[Nettime-bold] Online-Demo

[b.reit@gmx.net]

Online-Demonstration against Deportation Business

The ''No one is illegal network'' and ''Libertad!'' call for electronic civil
desobedience against the corporate deportation business

Public disguise against the Deutsche Lufthansa AG is growing. Since more 
than
one year antiracist and human rights activists have continously protested at
airports, travelling agencies, tourism fairs, pilot schools etc. Activists were
even present at the yearly shareholders meetings, denouncing the airline's
ongoing involvement in the ''deportation business''. No one is illegal
(http://www.contrast.org/borders/kein) and Libertad! (http://www.libertad.de)
are now calling for a new round of protests, which will take place specifically
on the internet.

While corporations profiting from deportations are currently creating new
businesses on the internet, no one should wonder, if the net becomes the 
proper
place for electronically protesting against the inhumane corporate practises.
Just like a real life sit-in, thousands of internet users are invited to show
their protest by a virtual sit-in infront of the Lufthansa website. Ads in real
life. the political effect of such measures relies on a large number of
participants, and herefore no one is illegal and Libertad! call individuals,
groups and organizations worldwide to join in the preparation process of an
online-demonstration. So far, the date has not yet been decided upon, but for 
a
day X we may expect broad participation.

Every year there are more than 30,000 people being deported from Germany 
by
airplane. The Lufthansa corporation, offering its ''world wide net of
connections'', sells the vast majority of the so-called ''deportee-tickets''.
Consequently, ''Deportation Class'' is a relevant business. But it's not only
that: Since 28th of May 1999, when the Sudanese citizen Amir Ageeb died 
on board
of a Lufthansa flight as a result of being ill-treated by three German
borderguards, the company is exposed to constantly growing demands to 
renounce
this dirty business. No one is illegal has since stressed the legal
responsebility of the aircraft captain in case of a passenger travelling
involuntarily dying. The captains' association Cockpit has recommended its
members to refuse the boarding of people ''not willing to travel''. The public
workers union OeTV called its members inside the Lufthansa administration 
board
to take measures to stop the deportation flights.

It got even worse for the Lufthansa management when the company's bad 
image was
noticed in the United States. In this year's January 29th issue, the Wall 
Street
Journal dedicated an extensive article to the debate over the deportation
flights - bad publicity, and even worse so, since Lufthansa had just explained
to their shareholders that the USA was the ''future strategic market''. A 
market
which Lufthansa plans to conquer via the internet. In 2005, the
eCommerce-portal, today only selling about 10% of the tickets, shall be
responsible for 40% of the company's total turnover.

Electronic commerce may be very profitable, but also its risks are 
considerable.
For that reason, Lufthansa, together with other international companies like
Siemens and Telekom and, not to forget, the German Federal Police 
Agency, has
become a member of the so- called ''Commission for the Protection of
Infrastructure''. This circle dedicates itself - far away from public opinion -
to the improvement of police control over the net. In the executive board 
rooms
fear seems rife of being targeted by hackers - as CNN, yahoo and Microsoft
already had to experience. And they might be even more scared about an 
increase
of political net activism. However, in Octobre 2000, when Lufthansa instructed
their lawyers to intimidate a no one is illegal - activist, they already gave
proof for their receptiveness to online activism. If an art exhibition against
deportation didn't disappear from the net, Lufthansa would bring him to court
and make him pay a considerable fine. This quite conventional behaviour 
resulted
in a campaign by dozens of internet projects around the world who showed 
their
solidarity by mirroring the exhibition in question on their own sites.

So, one may be curious about Lufthansa's reaction to the coming
online-demonstration. If activists together really would manage to block the
access to the corporate website, in spite of the company's high capacities to
maintain its internet presence, it certainly would not contribute to the
customers' trust in the eCommerce portal, where they are to book their future
flights. We are optimistic. We are sure, that criticism to deportation flights
is shared by lots of people, so that a massive and international demonstration
will take place. To make sure everyone's possibility to take part, we will
release in time a user-friendly protest software. And in the meantime protests
at airports will continue.

7th of March 2001 
''Kein Mensch ist illegal'' and ''Initiative Libertad!''

more information: http://www.deportation-alliance.com and 
http://www.libertad.de
contact: online-demo@gmx.net


_______________________________________________
Nettime-bold mailing list
Nettime-bold@nettime.org
http://www.nettime.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/nettime-bold