[E-rundbrief] Info 682 - Czech hungerstrike, US-Radar

Di Mai 27 10:24:25 CEST 2008

E-Rundbrief - Info 682 - Czech activists against US-Radar on hunger 
strike, Solidarity hunger-strikers and other solidarity actions worldwide.

Bad Ischl, 27.5.2008

Begegnungszentrum für aktive Gewaltlosigkeit

www.begegnungszentrum.at

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CZECH ACTIVISTS AGAINST U.S. RADAR ON HUNGER STRIKE
On May 13th, Jan Tamas and Jan Bednar began a hunger strike in Prague. 
They are asking for respect for the expressed will of 70% of the people 
of the Czech Republic against installing a U.S. military radar base on 
Czech territory, and that a democratic referendum be held on the issue. 
"We have tried almost everything, but our government has failed to 
listen to us," says Tamas.

Word came from the Czech Republic over the weekend that striker Jan 
Bednar is suffering from liver failure. His health conditions are 
worsening day by day, and the medical team, as well as his friends and 
family, have urged him to interrupt the hunger strike. He has decided, 
however, to continue. "I have seen no sign that the Czech government is 
willing to open the dialogue on this issue and the European Parliament 
is silent," he stated.

PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD

  ON UNLIMITED HUNGER STRIKE AGAINST THE RADAR

Jan Tamas and Jan Bednar in Prague since May 13, Dino Mancarella in 
Trieste since May 14, Federica Fratini, Isabel Torres, Eduardo Calizza 
in Rome since May 19, Josa Alvarez in Spain since May 22. They have been 
joined on May 24 by Bruce Gagnon from Maine, the Korean Sung-Hee Choi in 
New York, Gareth Smith in Australia and Joaquin Valenzuela in Italy.

"MISSILE DEFENSE" IS A DANGEROUS ESCALATION

Although the proposed U.S. radar in the Czech Republic and the companion 
interceptor missiles planned for Poland are presented as a defense 
system against possible attacks from Iranian missiles, the "Missile 
Defense" system is, in fact, a first strike weapon and a tool for global 
dominance. The National Intelligence Estimate released in December 2007 
stated that Iran had discontinued its nuclear weapons program in the 
fall of 2003. And U.S. nuclear militarism helps make nuclear weapons the 
accepted currency of international relations, providing both an 
incentive and a rationale for Iran to develop its own nuclear weapons in 
the future, and a spur to the Russian government to engage in a new arms 
race with the United States. In response to the proposed bases, the 
Russians have threatened to aim their own weapons at Poland and the 
Czech Republic, endangering countless innocent civilians.

For over two years, citizens in the Czech Republic have repeatedly 
expressed their opposition to the proposed U.S. base -- through mass 
demonstrations, opinion polls, and petitions. Time is now running out, 
as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is expected to travel to the 
Czech Republic in June to sign the agreement between the two countries; 
if the agreement is signed, it will have to be ratified by the Czech 
parliament, which is at the moment divided right down the middle. The 
cancellation of Rice's May 4 trip to Prague was one indication that the 
agreement is facing serious hurdles; another was the May 14 vote by a 
U.S. House of Representatives committee to withhold more than 50 percent 
of the funds sought by the Bush administration to start building 
missile-defense sites in Poland and the Czech Republic.

The fate of the "Missile Defense" project hangs in the balance, both 
here and in the Czech republic.

Here's what you can do to support the hunger strikers:

1) Add your name to the more than 98,000 people who've already signed 
the online petition - and then encourage others to sign on as well: 
http://www.nonviolence.cz You can also read messages of support that 
have come in from around the world at 
http://www.nenasili.cz/en/723_messages-of-support Messages of support 
from the U.S. are available on request from cpd at igc.org , including 
messages from Christopher Hedges, Noam Chomsky, Adam Hochschild, 
Meredith Tax, Ariel Dorfman, Alice Slater, Nancy Holmstrom, Gail Daneker 
and Matt Hunter.

2) Send a message of solidarity to the hunger strikers (if you email it 
to us at cpd at igc.org we will forward your message immediately to Prague)

3) Throughout Europe groups have been demonstrating their support for 
the hunger strikers - as well as their opposition to the U.S. Missile 
Defense initiative. Find out more about these activities: 
http://nenasili.cz/en/1081_campaign-in-europe

4) Make sure your member of Congress and all the presidential candidates 
know about your opposition to the radar base in the Czech Republic, and 
to the whole Missile Defense initiative. You can find the contact 
information for your representatives at the League of Women Voters 
website: http://takeaction.lwv.org/lwv/dbq/officials/

5) Forward this message to others in your networks!

-- 

Matthias Reichl, Pressesprecher/ press speaker,
Begegnungszentrum fuer aktive Gewaltlosigkeit
Center for Encounter and active Non-Violence
Wolfgangerstr. 26, A-4820 Bad Ischl, Austria,
fon: +43 6132 24590, Informationen/ informations,
Impressum in: http://www.begegnungszentrum.at
Spenden-Konto Nr. 0600-970305 (Blz. 20314) Sparkasse Bad Ischl,
Geschäftsstelle Pfandl
IBAN: AT922031400600970305 BIC: SKBIAT21XXX