is why the demonstration on June 2 was attacked with water cannon, teargas and assault troops and our block in particular was brutally assaulted. In our block alone, 19 comrades, including 10 women, suffered head injuries.

Those of us in the "internationalist and revolutionary block", together with thousands of others, defended our right to demonstrate. In particular, we solidarise with the Turkish comrades and organisations, such as the ILPS, who are at present being criminalised and denounced.

The resistance by the demonstrators was not only justified and legitimate, it was necessary. We condemn the police repression which is one part of the strategy of increasingly harsh measures to spy on, limit and obstruct the actions against the G8 summit and increasing internal repression.

We will not simply accept this but decisively oppose it. We thank all the people and organisations who have supported us. Let us maintain this solidarity and continue the struggles together against the G8, their wars and their imperialism.

We demand:

The release of all those arrested! No deportations! 
An end to restrictions on the right to demonstrate!
No criminalisation of legitimate resistance against the G8!


The Internationalist and Revolutionary Barrio

Anti-G8 Alliance for a Revolutionary Perspective

The Anti-imperialist and Antifascist Action Alliance against the G8
http://workerspowerg8protests.wordpress.com/
Photos and video from the G8 Saturday demo
Posted by workerspowerg8protests on June 19th, 2007

Mixed photos, some from the Revolution and L5I contingent and some from Indymedia

http://revolutionsweden.wordpress.com/2007/06/10/22-bilder-fran-g8/

Some more of us from the Austrian section of the League

http://arbeiterinnenstandpunkt.net/phpwcms/index.php?id=16,260,0,0,1,0

In theses ones you can see us marching with the contingent of the radical Italian trade union Cobas on the Saturday.

There is also this quite well produced video from the  Saturday demonstration which showed some of the polive provoked disturbances at the front of the march.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJNDQ-8rURY 

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Blockades at the G8
Posted by workerspowerg8protests on June 8th, 2007

Wednesday was the first day of blockades at the summit. Demonstrators gathered at several points around the Heiligendamm area and attempted to block the froads and transport infrastructure that would take people to the G8 summit. Early blockades of the airport were cleared ruthlessly by police and convoyrs of activists in cars were intercepted and arrested.

The movement achieved a victory when it was reported that for a time during the day all the roads to the G8 summit buildings were blockaded - this is despite the police repression and media onslaught against us, warning people to stay away. Although the summit eventually went ahead when the lackeys of the G8 were brought in by boat or helicopter, the success of the blocakding tactics carried out by the movement meant that the security operation was effectivly overcome, for a time.

Our day started quietly as we left the site and made our way to a rally point by train and coach. When we arrived there were very few activists there most had arrived at the second rally point at the airport earlier in the morning. We waited for sometime before the organisers told everyone to make their way to Bad Doberan, a village on the road that leads to the G8 red zone. We took sometime to get there because the transport was constantly being stopped by the police.

When we arrived the blockade sat peacefully in the road, vans of riot cops in the distance. League members commented on what a strange sight it was for their to be so few police around. It turned out that this was 'legal' blockade, pre arranged between the state and the Block G8 group. The organisers of the G8 security wanted to create a safety valve protest which would allow the pacifist to demonstrate in a peaceful way. A few others had come to this blockade as well , black block and some other groupds, zho just sat around and chatted. As we walked around selling our literature? A few hundred people began to make their way into the fields around the' road; trying to find a place to blockade another road. About 10 helicopters circled around, reminiscent of a scene from Apocalypse Now.

After an hour a unit of riot police walked through the blockade, practicqlly kicking so,e people in the heads as they went passed. They made their way up the road to the main part of the legal blockade. As a few anti imperialists began to link arms to protect the protest the pacifists told them to stop and that they were 'ruining the demo'. There is no helping some people!

We left the demonstration when it was clear that they did not want assistance and that this legal demo was achieving nothing. Many thousands of activists eventually made their way across the fields to other roads, fighting occastional battles with the police who used water cannon to disperse them.

Whilst the lack of a central co-ordination for the movement the spontaneous attempts by militants to carry out meaningful blockades meant that we scored an important victory.By the Wednesday many leaders of the left in germany, including ATTAC leaders and members of the Linkspartei had condemned the protests as being 'violent' - failing to point the real finger of blame at the state and their provocations and attempts to defeat our demonstrations.

