World Hunger Strike Day Against US Star Wars

In feline solidarity, Miaou, my cat, fasted today against the delusional US Star Wars proposal for Poland and the Czech Republic! But he only lasted 10 mins, then started eating a cheesecake, so I took over for him.

Why fast today? Well Sunday, June 22nd, was declared by our Czech colleagues as World Hunger Strike Day Against Star Wars - sensibly calling on financial resources to be divested from the US missile defence programme, and militarism in general, and to be directed towards addressing real human needs - food, education, health, sustainable environment, etc.

Please read on to find out more about this initiative, videos against Star Wars, photos and comments from participants in the June 22nd fast.


The following is an original article by Tony Robinson which I brushed up to make it more time relevant

On the 2nd June, after 21 days, Jan Tamas and Jan Bednar suspended their hunger strike. The protest against the proposed US Star Wars system for Poland and the Czech Republic continues, however, in the form of a relay in the Czech Republic with the participation of politicians, scientists and artists, etc.

video message by Jan Tamas

To give more force to this great non-violent protest, the Czech campaigners launched a Worldwide 1-Day Hunger Strike today, June 22nd, proposing a simple but significant gesture: let’s not eat for one day to oppose Star Wars and say to the world powers: “Stop feeding the war machine and start feeding the people!”

The Czech campaigners declared that it’s scandalous one thousand million dollars are destined to military spending, when with different choices this money could solve the problems of hunger, lack of education and the environment.

Here you can look at photos and messages from today's hunger strike participants

If you’d like more information please have a look here:

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Campaign in the World

In Italy, Giorgio Schultze started a hunger strike on the 1st of June and suspended it on the 13th of June in Brussels where, together with Jan Tamas, he met with Luisa Morgantini – Vice-President of the European Parliament and many other MEPs (Members of the European Parliament). On the 9th of July, there will be a meeting and press conference in Strasbourg with MEPs opposed to the Star Wars project. He will present the signatures gathered by the on-line petition: A great opportunity to redouble our efforts and reach 200,000 signatures!

Giorgio Schultze and Jan Tamas will participate in the European Humanist Forum “The Strength of Nonviolence” in Milan, Italy on the 17th, 18th and 19th of October where they will be guest-speakers on the Disarmament panel. For more information about the forum see the website: Humanist Forum and download the monthly bulletin here.

The bulletin is also available in French, Spanish and Italian.

On 22nd June in the USA

Video about “Star Wars” (reduced version of 10 minutes)

20 minute version

Other Information

Support this campaign by letting your friends know, in your city, among organisations and the media. Only with everyone’s help can we change the future, a future that is today in the hands of a few unscrupulous crazy people.

info@europeforpeace.eu
www.nonviolence.cz

The Bushman in Northern Ireland

Just a few images to document George Walker's passing through. Thankfully we won't have to see the gobshite again.


Belfast tells Bush where to stick it!
From the ever-reliable Paula Geraghty (c)


Schoolgirl: "Hey George, what's 2 + 2 equal to"?
GWB: "Ah.....uhm.....err...."


Super mural in Northern Ireland

And I couldn't be arsed writing any more about this flute. More images and reports from friends in Ireland at Indymedia

'Hammered by the Irish' - Out Soon!

“Hammered by the Irish” by Harry Browne deals with the militarisation of Ireland’s Shannon Airport in service of the U.S invasion and occupation of Iraq.

The book tells the story of 5 Catholic Workers, known as the Pitstop Ploughshares www.peaceontrial.com , who in 2003 disable a U.S war plane at Shannon causing $2.5 million damage.

The five were demonised by the mainstream media and condemned by large sections of the anti-war movement.

Their act of nonviolent resistance was to resonate with a Dublin jury which unanimously found them not guilty of all charges at their third trial in 2006.



Harry Browne lectures in Dublin Institute of Technology. His book, ‘Hammered by the Irish: How the Pitstop Ploughshares disabled a US war-plane – with Ireland’s blessing’, is forthcoming from Counterpunch.org Books.
He can be reached at: harry.browne@gmail.com

No - 55%; Yes - 45% >>>>> Farewell to the Lisbon Treaty

From last week's Irish Times

It is now highly likely that Irish voters have rejected the Lisbon Treaty.

