Stop these wars at last!
Transcript of the speech by Tobias Pfluger at the initial demonstration against the G8 Summit, Rostock, 2 June 2007
Dear friends,
First of all: The view from the stage up here is wonderful, we are many, this is the first big success we have. Congratulations to you, we have already shown them we are more than these G8, wonderful, congratulations to you.
I am just returning from the Higher Administrative Court in Greifswald, that was handling the question of whether the action day at Rostock-Laage, the airport where those responsible for the G8 are landing, should be allowed or not.
These proceedings started at 10 a.m. this morning in Laage and I will say from here we will protest at this airport and we will block it whether they approve it or not.
Dear friends,
I am very happy that many from different countries have come here - we are an international demonstration and I greet our friends from the various countries of this world. We can show that we have nothing in common with those who wanted to march in Schwerin and now want to come to this demonstration. We having nothing to do with the Neonazis. I make a recommendation to the Neonazis, not to join this demonstration, and if they happen to be here, to leave this demonstration immediately, and if they do not, we will make sure they leave.
Dear friends,
The Minister of the Interior Wolfgang Schaeuble and some of the police will do everything to get the pictures that they want so much. They want pictures of violence. But I ask you, who is this violence coming from? The heads of state of the biggest industrial countries are meeting here, they are the ones responsible for most wars. The real rioters are meeting in Heiligendamm and we are protesting against these rioters. These rioters are responsible for 90 per cent of the money spent on arms and this came to 1 billion euros in 2005.
Dear friends,
We demand from these rioters that they finally stop this armament madness - disarmament now!
The scenario that Wolfgang Schaeuble and the Federal Attorney conjured up before this demonstration and the action days, this scenario is not worthy of a democracy. I want to say this clearly, what is happening here is nothing other than a police state and we reject this police state and we say clearly from here: no to this police state!
It is right to speak about this G8 Summit as the meeting of the war leaders of this world - male and female. Let us remember that after the invasion of the Coalition of the Willing into Iraq, about 650,000 people have died there up until now. The German Federal government is supporting this war by supplying infrastructure. This is illegal and clearly we demand that all military bases for the support of wars be closed, whether they are in Vincenza, Ramstein or somewhere else - close the military bases!
The German government is involved to a considerable extent in Afghanistan, the other big war. Germany is assisting this war by supplying Tornado fighter planes. We do not want this country and the other countries involved in Afghanistan to wage a brutal war against civilians as well. We demand a withdrawal of the troops from Afghanistan!
We call for the end of foreign operations by the German army because these foreign operations lead to more violence in the world. Therefore all German army troops should withdraw from everywhere in the world!
Let us show the rioters meeting in Heiligendamm that they are going to war in breach of international law. Let us show them that they are not welcome. Let us show the G8 representatives that we are watching them when they are responsible for the killing of civilians.
If the killing of innocent people is terrorism, then the real terrorrists are those meeting in Heiligendamm and not the people protesting here.
Mrs. Merkel, Mr. Bush, Mr. Sarkozy, Mr. Putin and all the others. We do not want them here. Warmongers, male and female, should not be in beautiful Heiligendamm, warmongers belong behind bars!
Punctually before the start of the G8 Summit Angela Merkel increased development aid by 750 million. At the same time, the European Union spent 1600 million euros for what they call security research, notably with the support of the Greens and the fascists.
And the arms industry in the US and the European Union is being subsidised massively by the state. This finally has to stop. Subsidising the arms industry with public funds finally has to stop - dismantle this arms industry now!
We know that another war is being prepared, a war on Iran. And despite all the criticisms of the government of Iran, such a war would throw the region into complete chaos. The Federal government is once again not part of the solution but part of the problem. The Federal government itself should start by putting a stop to uranium enrichment here in Germany - by stopping the production and use of uranium that could be used for nuclear weapons here in Germany.
