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Dear supporters of Shut down NATO/NATO-ZU,

Welcome to our third Newsletter, the last one before the active operation. All other news and information that get in after this newsletter we will publish on our webpage – so it’s worth it to visit www.nato-zu.de once in a while. Again, please, read this newsletter completely and carefully – lots of its contents are important for the preparation of our action! Everybody – come to Strasbourg – together we will do it!

This newsletter includes information about:
1. recent development within the NATO
2. repressions by public authorities
3. preliminary talk with the police on April 4th
4. recent state of camp and where you can find Shut down NATO/ NATO-ZU
5. registration at camp
6. hints for arrival
7. Information about how YOU can prepare yourselves well for the acitve operations
    a) contact-telephone of Shut down NATO/ NATO-ZU on site (Hans French number)
    b) Guide Resistance with lots of information and map material
    c) important information about legal issues
    d) juristic/ legal encyclopedia translated into 7 languages
    e) action’s dictionary
    f) What to do when attacked with lachrymator/teargas?
8. Mobility in Strasbourg
9. Jobs – how you can help on site
10. rumors
11. Donations – asked for!
12. press review

 1. recent development within the NATO

March 25th US President Obama met with Secretary-General General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer in Washington. Obama already announced beforehand that the USA will increase theirs troops in Afghanistan of right now 38 000 up to another 17 000 and that they expect the same of other NATO allied (all together the other NATO countries have 25 000 soldiers in Afghanistan).

German chancellor Merkel already rejected that. In her policy statement before the NATO summit she said: “With our present accomplishments in Afghanistan since 2002 we Germans have done well within the allicance.” In other words, they won’t get more soldiers. What there will be after the summit is yet to be discussed.

Obama and Merkel agree that the goal in Afghanistan is no more the construction of democracy but „safety“. Afghanistan shall not pose a threat for the West. Now there is nothing left of the former “human rights” cloak of legalization - in Afghanistan especially considering women’s rights.

There will be arguments about the new strategy of NATO. Merkel rejected a global NATO in her latest government declaration. That doesn’t mean though, that the NATO shouldn’t act globally. It only says that the members of NATO should be part of the “north-atlantic area” – North America and Europe.

March 24th the NATO also announced, that the anti-piracy-mission will be restarted. Operation “Allied Protector”, under command of Portugal, will support the local mission of the European Union (who herself took the mission from NATO in December 2008) at the Somalian coast. Afterwards they will visit Pakistan, Singapore (with participation in the weapons’ fair IMDEX 2009) and Australia. At their return some of the ships will probably stay in the Gulf of Aden at the coast of Somalia. Ships from Portugal, Canada, Spain, the Netherlands and the USA participate in the mission.

2.   Repressions of public authorities

In the run up to the summit the repressions in Strasbourg increase. In the past weeks the police visited inhabitants of Strasbourg who hung up their peace flags and massively called on them to put them down. At least three precise cases are known already.

March 26th French police controlled all ID cards of people at the campsite and thereby nullified an agreement between the city and camp organization that only phone numbers, not names of responsible persons, are to be given out.

We also found out – according to sources in Kehl and Strasbourg, that many judges were posted to Strasbourg and Kehl in order to get bigger capacities to faster condemn people who got caught.


3.   Preliminary talk to the police on April 4th

We (Block NATO) have an appointment with Commissioner Hartmann in Strasbourg on April 4th after we didn’t receive an answer to our open letter (see newsletter #2) at first. But we were persistent and called.

Aim of that conversation is to open canals of communication rather than negotiating about the operations of civil disobedience. This will hopefully help to prevent escalation of violence at the day of action. If we can arrange it we will publish a press report after the meeting.

4.  ecent state of camp and where you can find Shut down NATO/ NATO-ZU

The contract for the campground in Ganzau is finally signed. The buildup of the camp is in full activity. Helping hands are still desperately needed.

Read more: the press release of the camp group

The is a webpage of the camp (in English: http://village09.blogsport.de/). The camp is located south of Strasbourg, at the Rue de la Ganzau. There also is a bus stop just near the camp.

The camp ground is not the best though. Part of it is simply farmer’s land. We recommend you to take plastic pads for your tent. The camp will be build up starting March 25th and the camp organization urgently needs some help building it all up! If you can help, please write to camporga@riseup.net

Shut down NATO/NATO-ZU will have an own area at camp (the Barrio) and will be found together with Block NATO at tract/parcel 2 (letters G + F). If we can arrange it by matter of persons we will organize a Shut down NATO/NATO-ZU and/ or Block NATO info point at camp. We cannot assure for that yet, because there will be a lot to do at camp.

