lisbon calling: Portugal gets ready to host NATO summit

international | anti-war / imperialism | news report Saturday October 23, 2010 17:00 by francisco

We are fast approaching the next NATO summit, which will gather in lisbon, from the 19th to the 21st of November, Barack Obama and the leaders of the other member-countries. Their goal is to adopt the new “strategic concept” of the organization. And we can already notice the growing bustle.

We are fast approaching the next NATO summit, which will gather in lisbon, from the 19th to the 21st of November, Barack Obama and the leaders of the other member-countries. Their goal is to adopt the new “strategic concept” of the organization. And we can already notice the growing bustle.

The police, through the commercial media, started to arouse the sense of fear among the population. According to the news, Portuguese security will be under the threat of both Al Qaeda and “anarchists and radical activists”. A period of unseen social control has therefore been announced, with special laws and punishments for those who dare to defy the warlords’ summit. Huge expenses on repression tools have been made (the Portuguese police recently bought the same tanks that are used in by the American troops in Iraq).

In such a battlefield-like territory, not even music events will be allowed: a concert from Shakira and the almost sold-out show from Arcade Fire, in a venue next to the summit, were unexpectedly forced to be cancelled due to “security reasons”.

But those opposing war and the NATO summit are also on the move, with non-stop street actions and discussion sessions. Last weekend, a university in lisbon gathered Portuguese and international academics and activists for a conference under the title “NATO: what for?”. In the big cities, street actions crop up to remember the 9th anniversary of the invasion of Afghanistan and to announce the upcoming summit.

Additionally, assemblies prepare the opposition to the summit. There, peace-loving individuals and organizations are gathering to organize the actions during the event, namely a counter-summit, street demonstrations and the set up of a “Peace Square”.

All across Europe, organizations are calling for the mobilization of pacifists to the protests in lisbon.

Indymedia Portugal http://pt.indymedia.org/

Plataforma Anti-Guerra Anti Nato (Portugal) http://antinatoportugal.wordpress.com/

War Resisters’ International http://wri-irg.org/node/11041