14-15 November 2008: European day of action against military infrastructure.
Europe is at war!
The bombs are not falling in Europe. They are falling several thousands of km away in Iraq and Afghanistan. But still war is waged from Europe. Europe serves as a launch pad for military interventions worldwide. The frameworks differ: NATO, EU, US coalition of the willing, UN. The targets also vary: Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Chad, etc. But the departure points don’t: military bases and civilian airports and harbors in Europe.
Europe hosts a large military intervention machinery.
The Iraq war made this very visible. The US and the UK waged war from their European bases. In 2003, there were 54,000 Europe-based US military personnel who were directly involved in the war against Iraq. For example, the US Army was deployed out of Germany and Italy., Bombing flights departed from UK bases and aircraft carriers in the Mediterranean. Marines were inserted into northern Iraq from Crete and Bulgaria. And this is still going on. In 2006 two-thirds of the Europe based US military were deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, preparing to depart or had just returned. Since January2003, over 1 million US troops have passed through Shannon Airport in Ireland en route to Afghanistan and Iraq. Airports across Europe have been used for ‘rendition’ flights. Without Europe the Iraq war was impossible.
European countries themselves are participating in the ongoing conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. More than 25,000 European soldiers fight under NATO command in Afghanistan. EU forces are intervening in Africa. Both NATO and the EU are developing rapid intervention forces. Several European countries have military bases outside Europe to support their interventions.
We make war under the labels of ‘military humanitarian intervention’ and ‘war against terrorism’. Behind these PR labels, the military intervention machinery protect economic interests and sustain the existing global order.
War Starts from Europe. Let’s Stop War from Europe.
We call for a European day of nonviolent direct action against war on 14-15 November 2008. This day of action is not being organized by any one organization ― the idea is that anti-militarists across Europe can adapt the action day to their local context. This call originated in discussions amongst anti-militarist activists from across Europe at the ‘NATO GAME OVER’ action in March 2008.
It is important that we encourage and support each other. It can also be useful when doing media work to be able to say how widespread the day of action is across Europe. Log in to http://europeanpeaceaction.org to be inspired by others ideas and to post your planned action in advance (unless the action is a ‘surprise’). After the action day please post reports/pictures/videos.
Take action at your local military bases and installations used for military interventions! Let’s resist military globalization together!
Would your group be interested to participate in the “War starts from Europe” action day on 14-15 November 2008? This is a European day of action against military infrastructure. Aim of the action day is to make visible that Europe hosts a wide infrastructure for military interventions worldwide and that wars thousands km away are waged from Europe.
You find the call on http://europeanpeaceaction.org/european-day-action-against-military-infrastructure in several languages and pasted below.
Would your group be interested to participate? We hope to have groups all over Europe to organize an action or manifestation at their local military base or infrastructure. At this moment we are aware of actions being planned in Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, Poland, Spain, Sweden and the UK. And probably more are still to be announced.
A lot of groups are struggling anyway against their local base. The “War starts from Europe” action day is meant to give local groups an opportunity to add their voices in one common message. By grouping a lot of local actions into one action day with a common message, you have more chance to get both the common message spread widely and the local message in the local press. It also gives the opportunity to show that a certain base is not an isolated problem but part of a military network of bases. And that the resistance is widespread all over Europe.
This day of action is also useful as preparation for the mobilization against the NATO summit in 2009.
Please react to international@bombspotting.org and announce your action (if possible) or report on http://europeanpeaceaction.org.
Greetings,
Hans Lammerant
Bombspotting – Vredesactie
www.bombspotting.org – www.vredesactie.be – www.mcmilitary.org
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