Activists Guide for the protests in Egypt

PRESS RELEASE : Let’s withdraw our money !

http://www.bankrun2010.com

Press Release

Dear media,

For a short time, the international press reported    the call for a bankrun that we launched on Facebook to invite all those who wish to follow us to withdraw their money from their accounts on the  7th of December, 2010.

Since the publication of our call, people around the world mobilized to translate the text into their language to recreate the event in their country, to promote our initiative by all possible means and invite their contacts to do the same. Our call has met with a success that we did not dare to hope for. We are very happy about it and thanks to the personal investment of all those who, like us, want to enjoy a healthy banking system, equitable, affordable and accountable, we hope that over the weeks we can convince enough people in the world to finally be heard by our respective Governments.

For clarification purposes, we do not speak on behalf of any political party or from any labour union or religion. Our action is a civic involvement that keeps its distance from any form of hate or conspiracy theories that could be made on behalf of our movement, by others during their interventions on any areas of discussion, which is beyond our control. We only speak for ourselves and for no other organisations. We do not seek to harm anyone in particular. It's towards a corrupt, criminal and deadly system that we decided to oppose, as far as our ability our determination and respect for the law are concerned.

Why have we launched this action?

First of all, we wanted to raise public awareness on the functioning of the monetary system.

The overwhelming majority of holders of a bank accounts, savings accounts or even a pension plan, are unaware the way money is created or what the banks are doing with the money that 'they are given. They know nothing about the principle of money as debt. They do not know the reality behind words like "asset bubbles", "Treasury bills", "Hedge Funds" or "securitization". Hence the media in general make little effort to inform in an objective, transparent and accessible way to all. The only thing the public really understands is that most major financial crimes and insider trading remain mostly unpunished, but they are the first to pay the consequences.

Not only do we deplore how many questions posed by ordinary citizens on the economic situation remain without clear answers in your columns, but we also regret your lack of zeal in denouncing the measures that have allowed the global economic situation get to the point where it is today: a situation that has bought our heads of states and Governments to their knees before the rating agencies, trembling with fear at the idea that our currencies are deteriorating. 

Our politicians can't meet both the interests of financial markets and those of its citizens. So, it is time to remind them who they were elected to serve.

Strikes and demonstrations are no longer useful because whatever we do, we are not heard. And whatever they do, we are not consulted. So we decided to hit the system at its core - THE BANKING SYSTEM

Are we aware of the economic consequences that would result from the success of our action?

We are especially aware of the consequences that the deregulated and uncontrollable global financial system will have on our jobs, our health, our education, our pensions, our industries, our environment, our future, our dignity, the dignity of the citizens of countries that the system has enslaved by debt that they will never be able to repay to better appropriate their resources. This is the fate that awaits people if we in the West do not take ourselves in hand.

We are aware of the role this system plays in the prosperity of industrial empires whose interests depend on armed conflicts, diseases, food shortages and poverty prevailing in the countries that provide labour and natural resources at minimal cost. We are aware that this system will never have anything to gain from a world of peace and prosperity and that continuing to entrust our hard and honestly earned money to this sick system, we make ourselves accomplices of its thefts, for its crimes, its wars and the misery war generates.

What do we want?

We, the citizens of the 21st century, heirs of generations who have sacrificed so that we may live free and dignified, demand the creation of a CITIZENS BANK- serving citizens, a bank that would put our money away from speculative fever, free of all financial bubbles designed to burst one day, free of operations that transform our loans & assets and use our debt to buy other assets.

We want banks that lend only the wealth they have. Banks that help small and medium enterprises to relocate jobs, &  bank lending at zero rate. (*) Banks that support projects that benefit citizens rather than the "market". Banks where we can deposit our money, which will then create a peaceful conscience within ourselves. Banks we will not have to be worry about. Banks whose success will sound the death knell of the merchants of death, disease and slavery. On the ruins of the old system, we want to build a banking system that will no longer sacrifice more human dignity on the altar of profit.

We, the people have finally been awakened by poverty and despair afflicting the most vulnerable among us - pensioners, welfare recipients or working poor - and is now threatening what remains of the middle class & entrepreneurs. Even these are exploited as milking cows, and we now simply want the cancellation of the public debts generated by the sick system that we no longer want. We do not want our taxes, our efforts, our resources to continue to feed this bottomless pit. We want to regain the power to coin money and free ourselves from the guidelines imposed on us by the European Union, which was built against the consent of the majority of people consulted by referendum, not to mention those whose country of origin have no organized popular consultation. 

 

(*) What the Islamic banks to successfully achieve by refusing usury for religious reasons, we can do for civic reasons.