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Police threaten raid of Rostock camp!
Posted by workerspowerg8protests on June 7th, 2007

A quick update on the security situation - yesterday at around 8pm comrades taking part in the blockades were informed that the Rostock camp where we are staying was surrounded by police who threatened to raid the camp. Claiming to have a warrant (which turned out to be untrue!) the police wanted to come in and look for evidence of protestors taking part in `disturbances´ over the last few days.

The situation was very tense, and those comrades still in the camp began to organise with others for its defense in case of an attack. The police eventually withdrew from the camp entrance but maintained cordons around the camp which harrassed people coming back to the camp, searching bags and questioning protestors.

Earlier in the week the police had said that they had `no intention of going into the camp´ during the protests.

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Monday: Freedom for Palestine! Countersummit and preparations for blockade
Posted by workerspowerg8protests on June 6th, 2007

After two quite tense days of confrontation with the German state forces, Monday, we decided, should be a more peaceful and relaxing day. We were aware that, while the police can change shifts and bring new forces into the fray, we could not. So comrades were encouraged to relax and focus on the coming blockades.

Of course, this did not mean that we were idle. Far from it.

In the morning a team of six of us attended the demonstrations planned to protest at the corporate greed of companies like Caterpiller and EADS, which sell arms and equipment to the Israeli Defence Forces for use in the repression of the Palestinian people: blood money! We held a rally at the Caterpiller plant near our campsite to protest at the manufacture of armoured bulldozers, which have only one use: to destry the homes and infrastructure of Paestinians on the West Bank, often pulling down the homes of the families of suspected militants: a tactic of finding people "guilty by association" that the Americans and British have now exported to Iraq.

We then took the train to Wernemünder, where there was an administration building of the giant arms manufacturer EADS and a military harbour of the German state. The police again trided to stop the demonstration, ordering people back onto the train, searching bags but finally letting us pass. By the time everyone had arrived, we were around 3,000

At the assembly point, I met Boris Kagarlitsky and a few other Russian comrades. Kagarlitsky recognised the Fifth International and warmly greeted us. He said there were many discussions taking place among the Russian left about how to intervene - and whether it was possible to intervene - into the mass Other Russia movement, led by liberal - and neoliberal! - Gary Kasparov. Indeed, this movement, which only has in common its opposition to Vladimir Putin's anti-democratic and repressive measures, also has on its far right wing fascist organisations. Neverthless, it was important for the left to battle against the right and far right while trying to win support for democratic and working class rights.

Kagarlitsky also said that, while the social forums were currently in decline, the new, independent trade unions were growing, now organising around 20,000 to 30,000 workers. They were particularly strong in the car industry and among postal workers Indeed, the latter had recently launched a brave, but ultimately unsuccessful strike for unioon recognition. Kagarlitsky rightly felt that it was a good sign that the struggle was made and the movement was for the better as a result. After the demonstration we returned to the campsite.

Later that evening we decided to hold an organising meeting for the G8 blockades. However, there were a couple of tasks that were shared out. One was to go to the counter summit, which was holding its opening plenary in Rostock, the other to go in a car and try to join the blockade at Rostock-Laage military airport. George Bush was expected to arrive at 5pm.

I went to the pleanry, which was held in Nikolaikirsche in Rocstock city centre. Unfortunately we arrived too late to hear the speeches, but in time to meet the participants coming out of the chirch. Bizarly the main speeches ended, the "big wigs" left with much of the audience, leaving 150 or so people to continue the discussion from the floor. Is this what democracy looks like in the new altermondialiste movement?

The audience of under 1,000 was largely made up of older activists and paid fulltimers of the various NGOs. Only one person that I spoke to intended to go to the blockades in the morning. While there was quite a lot of openness to our ideas and quite a few people bought our literature, there was a striking divide between the countesummit and the campsites at Bramow and Reddelich. It is as if the movement has really split into two.

