Dear All,
on March 18th 2015 the European Central Bank wants to open its new headquarters in Frankfurt with a grand opening gala. We know, there is nothing to celebrate in austerity and impoverishment, there is nothing to celebrate about the ECB and its role in the infamous Troika of EU commission, IMF and ECB. And there is surely nothing to celebrate about Germany’s role as a driving force in promoting austerity, privatization, and a model of society based on precarity and very limited social and democratic rights.
Therefore we plan to be there on March 18th with thousands of angry people and determined activists from all over Germany and Europe to interupt the celebration of power and capital by taking the streets of Frankfurt, by blocking the roads to the gala, by coming together in the squares of Frankfurt. At the Blockupy Festival just a few weeks ago we called for sending a clear signal of solidarity from “the belly of the beast” alongside with all European activists. Most importantly though, building on our history of the last years and common struggles, we called for taking over their party and turning this occasion into an articulation of transnational resistance against European crisis policies and their catastrophic conse- quences.
For all these reasons we not only call for a strong international participation in the variety of actions of March 18th in Frankfurt, we also call for a common preparatory process, so that Blockupy 2015 can be - come a moment of common practice and a constitutive step for further building a transnational, Europe - an wide movement.
Thus, we invite you - delegates and activists from networks, organizations, groups, currents, parties, trade unions from various European regions - to this coordinating and planning meeting in Frankfurt on January 17th.
Let’s discuss common plans, decide on agreements and list necessities for the participation of the many;
1 DGB Haus, Wilhelm-Leuschner Str. 69-77, 60329 Frankfurt; 10 minutes walk from the central station, for map go there: maps
let’s think about the structure/s and tools we need for coordinating our groups and efforts for the day itself and the mobilization period beforehand;
let’s figure out ways how we can reach beyond the network already involved;
let’s build a committed working process for the upcoming months;
let’s build the path for the work beyond March 18th.
This transnational, European wide coordinating meeting on January 17th will take place a day before the German wide Blockupy activist meeting, in which the more detailed plans for March 18th (within the general frame of the day: disobedient mass action, central rally and demonstration etc.) will be discussed, decided and put into practice through establishing working groups. Thus, plans, ideas and agreements as well as questions, challenges, require- ments from our meeting can be brought into the next day. And of course, everybody is welcome to also stay for the next day’s meeting; however, translation needs to be taken care of by all of us.
Our meeting on January 17th will be an all day meeting, however, we set the time frame in a way that you might be able to arrive only in the morning or depart that night. Within the meeting we plan to also schedule a short meet- ing with people from the “action/civil disobedience” work group (which is meeting simultaneously on the Jan 17th) so that people can meet and talk face to face and contacts can be established.
In order to prepare for the meeting on January 17th:
If you, respectively your network/group, plan to come, please let us know, also whether you need solidari- ty accommodation (until Jan 9th).
We are sorry to say, that we only have really limited resources to finance travel costs this time. Basically we have to ask everybody to think of reimbursement ways within your networks, regions, or think of other redistributive ways, so that as many networks as possible can be still represented. If that’s not possible, you need to let us know, but there are no promises. Sorry for that.
If you can already give us hints for the particpation on March 18th from your network, region etc., this in- fo/estimation would be really welcome.
If you or your network cannot make it to the meeting itself but would like to become part of the coordinat- ing effort beyond information exhange, please let us know.
Though we decided at the Blockupy Festival that we are not calling actively for a “decentral day of action” on March 18th, there will be networks or groups who wish to participate by staging “no-austerity, no-ECB” actions on the day itself or beforehand, please let us know and think about an adequate way of common visibility.
For all questions/answers please write to [email protected] and/or send an email to the inter- national Blockupy mailing list at [email protected] (to subscribe, send an empty email to in- [email protected]). Share your information, views, energy and participate in the next meeting to coordinate March 18th and beyond!
We are looking forward to a productive, lively meeting; and a strong March 18th!
In solidarity,
Corinna (on behalf of the Blockupy International group)
Proposal for the Agenda for Jan 17th from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
1.Welcome and Round of Introduction by and for everybody
Why are we here, what is the objective of the meeting, revising the agenda, how do we understand this coordinating process, where do we want to go with that?
Update on the Blockupy process and plans for March 18th in Germany: news, plans so far, alliance process, context in Germany and Frankfurt etc.
First discussion on the plans so far
2. Updates and feedback from the networks so far
How is the call /idea for the day in Frankfurt taken up so far - questions, comments, critique
What are the plan for March 18th so far, what are the plans for mobilization, what is needed from Blockupy / International for that, what do we have to do together
What kind of particpation in March 18th or the common preparatory process /coordination is needed / wished for
3. How is participation and a common process going to work - starting to think though the tasks of building a common, coordinated structure
Organization of the day itself /the trip/ possible repression
Coordinating/preparing/designing the day and process together
Mobilization
Lunch break
4. In-Between meeting with the “action/civil disobedience work group” of Blockupy
The “action/civil disobedience work group” of Blockupy is meeting all day long simultaneously, a common, concentrated, brief meeting of both groups can be useful to share ideas, necessary consensus, and a fu- ture communication structure for the months lying ahead.
5. Agreements on common tasks and next steps – organizing the work?
Building a committed, good work - and communication structure? How to link with the already existing Blockupy wok structure (at which points, for whichbtasks etc.)
Reaching beyond the networks already involved - building links, meetings to go to, how to build links to ac- tions /activities related to March 18th but not in Frankfurt....
Producing common material? What “mobilization material” is needed (poster, flyers, website, calls ....)
Building the common website, press, social media (or elements) – how to find a common presentation for our efforts
6. Setting up the path (or continuing to do so) for after the ECB opening
Where and how to continue with the debates we started and need to continue
Where and how to further the debate about a common agenda/or points of reference...
7. Wrapping up and last agreements
Conference calls, commitments, work groups (links to existing work groups), communication amongst us
Meeting structure for March 18th
Broader meeting for after March 18th - when, where....
Miscellaneous