Results have already being announced in 19 of the 43 constituencies, and the Lisbon Treaty has been rejected by a margin of 54.7% to 45.3%.

Dermot Ahern, Minister for Justice, has conceded that it looks like the Lisbon Treaty has been lost.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs Brian Lenihan got hounded out of the main count centre by No campaigners.

Analysts are saying that the high turnout surprisingly did not favour the Yes side as was predicted.

Leading bookie, Paddy Power, who started prematurely paying out to those who bet on the Yes side winning, now looks like it will be paying out to the No side also.

Speculation from commentators is that the ratification process will go ahead throughout the EU despite the Irish result, but what will happen after that is still anyone's guess.

The Irish Prime Minister, Brian Cowen, may attempt to get some more clear opt out clauses to alleviate Irish fears on militarisation, taxation, abortion, etc. amongst a host of other issues and then put the referendum to the Irish people again (as happened with the Nice Treaty).

He is due to go to Brussels next week and will certainly face cold shoulders. A joint Franco-German declaration is due later this afternoon, while Sarkozy and France are due to take over the EU presidency soon and will do so at a very difficult period for the Euro-elite.

Gordon Brown in Britain is also going to face strong pressure to either abandon the process or hold a referendum to decide on the issue.

The fact that 14% of construction workers in Ireland have lost their jobs in the last 12 months and that Ireland currently has the worst performance in Europe in this sector may have also being a factor in getting some to vote No. The Fisheries crisis in Ireland helped the No side in many areas, in addition to conservative voters fears of abortion, euthanasia while others voted with their feet against a perceived loss of sovereignty and moves to further militarise Europe.

Ireland at the polls - Will Lisbon sink or swim?

Well, that question is really impossible to answer, as the polling stations only opened at 7am this morning and are due to close at 10pm tonight.

Recent polls differed on who held the upper hand. Both sides agree that it is likely to be a tight race.

No campaigners are hoping for a low turn-out, while the Yes campaign know they have to motivate and get their people out of their offices and houses to carry the referendum through.

The Lisbon Treaty issue is quite odd really. 2.8 million registered voters in Ireland, of whom probably less than 50% will vote, are to determine the future shape of a European Union that consists of 490 million+ citizens in 27 countries, 18 of which have already ratified treaty in their parliaments (being too fearful to put it to their electorate). The French and Dutch voted No to the EU Constitution 2 years ago, yet the Lisbon Treaty, in substance, is the same document.


Working class and more rural voters overwhelmingly voted No in France and Holland in 2006, whereas urban, more middle-class folk voted Yes. The social class breakdown of the pre-referendum polls in Ireland are very similar, and therefore the regional breakdown of turn-out throughout Ireland today will have a huge influence in terms of who will end up victorious.


If the No camp win, it is unclear whether EUrocrats will go back to the drawing board to hammer out a new treaty which they will then attempt to ratify in the future. Or, a repeat of the Nice referendum debacle in 2001 may occur, when the Irish, who initially voted No, held a second referendum a year later and 'dutifully' voted Yes.

One way or the other, all European eyes are on Ireland over the next 24 hours.

The issues which will swing the vote either ways are hard to judge. Many Yes voters seem likely to not vote on the content of the treaty, which few have read and even fewer can digest and comprehend, but rather on whether they are content with Ireland's place in Europe. The No side is a diverse bunch, including the only political party to campaign for a No vote, Sinn Fein. Their key points are loss of sovereignty and the death of Irish neutrality.

Free marketeers Libertas, an astro-turf campaign with close connections to US military aviation charter services, is fearful of tax harmonisation, which would damage Ireland's favourable tax system for multi-national corporations.

Statist leftists and anarchists are against the treaty for a range of issues including increase in national military expenditure, EU army intervention forces, fear of privatisation of public services, centralisation of power in Brussels.

Right-wing Catholics are against the treaty as they are afraid the European Court of Justice will over-rule Irish sovereignty regarding abortion law.

With a downturn in the Irish economy and tightening up of the labour market, many working class voters are fearful of Polish and other EU immigration to Ireland threatening their future employability.

All these and much more are factors in today's referendum.

Only time and turn-out rates and geographical spread will determine the much awaited fate of the EU constitution/Lisbon Treaty.