For example, I spoke to three young activists from France. While they all listened to what I had to say, and bought the League's publications, they said that they had voted for - not Olivier Besncenot of the Ligue Revolutionaire Communiste but - Jose Bove, the leader of the Confederation Paysanne, who only polled 0.4 per cent and was not at all active in the struggles of the banlieue black and Arab youth or the workers and young peoples magnificent fight against the first employment contract. Meanwhile, the LCR was nowhere to be seen (in fact they have, to my knowledge, been absent all week).

While we were in town, the other comrades were taking a look at the police and army operation for the arrival of US President Bush. The self-appointed "world leader" had thousand upon thousands of riot police, water cannons, helicopters and tanks (!) were deployed. There was no chance whatsoever of getting near Bush. This massive operation, at working class taxpayers' expense, shows just how thin the veil of bourgeois democracy can be at times. The elected president of the world's superpower has to be shielded from his subjects by the real power, the state apparatus. Needless to say, the German state was taking the opportunity to show the world too that it has ambitions to rise, along with its EU partners, to the same military level as the US.

The comrades returned to find the campsite in a serious mood. Gone was the hip hop tent, the techno field, which had thitherto been pumping out the beats 24-7, and the beer stalls. A "no alchohol" policy had been introduced by consensus at the campsite general meeting to ensure maximum alertness and effectiveness the following day. Excitement and nervousness rushed through the veins in equal measure, as small huddles of black blockers and anti-imperialists were to be seen discussing tactics for the next day: how to get to the motorways, how to prevent the police closing down the protest and preventing effective blockades, how to minimise arrests and injuries. But also a sense that, like in Genoa 2001 and Seattle before that, the whole world was watching tonight.

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Sunday: which way forward out of anti-capitalist paralysis?
Posted by workerspowerg8protests on June 5th, 2007

Following the mass demonstration on Saturday the League for the Fifth International and REVOLUTION, the socialist youth group, spent Sunday 6th June discussing the way forward for the anti-capitalist movement.

REVOLUTION hosted a seminar with comrades of the New Democratic Youth and Socialist Youth on the need for a youth international to unite the struggles. Some eighty people assembled in the bario of the Alliance for a Revolutionary Perspective at the Rostock camp.

Speakers from Austrian and German REVO groups looked at the role of young people in the great struggles against neoliberalism, war and racism that have marked the early 21st century. They stressed the need to co-ordinate action nationally and globally to drive back the offensive of capital and the importance of political discussion on the slogans, actions and programmes that could bring victory. Lastly, they pointed to the defeats of the last century as affirming the view of Trotsky that socialism could not be built in one country - as the Soviet Union had once claimed. The comrades of New Democratic Youth analysed the attacks on education and youth rights in Europe and emphasised the need for joint actions.

The discussion that followed was marked by a great deal of diversity - ranging from attacks on abortion rights to the collapse of the Soviet Union with much in between. This was arguably a weakness of the meeting leaving it without a strong focus on a specific topic. However, one issue that was raised repeatedly in the discussion was whether a revolutionary youth organisation should be constructed first on the national and only later on the international terrain. As a comrade of the League argued in one of the closing interventions seperating the national from the international in this way was like trying to build a plane with only one wing, i.e. both the national and international were vitally important to the current struggles.

The organisations present at the meeting agreed to work on a joint declaration and pursue joint work in the coming period. Concrete proposals were work to build a youth wing of the Network for a Left Opposition, convene a conference of German youth groups in the autumn and organise solidarity action in the event of any attack on Iran.

After the meeting I moved quickly to join other comrades of the leadership League for the Fifth International to discuss with the leaders of Cobas - the Italian radical trade union that marched alongside the League and REVO on Saturday's demonstration. We had some two hours of rich and fruitful discussion on the state of the anti-capitalist movement and the Italian political situation. I don't have time in this blog to outline the discussion in any length, but we have been promised by Cobas an interview for the next issue of Fifth International journal.

Piero Bernocchi opened the discussion with an analysis of the Italian left since Rifondazione joined the government of Prodi. The latter has kept Italian troops in Afghanistan, sent further troops to Lebanon and carried out attacks on workers. He outlined how there was now mass disillusionment with Rifondazione amongst their radical base and this meant Cobas was now able to rally new forces in action - albeit, the size of strikes and mobilisations had lessened from the mass movements of the 2001- 2003 because Rifondazione now ceased to call such action.

