North Atlantic Treaty Organization NATO

As part of the anti-NATO summit protests, several blockades were organised to stop, or hinder, access to the red zone - the part of Strasbourg that was completely closed off and where the summit took place.

These blockades were done under the "Block-NATO" umbrella ; one of those, the north blockade organized by "NATO-ZU", was strictly nonviolent.

NATO-ZU, which had it's own barrio and training facilities in the camp, was organised by consensus using a spokesperson council, where each affinity group would send a representative.

Stuttgart/Bonn, 29 March 2009. The campaign NATO-ZU/Shut down NATO, which is preparing nonviolent protests and actions of civil disobedience for the NATO summit in Strasbourg, criticises the behaviour of politicians and police in advance of the NATO summit. In stead of deescaling, the conflict is already now being escalated by the authorities using an absurd prognosis of threats.

Dear supporters of Shut down NATO/NATO-ZU,

Welcome to our third Newsletter, the last one before the active operation. All other news and information that get in after this newsletter we will publish on our webpage – so it’s worth it to visit www.nato-zu.de once in a while. Again, please, read this newsletter completely and carefully – lots of its contents are important for the preparation of our action! Everybody – come to Strasbourg – together we will do it!

This newsletter includes information about:
1. recent development within the NATO
2. repressions by public authorities

From all over Belgium, by bus, bike, taxi, public transport and even by walking, hundreds of activists came to NATO's headquarters in Evere, Brussels. They tried non-violently to enter the NATO terrain and seal gates, windows and doors. At the same time, the NATO has been symbolically buried during a farewell ceremony. Today, this burial is still a symbolic act, but the will to turn this symbol into reality is very high.

Dear supporters of Shut down NATO,

welcome to our 2nd newsletter in which we want to inform you about the state of preparations for our peaceful and non-violent operation against the NATO-summit April 4th in Strasbourg. The day of action gets closer and there is yet a lot to do. Therefore we strongly need your help (see #10, jobs). Please read this newsletter completely and carefully – its content includes important information also about preparation for the active operation.

Content of this newsletter:

1. Recent development within the NATO

War Resisters' International is part of the international coalition "No to war - no to NATO", which called for protests at the NATO summit in Baden Baden (Germany) and Strasbourg (France) on 3 and 4 April 2009, and is continuing with an International Working Conference "No to war - No to NATO" in Berlin on 17/18 October 2009.

This page gives an overview of resources available on the WRI website.

A nonviolent blockade is likely to constitute an "unlawful assembly" according to CP 431-3 (CP = Code Pénal or French Penal Code) [1]. The possible punishment for "Wilful participation in an unlawful assembly" is - according to CP 431-4, a prison sentence of up to one year and a fine of up to 15,000€ [2].

taking decisions together – acting jointly

Within the coalition NATO-ZU (Shut down NATO) we agreed guidelines for the actions of civil disobedience. These guidelines spell out the objectives, the basis of nonviolence and the principles of decision making; they serve as the foundation of our action and are to be adhered to.

Within our nonviolent action, we want to act jointly according to the action guidelines below. This does not mean that everyone has to accept these guidelines as their own world view – they are only an agreement for this action.

1. Objectives

Commissiaire Hartmann
Prefecture Bas-Rhin
5, Place de la République
67073 STRASBOURG Cédex
Fax : +33 388216155

Dear Mr Hartmann,

We contact you by way of this open letter to inform you about the actions of civil disobedience in relation to the NATO summit, planned by NATO-ZU/Shut down NATO in Strasbourg on 4 April. NATO-ZU/Shut down NATO is an international coalition of organisations and individuals from the peace movement, which jointly call for nonviolent actions of civil disobedience in Strasbourg on 4 April.

BLOCK NATO
www.block-nato.org

Press Release No. 1

Civil Disobedience Training of BLOCK NATO in Strasbourg

On 3 and 4 April, NATO will meet in Baden-Baden and Strasbourg to celebrate its 60th anniversary. Activists from all over Europe are preparing a wide range of protest activities against this summit.

On 8th March 2009 some 50 activists presented the initiative BLOCK NATO with a public civil disobedience training in Strasbourg to the public.

Dear supporters of Shut down NATO,

This is the first newsletter of Shut down NATO (in German: NATO-ZU, in
which ZU stands also for Civil disobedience), with which we want to
give you information on the status of the preparations for the
actions in Baden-Baden and Strasbourg, and especially about the
planned nonviolent blockades in which we are involved.

Before
1 April, the first day of the action camp in Strasbourg, we will
surely send one or two more newsletters.

This newsletter includes:

War Resisters' International is part of the international coalition NATO-ZU/Shut down NATO, which is organising a nonviolent action on 4 April in Strasbourg at the NATO summit.
As a preparation for the action we now send out the English edition of the newsletter of NATO-ZU/Shut down NATO.

Andreas Speck