July 2017, the G20 summit in Hamburg. With the world’s 20 most powerful leaders, in a world in deep crisis and turmoil, the world’s media will be present. But it is not only the powerful and mighty who will be there. We will make sure that the voices of the many different struggles around the globe will be “on air” as well: the voices against social inequality, austerity and exploitation; the voices against war and manmade eco-disaster; our voices for solidarity, other choices and visions. We know that we can make our voices heard, if we are loud and clear. Seattle 1999, the global marches against the Gulf War, the squares of Madrid, Istanbul, New York and Lagos, Blockupy 2015 in Frankfurt and the Global Women’s Marches proved it.
The G20 will try to square the circle and protect the globalized system of domination from its own self-destructiveness. And they will try to rearrange the whole world in order to serve the interests of the rich and powerful. This is why we, the lively resistance in our many shapes and forms, will be in Hamburg.
Let them set their global issues; we’ll set ours. Let them discuss their capitalist development; we will be loud against the exploitation of labour and the destruction of nature in the name of profit, and loud for equal rights and gender equality. Let them talk about their “migration crisis”; we will speak up for open borders and against racism; we will address the systematic production of poverty and war that forces millions of people to move. Let them talk about free trade agreements; we will be vocal about transparency, for political, cultural and food sovereignty and against their (post-)imperialist practices toward the Global South. Let them talk about the “war on terror” and the “clash of cultures”; we will shout out for peace and against their warmongering and torture, against their production of fear and Islamophobia. Their efforts to divide us and rule forever will be met by our creative protest and fierce resistance.
None of us thinks that the world is easy to explain. Yet we are determined to oppose all those politicians who allegedly know best what is good for their countries and the world. These new political figures seem to address the social question, the social effects of a decades-long neoliberal world order. But we know that in their efforts to keep us divided, they push us into rivalry and hate against our brothers and sisters on the other side of their borders and eventually into their dirty wars. We know their plans and we will not let this happen. We don’t buy into scapegoating the weakest of our world in the false hope that this will change the misery of our everyday lives.
Against their rivalry, we stand in solidarity; against their exploitation and expropriation even of the air that we breathe, we put the cooperation of free individuals and the free use of the commons; against their wars we opt for sister- and brotherhood, for freedom and equality.
We see the protests against the G20 as a chance to send a strong signal to the world that we are the many who believe in global alternatives. We believe in alternatives outside and against neoliberal globalization, nationalism and autocratic rule. We believe in the globalization of justice and Rights4All and we reject all nationalist and xenophobic “solutions”, which are their solutions against our vision for a just world, a world united in solidarity.
The counter summit, the camp, the transnational rally with tens of thousands of people in the city of Hamburg and the mass civil disobedience actions will give us the opportunity to meet, to discuss and to share our visions, ideas and practices of resistance, of a world of freedom, equality, solidarity.
Allons enfants! In 2017 the Bastille stands in Hamburg!
The “compact week” of global solidarity against the G20 will give us many opportunities to express the other world and our conviction that it is possible.
At the “Summit of Global Solidarity” (July 5 and 6) or at the open camp (from July 2 to 8), in actions of mass civil disobedience on the day of the official summit (July 7) or at the broad, lively and colorful demonstration in the heart of the city (July 8) we will organize and celebrate, fill the squares and streets of Hamburg, debate and shout out!
Let’s make the G20 summit a real counter summit of the many, the disobedient of the world.
Come and join us at the international preparatory meeting in Hamburg on April 7, get in touch with us via email.
See you all in Hamburg!
International NO-g20 work group
International preparatory meeting:
Website: http://g20-protest.info
Planning list: http://lists.g20-2017.org/mailman/listinfo/interlist
Email contact: international@g20-2017.org
PDF: International Call to Hamburg_Allons enfants! We are loud and many_March 2017