In addition, we discussed the paralysis in the World Social Forum and the prospects for the class struggle in the future. At the World Assembly of Social Movements on Friday I had heard that the assembly had won an interesting concession from the International Council, which had for the first time called for actions in January 2008. The International Council once insisted its status as a "space" not a "movement" made the calling of actions impossible. The only catch with the call is that it was to be around "whatever the networks wanted" i.e. everything and nothing. Bernocchi agreed with us that this was a trap; in refusing to give any leadership the International Council hoped such actions would fail. Nevertheless, he argued that interesting actions could be organised in some countries in January and he hoped they would take the movement some steps forward.

The comrades of the League stressed the importance of the coming class battles in France and the vital need not only for political solidarity but also an international political discussion on strategy. The question of what programme could smash the Sarkosy offensive and open the door to socialist revolution in Europe was critical. We also outlined our analysis of the changing political situation in Italy, arguing that it clearly went through a prolonged pre-revolutionary crisis between 2001 and 2003; beginning with the Genoa G8 protests a series of huge mobilisations challenged the Berlusconi regime making possible a real fight for working class power and socialism. When these mobilisations were not turned to the struggle for power and subsided in 2004, the leadership of Rifondazione looked once again to a possible government with Prodi similar to the coalition it joined in the late 1990s. This despite Bertinotti, the leader of Rifondazione, promising to "never again" join a capitalist government at the Florence ESF in 2002.

There were two important areas of difference in the discussion. Firstly, Cobas were resistant to our proposals to forge a left wing of the anti-imperialist and class struggle forces in the social movements. They argued instead that common action should be pursued on concrete questions, as the political differences between themselves, the League and the Left Stalinist forces on the left made further unity unrealistic. A further difference, raised towards the end of the discussion, was the primacy of the need for a revolutionary party and international in the League's politics. Cobas describes itself as a trade union, cultural and political organisation. Bernocchi argued it had a hetrogenous membership of trade unionists whose focus was social struggles and this membership would not take easily to the forming of more structured alliances with communists, let alone taking the initiative to develop such organisations.

Lastly, Bernocchi stressed the importance of continued participation in the movements. He said the committment the League had shown to the movement had made it a "respected force". While, no concrete proposals were agreed at the meeting both sides promised to continue the debate and work together wherever common goals were held, as they had been on the demonstration.

Much of this political discussion was repeated in the meeting of Cobas and the LFI that followed. 60 people participated in the meeting. Bernocchi opened by thanking the comrades of the League and REVOLUTION for marching together on the manifestation of Saturday 2nd June. He gave an introduction on the situation in Italy and the anticapitalist movement, but sadly had to leave to get a flight before he could hear the reply of Richard Brenner for the League. Richard Brenner pointed to the intensification of class struggle and outlined the need for revolutionary parties and a Fifth International.

We were very much of the view that the day confirmed the analysis of the crisis of leadership in the anti-capitalist movement (see latest issue of Fifth International) and also that the left wing could take small steps forward towards challenging it. It is a sign of the flux of the current period that forces from diverse political traditions are having a new dialogue and debate with one another. We hope to continue it and deepen our collaboration in the future.

Luke Cooper, League for the Fifth International

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Asylum rights demonstration faces police repression
Posted by workerspowerg8protests on June 5th, 2007

Monday saw the biggest ever demonstration in Germany in defense of immigrants and asylum seekers. Between 10-12,000 people marched around Rostock calling for open borders and solidarity with immigrants that face oppression from the state and the bosses across Europe. The protest started with a rally of around 2,000 people near the Sonnenblumen House in Lichtenhagen where fascists burnt down a Hostel which housed immigrants in 1992.

>From the beginning the police acted provocatively, surrounding the rally and pushing and shoving with protesters. The League, together with members of the Marxist-Leninist Communist Party of Turkey (MLKP) and the International League of Peoples Struggle (ILPS) formed a bloc and defensive rows in order to defend the demonstration from police attempts to disrupt it. As soon as we formed up many other people also joined our contingent; linking arms to prepare to move forward against the police. Thankfully the confrontation did not escalate and the rally ended relatively peacefully.

