In recent weeks, print studio Kapitaal in Utrecht was transformed into an artistic activist breeding ground. Pro-choice action group Nogsteeds1984 reminded us of the urgency of the right to safe abortion through arty silk screen prints.
The right to abortion is under pressure. The terrible anti-abortion lobby is gaining more and more support, as has become painfully clear in Poland recently. In the Netherlands too, conservative supporters are becoming increasingly vocal and with the elections in sight, the pro-choice movement could use a visibility boost.
Action group Nogsteeds1984 took on this task by creating visibility through art. They had four different artistic pro-choice posters -designed by four different artists- silkscreens in large numbers and then distributed them throughout the country.
The immediate cause for the action was the approaching ‘week of life’, organized by the anti-abortion foundation Schreeuw om Leven. During this recurring week, the conservative foundation lobbies for stricter abortion laws, with a silent march to conclude. The goal of the action group Nogsteeds1984 was to set up a campaign that takes a critical view of the anti-abortion lobby. The activist art posters hung along the entire route of the march and were used as protest signs. By being fully visible during the anti-abortion demonstration, the current pro-choice legislation was reinforced.
The group’s name comes from the fact that since 1984 abortion has been legal in The Netherlands. Fortunately, in 2020 we are still Baas In Eigen Buik and we demand to remain so forever!
“We celebrate that we decide about our own body, despite growing opposition.”
Long live reproductive rights!
Header photo: Lester Kamstra
Activist group Ineos Will Fall occupied a forest in the port of Antwerp where the British chemical concern INEOS will build a plastic factory. The Flemish government is still pampering the fossil fuel industry while citizens are being rapped on the knuckles for not separating their household trash. More than 70 people were arrested, followed by widespread media attention.
In the port of Antwerp a new project is being planned, for which 55 hectares of forest have to be cut down. The British chemical concern INEOS is preparing to build a new factory, called Project One, for producing ethylene- and propylene. The project, which will most likely run on shale gas to make disposable plastics, is “a textbook example of the wrong choices that are being made for the future of the Flemish industry,” according to action group Ineos Will Fall.
INEOS is refuting the group’s criticism. Project One’s CO2 emissions are said to be more than half the amount of comparable chemical installations. The new factory would be the sustainable, early adopter in the European chemical industry, not only focused on disposable plastics, but on essential products in our daily life, such as in the automobile, construction, energy and medical sectors. Moreover, the company emphasizes that the forest is lying on an industrial piece of wasteland; if INEOS does not build Project One, another company will cut down the forest for another project. The company even promises to plant more trees than it is legally obliged to elsewhere, and will find new habitats for some of the species living in the area.
Ines Will Fall, on the contrary, said that while citizens are being rapped on the knuckles for flying or not separating their trash, the Flemish government is all the while making choices in favor of the fossil fuel industry. The action group wants to start a public debate about investing in circulair and climate-neutral projects for the sustainable transition of the port of Antwerp.
On the 3rd of October 80 to 100 activists occupied the until now still forest-covered terrain of Project One. After displays of power by the police, more than 70 people were arrested. Around 4 am the last of them were released from their cells. The (social) media attention was huge and widespread, the action drawing out comments from many people. Indeed, civil disobedience has proven again to be capable of making visible that which is invisible.
Over the past months, the Zimbabwean authoritarian government tightened the grip on their residents. Under the guise of COVID 19 measures, movement is heavily restricted in ways that can’t be explained by the guidelines narrative; activists, human rights defenders, opposition personnel and other government critics are being arbitrarily arrested.
Residents all over the country are fueled by anger — not only about rights violations, but also about the dire state of the health system and deteriorating living conditions. Corruption and mismanagement have led to the collapse of the economy and vast underinvestment in infrastructure.
There is a desire amongst the youth in Zimbabwe to contribute to the change they want to see. Now that the physical public space is effectively closed, what is left for brave youths is to go out at night to reclaim their space and engage with likeminded activists.
In order to continue the series of protests of the past months [such as the #ItsNotSanctions movement and the nationwide 31st of July strike Het Actiefonds supported], Paden Network set up the Youth Can! campaign. The project is aimed at making the youth aware of the fact that they can still be creatively confrontational even in this sickening period where the government is using the COVID 19 cover to stifle public organising, demonstrations and other non-violent forms of confrontation.
The action, held on November 5th, involved the young activists moving around in the dead of the night in several slums and high density suburbs in southern Harare, dropping flyers, placards and posters with government critical slogans. The suburbs have close to a million people between them, and by dropping the placards at strategic high human traffic points, the action directly reached a large audience.
