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[OPIRG-EVENTS] A Call to Action Against the G8 - Ottawa, June 26-27 (fwd)






---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sat, 9 Mar 2002 23:54:59 -0500 (EST)
From: Take the Capital! <takethecapital@tao.ca>
To: takethecapital@tao.ca
Subject: A Call to Action Against the G8 - Ottawa, June 26-27

"TAKE THE CAPITAL!"
A CALL TO ACTION AGAINST THE G8
OTTAWA, CANADUH -- JUNE 26-27, 2002

This coming June 26-27, the executive board of global capitalism is
retreating to the foothills of Alberta, Canada. Jean Chretien, George W.
Bush, Tony Blair and the other so-called leaders of the industrialized
world continue planning for war at home and abroad, surrounded by pristine
wilderness, putting greens, and thousands of police and soldiers.

The self-serving "war on terrorism", orchestrated by the leaders of the
G8, continues to militarize and brutalize the world, while cynically
making appeals to civilization and freedom. From Afghanistan to Colombia,
from the Philippines to Somalia, Western powers continue to exercise their
self-proclaimed right to dominate and determine the destiny of the global
South at an ever more accelerated pace.

The war also continues at home. All levels of government, in particular
the far-right governments in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario,
unabashedly pursue economic policies at the service of big business,
contributing to poverty, environmental destruction, social service
cutbacks and more. Their arsenal ranges from privatization schemes to
well-armed tactical police units. The agenda of capitalist globalization
-- embodied by institutions and treaties like the IMF, World Bank, WTO,
NAFTA, FTAA and G8 -- is the relentless transfer of power and wealth to
the economic and political elites of Canada.

In particular, the war at home includes the scapegoating and attacks on
immigrant and refugee communities, as well as so-called "anti-terrorist"
laws that are nothing but a judicial assault on civil rights and political
organizing, with clear racist implications.

Last July, hundreds of thousands of demonstrators gathered in Genoa, Italy
against the G8, and were met with state-sponsored police brutality that
included the murder of activist Carlo Giuliani. The Genoa protests were
accompanied by protests worldwide in opposition to the agenda of the G8.

The global uprising is led by grassroots movements in the global South.
The recent popular rebellions in Argentina, Ecuador and Bolivia stand out
as inspiring and empowering examples and models of resistance to
imperialism and capitalism, in the face of violent day-to-day state
repression.

And so, in clear opposition to the G8, in solidarity with protests in
Alberta and worldwide, and in ongoing support of local and regional
grassroots social justice efforts, activists from Ontario and Quebec are
making a call for two days of action in Ottawa -- Canada's national
capital -- on June 26-27, 2002.

We invite all organizations, affinity groups and individuals in Ontario,
Quebec, the Maritimes and the Northeastern United States to join the
mobilizing, organizing and awareness-raising efforts for the days of
action in Ottawa.

The two days of protest will involve demonstrations of all kinds, popular
education, civil disobedience and direct action, targeting the many
manifestations of political and economic power of the national capital. We
are organizing on the basis of a respect for a diversity of tactics,
meaning manifold forms of resistance in mutual solidarity and respect,
while aiming to ensure the safety and defense of all participants.

Join us in Ottawa in June as we take the capital!

-----
For more information, or to get involved:
takethecapital@tao.ca
http://www.takethecapital.net
613-788-3310 (messages only)

If your affinity group or organization endorses the callout above, please
let us know.


HOW TO GET INVOLVED!

"TAKE THE CAPITAL"
OTTAWA ACTIONS AGAINST THE G8
June 26-27, 2002


--->
---> REGIONAL ORGANIZING MEETINGS, CONSULTA AND SPOKESCOUNCILS
--->

Between now and June, there will be several regional organizing meetings
for the Take the Capital! actions in Ottawa. These meetings will permit
committees to report-back on their work, and also allow all affinity
groups and individuals to participate in decision-making. The organizing
meetings, consulta and spokescouncils will be based on the organizing and
political principles that are included below.

---> The next regional organizing meeting will take place in Ottawa on
APRIL 7, 2002 from 11am to 4pm. If you want to get involved, or to confirm
your participation, please e-mail takethecapital@tao.ca or phone
613-788-3310.  The location is tba.

Travel subsidies are available to facilitate broad participation,
especially from low-income and marginalized individuals and groups. To ask
for a subsidy, just e-mail takethecapital@tao.ca or phone 613-788-3310.