The demonstrators then took the train to the migrants rights marc which was starting at the outskirts of Rostock. Whilst walking from the train station to the site the police ambushed our contingent and a comrade from one of the Turkish groups was arrested. We formed a bloc and demanded that the Turkish comrade be released - the police formed lines and attempted to intimidate us. However we stuck together and marched in formation passed the police. When we neared the demonstration start point the riot police surrounded the anti imperialist contingent and demanded that we be searched and hand over our flags and banners. Comrades did not doubt that it was due to the anti imperialists blocs defense of the demonstration on Saturday that we were being targeted again by the state. There was about 30 minutes of negotiation between the contingent stewards and the police - but the situation ended when thousands of protesters came around us. The demonstrators chanted solidarity slogans with us and the police backed down - allowing us to continue towards the march start point without further trouble.

As the demonstrators assembled the police moved three water cannon trucks towards us, hoping to intimidate us. But the mood of the demonstration was buoyant and people kept chanting and dancing to the music played by the sound system truck. The immigrant rights groups had large contingent, smaller blocs of Linkspartei members, marching together with the IST and CWI in one bloc were behind us. In front a massive tractor pulling a trailer covered in posters and with sound equipment relayed information on the situation and played music.

When over 10,000 people had assembled the police blocked the road and said that we could not march because some people were wearing masks. They made us wait for over an hour before clearing the road hoping that so,e of the demonstrators would become frustrated and throw stones or try and push through the police, this would give them the excuse that they needed to disperse the demonstration. However the demonstrators were aware that there were people at the rally that were sans papiers, asylum seekers who would face severe repression by the police and possible deportation for being on the march. So we were patient and waited, but when the police finally did allow us passed we began to chant loudly again, calls of 'Hoch, De, Internazionale Solidaritat' and 'refugees have the right, here to stay here to fight' and choruses of the Internationale we made our way into Rostock, flanked by riot police.

However as we came into the centre of Rostock the police stopped the march again, claiming that there was only permission for 2,000 people to come on the protest. The demonstration organisers attempted to negotiate a route for the protest but were told by the police that they had to end the march and disperse. Negotiations to continue the route of the march failed and the organisers asked everyone to disperse and make their way by foot, bus or train to the rally point near the harbour.

Although the demonstration had been a victory because it was so big and resisted police attempts to provoke an attack, itwas also a defeat that the state had effectively closed it down before it could march through the centre of the city. Rostock has a relatively large fascist movement and the attack on the hostel in 1992 showed that there was a real need for a mass anti racist manifestation in the town. The state wanted to prevent this and to reduce the effectiveness of the anti capitalist movement and deny us our right to demonstrate.

All of this is taking place within the context of a massive media campaign against the G8 protests. Popular newspapers like the Bild had a headline that seemed to accuse the anti capitalist demonstrators of wanting to murder people on the street. The public debate is around how to best to police the demonstrations, a political discussion that allows the right wing to push for massive repression against the Anti G8 activists in order to 'keep the peace'. After the riot police attack on the Saturday demonstration the chief of  police said that they would stop using 'soft tactics'. This can only indicate the intent of the state to violently break up the blockades over the next few days.

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80 thousand join Rostock protest against the G8
Posted by workerspowerg8protests on June 4th, 2007

Saturday 02.06.2007

In a huge success for the European and, in particular German anticapitalist movement, 80,000 protesters turned up for the mass demonstration in Rostock, northern Germany. Despite the police attacking the demonstration at the end, our message was loud and clear. Filipino activist and writer Walden Bello summed up the mood e violence. For them and us it makes no difference who started the disturbenceon the streets, when he said, "This is not the spirit of Edinburgh, when pop stars gt in the way and distorted our protest; this is the spirit of Genoa. We don't want to persuade the G8; we want to block the G8!"

The large majority of the protesters were from Germany. Ver.di and IG Metal unions, which have been in conflict with the neo liberal and militarist grand coalition, led by Angela Merkel, were present in large numbers. So to was the PDS LinksPartei.