By doing this citizens find a way to circumvent the heavy handedness of government; the resistance spirit finds a new way of expression.
Oil-company Shell is one of the multinationals most responsible for climate breakdown. In search for profit maximization, the company faces lawsuits around human rights abuses, corruption and environmental destructions. To keep up appearances, it has build strong relationships with Dutch cultural institutions such as museums, purchasing a positive image. Since 2016, Fossil Free NL has organized direct actions to break the relationship between the cultural sector and Shell. Although a lot has been accomplished, in the coming months more actions will be organized.
Royal Dutch Shell is one of the corporations most responsible for global carbon emissions and therefore responsible for climate breakdown. They face more than fifty lawsuits around human rights abuses, corruption and environmental destruction. To cover up for this culpability, Shell invests significantly in maintaining its social license. They do this by building relationships and brokering its power in many different institutions and societal spaces; educational, scientific, media, political and cultural institutions. Through funding, among others, cultural institutions, Shell purchases a positive image of societal generosity and can pimp their reputation. This is a PR strategy called artwashing (like greenwashing, but via the arts).
Fossil Free Culture NL has been working since 2016 to break the relationship between Shell and the cultural sector in The Netherlands. The organization works to contribute directly to dismantling Shell’s power over society through direct actions of civil disobedience. Many actions have been centered around the Museum Quarter of Amsterdam, housing the Van Gogh Museum, Rijksmuseum, Stedelijk Museum and Concertgebouw (Royal Concert Hall). Actions included waiters serving champagne glasses filled with ‘oil’ at the opening of the season of the Concertgebouw and infiltrating the Van Gogh Museum by positioning oil-stained shells everywhere.
Two months ago, Shell stopped its sponsorship of the Concertgebouw. All institutions around in the Museum Quarter are now finally fossil free. Fossil Free Culture NL still aims to eradicate all fossil fuel sponsorship from the cultural sector through targeting the four cultural institutions still accepting fossil fuel money: Groninger and Drents Museum, Nemo in Amsterdam and Boerhaave in Leiden. Their upcoming campaign (2020-2021) will the focus on organizing performances and building new communities for action. To do so, a series of artistic activism will be organized in Leiden, Groningen and Drenthe, so that local groups can organize creative protests and performances autonomously.
During the COVID-19 pandemic the organization will focus on reaching their public through online channels (through social media, email blasts, our website and webinars), while executing smaller offline actions. Between 20 and 30 participants will be mobilized per action / performance, building up to 100 participants after Covid-19. Online it aims to reach a broader audience (videos are watched by approx. 30,000 people online). Het Actiefonds supports Fossil Free Culture NL for the two first civil disobedient performances (one in 2020 and one in 2021), the printing of leaflets that accompany each performance and general publicity material. Leaflets will hijacks the style of the museum’s leaflets. They look like the official leaflets but contain background information on Shell’s destructive practices and solid arguments for dropping the sponsorship.
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Photo: Anisa Pinelo and Laura Ponchel
How capitalist crisis-management has been dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic is triggering large scale economic and social crises. The importance of public services and essential jobs has become increasingly clear. Thinking outside of of the boundaries of a climate-only perspective, a coalition of Portuguese climate movements is organizing a wave of direct actions throughout September and October, for systemic change, the betterment of public services and basic human rights.
The Covid-19 pandemic has brought about immense changes in the world. Many critics point to a capitalist-oriented crisis management that favors macro-economic goals, while it remains blind for mental health issues, basic human rights and the destruction of livelihoods, among other things. The pandemic is causing probably the greatest economic crisis in history, leading to social crises in various aspects of life such as housing, education and employment.
The climate justice movement is currently one of the most important internationally organized movements available. That is why a coalition of climate movements in Portugal (consisting of Climáximo, Fridays for Future Portugal, Art for Change and Climate Save) decided to voice their discontent with our current predicament, in relation to climate-issues within a wider systemic framework of anti-capitalist thinking.
From September to October, a wave of mobilizations will take place throughout Europe, under the name of Climate Care Uprising. The Portuguese coalition organized three three key moments. On September 25th, actions were organized through the broader Salvar o Clima platform. On October 5th, a mass civil-disobedience action was organized by Climáximo and endorsed by activists, artists and others. On October 17th, a mass demonstration will be organized by a large alliance of diverse social movements, under the name Bailout the Future not Profits. This is a follow-up to a previous mass demonstration of the same name in June we supported, which was connected to Black Lives Matter. You can read about it here.