To conclude

We draw your attention to the fact that even if we manage to relocate jobs, advanced technologies and machines have replaced human labour in a growing number of areas. They can produce more, faster, cheaper, and for these reasons, they create fear to those who wonder how they will earn their living tomorrow. This is unfortunate because since the invention of the wheel, technology is meant to improve the living conditions of mankind. If progress was meant to serve citizens rather than serve the market, we could make a quantum leap in technology development today paralyzed by special interest groups that are the primary beneficiaries of this system.

We already have the knowledge to free humanity of its needs in fossil and nuclear fuels and to produce and deliver drinking water throughout the planet at a lower cost, to produce fruits and vegetables, from ice fields to the desert. Poverty only exists on our planet because of the lack of political will of industrialized countries, subject to market forces. Pollution and waste of resources are the sad consequences of this obsolete system which we must put an end to.

We, the inheritors of chaos, we have a world to rebuild. A world where work is no longer seen as slavery, and lack of work as a tragedy because we have been able to rethink how mankind of tomorrow will ensure its survival, education, well-being and old age.

We invite all those who want to follow us on this path - including you, dear journalists - to overcome their fears of the unknown and to lay the foundation stone for the construction of the system that will replace the current one, which with or without us, will eventually collapse when it has taken everything from us. We prefer not to wait until it arrives, or even worse, if in order to save the economy a new war would be declared.

We thank the footballer Eric Cantona for having instilled the idea that we have taken literally. The die is cast. Time will tell whether we were right. (07/11/2010)

BANKRUN 2010

Campaigning Workshop for Squatters & Activists.Part 1:Media

This is the first part of workshop about campaigning which is teaching how to deal with the media. We happy to see that slowly there it's forming the campaigning group what will be ready to help to get our, your massage across. Are You interested to join or You need help in Your actions ? Get clue what You can do better. There many actions days, demonstrations, direct actions etc. that's why its important to educate Yourself. The second part it's coming and would be about the politics. 
There its more practical things to learn here :
http://ourmediaindymedia.blogspot.com/search/label/practical

Spirit Of Squatters Collective



Spirit Of Squatters Collective : This is solidarity action (like most of our videos). The solidarity is stronger when it is seen by as many people as possible.So...Please use it ! Pass this info to everybody who could be interested !!!
Feel free to embed,link it,send it,screen it etc. Use it=don't loose it. Reclaim the media with us !

... So get inspired. TOGETHER WE ARE STRONGER !!!
http://www.youtube.com/user/spiritofsquatters
Spirit Of Squatters Collective is always trying to report and support good things what are happening around us. We trying at least one time a week show You some news. Our goal is to do it daily but 1st we can not be everywhere and 2nd We don't have enough time mainly to edit ( there are many projects waiting for their time...) That's why we waiting for You to help us support good things with our video channel and with creating independent media.

and that's few words from our pages:
With our activities we want to make this world a better place.Reclaim the media with us.Feel free to use our videos.Now all up to you !!!Real life is beginning when you turn off the tv, computer. See you on the streets in actions !!!
If You think its important and good what we are doing You can donate what can help us to find more time to improve our activity. Click here:
http://www.ourmediaindymedi... OR EVEN BETTER YOU CAN OFFER US WORK.Thanks !!!

WATCH!
READ!
THINK!
REALIZE!
TALK!
COMMUNICATE!
LISTEN!
DEFEND!
DESTROY!
CREATE!
CHANGE!
GET INSPIRED!
RECLAIM MEDIA WITH US!
JOIN US!
FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHTS!
SQUAT!

Hand signals for Meetings- video tutorial

                               Hand signals are often used by consensus decision-making bodies as a way for group members to nonverbally indicate their opinions or positions. Although the nature and meaning of individual gestures varies from group to group, there is a widely-adopted core set of hand signals. Using the following hand signals in meetings makes meetings run more smoothly and helps the facilitators spot emerging agreements.                                              

Practical about squatting ban - info and video

from http://www.stichting138a.nl/english

From October the 1st, 2010 the Law 'Squatting and Vacancy' applies in the Netherlands. Under this law squatting is forbidden, the police can evict squads and local councils are given tools to prevent vacancy.

As a result of this policy Stichting 138a was founded. Stichting 138a is a legal expertise centre on squatting and vacancy law. We particularly provide legal advice to squatters and support legal actions based on the squatting and vacancy law.

Stichting 138a is an initiative of independent jurists and lawyers. We keep interested people up to date on our activities by irregularly published newsletters.
 

To sign up for the newsletter please write an email to: nieuwsbrief@stichting138a.nl
Media and press can contact pers@stichting138a.nl
All other mail can be send to info@stichting138a.nl

138a Criminal Code (Netherlands)

1. He who in a home or building, of which the use by the recipient is terminated, unlawfully enters or unlawfully dwell therein, is as guilty of squatting, punished with imprisonment not exceeding one year or a fine of the third category.

2. If he makes use of or threats with resources suitable for intimidating, he is punished with imprisonment not exceeding two years or a fine of the fourth category.