That means: close the uranium enrichment plant in Gronau and close the so-called atomic research plant in Garching! Therefore - the G8 is just as responsible for this false energy policy. We do not want this energy policy. We do not want this atomic energy policy - get out of atomic power now!
Dear friends,
At the same time the G8 stands for a capitalist social and economic order. The G8 stands for structures that are responsible for millions of people being killed by hunger. And the G8 stands for a world of wars, wars that are increasingly being fought to secure resources and market opening for capital. And the G8 stands for a false energy policy. We say no to this system of merciless exploitation and systematic environmental destruction. A system in which the 300 richest people have as much money as half of the world population - cannot survive. Such a capitalist system has to be abolished!
Dear friends,
what we experienced in the run-up to the Summit was a state of emergency in this country. But this state of emergency is becoming the normal state of affairs. And because of this, it is necessary to carry on with this process and the resistance we are showing here during the whole week - and to take it home. Take it home, to our work places, our universities, our schools, and our personal environment. Resistance should not only be today - we have to resist daily against this murderous capitalist system that automatically carries war within itself.
Dear friends,
I call for support for the various actions that follow this week:
I call for the airport Flughafen Rostock-Laage to be shut down through demonstrations and blockades!
I also call for the whole Summit to be shut down with as many actions as possible. There is the action "Block G8". Let us make "Block G8" successful together!
Dear friends,
I think there are enough of us to really create problems for them. We have to present a clear signal today against the war policies of the G8 and against the false policies they are carrying out.
And we must carry out these action days in a way so that Wolfgang Schaeuble's wish is not fulfilled. I am looking forward to multifaceted and imaginative actions, here in Heiligendamm and in Rostock. And I believe we can send a clear signal from here to everywhere in the world. G8 is illegitimate, we are the ones that can say: these G8 participants have no legitimacy whatsoever to carry on these wars!
Stop these wars at last!
Thank you very much.
Original in German as audio file:
http://www.freie-radios.net/portal/content.php?id=17288
http://tobiaspflueger.twoday.net/stories/3924754/
Dear friends,
First of all: The view from the stage up here is wonderful, we are many, this is the first big success we have. Congratulations to you, we have already shown them we are more than these G8, wonderful, congratulations to you.
I am just returning from the Higher Administrative Court in Greifswald, that was handling the question of whether the action day at Rostock-Laage, the airport where those responsible for the G8 are landing, should be allowed or not.
These proceedings started at 10 a.m. this morning in Laage and I will say from here we will protest at this airport and we will block it whether they approve it or not.
Dear friends,
I am very happy that many from different countries have come here - we are an international demonstration and I greet our friends from the various countries of this world. We can show that we have nothing in common with those who wanted to march in Schwerin and now want to come to this demonstration. We having nothing to do with the Neonazis. I make a recommendation to the Neonazis, not to join this demonstration, and if they happen to be here, to leave this demonstration immediately, and if they do not, we will make sure they leave.
Dear friends,
The Minister of the Interior Wolfgang Schaeuble and some of the police will do everything to get the pictures that they want so much. They want pictures of violence. But I ask you, who is this violence coming from? The heads of state of the biggest industrial countries are meeting here, they are the ones responsible for most wars. The real rioters are meeting in Heiligendamm and we are protesting against these rioters. These rioters are responsible for 90 per cent of the money spent on arms and this came to 1 billion euros in 2005.
Dear friends,
We demand from these rioters that they finally stop this armament madness - disarmament now!
The scenario that Wolfgang Schaeuble and the Federal Attorney conjured up before this demonstration and the action days, this scenario is not worthy of a democracy. I want to say this clearly, what is happening here is nothing other than a police state and we reject this police state and we say clearly from here: no to this police state!
It is right to speak about this G8 Summit as the meeting of the war leaders of this world - male and female. Let us remember that after the invasion of the Coalition of the Willing into Iraq, about 650,000 people have died there up until now. The German Federal government is supporting this war by supplying infrastructure. This is illegal and clearly we demand that all military bases for the support of wars be closed, whether they are in Vincenza, Ramstein or somewhere else - close the military bases!