However the French and Italian movements were less well represented. The Parti Communist Francais and CGT, and Refondazione Comunista and CGIL, which had previously brought large numbers to international protests were hardly visible. The latter is a result of the RC joining the Prodi government and voting for neo liberal counter reforms and supporting the Italian troops going into Afghanistan and Lebanon.

Also noticeable by their poor showing were the centrist forces of the International Socialist Tendency and Fourth International. This is a sign that despite, the 1.5 million votes the LCR received in the general election in April their remains a crippling crisis of leadership in the French movement. As for the Cliffites, their German section Linksruck continues to politically liquidate itself into the WASG, which will unite with the Linkspartei next week.

The League for the Fifth International and the socialist youth movement Revolution had a positive effect on the demonstration taking part in the lively and militant anti imperialist contingent. We attracted many to our ranks because of our clear slogans against not just the US military occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan, but also raising fighting demands against the European Union's neo liberal offensive and the attempt to build up a 100,000 strong European Army. At the height of the demonstration we had between 150 and 200 workers and youth marching with us.

Importantly the Cobas contingent joined with the L5I marching alongside us. The small but militant Italian union has been leading the struggle against Romano Prodi's l'Unione government, organising demonstrations against Italy's participation in the war on terror and the new US military base in Vicenza. This possible marks the start of an important collaboration.

Inevitably the German police attacked the demonstration with repeated baton charges, tear gas and water cannon. The cops had provocativly parked an empty police vehicle along the route of the march. Angry demonstrators duly paid it some attention which was all the police needed to let vent an entire rear end of the protest.

As the police attacked the demonstration, the black block retreated back into the crowd, leaving the anti imperialist block at the front of the march. Despite being repeatedly attacked by the police the ILPS, MLKP and Revolution and League contingents formed solid blocks which defended the demonstration from the police charges.

By the end thick plumes of smoke and jets of cold water, infused with tear gas, dispersed the closing rally. The police even sprayed the concert stage.

While the black block certainly played into the police hands most demonstrators had no problem understanding who were the real culprits of the violence. For them and us it makes no difference who started the disturbance the point is the state forces were out to protect the G8 criminals and criminalise all opposition to the war mongers.

Back at the anti G8 camp in Bramow a small solidarity protest for the 168 people arrested was organised. It immediately ran straight back into police resistance and water cannon. While the comrades were released due to the negotiations of the legal team, the episode started a serious debate about camp security. Many people remember the attack on the school in Genoa and the murder of Carlo Giuliani at the G8 protests in 2001.

Again the L5I played a role in organising the defense of the camp against a potential raid by the police. At the camp general meeting we argued for the physical and political defence of the site while ensuring the safety of those too young or too injured to fight. In a step forward it was agreed to discuss our security within the barrios, into which the camp is divided, and take decisions at a delegate meeting. At moments of urgency, the libetarian tradition of consensus and general plenaries are insufficient.

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Rebellion in Rostock!
Posted by workerspowerg8protests on May 31st, 2007

What is the G8?
The G8 are the unaccountable rulers of the world. Made up of the heads of state of the imperialist nations - Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, UK and US - they meet once a year to decide how to divide up the global wealth to benefit the rich - while at the same time relegating the poor to greater misery and destitution whether by imposing their will through war and military aggression or through economic strangulation. Together, the eight countries make up 14 per cent of the world's population yet represent about 65 per cent of the world economy.

The member states account for 49 per cent of global exports, 51 per cent of industrial output, 68 per cent of military expenditure (US alone accounts for 48 per cent), and 49 per cent of assets in the International Monetary Fund. The G8 is a closed club of the biggest powers - it does not rest on an international agreement and does not have formal admission criteria, a charter or a permanent secretariat. Yet its decisions affect the lives of every person on earth. This year G8 is meeting Heiligendamm, a rich seaside resort near Rostock in one of the poorest regions of Northern Germany, from the 6th to the 8th of June.

What is on the agenda?
Every year the G8 picks a couple of pressing issues which are discussed within the framework of maintaining the stability of the capitalist system - the primary objective is to protect their profits and increase their return. This year George Bush, Tony Blair and their cronies will be discussing:

. Reducing global imbalances between the imperialist nations: current account deficit in the US, insufficient growth in Europe and Japan, and growing foreign exchange reserves in Asia, especially US dollars held by China. They won't be discussing how to reduce the growing disparity between the rich and poor across the globe.

