On Dec. 1st in 2016, the German government took over the presidency of the G20. The G20 gathers 19 of the richest nation states of the world, plus the EU (as a union of nation states). On July 7 and 8 this summer, the heads of these states (and unions) will meet for their summit in the (real) center of Hamburg.
However, those who invite the G20 consequently invite protest.
Several initiatives, political groups and representatives of civil society have started in late summer of 2016, therefore, to organize and coordinate protests against the G20, the summit itself in the center of Hamburg as well as against its global organization of power
We know already, there will be a variety of activities from various currents and concerns of political life, there are and will be more alliances being build around local, thematic and political concerns (also under the rubric of the specific G20 minister meetings … such as finance, foreign policies, “Africa”, trade etc.).
However, some direction is clear already:
In the summer of 2016 Attac Germany invited social movements, political organizations, associations, individuals, trade unions, ngo’s, parties ….. for discussing the upcoming g20 summit, taking place in Hamburg July 7/8th 2017 and starting to plan a broad protest against it – to check out what the aim and scope of the protest could be, how and what to organize (together or differently)
Since that time the G20 platform has formed an open meeting to discuss with as many activists/ representatives form social movements, civil society, and political organizations (such as parties). The G20 platform does not function as an alliance in a formal sense, but sees itself rather as a space for exchange for as many groups and networks as possible. The platform itself does not take decisions on specific activities but
- the G20 platform encourages all groups and networks to organize the protest activities against the G20 in a compact week that helps to organize the activities in a choreography in which activities do not compete with each other and that lie close to each other in a common time frame around the official summit itself.This compact week is mainly composed of * a “Summit for Global Solidarity” on July 5 & 6 (Wednesday and Thursday)
* a day of action (in its variety reaching from single issue actions to broad alliance based actions of civil disobedience on the first day of the official summit, for more info see on meetings, the “actions consensus etc. see https://www.g20hamburg.org/en
* a broad, common mass demonstration on July 8, “Global solidarity instead of G20” (on the second day of the official summit), and in the center of Hamburg in which the official summit will take place). The huge mass demonstration is geared toward mass participation and the goal is to create that lively and multiple picture and space of the “movements for a different globalization”, the critics of the current world order, neoliberal (austerity) regimes, global injustices, crisis and climate policies etc. The march should be open to everyone. It will start together and reach the rallies together. It will be attractive for everybody – no matter whether you are activist or citizen, from Hamburg or elsewhere.
- the G20 platform also encourages networks, movements, organizations to form specific alliances for the respective activities (demonstration, civil disobedience, counter summit etc.) and build working structures for everybody coming to Hamburg (infrastructure, camp, maps, local initiatives and alliances, logistics and cultural events etc. Of course there will be many more activities than coordinated within the G20 platform, such as a “night before march”, such as legal /anti-repression structures, cultural events locally and in the course of the presidency around issues of the minister meetings for example.
- The G20 platform meets around every other months and is composed of various social movements, radical left groups, political organizations, ngo’s, church groups/representatives, activists from the trade union and youth organizations etc. such as:“AG Gerechter Welthandel; Amnesty International HH; Attac HH + Bund; Brot für die Welt HH + Bund; BUND HH; Bündnis „Ums Ganze“; Campact; Camp Stuff; DGB Jugend;didf; Die LINKE Landesverband HH; Fraktion DIE LINKE in der Hamburgischen Bürgerschaft; DKP HH; erlassjahr.de; Gegenstrom HH; Gemeingut in Bürger*innenhand; Grüne Jugend HH + Bund; Gruppe Arbeitermacht; Hamburger Initiative Rüstungsexporte/Initiative Mexiko; Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung HH + Bund;Interventionistische Linke; IPPNW; KED der Nordkirche; KOSA/Kampagne „Ploughback the Fruits“; Motorradclub Kuhle Wampe; Linksjugend solid; Misereor; NABUHH; Naturfreunde; Netzwerk „Zugabe“ aus x-tausendmal quer; Piraten HH; PowerShift; Robin Wood; Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung HH + Bund; Roter Aufbau/Bündnis „G20Klar zum Entern“; VENRO; WEED; Werkstatt3 HH etc.“