3. In the first and second paragraphs imprisonment may be increased by one third, if two or more persons commit the crime.

Dwell therein. It does not matter if you live in the squat or you are just visiting. It also does not matter if you have squatted the place itself. The purpose of the Act is to make it punishable to stay in a place that was squatted after but also before the 1st of October 2010.

Unlawful means in violation of the law. In case of squats you have no right to stay in the building. If there is an agreement with the owner, your stay is NOT in violation of the law.

Claim means the order to leave the building. Without this order a squat cannot be evicted, because you cannot know if your stay is unlawful. The question is whether the police will think so too.

Resources suitable for intimidating is a very vague description. Because of this vagueness it is unlikely that people will be convicted on this charge. Judges require clear laws.

The penalties are maximum penalties. In the past, particularly for squatting, penalties were much lower. Conditional fines around 250 Euros were common and eviction did not always led to a court case. The question is if this will change.

551a Criminal Procedure (Netherlands)

In case of suspicion of a crime as defined in Articles 138, 138a and 139 of the Penal Code, any police officer may enter the appropriate place. They are all competent to remove or cause to be removed, all persons who are illegally staying therein and all objects that are found there on the spot.

Enter. The police can enter any building suspected of no agreement between users and owner. If you have an agreement with the owner it's best to write this down and show the police immediately when they show up at your door.

Evict. It is not clear if the police can evict everyone and everything with this new law. It is best to say your stay is NOT unlawful. It will be up to a judge to decide if this is true, so the police can evict after the court case. The question is if the police thinks the same.

Squating after October 1st, 2010 (Netherlands)

Squatting after October 1st, 2010

• Living in a squat will be less secure. With this new law police can be at your door any moment. Keep your door closed when the police is around. Talk through the mailbox or from a window on the second floor.
• There is no reason left for the police to enter newly squatted buildings in order to check vacancy.
• Squatting is no longer protected by law, but is still justified. Laws can always be scraped again. If enough people want to get rid of this law squatting will be possible again soon. So tell your community why you squat, whether it is against speculation or simply because you do not have a roof over your head.
• If you have an agreement with the owner make sure you have copies to show the police. Put verbal agreements on paper and copy it.
• There is much talk about whether or not to evacuate after the 1st of October 2010. Municipality, police and the Public Prosecutor make this policy. Your local Squatting Information Point (KSU) may know more about the local policy. The local municipalities can clarify some of your questions. When you are not satisfied with their answers contact your KSU, a lawyer or for example Stichting 138a.
• Contact info of your KSU and lawyers is available on kraak-forum.

By continuing to squat it will be impossible and unaffordable to maintain this law. Maintaining this law may be further discouraged by immediately re- squatting evicted houses, by squatting two new houses after an eviction or by other solidarity actions.

Each squatting action must be fully used to convince people that squatting is still necessary. Should the police be used to protect vacancy? Should antisocial speculators be protected? And should the housing shortage be maintained? We should not choose between winning public opinion or continued activism. We need both! Neither should we choose between living quietly or permanent campaigning. By actions we can show the authorities that maintaining this law is unnecessary and impossible. Only then might we live peacefully again.

Toespraak over kraakverbod.NMG demonstratie part 138a - video

Spirit Of Squatters Collective

We interviewed a lot off people passing by and we were warmly surprised because 95% was positive about squatting... This is just first small part of those chats. The rest would follow...

Spirit Of Squatters Collective : This is solidarity action (like most of our videos). The solidarity is stronger when it is seen by as many people as possible.So...Please use it ! Pass this info to everybody who could be interested !!!
Feel free to embed,link it,send it,screen it etc. Use it=don't loose it. Reclaim the media with us !

... So get inspired. TOGETHER WE ARE STRONGER !!!
http://www.youtube.com/user/spiritofsquatters
Spirit Of Squatters Collective is always trying to report and support good things what are happening around us. We trying at least one time a week show You some news. Our goal is to do it daily but 1st we can not be everywhere and 2nd We don't have enough time mainly to edit ( there are many projects waiting for their time...) That's why we waiting for You to help us support good things with our video channel and with creating independent media.

and that's few words from our pages:
With our activities we want to make this world a better place.Reclaim the media with us.Feel free to use our videos.Now all up to you !!!Real life is beginning when you turn off the tv, computer. See you on the streets in actions !!!
If You think its important and good what we are doing You can donate what can help us to find more time to improve our activity. Click here:
http://www.ourmediaindymedi... OR EVEN BETTER YOU CAN OFFER US WORK.Thanks !!!

WATCH!
READ!
THINK!
REALIZE!
TALK!
COMMUNICATE!
LISTEN!
DEFEND!
DESTROY!
CREATE!
CHANGE!
GET INSPIRED!
RECLAIM MEDIA WITH US!
JOIN US!
FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHTS!
SQUAT!