PGHIMC - Pittsburgh Independent Media Center

Georgia Activists Prepare to Unwelcome the G8
by noG8 Wednesday, Jun. 02, 2004 at 7:22 PM
info@nog8.org (email address validated)

Georgia activists plan alternative events to the 2004 G-8 Summit in Georgia

From June 8-10, the Group of 8 (G8) Summit will bring together leaders of the world's richest nations. Behind closed doors, eight men will decide political, economic and social issues affecting more than 6 billion people. As they gather on opulent Sea Island, Georgia, the contrast to the harsh realities of environmental injustice and high unemployment in nearby Brunswick could not be more stark. Meanwhile, civil liberties in South Georgia are being undermined by the Georgia Governor's "state of emergency" and excessive police and military build up in the area.

Running opposite the G8 Summit are several days packed with alternative events aimed at demonstrating what a sustainable world looks like, and how we get there from here. Both Brunswick and Savannah are the setting for an anti-G8 Georgia convergence that brings together anti-war activists, environmental groups, pagans, anarchists and other global justice activists for the first time since last November's FTAA Ministerial in Miami. Here are some of the week's highlights:

• Three permitted mass marches in Brunswick organized by United for Peace and Justice. Each march focuses on a seperate theme: the war on Iraq (June 8), the devastation of the environment (June 9), and the occupation of Palestine (June 10).


• A four day-long "Fair World Fair" in Brunswick organized by a broad coalition of regional and national groups. An exposition with speakers, music, food and fun, the only difference between a typical festival and this one is that there will be as much food for thought as there will be food to eat.


• A rally, march and festival for peace and civil liberties in Savannah organized by the Labor and Action Research Project. The three day-long event will feature local, national and international speakers, music, theatre, and global information exchange.


• An anarchist-inspired renovation of houses and environmental cleanup organized by G8 Fix Shit Up. Arming themselves with hammers, activists will show that resistance to the G8 globalization polices is possible through "constructive action."


• A three day-long alternative summit ("The OTHER Economic Summit") organized by TOES/USA. The summit explores economic ideas and practices upon which a more just and sustainable society can be built.

Other events over the course of the Georgia convergence include activist trainings, a vigil, a walk for global justice, a night of dissident cinema, and a "Gullah Geechee tour" of the Brunswick area.

More information about these and other activities can be found on (www.noG8.org), a new website that serves as a central hub of coordination and information about the G8 2004 mobilization happening in Brunswick and Savannah, GA. In addition to viewing a calendar of events, you can read the calls to action, find out about action logistics, learn about the G-8, or visit the press room. For news reports, visit Atlanta IMC, which has set up an IMC space in Brunswick.

www.nog8.org

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