The Good Bus is Go!

by Joe Thu May 15, 2003 16:13

The G8 meets from Sunday 1st of June till Tuesday 3rd of June in Evian,
France, on the shore of Lake Leman opposite Switzerland. This small city and
10 kilometers around it will be a militarized "exclusion zone" (entry
only with badges), however most of the some 10,000 people involved
(advisors, support, journalists, technicians, translators, etc., plus the
ministers of 20 vassal countries) will have to be lodged in a radius of
40 kilometers (Geneva, Lausanne and the French mountain resorts of Haute
Savoie south of Evian).

There is thus the possibility of perturbing the summit by blocking entries
and/or exits to the zone. Most participants will normally enter and exit via
ferries between Evian and Lausanne, where two smaller exclusion zones will
protect the landing zone of the ferries and two of the largest hotels in the
center of Lausanne. Two thousand five star hotel rooms have been reserved in
Geneva.

These people will normally also cross the lake to Lausanne and continue to
Geneva by the Swiss turnpike on the North side of the lake (The hotels and
airport are all on the north side of Geneva ñ ie, the right bank of the
river). However, if the ferry is blocked, they would also have the option of
going West along the South side of the lake from Evian to Geneva, or if
necessary going East from Evian to the other border with Switzerland at
St-Gingolphe and from there going all around the lake with the turnpike (see
maps www.swissgeo.ch).

Support people will be arriving in the hotels by Thursday 29th of May.
Bush was planning to land for an official reception at Geneva airport at 4pm
on Sunday 1st of June, then on (by helicopter) to open the G8 in Evian at
around 7pm. However, popular indignation, the opposition of all the left
parties and the fear of uncontrollable protests finally brought the
authorities of the Canton of Geneva to publically oppose this plan,
which has been officially cancelled. Bush will land in secret, like the
criminal he is, perhaps at Geneva, but possibly also at Zurich or elsewhere.
Participants will probably be trying to return to their hotels from about
9pm on.

On Monday and Tuesday other protests and blockades will no doubt continue...
Four anti-G8 coordinations (Lausanne, Geneva, Haute Savoie and Paris) are
jointly providing a political umbrella for various events of particular
organisations and groupings:

Alternative villages (each for a few thousand people), all more or less on
the Strasbourg No Border camp model (self-organisation, debates,
horizontality), are being set up in Lausanne, and Geneva, plus two at
Annemasse (a French suburb of Geneva), one anti-authoritarian
and one of diverse groups and individuals
. The villages open the 28th of May.

** Thursday 29th of May: demos
Lausanne : demo around the hotels to say "Not Welcome!" to the G8
participants in a colorful, musical way.

Chamonix, France : demo at the Mont Blanc tunnel for liberty of movement
and against truck transport.

Annemasse, France : a festive, out-reaching demo to thank the inhabitants
hosting the "villagers" and reclaim public space.

Note: The general tone of G8 demos will be determined but humorous,
musical and open. The local organizers want the G8 to be the occasion to
widen the movement and comprehension of the issues not be seen as a "foreign
invasion" !

** Friday 30th of May
An instructive tour of Geneva's international institutions: against "free"
trade and for free movement of humans.

** Friday and Saturday
Various countersummit events of NGOs, ATTAC, CADTM, etc. Debates are
planned in several villages and at the University of Geneva concerning
"commons" as an alternative to private and state control of education, land,
culture, etc... Arrival of late-coming thousands, organization of affinity
groups, etc., for the grand opening of the tomorrow...

** Saturday night
"Fires on the lake", about 50 huge fires will be lit in localities all
around the lake encircling the G8. An occasion to mix with the locals who
may or may not fancy demonstrating the next day (Groups invited by
local communities to a particular fire might well have less problems at
the frontier, Contact www.evlan.org).

** Sunday 1st of June
Mass demo: (100 thousand? Two? More?) between Annemasse and Geneva (about
6 kilometers), starting at 9 or 10am. Part of the demo will start from the
French side (the French "villages" and campsite, the station in Annemasse
and the turnpike junction) and march towards Geneva along the Route de
ChÍne.

