Global Social Disobedience in Solidarity with Argentina's Popular Rebellion, December 20–21, 2002

As Argentina tumbles further into uncharted financial
crisis, an inspiring popular rebellion has been spreading
across the country. An ongoing movement has
developed that has become a living laboratory of
struggle, a space where the popular politics of the
future are being re-invented. The rising rebellion
exploded on December 20th 2001, when over a million
people took to the streets banging their pots and pans
and ousting the government. This year on the 20th of
December people in Argentina and across the globe
are calling for a global day of Action to demonstrate
that those who are building alternatives to the
dictatorship of the markets are not alone.From the unemployed workers movement, "the
piqueteros", blockading roads and building community
projects in their neighborhoods — to the "asambleas",
the horizontally organized neighborhood meetings that
have sprung up spontaneously in the cities. From the
"Ahorristas", the angry savers who attack the banks
daily to get their money back — to the "Trueque" barter
network which 7 million people are using instead of
money. From the workers in numerous occupied
factories who are self managing their work places — to
the High school students occupying their schools
demanding cheaper bus fares; the spirit of autonomy,
the celebration of diversity and the practice of direct
democracy can be seen across Argentina.

Every social strata is united in the slogan "Que Se
Vayan Todos", they all must go, meaning that the
entire political class leaves the stage, every politician
from every party, the supreme court, the IMF, the
multinational corporations, the banks — everyone out,
so the people can decide the fate of their economically
crippled country themselves. In the face of ever
increasing poverty and total economic meltdown, the
people of Argentina have found enough hope to
continue resisting, and have mustered sufficient
creativity to start building practical alternatives to the
despair of capitalism.

From Angola to Nepal, Bolivia to Turkey, the same
cracks are appearing in the neoliberal "logic," and
people are resisting as their economies fall apart and
their societies are further crippled by foreign debt. A
dozen countries are poised to be the "next Argentina,"
and some of them may be a lot closer to home than we
ever imagined.

We need to be prepared, not only to resist, but to find
ways to rebuild our societies when the economic and
ecological crisis hits. If the popular rebellion in
Argentina succeeds, it could show the world that
people are able to live through severe crisis and come
out the other side, not merely having survived, but
stronger, and happier for struggling for new ways of
living.

For two days in December, when tens of thousands of
Argentineans will take to the streets to celebrate last
years uprising, actions and events will take place
across the world in solidarity with the people of
Argentina.

What can you do on these days ? Here are some ideas
...Take pots and pans into the streets to celebrate the
sound of the Cacerolazo, start up a local neighborhood
assembly, Blockade roads in solidarity with the
Piqueteros, occupy your workplace or college and try
out self management, expropriate goods will dancing
tango, subvert the spirit of consumer Christmas by
creating a barter market ....the options are endless...

The aims of the Days of Social Disobedience
include:

1.To show that the movement of movements against
capitalism can move beyond insurrection towards
a real social revolution. A social revolution, made
of thousands of revolutions, where people are
beginning to build the life that they want and
preparing to defend it rather than simply protesting
against what they don't want. And that Argentina
is an inspiring model of this.

2.To build a powerful global network of solidarity for
Argentina. The movements in Argentina are in
danger of isolation; without the security and the
mutual inspiration of international solidarity, they
will suffer further repression. Although many in
the movement of movements worldwide have said
"Thank god for Argentina," as we've had our
hopes rekindled in the dark days post 9-11, most
of the people on the streets of Argentina have no
idea that they've provided such widespread
optimism. By seeing the worlds social movements
acting in concert and solidarity with their struggle,
the people of Argentina will inspired to continue
their struggle.

3.To learn from the events in Argentina and apply
these lessons to building our own autonomous
spaces, neighborhood assemblies, alternative
economic systems, self managed work places etc.
4.To spread the stories and information about the
movements in Argentina to social movements
across the world.

To join the organising email list send mail to:
listraaf

Many groups are planning actions/events: ranging
from the Disobedients in Italy, to Direct action groups
in Belgium, Wombles in the UK, Yamango and in
Spain, as well as groups in Jordan, Finland and
Germany.

Argentina | actions 2002 | agp