The German government is involved to a considerable extent in Afghanistan, the other big war. Germany is assisting this war by supplying Tornado fighter planes. We do not want this country and the other countries involved in Afghanistan to wage a brutal war against civilians as well. We demand a withdrawal of the troops from Afghanistan!
We call for the end of foreign operations by the German army because these foreign operations lead to more violence in the world. Therefore all German army troops should withdraw from everywhere in the world!
Let us show the rioters meeting in Heiligendamm that they are going to war in breach of international law. Let us show them that they are not welcome. Let us show the G8 representatives that we are watching them when they are responsible for the killing of civilians.
If the killing of innocent people is terrorism, then the real terrorrists are those meeting in Heiligendamm and not the people protesting here.
Mrs. Merkel, Mr. Bush, Mr. Sarkozy, Mr. Putin and all the others. We do not want them here. Warmongers, male and female, should not be in beautiful Heiligendamm, warmongers belong behind bars!
Punctually before the start of the G8 Summit Angela Merkel increased development aid by 750 million. At the same time, the European Union spent 1600 million euros for what they call security research, notably with the support of the Greens and the fascists.
And the arms industry in the US and the European Union is being subsidised massively by the state. This finally has to stop. Subsidising the arms industry with public funds finally has to stop - dismantle this arms industry now!
We know that another war is being prepared, a war on Iran. And despite all the criticisms of the government of Iran, such a war would throw the region into complete chaos. The Federal government is once again not part of the solution but part of the problem. The Federal government itself should start by putting a stop to uranium enrichment here in Germany - by stopping the production and use of uranium that could be used for nuclear weapons here in Germany.
That means: close the uranium enrichment plant in Gronau and close the so-called atomic research plant in Garching! Therefore - the G8 is just as responsible for this false energy policy. We do not want this energy policy. We do not want this atomic energy policy - get out of atomic power now!
Dear friends,
At the same time the G8 stands for a capitalist social and economic order. The G8 stands for structures that are responsible for millions of people being killed by hunger. And the G8 stands for a world of wars, wars that are increasingly being fought to secure resources and market opening for capital. And the G8 stands for a false energy policy. We say no to this system of merciless exploitation and systematic environmental destruction. A system in which the 300 richest people have as much money as half of the world population - cannot survive. Such a capitalist system has to be abolished!
Dear friends,
what we experienced in the run-up to the Summit was a state of emergency in this country. But this state of emergency is becoming the normal state of affairs. And because of this, it is necessary to carry on with this process and the resistance we are showing here during the whole week - and to take it home. Take it home, to our work places, our universities, our schools, and our personal environment. Resistance should not only be today - we have to resist daily against this murderous capitalist system that automatically carries war within itself.
Dear friends,
I call for support for the various actions that follow this week:
I call for the airport Flughafen Rostock-Laage to be shut down through demonstrations and blockades!
I also call for the whole Summit to be shut down with as many actions as possible. There is the action "Block G8". Let us make "Block G8" successful together!
Dear friends,
I think there are enough of us to really create problems for them. We have to present a clear signal today against the war policies of the G8 and against the false policies they are carrying out.
And we must carry out these action days in a way so that Wolfgang Schaeuble's wish is not fulfilled. I am looking forward to multifaceted and imaginative actions, here in Heiligendamm and in Rostock. And I believe we can send a clear signal from here to everywhere in the world. G8 is illegitimate, we are the ones that can say: these G8 participants have no legitimacy whatsoever to carry on these wars!
Stop these wars at last!
Thank you very much.
Original in German as audio file:
http://www.freie-radios.net/portal/content.php?id=17288
http://tobiaspflueger.twoday.net/stories/3924754/
Tobias Pflüger - 2007/07/09 12:08
Trackback URL:
https://tobiaspflueger.twoday.net/stories/4050769/modTrackback