US Hands off Latin America - No more Pinochets

>>>>Emergency Rally in Solidarity<<<<

BOLIVIA-VENEZUELA-PARAGUAY-ECUADOR-EL SALVADOR
5.30pm Friday, September 26th
GPO, Corner Bourke and Elizabeth St, CBD Ph Sean 0415 122 135

Latin America now faces its most serious crisis since the rebirth of democratic and progressive movements at the end of the 20th century. On the 35th anniversary of the military overthrow of Salvador Allende in Chile in 1973, which had the overt support of the United States, the presidents of Bolivia and Venezuela asked the US ambassadors accredited to their countries to leave.


They both believe they are facing the possibility of an imminent coup in which they accuse the United States' administration of being involved. A third country, Paraguay, announced ten days previously that they had detected a plan involving military officers and opposition politicians.

The plot against democracy in Venezuela centered on a plan, revealed in telephone conversations between senior military officers broadcast on national television, to assassinate the democratically elected head of state, President Chavez.

In Bolivia, the separatist governors of the five eastern regions, in close touch with the US embassy in La Paz, have begun a campaign of violence and economic sabotage designed to create the conditions for a coup. Scores of indigenous and poor protesters have been killed by gang backed by rich sectors and the oligarchy.

These events demonstrate unequivocally who defends democracy and who threatens it in Latin America today. The international media has failed to provide accurate and proportionate coverage of these events.

Join the rally to defend people's power, self-determination, social progress and popular democracy in Latin America and to condemn the actions against indigenous and poor people organisations, human rights and democratically elected popular governments.

Endorsements

Centre for Latin America Studies and Solidarity Australia Venezuela Solidarity Network Latin American Solidarity Network (LASNET) Peace & Justice for Colombia, FMLN committee Revolutionary Socialist Party Socialist Alliance. Green Left Weekly Resistance

www.latinlasnet.org/gathering/freedom.html

Building Solidarity with Latin America... Building Bridges…
Organising Globally… The Power of Grassroots Organising

lasnet@latinlasnet.org
www.latinlasnet.org

International Indigenous Solidarity Gathering

The Latin American and Australasian International Indigenous Solidarity Gathering

Melbourne-Australia, October 24 - 25 - 26

As you are aware for October 24-26, 2008, The Latin American Solidarity Network (LASNET), Friends of the Earth - Australia (FOE) and other solidarity groups are holding The Latin American and Australasia International Indigenous Solidarity Gathering (Encuentro), which will bring along indigenous nand non indigenous grassroots popular organisations who are struggling, resisting and supporting Indigenous/First Nations/ Aboriginal rights from Australia, Aotearoa(NZ), Asia Pacific, Pacific Islands, Turtle Island (North America) & Latin America.

This Gathering is taking place on Wurundjery land. We give our respects to the Wurungjery elders past and present, and acknowledge the sovereignty of all Aboriginal Nations on this continent.

The Gathering (Encuentro) has the main goal to build bridges of struggles, friendship and collaboration between indigenous and grassroots organisations throughout this regions of the world, specially today where multinational corporations are increasing their invasion to aboriginal lands and the military repression is intensifying world over.

During the days of the Gathering (Encuentro), main meetings, workshops, documentary festival, get together activities, different people from Australia and overseas will explore the questions of Genocide over our aboriginal nations by the dominant states, Autonomous struggles, The ancestral rights of land and own culture, sovereignty and the global order, sovereignty and neo-liberal policies, land sovereignty and nation, aboriginal control of aboriginal affairs, meaning of human rights and aboriginal rights, fighting racism and other topics that people assisting to the gathering will present.

Our idea is to be open and inclusive to ideas, discourses supporting the aboriginal people self-determination, sovereign of their future and popular grassroots struggles for justice, peace, dignity and democracy from below.

