Syndicate: syndicate/border camp 99

["lisa haskel" <lisa@lisa.demon.co.uk>]

Dear All,

Behind the scenes of the main list  there has been some considerable 
mail traffic concerning Syndicalists@Border Camp 99.  Florian has 
been posting info. about the camp as a whole, but this is a very 
quick update on how we stand.

So far, a small but dedicated band of syndicalists have expressed
their intention to go to the camp. It seems that most people will be
available to go for the second half of the week,  so any additional
people who are interested might think about arranging to go then.

Geert Lovink will be there for the duration of the whole camp (7th to
15 August). I try to go on around the 9th August  with Rachel Baker,
Steven Kovats, Andreas Broeckmann, and possibly Micz Flor join after
that. Vesna Manojlovic may pass by, Marija Sesic will come if she can
solve her visa problems.  It is most likley that lifts will be 
available from Berlin and other German cities.

A group of artists from Albania have the will to come, but not enough 
funds as yet. As Florian has pointed out, the need for mutliple visas 
means that they are not able to exploit cheap forms of overland 
travel. We are working to solve the problem but there is not 
much time. We need to address this right now, and also keep doing 
so in the future.

Many more have said they would like to come, but have too many 
other committments - a situation i suspect we all know too well.

Everybody else is still welcome; the main thing is that we gather at 
the camp, contribute to its overall activities, meet lots of 
other people. Not so much planning is needed in advance: its 
being there that counts!

For those who have not been in touch yet and would still like to 
come, or to participate remotely,  here is the FAQ. Please get 
in touch with your questions and suggestions.

best to all,

Lisa


FIRST FAQ on BORDER CAMP 99
- please complete! send questions to <grenze@ibu.de>


> Where exactly is the camp?

The camp will be situated in Lückendorf, a socalled climatic health
resort some hundred meters from german-czech borderline and two
kilometers from german polish-borderline. The next bigger city is
Zittau, about 7 km away.


> How do I get there?  is it possible by public transport and how much
> does it cost?

You can reach the camp from e.g. Berlin in about 3 hours by car or 5
hours by train. If you will arrive on weekend 7./8. august it is
possible to get a special offer from german railways ("Schönes
Wochenende-Ticket"), which costs only 35 marks for up to five people.
For detail informations about arrivals and departures please check
<http://www.bahn.de>. From Zittau it is only 5 km to campsite. By
train it is only possible to get to Kurort Oybin, which takes about 50
minutes and then half an hour walking. So we suggest you to come by
train and take a bicycle with you. This costs 12 marks plus. It is
possible as well to rent a bicycle at railway stations. Actually we
try to check out prices and places. From Praha to Zittau it is about 8
hours by train.


> Must I bring a tent?

Definetely, this would be the best solution. Of course you have the
chance to share the night with a unpredictable number of people in big
tents. Or you can stay in a small hotel in Lückendorf some hundred
meters from campsite.

> What other essentials will I need to bring?

Essentially you should bring a portable radio receiver and your own
crockery. Food will be cooked by different groups in a special mobile
kitchen and it will be provided for lowest prices. But the main thing
is to bring your ideas and experiences, the will to exchange them and
a certain affinity to spontaneous activities.

> What visas do I need?

It depends from where you are. Citizens of the EU do not need visas.
People from neighboured countries such as Poland, Czech Republik,
Hungary, Slowenia or Croatia as well. All others, who cannot enter
Germany without visa have to apply for a Schengen Visa.

> Is it possible to get an official letter of invitation?

Sure. To make visa procedure a little bit easier we can give you an
invitation for cultural purpose. Please contact us as soon as possible
and send to us your passport data and postal adress!


> How many people are you expecting at the camp?

This is very difficult to say actually. Last year there were about 600
or 700 people, but most of them for half period. This year we assume
that the amount of campers will increase and we guess there should be
always about 400 or 500 people in camp.


> Which other organisations/events are already organised to be there?

The camp is organised by very different people: antiracist groups from
no one is illegal campaign, anitfascists from the local area and all
over germany, ecologists and media activists and artists, such as the
former Wohlfahrtsausschüsse (a germanwide assembly of dj's, musicians,
writers) or the Teleportacia Crew. A lot of people we met at next five
minutes conference announced to come. But who axactly will come and
how the people look like is somehow unforseeable.

> How will the activities in the camp be organised and scheduled?

The organising group tried to set up a iunfrastructure, which allows
all participating groups ande individuals to use it for bigger or
smaller events. This includes basics such as soundsystems, big tents
for meetings, a certain level of protection, kitchen, a kindergarten,
but also some media capacities such as camp radio, press conferences,
camp newspaper etc. Some activities are organised by several groups,
e.g. a move with dj's from Germany and Poland on august 7, others are
prepared by local groups or organisations. A first version of the
program will be out soon. Anyway, there will be a lot of changes and
spontaneous or last minute actions, which should be discussed in
common meeetings every evening.


> Will any of the actions be technically illegal? What plans do you
> have in the event of police intervention?

Last years experience was that neither we nor the authorities have got
any interest in a police intervention on the campsite. We have no
reason to assume, that this could change. Camping is not illegally,
even at borderline, and the area there is a very touristic region,
which shouldn't have desire to get negative headlines.

But people, who do any kind of action outside the camp have to be
aware of possible consequences, even if they are not very hard or
likely. There is a consensus that no action should endanger others,
who maybe do not agree or participate on it. Since a lot of people
from abroad and refugees are invited to participate, planning and
doing an action means a certain moral responsibility for all those who
are not in posession of a german passport.


> How can i participate remotely on the camp?

Spreading the call, forwarding the camp reports, checking the
web-journal, sending messages to the campers, listening to the
camp-radio are very likely possibilities to participate remotely. But
you can also plan actions in your city or along the next borderline
during the time of the camp. Or even a camp in your country next year!
------Syndicate mailinglist--------------------
 Syndicate network for media culture and media art
 information and archive: http://www.v2.nl/syndicate
 to unsubscribe, write to <syndicate-request@aec.at>
 in the body of the msg: unsubscribe your@email.adress