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Actions and Events on 24/04 [Friday] (GWA)

Thu, 23/04/2009 - 21:38 — JO

24/04/2009

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 (Frankfurt/Main): "global flashmob"; teach-in; "big read"; video display of protests worldwide
  • Germany (Hamburg): Demonstration
  • Germany (Münster): street theatre at the city centre
  • U.S. of A. (Minnesota): The Committee on Revolutionizing the AcaDemy (ComRAD) is organizing a Conference: "Reworking the University: Visions, Strategies, Demands" at the University of Minnesota (24 - 26/04). The programme can be accessed here. As part of the week of action and the conference they also call for a collective manifesto. Everyone is invited to contribute.
  • Canada (Ottawa): Rally against supplementary fee increases at the University of Ottawa
  • Croatia (Zagreb): Various groups
    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: National Week of Action as part of the Global Week of Action
Actions and Events on 29/04 [Wednesday] (GWA) ›
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Fri, 24/04/2009 - 11:51 — Mo

Jyväskylä (Finland)

"In Jyväskylä the Common University network promoted the Reclaim Your Action week with several intense seminars and demonstrations during the week. Both local and international students discussed and compared educational policies in a few countries, and protested against local maladies at the University of Jyväskylä. The main event held on thursday the 23rd gathered a lot of people together. Students distributed free education and shared everyone free food and drink while dj's played music. The struggle continues!
In Solidarity,
A.-M."

Source: Email

Sat, 25/04/2009 - 18:13 — Mo

Allentown, PA (U.S. of A.)

Rally

Muhlenberg College SDS in Allentown, PA had a rally at the steps of their administration building today and got the President of the College to pinky swear to deliver their three demands to the trustees who are meeting.

Website: muhlenbergsds.blogspot.com

Sun, 26/04/2009 - 11:06 — Gyldenkerne85 (not verified)

New Free University of Copenhagen!

The danish student of Reclaim Your Education ended the three day of occupation by directing 10 concrete demands for reforming the university. What is more, we instituted a Goat as a replacement for the recent Principal. The goat's name was Asger, and we considered him a serious candidate, since he directed a lot attention to the different students' interest and also didn't seem to protest at all to the new demands!
pictures of the newly instituted principal can be seen here:

http://hippocampus.ruc.dk/spip.php?article48 (scroll down the page to see the pics) 

Thursday night we had an update on the different action at the international level, and everyone was quite excited about the extent and seriousness the different activities under the banner of "global week of action has had on the different student movements around the Globe. Also a representative from the University staff's Union dropped by to support the action, and to underline the backup from a great deal of the CU-staff!
Furthermore we received Solidarity declarations from the students from London which was read out loud, cementing the international consciousness!!
Friday was used to summarize the activities of the past 3 days, and was also use to prepare the students for the coming trip to Belgium!
In solidarity with all the courageous and visionary student movements across the world!
UNITE - WORLDWIDE RyE-Denmark

Thu, 30/04/2009 - 23:33 — Mo

Vienna, Salzburg, Oberösterreich, Linz and others (Austria)

For the second time this week pupils across Austria protested against planned budget cuts and the reduction of off-days. Up to 60,000 people joined the strike and took to the streets.
At least 25,000 students protested in Vienna alone, 20,000 were counted in Oberösterreich, 12,000 in Linz, 6,000 in Salzburg and 3,000 in Dornbirn. Some windows at the ministry of education were smashed.

Source: derstandard.at (in German; video clips) + schulstreik.at


Fri, 01/05/2009 - 01:02 — Mo

Hamburg (Germany)

At least 600 students protested against budget cuts and for free education in the city centre of Hamburg.

Source: uni-hamburg.de

Fri, 01/05/2009 - 02:41 — Mo

Barcelona (Catalunya/Spain)

o c c u p a t i o n


The Ramon Berenguer IV college was occupied at midday by around 30 students planning to hold a series of activities in the liberated space. The police was called almost immediately and a rally was held outside the building with students, parents and members of the community. Those inside decided to continue with their planned events. An eviction process started but was halted at 1am on Saturday morning following an agreement made between the headteacher and the students, who left at 6pm on Saturday. It's notable that throughout the occupation, the students were met with the support and solidarity of community members, to the extent that they woke up on Saturday morning to hot chocolate and biscuits brought to them by neighbours.
As well as fighting against the implementation of the Bologna Process, colleges are fighting against the new LEC (Catalan Education Law) and LOE (Organic Education Law). These laws will detract from schools' autonomy (obliging them to source funds from businesses), discriminate against immigrant students, give the head-teacher (now chosen by an administrative body) new powers and create an external ranking agency which will value – rather than the acquirement of knowledge – foreign language capacity, IT skills and student behaviour as a basis for funding. This funding system will harm schools in poorer areas creating an educational divide between the rich and the poor. These reforms are clear examples of social control tactics used to keep the poor “in their place”.

Source: interuni-bcn.blogspot.com

Fri, 01/05/2009 - 20:03 — Mo

Brussels (Belgium)

o c c u p a t i o n

Students from across Europe (at least 8 countries: Italy, France, Germany, Catalunya/Spain, the UK, Belgium, the Netherlands and Denmark) arrived today in Brussels to attend the "counter-summit" and protests against the Ministerial Bologna Conference.
Since the hundreds of students (~ 200) didn't have a place to stay they occupied a building of the Université Libre de Bruxelles.

Pictures coming soon.


Sun, 03/05/2009 - 16:46 — rud (not verified)

Gdańsk (Poland)

At the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Gdańsk there was a debate about the new fence around the campus. Both academics and activists, who fight with harmful investments and working conditions, took part.

On the same day a new issue of !reVOLT magazine was published. The issue deals with the problem of the quality of studies, commercialisation of education and harmful changes in the educational spaces. The magazine has also published a call to actions during the GWA.

cover poster

More details here