Friday 24 October Victoria Trades Hall Council - Carlton:
Gathering Opening (Public Meeting), 6pm,

Saturday 25 October - CERES East Brunswick:
Plenary/main sessions (Gatherings), workshops, entertainment,
art exhibitions, traditional food, stalls,
Afternoon Films documentaries
Party at Night

Sunday 26 October - CERES East Brunswick:
Plenary/ main sessions (Gatherings), workshops, entertainment (music, movies, theatre), traditional food, stalls, art exhibition
5/6pm - Main Gathering and resolutions

Further Information contact lasnet@latinlasnet.org
or call 0400 914 944

Workshop: Struggles against neoliberalism

"...We emphasized that the fight against neoliberalism had to be waged globally."

From the G8 to Lacandona Jungle

The last Anti-G8 experiences and the Zapatistas new possibilities

Discussion and thoughts on autonomous social movements and anti-neoliberalism global struggles

Rachel Rowe, Mexico Australia Solidarity Network activist & independent journalist of Regeneracion Radio from Mexico City; recently returned from Mexico, she has been involved in The Other Campaign (a call from the Zapatistas) and in the autonomous community radio Regeneracion; Rachel is part of the alternative media and communication facility groups and grassroots organisations both in urban (landless peoples movements and poor street vendors movements) and rural environments (indigenous and campesino communities).

Canopy, LASNET activist, recently returned from Japan where he attended an Indigenous and anti-G8 Conferences. In Japan, July 2008, grassroots organisations from around the globe share their experiences and struggles in a four days conference, discussing and planning new ways to confront global capitalism.

Date: Thursday August 28th,
Time: 7pm
Venue: Victoria Trades Hall Council,
Meeting Room 1, ground floor, corner of Victoria & Lygon Streets, Carlton

Entry by donation

Everyone welcome

Red de Solidaridad con los Pueblos Latinoamericanos

www.latinlasnet.org
lasnet@latinlasnet.org

A Night of Culture, Music & Solidarity in Melbourne

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 10,

7pmChurch Hall10A Hyde Street,Footscray

Night in Solidarity with Latin American grassroots movements

Traditional Latin American Musicwith Rebeca Godoy a people’s struggle musician

Keynote speakers: Cristian Quechupan Mapuche Indigenous activist from Chile,

presenting a Multimedia presentation Rosalio Tinta Leader from Coalition of grassroot social movements from Cochabamba Bolivia

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 10,

7pmChurch Hall

10A Hyde Street,

Footscray

General Admission $10 waged, $5 Students, $20 SolidarityBookings: (03) 9481 2273 - 0413 597 315 - 0400 914 944Organised by:Latin American Solidarity Network (LASNET)www.latinlasnet.org

Fighting and organising globally against neoliberalism!

Latin American and Asia Pacific International Solidarity Forum Oct
11-14, 2007. Melbourne, Australia

A global call for participation

We call on all activists, organisations and communities who are
committed to building a better world to join together at the Latin
American and Asia Pacific International Solidarity Forum to be held in
October 2007, in Melbourne Australia.

The forum has been initiated by the organisers of several successful
conferences and gatherings in solidarity with Latin America and the
Asia Pacific, the Australia-Venezuela Solidarity Network (AVSN), Asia
Pacific International Solidarity Conference (APISC) and the Latin
American Solidarity Network (LASNET). With this call we would like to
invite you to participate in this international forum.

A time of resistance, progress and struggle

Today, cracks are beginning to appear in the neo-liberal capitalist
ruling system. In the Asia-Pacific there is a growing crisis of
legitimacy for neo-liberal governments and mass movements of
resistance are on the rise. In Latin American a people's rebellion is
growing across the continent. An echo of the massive independence
struggles against colonialism and imperialism can again be heard.

Old ideas are being re-examined and new ways experimented with.
Discussion and debate have been revived among whole communities -- on
issues such as workers' control and management; indigenous autonomy
and self-determination; building trade unions and social movements;
electoral campaigning and counter-power strategies. These discussions
have given birth to some of the most dynamic and successful social
movements and political organisations in recent decades.

There is great diversity among these movements. Some are working to
achieve power, while others, such as the Zapatistas, aim to completely
re-define and recreate the notion of power. Some have formed links
with political parties and are constantly adjusting how they relate to
the government of the day.

