International Student Movement

Marburg (Germany):
Solidarity Action for Activists in Puerto Rico

As part of the "International Day of Solidarity for Activists at the University of Puerto Rico" activists of the Free Education Movement Marburg decided to inform the public. They armed themselves with a banner, flyers and a camera and went to busiest spot of the town, the market place. The whole action lasted for about 1 hour. Since the mainstream media doesn't inform about the situation elsewhere (and in this case in Puerto Rico in particular), we have to approach the public ourselves.

Attached you will find our press release and flyer text (both translated into English) as well as pictures of the action.

The texts are also available in German: bildungsstreik-marburg.de

 

PRESS RELEASE:

Global Day of Solidarity With Activists in Puerto Rico

Students in Marburg inform about inhuman conditions at the University of Puerto Rico.

Last Friday, the Free Education Movement Marburg (FEMM) enrolled a banner calling "For Free Emancipatory Education in Puerto Rico and Everywhere else! One World - One Struggle" in the city center of Marburg (Germany).

The spontaneous action was part of the global day of solidarity with the students of the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) on the Rio Piedras Campus.

The group of activists shortly occupied a fountain on the city market square, distributed leaflets to inform about the background of the action and talked to passers-by. Later, the group went ahead with the banner through the streets of the city center.

In Puerto Rico, a brutal fight between students and police is taking place for several months. Background of the protest is the privatization of the education sector enforced by government policies. Besides the increase of tuition fees in January, more than 25,000 jobs in the public service have been axed. Thereupon, students in Puerto Rico went on strike at the UPR. Due to the fee increase, thousands of them are now forced to give up their studies.

Violent attacks by the special police forces on protesters led to hundreds injured. According to eye witnesses, the massive repression not only included the use of tear gas and smoke bombs, but also sexual abuse.

Last Friday, with regard to the inhuman conditions at the UPR, students and education activists demonstrated in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Granada, Manchester, New York City and other cities their solidarity with the protesters in Puerto Rico. The FEMM, which emerged from the Marburg Education Strike initiative, pointed to the prevailing global trend towards the privatization of education. "The educational processes happening in Puerto Rico only differ in the extent of state repression from those in Europe, Asia and North America. Almost everywhere in the world educational institutions are being privatized and democratic participation cut back or abolished," said Mo Schmidt of the FEMM. It is therefore crucial to not only fight for free and emancipatory education in local institutions, but also to act globally.

Websites for details:
http://ism-global.net/march11_solidarity +
http://redaccion-pr.net (official homepage of the Action Day activists)

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FLYER TEXT:

Global Day of Solidarity With Activists in Puerto Rico

March 11^th, 1971, was one of the bloodiest days in the history of the University of Puerto Rico. The main campus in Rio Piedras was raided by police, which led to violent clashes and two people killed.

Over the recent months, government plans to charge extra tuition fees have now provoked student protests especially in Rio Piedras (Puerto Rico). The protests aim at preventing the fee of € 800 per semester impending from January 2011. In Puerto Rico, about one half of the population lives below the poverty line. Accordingly, the tuition fees would force at least 10,000 of the 65,000 students to give up their studies.

In addition to the cut of 25,000 jobs in the public sector, the introduction of tuition fees is just another step of education privatization – a trend that takes place not only in Puerto Rico.

To stop the fees, students in Puerto Rico have been going on strike together with university professors and employees for several months.

To prevent protests on campus, the government ordered massive police raids. Police violence, including tear gas and smoke bombs, left several people injured. Many protesters were arrested, some women even sexually harassed.

The penetration of the campus by the police had previously been approved by the Supreme Court of the country. In Puerto Rico, campuses are considered autonomous regions and may not be entered by police or other special forces.

The events in Puerto Rico show how ruthless state repression is being exerted against humans in general and politically active students in particular. The unreasonable state repression against protests for more democratic participation and against the privatization of the educational sector becomes reminiscient of the police violence on the events of March 11^th, 1971.

The Free Education Movement Marburg considers itself part of the global movement for free and emancipatory education, too.

We therefore express our solidarity with the students in Puerto Rico in their commitment for free and emancipatory education.

Free Education Movement Marburg