Others will leave the lakeside in Geneva to meet them along the same
route. After the junction, marchers will return to their starting points via
the Route de Malagnou parallel to it. For maps, see . This
demo and a simultaneous one in Lausanne will be in effect blocades as they
will paralyse all trafic in the area (Geneva's population = 300,000!)

Blocades: Demos will be completed by blocades and encerclements around the
exclusion zones of Lausanne and roads leading to Geneva hotels.

KEY APPOINTMENTS
As early as possible Sunday morning at the Lausanne village and by the
lake (the park called Jardin Anglais) in Geneva. Monday and Tuesday, more
civil disobedience, fun and games ...

** France

Convergence
Annemasse airport, Info-point and campings, etc.

Two villages (also beside Annemasse airport)
The Village Alternatif Anticapitaliste Antiguerre and the
Village InterGalactique . The two villages are open to
all. See websites for objectives, principles and organisation.

Access
Vehicles can park at the airport except on 1st of June. There will be an
info-point at the Annemasse railway station (about 2 kils. away)

** Geneva

Convergence
l'Usine, Place des Volontaires

Info-points
Info-Bus opposite the railway station; l'Usine (Place des Volontaires),
University (UNI-Bastions, Rue de Candolle) and Maison des Associations (Rue
des Savoises)

Village ZAAGE
Stade du Bout du Monde (Carouge)

Campings
Stade du Bout du Monde (Carouge)

** Lausanne

Convergence
Village C'VILLAGE and Campings near the Parc de Vidy (see the website
www.squat.net/contreattaque for confirmation)

Info-points
Maison du Peuple (see the website www.squat.net/contre-attaque for
confirmation)

General practical infos
Frontiers, control and repression: Gas masks and helmets are considered
arms and an excuse for immediate expulsion. Frontier controls will be
reestablished all around France, plus controls on accesses to the region
(railway stations such as Lyon or Valence, turnpike booths, etc...). The
Swiss and french governments admit to having "black lists" of people present
in previous demos. Frontier controls with Italy will be shifted south of the
alpine tunnels (eg Domodossola) to permit mass exclusions...

Be prepared to be as autonomous and mobile as possible: camping and
cooking material, including some food imagine shopping on Ascension weekend
in a besieged provincial city...; as many bicycles, rollers, etc.

Bring a small radio, special broadcasts are planned.

Bicycles or any rolling objects might be very useful.

CONSULT http://squat.net/contre-attaque/ AND OTHER SITES FOR DETAILS, MAPS
AND HIGHLY PROBABLE LAST MINUTE CHANGES !!!

Please let us know if you are coming ! It is soon and we have no idea on
who or how many....!

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by iosaf Thu May 15, 2003 20:12

speak some French.
French people might not reply
but it's the thought that matters.

by Larry Fri May 16, 2003 14:31

Anarchists and people around anarchy always say how tolerant they are of different groups and ideas, and that it's important to include as many people as possible.

However if you are designated as a 'trot' or 'party hack' then out goes the 'tolerance of a vast rainbow of opinion'.

The Crusties and Hippy Dippies are far from tolerant- rather you are intolerant of anyone that doesn't conform to your middle class airy-fairy outlook.

by conor (wsm personal capacity) Fri May 16, 2003 16:04

Cheers of joy erupted through out our green and presnet land as "Larry" presented the high lights of a strange debate he'd being having with himself in side his own head for practically a whole week

Conor

by one of the good bus crew Fri May 16, 2003 16:06

What's this anarchy talk? What are you commenting on? Did u read someting i didn't here?

The good bus is a total mix of different kinds of people with different opinions. The one thing we have in common is that we wanted to travel separately from any politlcal parties and go to Evain for a little longer than the GR busses. We want our people to decide which village we stay in, and which bloc we (individually or together), want to march with we have no leaders and everyone is acting for themselves. We are not all anarchists. We are a mix of people coming from all kinds of perspectives. the point is: ANYONE CAN GET THE BUS.
How is that sectarian?

by Sectarian Watcher Sat May 17, 2003 21:23

The idea of the 'good' bus was that it would not be open to Party members [sectarian]

You are organising the 'good' bus so that a certain group of people will not be on a bus with people of a certain political persuasion [sectarian]

If a member of the SWP wanted to go on the 'good' bus that person would not be too welcome [sectarian]

Because of your irrational hatred of certain people's legitimatly held opinions you are splitting people between 'good' and 'bad' buses. If there was a united effort there would be a united campaign to get people to go, and a united campaign to raise the cash needed.

by Commie - bah Sun May 18, 2003 11:41

Im a socialist and I plan to go on the Good Bus so I can actually make something of this opportuinity. To meet people from differant movements, to swap ideas and experiences...