Popular governments have won elections with the support of social
movements, and in countries such as Venezuela, Bolivia and Ecuador we
are seeing progressive and radical changes. The Venezuelan idea of
socialism for the 21st century is giving renewed hope and energy to
other liberation processes.

Many of these movements and political organisations are winning. They
are strengthening people's participation, strengthening their
communities, developing people's power and inspiring a new generation
of political activists.

Another world can only be realised if people like you and me also
commit to this emerging project of struggle against neoliberalism.

http://solidarityforum2007.org/?q=node

International participants

Aotearoa / New Zealand
* Sina Brown-Davis, Maori/Pasifikan activist, G20 Arrestee
* Vaughan Gunson, Socialist Worker NZ
Bangladesh
* Abul Hossain, President, United Labour Federation
Bolivia
* An activist from the life and water social movements coalition
Canada
* Roger Annis, Canada Haiti Action Network
* John Riddell, Socialist Voice
* Suzanne Weiss, Venezuela We are With You
Colombia
* A representative of the National Federation of Agricultural Farming
Unions (Fensuagro)
Cuba
* Nélida Hernández Carmona & Ifrahim Miranda León, Cuban
Consul-General & Consul in Australia
East Timor
* Avelino Coelho, General Secretary, Socialist Party of Timor
Eucador
* Efren Calapucha, Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of
Ecuador (CONAIE)
El Salvador
* Sigfrido Reyes Morales, Member of Parliament, FMLN Political Commission.
Indonesia
* Dita Sari, Founding chairperson of Centre for Indonesian Workers
Struggle (FNPBI)
* Agus Priono, Chairperson, National Liberation Party of Unity (PAPERNAS)
Korea
* Reverend Jang Chang Weon, Osan Laborers and Migrants Shelter,
Reconciliation and Unification Mission Center
Malaysia
* Irene Xavier, Coordinator, Transnational Information Exchange Asia
Philippines
* Franciso Nemenzo, Chairperson, Laban ng Masa
Pakistan
* Farooq Tariq, General Secretary, Labour Party Pakistan
Pakistan
* Farooq Tariq, General Secretary, Labour Party Pakistan
Papua New Guinea
* John Chitoa and Rosa Koian, Bismarck Ramu Group
Venezuela
* Eva Golinger, author of The Chavez Code and Bush vs Chavez:
Washington's War on Venezuela
* Vladimir Villegas, Vice-Minister for Asia, Middle East and Oceania.
* Sandino Carrizales, Youth activist and Communal Councils organiser.
* Nelson Davila, Venezuela's Charge d'Affairs in Australia
Vietnam
* Tran Quoc Khanh, Vietnam's Deputy Consul General in Australia
West Papua
* Anak Jehudi, Patron, West Papua Students Association, Port Morseby.

The Ongoing G20 Arrestee Solidarity Network presents

A public forum and discussion

Thursday 26th July in the Reading Room, Fitzroy Town Hall, at 7pm.

Speakers: Claudio Castro, People’s Assembly Movement, Chile; Sina
Brown-Davis,G20 Arrestee; Julia Dehm,G20 Arrestee, Hamish McPherson OGASN.

In the lead up to APEC, the Asia Pacific Economic Forum, new laws
have been passed that give police massively increased powers in
Sydney from the period 30th August until 12th September 2007, and
introduce new criminal offences for protestors.

Across the political spectrum, spaces for resistance to the
neo-liberal agenda are shrinking due to increased state surveillance
and the criminalisation of dissent.

But even under massively oppressive conditions, throughout history
people have always resisted unjust and oppressive governments.

Such resistances are possible when genuine solidarity exists amongst
different groups within social movements.

Solidarity increases the political space of social movement
groups. It allows people to trust one another, to engage in meaningful
acts of social change, and be stronger as a united force.

This forum will explore ways of effectively resisting the agenda
of APEC and the violence of the state.

Endorsed by: Anti-APEC Network and Latin American Solidarity Network