Het Actiefonds supported the coalition in their civil-disobedience on October 5th. In an action called “We are the anti-bodies”, more than 100 people blocked the main roundabout of Lisbon, which connects five boulevards. The action narrative was that the activists were the antibodies against the virus which is capitalism. Among other things, the demands of the anti-bodies were 1) carbon neutrality in 2030, 2) universal, basic public services, and 3) a cap on income, introducing a new income tax that taxes 99% on income above 150.000 euros. The participants managed to convey their message; they blocked the roundabout completely for more than an hour. No one got hurt neither was anyone detained. It was a peaceful disobedience action that achieved its technical as well as political goals.
Refugee camp Moria completely burned down on the 9th of September, making 13.000 people homeless. Organization ‘Evacuate Moria’ demands the Dutch government to take responsibility in creating more humane migration policies. During a 24-hour protest around 20 people occupied the square in front of the Dutch parliament, making the humanitarian crisis tangible for politicians and passers-by.
Refugee camp Moria on Lesbos burned down completely on September 9. This humanitarian catastrophe made 13.000 people homeless, who were already living in horrible conditions. In the days that followed the Dutch government decided, under pressure, to take in five hundred victims. However, criticism was raised since the total amount of refugees that are allowed to enter The Netherlands diminishes by the same number. In other words, the government still defends inhumane asylum policies and has yet again shown her true self.
Action group ‘Evacuate Moria’ calls upon the Dutch government to take her responsibility in safeguarding the lives of the victims of Moria. Politicians cannot avoid the humanitarian crises on the Greek islands, the Mediterranean Sea and within their own countries.
On September 20 a 24-hour demonstration was organized: This is not a home. From Sunday 6 p.m. until Monday at the same time the square in front of Parliament in The Hague was occupied by around twenty people. A Moria-like refugee camp was built with tents, carton, mats and sleeping bags. Politicians and passers-by were given bananas and water, being asked whether they could get through the day on such a rationed diet. The bananas read messages like ‘NoMoreMorias’ and ‘Evacuate Now’; by offering something to people it was easier to get conversations going. On Monday afternoon an old resident of Moria gave a concert, and voicememo’s of people currently on Lesbos were played.
The vulnerability of staying outside for 24 hours was respected by many, turning into moving, personal conversations. Politicians remarked that many of them noticed and admired the protest. Despite the success of the action, the organization reflected that a lot of work remains to be done: “As long as our migration policies remain de-humanizing, we will fight for a more humane world and safe migration routes.” The transnational organization ‘Europe Must Act’ contacted ‘Evacuate Moria’ to organize this type of protest throughout European cities. As we speak they are looking for a date.
Malawi’s maternal mortality ratio remains one of the highest in the world (574 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2014) and maternal deaths present a major public health challenge for the country.
The majority of induced abortion procedures in Malawi are performed under clandestine and unsafe conditions. Complications from abortions have been estimated to account for between 6% and 18% of maternal deaths in Malawi. Abortion is only legal in Malawi to save a woman’s life. Obtaining an abortion for any other reason is punishable by 7–14 years in prison. A national debate is currently being held on whether or not to liberalize Malawi’s abortion law by providing more exceptions under which an abortion could be legally obtained.
In order to steer this debate to the right side (legalisation of abortion), Zenith organised a public campaign to get members of Parliament in Malawi to discuss and pass the Termination of Pregnancy Bill. The campaign includes a solidarity walk and the delivery of a petition to the District Commissioner.
As the worldwide visibility of pro-life movements is slowly growing, we are more and more in need of activists like the Zenith Advocacy group. Safe abortion is essential to protecting Women’s Rights, as banning abortion does not eliminate abortion, it only makes it less safe.
Zenith’s goal is to protect the rights of women and girls. In previous actions they protested against street vendors who were harassing women for wearing miniskirts in the streets, they worked with traditional leaders to eliminate forced child marriages and they advocated against traditional and cultural practices that put women and girls at risk of contracting HIV/Aids. Het Actiefonds supports Zenith in their new project for safe abortion. Follow their actions on Facebook or Instagram.
Many HIV-positive women in Uganda have undergone forced and coerced sterilization in public hospitals. The government and health workers are denying this from taking place. The Nakyesa Women’s Movement (NWM) is planning a march and sit-in to protect women’s rights, and compiling victims’ testimonies together with a human rights lawyer to file a case.
In Bbale, Uganda, there have been over 180 HIV-positive women who have undergone forced and coerced sterilization by medical doctors from the Kayunga Hospital. Irrespective of efforts to seek legal help or try to voice this, authorities have swept the issues under the carpet, leaving the rights of many violated.
Many health workers deny that forced sterilization is happening. The Ugandan Health Minister Elioda Tumwesigye said the government’s policy was “clear”: “if you become pregnant we give you treatment.”