5. Registration at camp

Please transfer your camp fees (5€ per person per night) as soon as possible – the camp organizazion needs the money urgently.

German account details:

Reciever: Alarm e.V.
Bank: Sparkasse Offenburg
Bank Code: 664 500 50
Account number: 4873651
purpose: Nato-Gipfel 2009

 Again urgent note: If you want to participate in Shut down NATO/ NATO-ZU register at our web page and NOT additionally at camp. We will then forward our numbers of participants to the camp.
 
6. Hints for arrival

Keep in mind that there will be boarder controls. Therefore you can find useful information here. This is an assortment which you can extend yourselves by your creative ideas. Arrive as soon as possible!!! If you arrive by train, make sure which trains are actually working out. From Friday afternoon to Saturday noon there will surely be no connection from Offenburg via Kehl to Strasbourg. According to our knowledge there should be the usual transportation by train till Friday afternoon. But please don’t take this information for granted.

7.   Information about how YOU can prepare yourselves well for the acitve operations

In our second newsletter you could already find some important information. We already told you about our active operation guidelines, trainings, formation of pee groups and a “what to take with”-list. Please take this information serious! You can find it again here.

New information for preparation:

a) Contact phone to Shut down NATO/ NATO-ZU and cell phone connection all together

Startin April 4th you can contact us under the following French cell phone number if you need to check out something. Please, only call if really NEEDES!!! We will try to give an additional German cell phone number at camp

NATO-ZU-Contact-phone: 0033-671845345

In Strasbourg service of German cell phones is limited. It seems that there might be service by O2 Germany. It’s important for you to know that within our action area there is no service for German cell phones. It will then only work by roaming which will be too expensive especially for pre-paid phones.

In general French pre-paid SIM-cards cost 15€ (i.e. Orange France, SFR) – often there comes a 5€ credit with it. Per person you can purchase max. 5 SIM cards which will be registered by the person’s ID (it won’t work anonymously). The only exception is, when you want to purchase a card for a co-worker of a company/organization. Then all the cards will be just registered by the data of one person. For that you need special papers though…which will take its time.

b) Information booklet about NATO protests

The „Guide to the 2009 anti-nato Resistance“ includes many information and map material you can find unter

linksunten.indymedia.org/de/node/1751 . As of right now it is only written in English. We hope it will be translated into different languages. Just look up our web pages once in a while.

c) Important legal information

You can contact the legal team both in Germany and in France. The number of the legal team Strasbourg is : 33 (0)3.68.46.02.62.  In Germany it is: +49 761 4097251. It doesn’t matter from where you are calling, it is only important that you tell the persons answering in which country you are at the moment. It will be possible to talk to persons in different languages. The legal team consists of French and German lawyers and the EA (Ermittlungsausschuss / Legal Team).

The current version of legal help information you can find here. It will be helpful to look at this information.

d) Legal encyclopedia in 7 lenguages

The most important legal expression which you should perhaps understand, when to deal with French police, you can find translated here –  To take it with you in a print out version will make sense.

e) action’s dictionary

The most important expressions we might use fort he active operation we collected in a French, English, German and Spanish „dictionary“. It will be online by this weekend under http://www.natozu.de/index.php?id=13 and you will recieve a printed version at the trainings at camp
 
f) What to do when attacked by lachrymator/teargas?

The use of lachrymator during protest actions many of us know already. The French police is known for using that stuff a lot. They use spraying devices of just throw it.

How can we protect ourselves?

Last but not least safety devices like goggles or gas masks may be helpful. You can, for example, use gas masks as used during construction works.

Closer Information about Maalox

Another protection device for everybody to mix it up is Maalox. Maalox or Maaloxan is medicine to neutralize gastric acid. It helps against heartburn and other kinds of bad stomach.

You can mix it with water (in relation 1:3) then spread on your facial skin in neutralizes the effect of the lachrymator. It would be great if everybody takes a little bottle with him/her.

If the police acutally takes use of the lachrymator then spray the fluid into your face – except your eyes. Also take a little sip of it, irrigate your mouth and swallow it. It’s important that your nasal mucous membrane will also be moistened.

You can buy Maalox in every pharmacy without a recipie (in France it’s a lot cheaper than in Germany). You can get it as gel (so called suspension) or as pills.

[remark by mod: the medics team encourages you to use ONLY 'Maalox liquid with mint' - dissolving pills involves the risk of hurting your cornea - see comment below]

After a gas attack it will be helpful to apply Maalox again on your face AND on our (opened or closed) eyes.