Not to be running around the street for three days following Joe C and his flag.

As far as I can see theres no secterianism just a reversed version of McCartyism

Grow up and accept that people do things differantly.......

by 1 of thegoodbus Sun May 18, 2003 14:11

the only part of the swp we dont want on are bus are their papers and their megaphones
ANYONE CAN GET THE BUS

by Sectarian Watcher Sun May 18, 2003 15:12

SWP members, or anyone for that matter, are free to distribute any litrature they want. I'm not the biggest fan of the SWP- but they are entitled to sell their paper, have megaphones etc. That's DEMOCRACY!

If you dont want to buy a newspaper- just dont!
It's a lie to say that all people on the GR bus will be hanging aound with the SWP all week. Someone told me that the SP members are going to a few CWI events over there. And a few other people on the bus are going to different things.

It's only a bus for heaven's sake!- you're hardly indentured protesters!

by Harry Sun May 18, 2003 15:16

Anyone as long as you don't have anything so offensive as a megaphone (ouch) or a socialist paper (dear me). I suppose good capitalist papers would be allowed. Oh and if anyone did sell a socialist paper on board who would 'police' it?

by Marianne - the good bus Sun May 18, 2003 15:55

the facts are fairly simple.
We are going for 10 days.
We are collectively deciding which village we feel most comfortable staying in.
We are offering and looking for a totally different experience of the protest because we will be there to help build up the village, we will be there for a few days to unwind afterwards.

There were a number of people dissatisfied with the way their stay in Genoa went and did not wish to travel with GR again.
What is the problem with that?

We are in communication with GR (to the point of attending eachother's meetings) and there is no animosity between us. We will be working with them in any way both sides agree on.

So quit bashin the good bus, right.

by barry Sun May 18, 2003 18:30

well sectarian watcher, you've learned a lot from all your watching eh?

oh you are so right, we are a miserable divisive bunch of smelly unwashed crusties, except for some f**king scum wannabe hippies who have BATHS and such capitalist accessories. don't worry, we'll get 'em. everyones gonna stink after nearly two weeks amongst the cheese-eating surrender monkeys.

but you're right, we don't want you. You're one of THEM, and we don't like THEM, they watch us. We don't like being watched, maybe we'll watch you back.....

You should be careful with your papers too, some of us get disguised and buy copies so we know what you're doing.

be very very careful and don't forget to take two purples and one red with your warm milk before bedtime. (and say goodnight to larry and harry for us, we don't like to see you guys fighting)

by Sniff! Sun May 18, 2003 18:59

Choice.....

Choice of bus.....

Choice of village....

Choice of buying the Socialist Worker paper or not.....

Im not being sectarian, but I believe that theres more democracy in the good bus and hence Im a travelling on it. This is my choice, my democratic choice and I really dont care what buzzword or label you use....
After all its my choice, and better then that its an informed choice.

Democracy is great, and as Secterian Watcher said its only a bus so why is everyone getting so worked up? Or is it just another case of confrontation for confrontations sake???

by good bus operative - the good bus Mon May 19, 2003 09:48 thegoodbus at yahoo dot co dot uk

"but you're right, we don't want you. You're one of THEM, and we don't like THEM, they watch us. "

Eh, I don't know who "barry" is, but I hope he is being "sarcastic". Everyone is welcome on the good bus. Just pay your deposits quickly!! :)

The trip we have organised to Evian is a completely different trip to that organised by GR, and will only have 2 days in common with the latter. We are not trying to undermine or detract from the GR bus, but there is always room for alternatives, n'est pas? A few of us thought people would like to go for longer and lo and behold we were right. Fair play to us for getting off our arshes and doing something about it, instead of sitting in front on indymedja and giving out stink all day long! :)

Another bus is possible. Shut down the G8!