Subject: Re: (Eng.) Mass-Demonstration in Bonn
From: pmargin-AT-xchange.apana.org.au (Profit Margin)
Date: Sat, 22 Jun 96 07:14:21 AEDT


Path: xchange!news
From: "R.W. Wogatzke" <101607.2566-AT-compuserve.com>
Newsgroups: mail.ainfos
Subject: (Eng.) Mass-Demonstration in Bonn
Message-ID: <960621130008_101607.2566_JHP117-2-AT-CompuServe.COM>
Date: 21 Jun 96 09:00:08 EDT
Sender: news-AT-xchange.apana.org.au
Reply-To: a-infos-d-AT-lglobal.com

Mass-Demonstration against social cuts in Bonn

On Saturday the 15th of June 1996 the German city of Bonn saw the largest
demonstrations since the protests of the peace-movement against armament in the
early eighties. 350.000 participated in a demonstration against social cuts and
the so-called savings program of the German government, which a large number
of initiatives, associations of affected people, basis-democratic, anarchist and
communist groups, unions, charities and political parties had called for. The
center of Bonn was closed for the regular traffic during the whole day.

In eight processions the demonstrators walked to the place of the main rally of
the DGB (-Deutscher Gewerkschafts Bund - German Unions Association - the parent
organization of the 15 established individual unions in Germany) on the lawn of
the Hofgarten-park. The DGB had also installed over-dimensional picture-boards
on other central places of the city, so that those who did not fit on the
Hofgarten could follow the events. 

The demonstrators criticized the savings program of the German
christian-democrat and liberal government-coalition, which amongst other things
intends to cut sickness benefits, abolish the dismissal-protections in
businesses with up to ten employees, lift the retirement-age, and cut
unemployment benefits. The negotiations of the DGB with the government were also
criticized for being too compliant and its Alliance for work with the
government was attacked in remarks, choruses, and on posters. Social
partnership - there are other ways: general strike, occupying, expropriate was
one exemplary poster by the IG Medien Berlin. Again and again people called for
a general strike. All in all the atmosphere of the demonstration did not quite
correspond with the resolute demands on the posters though - the demonstration
had the character of a fair was what the media stressed repeatedly.

 Most speakers of the main rally rejected radical demands indirectly and
approved further negotiations. The ration of the people was correspondingly
divided. Especially the speech of the DGB-chairman Schulte, who confirmed the
intention of the DGB-board to keep up the Alliance for work in future, was
accompanied by calls and whistling.

The actual organizers of the demonstrations were not represented with a speech
of their own at the main rally. The Association protest march against social
cuts comprised of the student organizations of several universities,
associations of affected people, as well as leftist groups and parties had been
responsible for the preparations since December 1995. In March antifascist
groups from Bonn and the local group of the anarcho-syndicalist FAU/IWU (Freie
ArbeiterInnen Union - Free Workers Union/Associated to the International of the
Workers Unions) formed an Initiative for a Revolutionary Block within the
procession of the Association. The DGB who had strictly rejected any
participation in the beginning, only declared that it would participate with
200.000 people on the 13th of May and started negotiations with the Association.
In the following weeks the press stylized the DGB as organizer of the event. Two
days before the Demonstration the DGB terminated the cooperation with the
Association and with it all arrangements it had made: The organizers were no
longer allowed to use the stage of the DGB or hold a speech at the main rally.
The official reason was critique of the DGB by the Association as well as a
critical flyer written by the revolutionary block.

--------------------------------------------

News by A-Infos (D)
Reprints mentioning this source are welcome
We would be glad about copies of any reprints
or quotes taken from our publications

To ensure a serious, independent coverage we 
have are depending on support in form of
advance notices, short news and reports of
events. Through these we hope to be able to
publish news which is not reported about or
only reported about incompletely by the
established media.

A-Infos (D)
c/o Barrikade
Bismarckstr. 41a
47443 Moers
Germany

Fax.: 0(049)-2151-951806
E-Mail: 101607.2566-AT-compuserve.com

    -AT--AT--AT--AT--AT-      IIII II  II  IIII  III   III
  -AT--AT--AT- -AT- -AT--AT--AT-     II  II  II  II   II II II  I
 -AT--AT-  -AT- -AT-  -AT--AT-    II  III II  II   II II  II
-AT-   -AT-   -AT-   -AT-   II  II III  III  II II  II 
-AT-  -AT-     -AT-  -AT-   II  II  II  II   II II   II
-AT- -AT--AT--AT--AT--AT--AT--AT--AT--AT- -AT-   II  II  II  II   II II   II  
 -AT--AT-       -AT--AT-    II  II  II  II   II II    II
  -AT--AT--AT-   -AT--AT--AT-     II  II  II  II   II II I  II
    -AT--AT--AT--AT--AT-      IIII II  II  II    III   III

 -     The alternative news-service     -
  http://www.lglobal.com/TAO/ainfos.html




--------------------------------------------------
         --/\--          A-Infos   A-Infos
       /  /  \  \            A-Infos   A-Infos
   ---|--/----\--|---            A-Infos   A-Infos
       \/      \/
       /\______/\   http://www.lglobal.com/TAO/ainfos.html

	To Subscribe to a-infos
	 Send a message to majordomo-AT-lglobal.com
	  With the message in the body:
	   subscribe a-infos
	    To Unsubscribe send:
	     unsubscribe a-infos
--------------------------------------------------


     --- from list aut-op-sy-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---