The Spanish indignados travelling to Brussels have arrived in Belgium today. In the next few days, the Active Left Students will be organising meetings in various cities about the resistance movements throughout Europe. The speakers at these meetings will include Donna Litzou (Greece) and Clara Aguila (Spain). Paul Murphy, member of the European Parliament, will also be speaking at the meeting in the ULB. We also call upon people to participate in the manifestation of the indignados in Brussels on saturday october 15th (presumably at 2 p.m. at the North station).
The European Union, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund (a.k.a. the trojka) are making the workers and youth pay for the crisis rather than hold those responsible to account.
-In Spain, 40% of young people in unemployed. Nevertheless, the retirement age has been raised to 67.
-The Irish standard of living has decreased by one fourth and 1,500 people leave the country every week.
-In Greece, public sector wages have been cut by up to 50% and textbooks for schools are scrapped to further cut costs.
-In Great Britain tution fees have increased to 10,600€ and 300,000 civil servants risk losing their jobs.
Throughout Europe, governments are using government money to secure the profits of the banks and the multinationals. This forces governments to implement even harsher austerity measures. These policies only serve to deepen the recession and expand the gap between rich and poor.
The revolutions in the Middle East and North Africa have inspired the young people of Southern Europe to oppose these measures. In Greece, schools and universities have been occupied by students since the start of the schoolyear. This method is being used to protest the cuts to education. The Spanish ‘indignados’ (indignants) have organised a march from Madrid to Brussels and have called for an international day of action on october 15th.
On this same day, an international manifestation has been called for, against the European Summit on the 17th and 18th.
Amid all these events, the Belgian politicians seek to prove themselves exemplary with the budget for 2012. The planned cuts, totalling eight billion euros to our pensions, health care, education, social security and other fields, will result in a significant reducion in our standard of living. Consequently, the Belgian youth and students have ample reasons to support this manifestation!
The mass movements of the Southern European youth – of the ‘lost generation’ incapable ofbuilding a future on temporary mockeries of jobs – has terrified the capitalists and their politicians. If they fear anything, it is organised resistance against their anti-social policies, a resistance organised by millions of workers and youth throughout Europe.
In order to have lasting results, this manifestation cannot remain limited to an isolated event. A 24 hour, European general strike would be a great step forward for the devellopment of large scale organised resistance by workers and youth on a European level.
Active Left Students: meetings and actions
Leading up to the manifestation of the Indignados in Brussels on saturday october 15th, the Active Left Students are organising meetings next week about the resistance movements in Europe. We will have two speakers at these meetings: Clara Aguila from Spain, who was active in the occupation of the square in Barcelona, and Donna Litzou, a Greek student who has been actively involved in the protests in Greece. On tuesday they are joined by MEP Paul Murphy at the ULB.
-Monday october 10th. Liege. 7 p.m. Fédération des Etudiants, 24 place du 20 Août.
-Tuesday october 11th. ULB. 7 p.m. room h1309
-Wednesday october 12th. Antwerp. 7.30 p.m. city campus, University of Antwerp, Rodestraat 9. ‘Kapitalism doesn’t work. Which alternative do we need?’
-Thursday october 13th. Leuven 8 p.m. MTC 00.12 Hogeschoolplein Leuven
-Thursday october 13th. Ghent. 7.30 p.m. auditorium A Blandijn.
-Friday october 14th. Namur. 7 p.m. Rue de Bruxelles 23.
-Saturday october 15th: international manifestation of the indignados. North station, probably at 2 p.m.