textfiles/politics/SPUNK/sp000398.txt

Counter Information No. 40 - Part 2
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Seeds of Revolt

In India a grassroots movement has formed to protect the 
future of seed.The power of multinationals to control 
the genetic information of life itself has been greatly 
extended under GATT (General Agreement on tariffs and Trade) 
and companies have placed patents on animals, micro-organisms,
the brain coding of human beings etc..Western multinationals 
are trying to steal indigenous plants and knowledge from 
Third World people and turn what should be a common human 
resource into a trade commodity. The seed trader company 
Cargill even claims to own pollen and speaks of bees as 
"usurping the pollen."In the autumn of 1993 more than 
half a million peple gathered together in Banglore, South 
India, to protest the freedom of seed.In defiance local 
seed banks are being set up at village level in order to 
keep seed, regarded as sacred, free from big business 
control. 
	In Britain too grassroots resistance to the rape of 
the planet is growing. There has been a spate of Earth 
First! actions, mainly against the Tories crazed roadbuilding 
program, and more are to come! There seems to be an increasing 
success rate with road schemes cancelled under Earth First! 
pressure including the M1-M62 link in Yorkshire, the Leadenham 
bypass  near Lincoln and a link road development in Leicester. 
Earth First! direct action is on the increase especially since 
the high profile coverage given to Twyford Down and the brief 
but glorious establishment of the autonomous republic of Wanstonia 
which was viciously smashed by our police state. The violent 
response of the state and its unheeding destructon of irreplacable 
enviroment has convinced many that it's more than just the 
transport system we need to change. Earth First! has no 
centralised structure; no offices, leaders or official spokespeople 
so anyone who wants can form an Earth First! group or do Earth First!
actions.There are probably as many different opinions on how and 
why we should save the planet in EF! U.K. as there are people 
involved. There are constant undercover actions such as the two 
attacks on an ARC office (a roadbuilding company) where nearly 
50.000 pounds worth of damage was done which of course North 
Wales EF! "doesn't know anything about"...or brazen ones like 
Glasgow EF!'s occupation of Glasgow Council's roads department 
building in protest at the proposal to run a road through and 
develop Pollok Estate. There is mass local opposition to the 
proposed destruction.  
	In America there is ever increasing co-operation 
between indigenous people whose land is being torn from them 
and eco-activists. There is need for more solidarity between 
the class struggle and the enviromental struggle.Everywhere 
it is poor people who are the most immediate victims of enviromental 
destruction: exposed to toxins at work and in poor quality housing, 
pushed aside by business development and deprived of the right to 
land. Resist Much: Obey Little!   

See also Aufheben No.3 2 pounds (or 5 pounds for 3 sub) 
from Aufheben 
c/o Prior House, Tilbury Place, Brighton, East Sussex, BN2 2GY UK


"To the Runways!"

THE STRIKE by Air France ground staff last October against 
4,000 redundancies, a wage freeze and the abolition of 
bonuses holds important lessons.  On 20 October transport 
minister Bosson declared this plan "irrevocable".  On 24 
October the French government withdrew the plan.
   Why?  Because for 5 days up to 3,000 workers invaded 
the Roissy, Orly and Toulouse runways and stopped all 
freight and passenger traffic.
   Riot police were driven off.  "The lads drove into 
the cops with runway vehicles and the cops ran away," 
explained a striker.
   Solidarity was exemplary - on 25 October 3,000 Orly 
strikers went to the police and successfully demanded that all charges against strikers be dropped.
   To the Union Bureaucrats' dismay the Union-called 
assemblies were quickly terminated by cries of 
"To the runways!"
   But there were weaknesses.  The workers did not 
co-ordinate between sectors and sites outside of 
the Unions, who negotiated a return to work without a 
signed agreement withdrawing the redundancies.  The 
movement needed to spread more to other industries.
   Nevertheless the Air France strikers have shown all 
workers the formidable power of mass workers' direct action.
See Contra Flow for extensive report.

