Communiqué by the Counterinformation Network EU 2002, against an attack
against freedom
of speech on the internet

In an action coordinated, allegedly from the Spanish Internal affairs
minister, a
framework of at least 7 media (Diario de la Rioja, Logroño; Diario El
Norte de
Castilla; Diario Idea, Granada; Diario Las Provincias, Valencia; Diario
Panorama
Actual, Valencia; Diario de Sevilla and Canal Nou, Valencia) started a
campaign
against counter-information webs.

Melchor Saiz-Pardo, from COLPISA agency (news agency that belongs to
"Grupo Correo",
recently united to "Prensa Española") signed the article used by all
these media in
which they use the language and the style of the articles Internal
Affairs ministry
uses to distribute in its "antiterrorist raids". It is not casual that
all this
"second order" media use the same ínformation; COLPISA provides news to
all regional
press and such press is usually under the control of "Grupo Correo".

The text, full of lies, groundless insinuations and attempts to link
the virtual
counterinformation with "the violents", profusely uses terms as
"sabotage",
"antisystem radicals". All of this, even if there is very little
information (non
manipulated), the only mention they make is about the meeting held in
Zaragoza last
24th or 25th of november (see http://www.nodo50.org/antiglobalizacion),
were nothing
was mentioned about sabotage or guerrilla; the week for social fight in
Sevilla and
the day for civil dissobedience in Barcelona.

On thursday january the 17th, Nodo50's server was hacked and "El Mundo"
newspaper
reported on friday, january 18th, the "controversy" generated around
the webpages
coordinated through the counterinformation network EU 2002.

The counterinformation network EU 2002, gathers different projects of
virtual
counterinformation that fight against neoliberal globalization and they
try to
inform unitarily about the events that are happening during spanish
presidency to
the European Union in 2002.

From this space we denounce that these accusations and harrassments are
not other
thing but an attempt to criminalise the freedom of speech through the
internet, and,
for this reason, an attempt to ensure the monopoly of information
during these
months when a multitude of events against the Europe of Capital are
going to happen
during the spanish presideny until june, this year.

We denounce the dangerous repressive outcome that are already taking
the
provocations that from official media are being made -as it has happen
in this case-
days or weeks before protests. In Barcelona (june 2001), it was
demonstrated that
police infiltration in the mobilisations and its key role in the
lutting that
happened. Sadly this kind of manipulation are accompanied by repression
acts or
violent police charges during the demonstrations.

The activities organize around the citizen protests against the EU are
aiming at a
more just and equalitarian society, and our aim in this case is to
inform without
any conditioning of the different activities that will happen.

Counter Information network EU 2002: IMC-Barcelona, Griesca, La Haine,
IndyACP,
Nodo50, Rebelión and UPA-Molotov

Anonymous Comrade writes:

"Is a new world possible? Activists who fight corporate globalization certainly believe so. Those struggling to oppose corporate globalization are more than simply critics of the current system. Though global opposition to the negative effects of the world’s current economic and political systems continues to grow, every time those protesting corporate globalization appear en masse to call attention to a global financial body like the International Monetary Fund or World Trade Organization, their critics accuse them of offering little more than condemnation. "We know what you’re against," critics say, "BUT WHAT ARE YOU FOR?" The truth is, activists struggling to oppose corporate globalization offer many models of alternative ways to envision a new society. From developing viable economic alternatives to global capitalism to creating more effective ideas for educating children, from envisioning non-hierarchical means of organizing society to conceiving ways to enable more equality in interpersonal relationships, those who hope to create a better world offer infinite visions for a way to do just that.