The other main regional meetings until June have been scheduled. They are:

Regional Organizing Meeting: May  5, 2002, 11am-4pm, OTTAWA
Regional CONSULTA: May 25-26, 2002, OTTAWA
Action Spokescouncils: June 23-27, 2002, OTTAWA

There might be other regional meetings or spokescouncils, but they will be
scheduled at other meetings and spokescouncils.

--->
---> ORGANIZING COMMITTEES AND SUBGROUPS
--->

Several committees and subgroups have been formed for the Take the Capital
Action. The main logisitics committees include:

---> Housing, Food, Welcome Center, Legal, Medical

All the above committees will be Ottawa-based. To get involved, please
contact ottawa-anti-capitalist@riseup.net or phone 613-788-3310. While
these committees will be Ottawa-based, they require help from outside the
city, especially for Food, Legal and Medical. Don't hesitate to get in
touch with offers of help.

Other committees, that will organized on a regional level, include:

---> Scenario, Outreach, Fundraising, Communications, Agitprop,
Translation

To get involved with the above committees, e-mail takethecapital@tao.ca or
phone 613-788-3310. Please note that some of the above committees will
also be organized locally by local contact groups and individuals (see
next section).

There are also several subgroups that are organizing autonomously, but are
linked to the Take the Capital actions on June 26-27 in Ottawa. The
subgroups include:

Labour Outreach: pj@iww.ca
Coordinated Local Actions: retardedckat@yahoo.ca
Highway Caravans: pquick@kingston.net
The Bikesheviks: research@csu.tao.ca
Conference/Teach-in on Alternatives: jeremy@tao.ca
Anti-G8 Roadshow and Caravan: clac@tao.ca

Please get in touch if you want to get involved.


--->
---> LOCAL ORGANIZING AND CONTACTS
--->

There are several active groups and individuals throughout the region that
are actively involved in mobilizing for the Take the Capital actions on
June 26-27. Many tasks like outreach, fundraising and agitprop are being
organized on a local leval. Please e-mail takethecapital@tao.ca or phone
613-788-3310 for contacts. There are currently organizing contacts in the
following cities and towns:

London, Kitchener-Waterloo, Guelph, Mississauga, Toronto, Burlington,
Belleville, Peterborough, Kingston, Ottawa, Aylmer, Montreal, Quebec City,
Jonquiere, New York City, Vermont.

If you can be a local organizing contact, or if you want to get in touch
with others in your region, please get in touch.


--->
---> ORGANIZING AND POLITICAL PRINCIPLES:
--->

The Take the Capital Actions are organized on the basis of specific
organizing and political principles:

- an analysis that emphasizes a clear anti-capitalist
and anti-imperialist position against globalization
and war;
- a clear emphasis on anti-oppression organizing and
education;
- a focus on local organizing, as opposed to just
going from one big protest to another;
- trying to make genuine links between
"anti-globalization" issues and local organizing
efforts;
- active support and solidarity for initiatives like
the Ontario Common Front's economic disruption
campaign, or the recent squat project in
Montreal;
- a respect for a diversity of tactics, and showing
solidarity with the full scope of resistance in our
communities;
- distrust and skepticism of lobbying efforts,
emphasizing instead grassroots organizing, popular
education and mobilizing;
- organizing in a non-hierarchical, anti-authoritarian
fashion, as well as within the framework of
anti-oppression analysis and action.

In addition to the political and organizing principles
outlined above, the organizers of the Ottawa Consulta
and Regional Assembly have adopted the hallmarks of
the Peoples' Global Action (PGA) network (as modified
and accepted at Cochabamba, Bolivia in September
2001):

1. A very clear rejection of capitalism, imperialism
and feudalism; all trade agreements, institutions and
governments that promote destructive globalisation.
2. We reject all forms and systems of domination and
discrimination including, but not limited to,
patriarchy, racism and religious fundamentalism of all
creeds. We embrace the full dignity of all human
beings.
3. A confrontational attitude, since we do not think
that lobbying can have a major impact in such biased
and undemocratic organisations, in which transnational
capital is the only real policy-maker;
4. A call to direct action and civil disobedience,
support for social movements' struggles, advocating
forms of resistance which maximize respect for life
and oppressed peoples' rights, as well as the
construction of local alternatives to global
capitalism.
5. An organisational philosophy based on
decentralisation and autonomy.


-----
TAKE THE CAPITAL!
Ottawa Actions against the G8
June 26-27, 2002
http://www.takethecapital.net
takethecapital@tao.ca
613-788-3310 (messages only)
on parle francais.
se habla espanol.




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