Smashing way to change

40,000 young people and students held a victory parade on 
31st March in Paris after the French Government caved in 
to their demands. Casseurs ('smashers' - disaffected youth) 
left a trail of destruction during the celebration 
attracting tear gas  from the riot police. The march also 
called for the release of demonstrators detained in earlier 
actions and the return of two Algerians deported after the 
Lyons disturbances.
   Throughout France, notably in Lyons, quarter of a million 
students had demonstrated throughout France against plans 
of the conservative Government to reduce the minimum wage 
for people under 26 by 20%. This scheme only applied to 
young people with less than two years higher education. 
This attempt to increase divisions based on qualifications  
was resisted by school-students, students and the unemployed. 
With 23% unemployment amongst under 25s, anger was widespread 
against a system of poverty, little training and 
exploitation.
   Faced with falling profit rates, the Prime Minister, 
Balladur, tried to implement capital's aim to drive wage 
levels downwards in a climate of insecurity. In the last 
few years, under Socialists and conservative coalition 
Governments, 50% of French workers are employed with no 
job security  leading to an attack on wages and 
conditions.
   Following the example of Air France strikers, and 
peasants, the protests limited the power of left parties 
and unions whose aim is to defuse discontent and contain 
unrest. Instead, a climate of confrontation and direct 
action forced the Government to capitulate. The repressive 
power of the State was unable to counter spontaneous demos, 
sit-ins, rail and road blocks & other tactics. Loose 
'coordinations' bypassed official channels. Although not 
revolutionary in aims (unlike the rhetoric of 1968), they 
prevented protest from being stifled. Worldwide, such 
self-organisation is essential to inflict  more defeats on 
the ruling class.


Zapata Worldwide

Calcutta: Dec. 19th.  Workers occupy jute mill after being 
locked out for demanding wages which had not been paid.  
Production was restarted and workers' committees set up 
alongside a communal kitchen.  Jute workers throughout the
region sent messages of support.  The courts ordered the 
occupation illegal and closed the mill.  On January 1st a 
worker died of starvation in the mill's living quarters as 
his wages had not been paid for six months.  Reginald Brealey, owner 
of Sheffield United F.C. owns the mill.
Assam State, India: Police kill 4 tea plantation workers 
for demanding unpaid wages.

Delhi: April.  Tens of thousands protest the signing of the 
GATT deal by the Indian government.

Serbia:  A ten week strike by Radio Pancero against the censorship 
of Serbian government ended in January  The strike was supported 
by independent media.
29/11/93: 12,000 hospital workers in Kraljevo strike against 
low pay and bad working conditions.  
The strike lasts a week.
24/25/12/93: 15,000 railworkers strike against 
"a bad union under state control"
29/12/93: 60,000 coalminers and power plant workers 
go on strike causing power cuts for 2 days.  January 
sees ringleaders arrested.

USA: Decemeber, 18 childcare workers in Raleigh, North 
Carolina strike for higher pay.  Kindercare offer 15 pay 
rise, the workers are looking for 20%.  THis is one of 
the first strikes by childcare workers in the US.

Ecuador: 100,000 teachers who had been on strike since 
October 4th return to work on January with a 50% pay rise.

Germany: September 27th, 30m of railtrack are lifted in 
protest at spent nuclear fuel being transported from 
Bavaria to Sellafield.  November, 100 protestors 
block a fleet of trucks removing spent fuel from
Brokdorf.  Water cannons brought in to disperse demo.

Israel: January 7th, Gush Shalon peace activists 
distribute leaflets on the main Jerusalem-Bethlehem 
road saying: "Dear Citizen,  You have left the 
territory of Israel.  You are now a guest of the 
neighbouring Palestinian State.  Please avoid 
antagonising the local population and observe the 
basic rules of behaviour customary among civilised 
nations, such as; no killings; no trespassing; no
damaging of property and no uprooting of 
trees_remember, the people at home have no desire 
to become entangled in war because of irresponsible 
acts committed by Israelis abroad.  
Go in peace and return safely"
The Other Israel, POB 2542, HOLON, ISRAEL 58125. (edited in CI)

Mexico: April 10th, tens of thousands of indigenous 
people and peasants rallied throughout Mexico to 
commemorate Zapata.  This annual celebration saw 
many participants pledge support for the January 
Zapatista uprising.  This seems to have led to more 
unity among peasant organisations.  Seventy groups 
have set up camps in Mexico City where they'll 
negotiate for improvements in living standards and 
civil rights. January 18th, Paris, France:  Support 
group of the EZLN (Zapatistas) occupy the Mexican 
embassy for 4 hours.  A spokesperson for the EZLN 
says "the EZLN is not structured to take power, 
and we do not want it" and insists their only 
ideology is "either we die or we live with dignity"

Greece, January 94: 100 people throw egss and 
tins of paint at the local police station in 
Moshato (suburb of Piraeus) to Protest at the 
murder of Giakus, a local musician.  The cop 
who had killed Giakus was attcked by furious 
crowds when released from court a couple of 
weeks previous.

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These articles are taken from Counter Information. Issue No.40 Summer 1994.

Counter Information is produced by anarchists/libertarian socialists
in Scotland. It collates news reports of resistance by people
to the system we all live under and tries to make them better known.

A Hardcopy using Pagemaker layout (Mac) is available by sending a SAE
or Disc to:-
Counter Info c/o 11 Forth St., Edinburgh.

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