. Africa: the G8 says that African countries will need to develop structures that will "encourage private investment, partnerships on reforms and stable economic growth" so that the transnational companies can rip out even more natural resources and profits from Africa without worrying about their investments. These economic reforms are also tied to debt cancellations so that if a country refuses to implement these changes, their debt spiral will increase. Out of every $1 that Africa receives in aid, it repatriates $14 to service the debt mountain.

. Climate change: the G8 is looking for a post-Kyoto framework, as the agreement runs out in 2012. Yet in no way can this framework contravene the dictates of the World Trade Organisation and its mantra of free trade, which means that a country cannot set up barriers to trade even if it benefits the environment. Plus the US, which produces 25% of all emissions, never signed up to Kyoto.

This G8 summit is also significant because it coincides with EU presidency and comes at the time the EU presidency is just coming to an end. German Chancellor Angela Merkel will her position of strength to push forward Agenda 2010 - the plan to make Europe as competitive as the US by attacking workers rights and privatising public services - and also to re-launch the constitution process without public referendums.

Protest
The G8 and their right to rule can't go on unchallenged. Every place they meet, we - trade unionists, workers, students, anti-war, anti-racist, anti-capitalist campaigners, San papiers, immigrants, women, youth - must be there to challenge their warmongering, neo-liberal agenda, and privatisation of our public services. From Cologne 1999, to Genoa 2001, Evian 2003, Gleneagles 2005 and last year St. Petersburg, hundreds of thousands of people have come to the G8 summits to make their voices heard - and to shut it down.

That is what Workers Power, as part of the League for the Fifth International, is planning to do - shut it down. We don't believe that we can reform these capitalist institutions, whether it is the G8, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, or the World Economic Forum. We argue that they all must be destroyed, along with the capitalist system, and a new system, a socialist system based on need not greed, must be built. We will be participating in the mass demonstration as well as the blockades to make it impossible for the cabal to meet in secret. Join us.

War
The G8 countries, four of whom are also permanent members of the UN Security Council, continue to be among the most substantial distributors of the weapons and other military equipment used in conflicts and the violation of human rights worldwide. In 2005, the traditional big five arms-exporting countries - Russia, US, France, Germany and UK - still dominated global sales of major conventional weapons, with an estimated 82 per cent of the market.

Although not on the official agenda, the G8 leaders will take the opportunity to canvass support for the continuation of military aggression, wars and occupations, across the globe. Bush and Blair will be drumming up support for their war on Iran, pushing for more support troops in Iraq and Afghanistan; Merckel and Chirac will be pushing the idea of an EU fighting force; and Japan has recently passed a rearmament resolution in parliament after 50 years. Not to mention the day to day brutal war that Putin is waging on the Chechnyens.

Protest Diary
G8 Rostock/ Heiligendamm

June 2 - Sat
Mass demonstration against summit in Rostock
June 3 - Sun
Day of action on agriculture (genetic food, etc); counter summit
event in evening
June 4 - Mon
Day of action on migration: open the borders, for the free movement of people
June 5 - Tues
Day of action against militarism, war, repression; evening counter
summit
June 6 - Wed
Beginning of summit and mass blockading; parallel counter summit
June 7 - Thurs
Mass blockading; parallel counter summit
June 8th - Fri
Final demonstration

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G8 Summit here we come!
Posted by workerspowerg8protests on May 31st, 2007

This online blog will be a forum for Workers Power members at the G8 summits in Rostock 2007 to put up reports of the demonstrations and meetings that we will be attending. Workers Power is the British section of the League for the Fifth International, so there will be other comrades and supporters from countries like Austria, Czech republic, Sweden - and of course Germany. 

We have organised a series of meetings, a number of these have beeen organised in conjuncture with the anti-imperialist network where we will be organising a meeting to discuss the anti-imperialist struggle and organising a left wing within the ESF and WSF movement. 

Keep checking back as we will provide regular updates of the protests and demonstrations.
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