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Actions and Events on 23/04 [Thursday] (GWA)

Thu, 23/04/2009 - 11:48 — Mo

23/04/2009

All groups are asked to list their reports (incl. videos and pictures), that took place today, inside here!

Planned actions for today (as far as I know):

  • Germany (Berlin): General assemblies at the "Freie Universität" ("Free University")
  • Germany (Marburg): public lecture with profs + "soup kitchen"
  • Germany (Münster): final day of public camping with programme in front of the castle
  • U.S. of A. (Vermont): Sit-in at the University of Vermont
    (UVM) student center in protest of budget cuts, layoffs and administrative
    mismanagement beginning on April 22nd until the university reverses its
    cuts and reinstates laid off faculty and staff.
  • Croatia (Zagreb): Various groups in Zagreb
    will occupy the university building of one faculty, consisting of about
    5,000 students. They will offer an alternative programme, inform about
    the Global Week of Action and its development and promote the global
    perspective of our struggle against the commercialization of education.
    (20 - 26/04 or longer)
  • Finland: week of action in Finland, which will be part of the "Reclaim your Education - Global Week of Action" (20 - 24/04)
‹ Actions and Events on 29/04 [Wednesday] (GWA) Actions and Events on 25/04 [Saturday] (GWA) ›
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Thu, 23/04/2009 - 11:50 — Mo

Zagreb, Zadar, Rijeka, Osijek & Split (Croatia)

occupations + updates

Zagreb: The Faculty of Arts joined the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Law, while others are organized and are taking steps towards the blockade and further faculties

Zadar: 3 University buildings are blocked by students, yesterday's meeting was attended by 1000 students

Rijeka: 3 University buildings are blocked by students

Osijek: students are protesting and planning to take over the University during the day

Split: Decides tonight for further action

Source: Email


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

2nd Update:

The students are continuing to occupy the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (in Zagreb), demanding free education for all. On Wednesday (22/04), the Faculty Council decided to support their demands and their occupation, and has cancelled classes for the rest of the week. The Council has joined the students in demanding from the goverment the elimination of all tuition fees. The students continue with their own alternative education programme, which consists of lectures, public discussions, film screenings and workshops and which are open to everyone, not just the students. Every evening they hold plenary sessions which every one can attend. At those plenary sessions they discuss and vote on what further actions they will take and whether they will continue with the occupation the next day. A number of students sleep at the Faculty every night. Some photos can be seen here.

At the same time, students in Zadar are also continuing with the occupation of their University. They too hold lectures, public discussions and film screenings instead of normal classes. Some students spent the night at the university last night. Unlike their colleagues in Zagreb, who got the official support of their professors on the third day of the occupation, professors at the University of Zadar expressed support to their students on the very first day of the occupation which started on Tuesday (21/04/2009) at noon. The University in Zadar is not as fragmented (situated in too many different buildings) as the universities in other cities, which has resulted in the fact that by today the students have managed to occupy the whole of the University. At the plenary session tonight, they'll decide on furhter actions. Events at the University of Zadar are documented here (in Croatian).

On Wednesday afternoon, students of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Rijeka protested, and in the evening held a plenary session at which they decided to start occupy their faculty. Today, on Thursday, the three buildings of the Faculty are occupied and instead of normal classes, students have organized alternative lectures, film screenings and workshops. Dean of the Faculty has said that he fully supports the students in their activities, and has offered them the use of all faculty services. Web page for students in Rijeka (in Croatian). Students of the Academy of Fine Arts have also occupied their faculty. (I have no detailed info on this at the moment).
 
On Thursday afternoon, students at the Faculty of Political Sciences in Zagreb held a plenary session and voted to join in the student protests in Croatia by occupying their faculty. They have started the occupation this afternoon, and this evening will hold another plenary session at which they will discuss and vote on what further actions they will take.
 
The students also took over the Student Radio, located at the premises of the Faculty of Political Sciences, which they will use to promote their demands.
 
Students at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Osijek also decided today to occupy their faculty. They will hold a plenary session in the evening and decide on precise actions.
 
In Split, the students are divided: some want to hold a protest, others want to organize the occupation of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. They will probably decide this evening on further action.
 
