BALKAN PGA INFOTOUR SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2007

The network peoples global action is a global project inspired by zapatista
insurrection and the new forms of internationalism developed in the 90s. But
what does PGA mean?

From the 23th until the 25th of February 1998, movements from all around the
world met in Geneva-Switzerland to discuss the idea of a network of
resistance against the global market and the WTO. PGA is a network based on
decentralisation and autonomy, a network without representatives, members or
juridical personality.

The PGA network in europe has allready attempted and organised 4 meetings.
Several hundreds of activists, exchanged experiences and prospects,
organised campaigns and actions, reclaimed the daily communication via
internet and physical meetings. These meetings took place in Milan (italy)
2001, in Laiden (the netherlands) 2002, in belgrade post yugoslavia 2004 and
in southern france 2006 (the centralised meeting took place in Dijon).

The majority of the PGA meetings (3 out of 4) took place in physical
autonomous spaces. That was clearly a political choice. For the people and
the collectives involved in the PGA it is vitally important to support
autonomous projects, spaces where people try to organise their daily life
beyond the capitalistic relations of dominance.

The 5th meeting of PGA in europe

After a lot of difficulties and problems to find a space and a convenor to
moderate the next PGA conference, activists from the greek region launched
and encourage the idea of a PGA conference in north greece. Choosing this
location was the outcome of lengthy discussions which will be included in
the presentation text (call out) for the 5th PGA conference.

Not only for the needs of this conference but also for the further
networking and coordination of the resistance we are starting a one-month
infotour in the balkan region.

Presentation of the PGA balkan infotour

Following the belgrade conference in 2004 there has been great enthusiasm
about the beginning of a balkan network of collectives, grassroots,
antiauthoritarian, anticapitalist and other groups or individuals.
Unfortunately, this enthusiasm was not fruitful enough perhaps due to the
lack of concrete objectives, or even perhaps some  participants sensed the
traditional "networking for the networking" problem.

The idea of an infotour is not a novelty. Nonetheless, it is the first time
activists from a balkan country decided to visit groups and individuals who
share resembling ideas and the face similar problems.

We feel necessary to stress the following concepts about the infotour:

a) Not only we begin this journey on the occasion of the PGA conference,
which alone is a perfect opportunity to meet and act in solidarity in the
future, but also we aim to discuss, perhaps for the first time, about tools
and ideas that can give us ability to border on common grounds.

b) To call anti-authoritarian, autonomous anti-capitalistic and other groups
groups to assist in the shaping and the organisation of the PGA conference.

c) To discuss and exchange views on the current status in the Balkans, the
rise of capitalism and the state violence, especially after the wall has
fallen and a series of wars have ravaged this region.

d) Finally, we want to emphasise that our call targets on groups,
collectives and individuals who act and think of themselves beyond
hierarchical social structures, who struggle against dominance and
capitalism without consent.

A few words on the PGA conference topics :

Although a more detailed subject list will follow in the near future, aiming
to analyse issues that will either be discussed in the upcoming PGA
conference or have been discussed in previous conferences, we briefly state
that we are currently working on the following subjects:

- Digital struggles and tools for an alternative flow of information /
indymedia tools - radio projects etc.

- Against biotechnology of dominance and biotechnology corporate lobbies

- Autonomous spaces

- Precarity

- No border

- The Balkans

- The Middle East

- Student Struggles

- Zapatistas and indigenous spaces

- Eco-communities (land and autonomy)

- Antiglobalisation movement (g8, summits etc)

- Repression / control state and Solidarity

- Patriarchy, sexism in the activist scene

- Climate change and environmental topics

- DIY

- Food not bombs

* We consider evident enough the fact that the conference subject list is
open to any additions


Working groups we wish to operate in sight of this conference:

- translation

- group for visas

- technical team

- location

- newsletter

- presentation and networking


Proposal for the discussion on the course and process of the network

*infopoint network
*global conference
*future campaigns
*future of pga
*tools of the network
*next european conference

Infotour stops and dates:

- Istanbul

- Sofia

- Romania

- Ljubljana

- Budapest

- Zagreb

contact mailto:infotour_@no-log.org