Also helpful will be (citrus-)refreshing tissues. Just clean your face with them after an attack.

8. Mobility in Strasbourg

From Friday, about 7 or 8 am, till Saturday, about 5 pm, the highway between Entzheim and Reichstett will be closed.

According to current information public transportation in Strasbourg will work as usual during the days of action – Friday and Saturday it will be free:

• Line A and D of the tram work as usual
• Line C doesn’t operate between Neuhof-Reuss and République
• Line B doesn’t operate between Lingolsheim-Tiergaertel and Homme-de-Fer
• Lini E doesn’t operate between Baggersee and République
• Many buslines will be redirected

Closer information (in French) you can find here: http://www.cts-strasbourg.fr/LaCTS/Actualit%C3%A9s/SommetdelOTANles3et4avril/tabid/525/language/en-US/Default.aspx.

A special plan of traffic lines during the summit you can find here: http://www.cts-strasbourg.fr/Portals/0/PDF/plans/OTAN_PLAN%20INTERNET%20DEF.pdf.

Please keep in mind that trains will not operate between Kehl and Strasbourg between Friday afternoon till Saturday noon.

Parking will not be possible within the orange and read zones.

9. Jobs- how you can help

What we need now are helping hands at camp and during the actions. There will be different more or less big tasks – please help for the success of the action! Tasks will be for example:

• translating (mainly German/French; German/English)
• building up tents
• service at the Information points
• Transportation service/ getting stuff
• Help with tents in case of rain
• Paint, prepare signs and banners
• And a lot more

If you would like to help get in contact with us still March 30th and/or email us: mitmachen(aet)nato-zu.de  or: just come to Shut down NATO/ NATO-ZU at camp and talk to us!!!

10. Rumors

Again and again there are rumors going around that irritate activists – on puspose or just accidently. For example there was a rumor that you could just get into France with a valid passport – that is not true. Inhabitants of Europe only need their ID cards – as usual.

Another rumor was, that the course of events of the summit were rescheduled or laid on different dates. The following article of SWR gives an exact plan of the summit:

http://www.swr.de/nato-gipfel/-/id=4594392/nid=4594392/did=4657246/bjpxyg/index.html

That means „business as usual“: Friday Baden Baden, Saturday Strasbourg.

Please don’t get irritated by rumors and wait for official information. We try to inform you about latest data at www.nato-zu.de.

11. Will still need donations

Thanks a lot to everybody who already donated something. So far we got 2 500 € of private donations. Unfortunately that still isn’t enough. We still need at least an additional 5 000 – 8 000€ (for legal help after the action it will probably be more). We are looking for persons, organizations, associations that will take deficiency guaranties.

You can donate online here

If you have questions or you want to arrange something individually please contact:

kontakt(aet)nato-zu.de

Account for donations

DFG-VK NATO-ZU


Bank für Sozialwirtschaft IBAN DE10 3702 0500 0008 3046 07, BIC BFSWDE33


12. Press review:

• 31 judges delegatet to Kehl – controlling detentions of demonstrators/ judicial on-call duty around the clock, http://www.baden-online.de/news/artikel.phtml?page_id=70&db=news_lokales&table=artikel_kehl&id=4607
• Obama seems close to citizensh, http://www.swr.de/nato-gipfel/-/id=4594392/nid=4594392/did=4657246/bjpxyg/index.html
• Safety Zone Summit, http://www.natozu.de/index.php?id=41&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=270&tx_ttnews[backPid]=40&cHash=f47947412d
• Camp-Organization complain „criminalization“ by public authorities.- ID Cards of all persons at camp controlled, http://www.ad-hoc-news.de/camp-organisatoren-beklagen-kriminalisierung-durch--/de/Politik/20133875
• Nato-summit: DJV wants fair accreditation , http://www.firmenpresse.de/pressinfo80563.html
• "Attack on the freedom of speach", http://www.heise.de/tp/r4/artikel/30/30024/1.html
• 600 soldiers responsible for safety at the NATO summit, http://www.stuttgarter-zeitung.de/stz/page/detail.php/1982270
• Awacs monitors NATO summit, http://www.az-web.de/lokales/geilenkirchen-detail-az/846241?_link=&skip=&_g=Awacs-ueberwacht-Nato-Gipfel.html
• Merkel calls NATO for non-violence http://news.abacho.de/politik/artikel_anzeigen/index.html?news_id=64699
• Government declaration: Merkel announces new NATO strategy, http://www.n24.de/news/newsitem_4932280.html