Problems at the French/Spanish border

Lots of people were refused to cross the Spanish/French border last weekend. Most of them were on their way to the protests in Barcelona, some of them also wanted to go to the forum about education and culture during the meeting of the EU culture ministers in Salamanca. In Barcelona about 500.000 people demonstrated on March 16 against the Europe of capital and war, in Salamanca about 2000 people discussed educational policies in Europe from March 17-19 and 3000 students demonstrated against the neo-liberal education policies of the EU on March 19. You can see pictures of the protests in Salamanca and a report in Spanish at http://barcelona.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=15408&group=webcast .

We will not give up our campaign Education not for sale because of the problems at the French/Spanish border. We , the international student and schoolstudent network Education is not for sale!, will intensivy our campaign with decentral protests (during the OECD conference in Washington DC about education and trade) in the EU, USA, Latin America and other countries and continents against the commercialisation of education and the GATS-treaty. In Germany for instance students are preparing for massive protests during this OECD conference wich will be held on May 23-24. We will also mobilize for a studentblock and a forum about education at the protests during the EU summit in Sevilla on June 21 & 22. We will rent a train with about 1000 students from germany who will travel to the protests in Spain. On the train there will be some members of parliament to make pressure at the Spanish border to let us in. WE WILL CROSS THE BORDER! More information about the campaign Education is not for sale can be found on: http://int-protest-action.tripod.com and http://www.antilou.org/index.php?newlang=eng Now you can read an eyewitness report about the problems at the French/Spanish border last weekend.

With D14 to Barcelona, a witnessreport
By Filip (story posted in flamish on Belgium Indymedia)

Thursdaynight (March 16, translater) at 7pm i went (from Brussels) with about 140 people in 3 coaches of D14 (who organized the demonstrations during the EU summit last december in brussels) to barcelona to take part in the demonstration agianst a Europe of capital. At friday afternoon we arrived at the Spanish border. After they checked the coaches and our identity papers (wich took 2 hours) the spanish police asked us to get back in the bus. We thougt everything was ok and that we could travel further. But without any explenation the spanish police demanded that the coaches turned and drive back to France.

On the other side of the border we immediatly stopped. Several other coaches (of ATTAC) joined us. They were also send back without any explenation and were forced to turn back without even being checked.

Irritated by this illegal border blockade by the Spanis borderpolice we occupied a part of the highway. After a while our busdrivers were forced by the French borderpolice to drive away. The French activists were driven in their bus by sticks.

After a short discussion in our group we decided to go back to Perpignan (French border city, translater). There we were received by the comrads of the union SUD. We also met with people of ATTAC. With about 300 activists we could sleep in a sporthall wich was arranged by the people of SUD. After an improvized little party we went to the congress palace of Perpignan where all coaches that were heading to Barcelona were waiting for us. More and more coaches came together. ATTAC from Toulouse, Marseille, Aix, groups of SUD and the LCR etc.

In the mean time the French authorities were getting active as well: the French prefects around the Spanish border declared that it was prohibited for coaches to use the highway. That`s how the French made themselves accomplishes of the Spanish state.

In Perpignan we organized a demonstration with 1500 people (about 20 coaches regrouped in Perpignan) to show that we don`t agree with this blockade which is attacking our freedom of movement and the freedom to raise our voice against a policy of liberlazation, cuts in social standards and the war of the European union.

After this demonstration we went to the border again with about 15 coaches. That was at about 5pm. Barcelona was 180km away and the demonstration in Barcelona started at 6pm. At 5.30pm the Spanish borderpolice opened the border. One of the D14 coaches drove on to Barcelona. There they took part at the end of the demonstration and saw the concert of Mano Choa.

- Our Spanish driver compared the situation with the fascist policiy of the Franco regim. I think he is right. Personnaly i have had contact wth the chief of cabinet durand who was in barcelona. He told me that he would interfere and speak to the ambassador and that he would get back to me. I am still waiting for his answer. The chief of cabinet told me also that he could do nothing because Spain is responsible. Beautiful democracy in the European Union. From . Van Vandelanotte, Di Ruppo or Michel we have heard nothing as well.

- The blockade by the Spanish and the French states shows very clear that the European Union is afraid when activists and union people from all over europe meet eachother and unite. This show how we have to continue. If we want to stop the policy of privatization, liberization of the EU we have to multiply the contacts between activists and union people in the different countries.

- De blokkade door Spanjaarden en Fransen maakt duidelijk dat de Europeese Unie bang is dat aktivisten en vakbondsmensen van over heel Europa zich verenigen en elkaar ontmoeten. Dit geeft aan hoe we verder moeten. Als we de politiek van privatisering, liberalisering,... van de EU willen stoppen moeten we de kontakten tussen aktivisten en syndicalisten van de verschillende landen vermenigvuldigen.

- This blockade could not prevent that the demonstration was a historical succes: 500.000 people took part.

arch/ive/ief (2000 - 2005)