Some students of the Faculty of Law, University of Zagreb, plan to hold a protest march tomorrow afternoon at 5pm, walking from their faculty building to the building of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, where they will attend the plenary session in the evening.
Source: Email
 
Thu, 23/04/2009 - 12:33 — steffiestreik

Occupation in Hamburg (Germany)

In the University of Hamburg Students of the faculty of pedagogics have occupied the wing of administration of the main-building and blocked the way to the presidential office. The president, who is not only critisized for the cutting of funds for pedagogic by 11% but also for selling universitarian knowledge to weapon-manufacturers (therefore she is called rocket-moni), is rejecting every attempt to negotiate, yet called the cops which are now also inside the building. Till now the cops are trying to get people out through dialoging but the protestors made clear that they will stay at least till the demonstration tomorow.

greetings in solidarity to all comrades,
the struggle continues

Thu, 23/04/2009 - 22:32 — Mo

Trondheim (Norway)

Activists distributed flyers and hanged up banners on the two major campuses.

Source: Email

Thu, 23/04/2009 - 22:34 — Mo

Münster (Germany)

As part of the protest camp in front of the castle students arranged
workshops discussing basic questions like "What is education?" and
focussing on topics such as "social selection by the education system".
There is also a soup kitchen and the camp will go into its third day in a row.

Source: bildungsstreik-muenster.de (in German)

Fri, 24/04/2009 - 11:10 — steffiestreik

occupation in Hamburg (Germany) ended

the occupation in hamburg ended quickly after the president tried to escape:
the president ran through the university-entrance-hall with the help of police officers - but the students followed her.
she went inside an hotel, where police tried to stop the students by blocking the entrance. the students overthrow the police by number and broke through the police-line. the president ran outside, getting a cab/taxi and tried to escape with that. but students were faster and blocked the taxi.
after a while the police was succesfull in getting the people away from the taxi and the president escaped.
no arrests so far, but some id-checks.
a spontaneous demonstration was held with more than 150 people, going around the campus without much happening. in the afternoon everyone went to the festival on the campus by the autonomous cafe knallhart, listened to good music and some capoeira-show.

Thu, 30/04/2009 - 13:20 — Mo

Jyväskylä (Finland)

Various smaller actions on campus, such as banner displays, soup kitchen and information booth with music.


Thu, 30/04/2009 - 14:17 — Mo

Lewisham (UK)

(not co-ordinated as part of the GWA)

o c c u p a t i o n

Today, in an important display of solidarity, 6 Visteon workers joined the parents on the roof of the primary school. The protest has even appeared in the national media!

news.bbc.co.uk

At a successful meeting held at 3pm this afternoon, a group called Hands Off Lewisham Bridge was formed. Another planning meeting will be held outside Lewisham Bridge Primary School on Monday at 3pm.
Protesters will be staying on the roof until their demands are met.

Source: Facebook


Fri, 01/05/2009 - 02:37 — Mo

Town unknow (Catalunya/Spain)

The occupation at the Menéndez y Pelayo college was evicted at around 9pm. The students still resisted for an hour but later left after threats of expulsion. The police beat the students inside, partially protected by nightfall, as passers-by heckled at the repressive forces to stop. Between 20 and 30 students were evicted.


 Source: interuni-bcn.blogspot.com

Sun, 03/05/2009 - 16:44 — rud (not verified)

Gdańsk (Poland)

On Thursday, the 23rd, the Polish Minister of Higher Education visited the University of Gdańsk to talk about the new plan for higher education reform, which will make universities more dependent on the business life and instead of making scholarships bigger, will make credits more available to students. During the meeting students and
PhD researchers demonstrated against the reform and unfurled two banners - "odZYSKaj Edukację" ("Reclaim Education", literally also: make it "off-PROFIT", Zysk=PROFIT) and "Wiedza nie jest towarem" ("Knowledge is not a commodity"). At the end of the meeting they gave the minister a T-shirt with the logo of "Reclaim your education" at one side and a question at the other: "How much are Social Sciences worth?".

On the same day at the Faculty of Social Sciences, where the meeting was taking place, fake surveillance cameras were installed in toilets. The goal of this action was to draw attention to the issue of more and more surveillance cameras inside university buildings and the rules of the security guards which say, that they should especially focus on people weirdly dressed. Installations were removed by the security guards after two days and the perpetrators were spotted and threatened with police and trials... ;)

camera  camera2

More here

Sun, 03/05/2009 - 15:52 — rud (not verified)

Poznań (Poland)

At the University of Adam Mickiewicz there was a direct action against the commercialisation of university space. Vending machines with pseudo-food owned by private corporations were covered with statements about the condition of the university.