The NWM aims to expose the health workers who have been violating the reproductive rights of women and bring them under legal scrutiny. Moreover, it is imperative that the Ugandan government becomes aware of the illegal practices taking place at public hospitals to stop further occurrence. The NWM hopes to inspire other women’s movements who have so far been silent on these issues to demand the protection of their rights.
Concretely, a march is planned, ending in a sit-in in the gardens of the Kayunga Hospital. The local police has endorsed the protest and will escort the NWM. The protest is held keeping into account the Covid-19 safety measures of wearing a mask, hand-washing and social distancing of two meters.
Moreover, many forcibly sterilized women have been ignored by government authorities because of their illiteracy. Therefore, the NWM will hire a human rights lawyer to compile women’s testimonies and petitions to make a strong case for urgent action by the Ugandan government to stop these practices from happening and to punish the health workers responsible.
(Lacking media material, the photo above is from an article in The Guardian from SheDecides, an anti-abortion protest in Uganda in 2018).
Last month was all about civil disobedience during Extinction Rebellion’s September Rebellion.
On September 1st, the September rebellion kicked off in The Hague with a demonstration and a dive in the Hofvijver. On ‘Prinsjesdag’, they reflected on the sad state of the climate with their ‘Traanrede’ and a group of rebels chained themselves to Noordeinde Palace to draw attention to the Citizens’ Assembly. The rebellion continued in Amsterdam. A three-day event was organized on Museumplein. They blocked the Blauwbrug with a dance for life and with two massive blockades on the Zuidas, they stood up against polluting companies. The multinationals established at the Zuidas (the financial centre of Amsterdam) have a great influence on the meager climate policy through clever lobbying and therefore contribute significantly to environmental pollution. Enough to protest against.
Extinction Rebellion demands from the Dutch government to:
The climate problem is too complex to entrust to a government that has failed to act for decades. Under the influence of the lobby by large companies, parliament and the cabinet have proved unable to initiate a rapid transition. A Citizens’ Assembly can break this impasse. Hopefully this will soon be realized through XR’s actions.
Looking back over the past month, we can proudly say that the September Rebellion was a great success. For several days in a row hundreds of people took action against the failing climate policy. The protests were bigger and longer than last year; a good sign that the movement continues to grow. Climate justice now!
Would you like to join Extinction Rebellion? On September 27 and October 4, there will be online “Welcome to XR” meetings for new rebels. See the website for more information.
The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed the incapabilty of the ruling class in Indonesia in providing health care and livelihood for its residents. Instead, the pandemic is being used as a freeway for the bourgeoisie to implement policies that were previously fiercely resisted by the people.
Indonesia is among the countries with the highest death rate due to Covid-19 but among the lowest in the amount of accessible coronatests in the world. Furthermore, the cost to fight the Covid-19 pandemic is being burdened on the working class and toilers’ shoulders. So said, the country suffers from rights violations and extreme living cost hikes in a financially difficult time.
Meanwhile the working class and toilers’ movement suffers from repression and silencing committed by the ruling class with various justifications under the pretext of handling the Covid-19 pandemic.
From August 13th to 17th, all around the country there were protests under the umbrella of the large “100% Freedom! Free from Pandemy and Tyranny!” action. This simulaneous National Action aimed to reignite working class and youth’s resistance against bourgeois class attack.
Among the demands from the activists were safe working environments for essential workers during the Covid-19 pandemic, a fair national wealth redistribution and centralization of means of production in the hand of the working class.
The protests coincided with important national momentums like President Jokowi’s annual state of the nation address, the People’s Consultative Assembly session and the New York Agreement of 1962’s historical momentum. The protesters called for a large strike among the working class, to show their discontent. In those series of actions, both working class civilians and youths participated. Outside the national mass demonstrations on August 14th, there arose a push to continue the protest. Yet, due to Covid-19, mass mobilization was not maximized but carried out in an online campaign.
After this demonstration the organisation got requests from other regions that didn’t participate yet but stated that they are interested and intend to participate in making this a nationwide movement against tyranny, aiming to overthrow capitalism and unite the working class and youth in a movement to build a socialist, classless society for Indonesia’s residents.
In 2011, the Socialist Union was founded as KPO PRP, to strengthen the socialist struggle in Indonesia. It aims for the overthrow of capitalism by revolutionary means and to build a socialist society. By socialism the struggle of workers is meant to organise as a state in the form of people’s councils, strengthening democracy and ownership as compared to the current state of affairs. The organisation is mainly focused on education, propaganda, mass actions, publishing books and organising discussions.
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