Untitled Document


		CAMPAIGN INFORMATION


Act! Against Racism 14-21 March 2005 European-wide Action Week Against Racism CONTENTS 21 March ACT! Against racism Prejudice and fear What does the term racism mean? How you can Act? Get Active in the campaign Planning a campaign Activity Why cooperate in European campaigns? How UNITED can help - Do you need more information? - Internet - How you can help UNITED What is UNITED? 21 March 21 March was declared International Day for the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination by the General Assembly of the United Nations as a reaction to the murder of 69 anti-apartheid demonstrators in Sharpeville, South Africa, in 1960. During the annual European-wide Action Week around 21 March thousands of people actively engage themselves for tolerance, equal rights and celebrate the diversity of Europe. This year once again hundreds of activities will take place all around Europe, organised by a wide variety of organisations. Activities range from rock and reggae festivals to cleaning the walls of racist slogans. ACT! Against Racism Racism cannot be justified or tolerated it must go out of fashion! Racism can often be "ordinary", it happens on an every-day basis, in the street, in the school, in the workplace, in the youth club The key to defeating racism is our awareness and unity between groups and individuals who want to ACT against racism in Europe! The existence and dynamism of the European anti-racist movement seems very much in need. This authentic and living movement can contribute to peaceful inter-community relations throughout the continent and offer an alternative discourse on racism and minority rights. This is why we organize the annual Action Week Against Racism! At the UNITED conference in Oslo (N) in October 2004, representatives of active groups from 37 European countries discussed plans for the European-wide Action Week Against Racism, 14-21 March 2005. Anti-racism has to be put into the mainstream of contemporary youth culture. We must speak out against everyday racism and the negative political tendencies in Europe. We need to combat racism through UNITED action. We need to ACT together. Prejudice and Fear The international situation has remained tense since 11 September 2001. The war climate strengthened many stereotypes and fuelled Islamophobia on a previously unknown scale. Anti-terrorist measures have sometimes been used to scapegoat whole minority communities, including Sikhs, because of their supposedly "alien" culture and appearance. Moreover, the increasingly xenophobic ambience contributed to further restrictions in migration and asylum policies resulting in the fatal realities of "Fortress Europe". At the same time the rise of antisemitism has been felt in numerous countries. Tensions between minority groups have become an additional challenge for anti-racist activities. The lack of trust and solidarity between the majority and the minority can lead to waves of violence, as in the Netherlands in November 2004. The European Union has been enlarged recently. There are new divisions and 'iron curtains' on the borders of the 'new' EU such as inhumane border and visa policies As the UNITED network has a pan-European approach, we are concerned about new inequalities and new forms of exclusion. The discrimination of minority groups and the rise of the extreme right in Eastern Europe cannot be ignored. Together we can ACT against racism and exclusion in Europe What does the term racism mean? Racism is the belief that some people are superior because they belong to a particular 'race'. Racists define a 'race' as a group of people with common ancestry. They distinguish different races from one another by physical characteristics, such as skin colour and hair texture. In fact, there are no clear differences, and especially no significant differences that matter. Recent research shows that 'race' is an imagined entity. 'Race' has no biological basis. The word 'racism' is used to describe abusive or aggressive behaviour towards members of a so-called 'inferior race'. Racism takes different forms in different countries, according to history, culture and other social factors. A relativly new form of racism sometimes called 'ethnic or cultural differentiation' says that all races or cultures are equal but they should not mix together to keep their originality. There is no scientific proof of the existence of different races. Biology has only determined one race: the human race. (From: "The Danger of Words: Definitions of concepts most used in anti-racist work", UNITED Information Leaflet no.13) How you can act? All organisations, large and small, can contribute in their own way to the Action Week. The European campaign aims to raise awareness in all relevant sectors of society. Two main targets are the media, youth and the general public. Student organisations and teachers' unions frequently take up the occasion of this week to organise special lessons, campus meetings, petitions, etc. Media may be inclined to work with you to produce special issues, TV programs and radio shows. Especially community media often get in contact with local organisations to produce special programs. Public debates, round tables and conferences provide places for reflection and brainstorming. By organising them during the Action Week you give both the week and the activity more weight and more publicity. You can take up the occasion of the 21 March International Day for the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination to write petitions to politicians or publish media releases. Many organisations publish their annual report during the Action Week. Removing graffiti and other visible actions can alert the public to the message of the Action Week. Activists will organise activities as for example "Sport Against Racism" and street theatre. If you want more information and ideas you can take a look on the UNITED website. We have just published the information leaflet no.26 "Get Active! 'The how to Organise an Activity?' Guide". Get active in the campaign Do you believe in the active struggle against racism? Join the campaign and order more copies of this poster for free! Send/fax/e-mail UNITED information about your planned activities (title, date, theme, place) and the name, address and contact person of your organisation. Maximum 100 posters for free. If you need more for special purposes, contact us. Planning a campaign activity Keep in mind: - That the aim should always include protection and empowerment of victims of racism. - That there is no such thing as 'neutrality' in relation to racism. - That getting the issue of racism in your school or in your workplace out in the open is not ruining the atmosphere. If there was racism, it was already bad. Consider the following points: - What does the campaign aim to achieve? What does your activity aim to achieve? - What change do you want (short AND long term)? - Do you really want this activity or would another activity serve your purpose just as ffwell? - Who is the target of the action? Who needs to change, and how? - What do you need? Who do you need on your side? What partnerships will help you? - What publicity do you need? - Try to have a planning group that includes the people most targeted by racism, the people living in the area where you work, the group you want to involve. - Choose the most appropriate method: hDirect action (non-violent protest actions), political lobbying, public demonstrations, festivals, manifestations, education projects, press action, media. - Delegate responsibilities. - Make a time table for the campaign and check it regularly. Why cooperate in European campaigns? Think globally, act locally! Racism is not a local issue. European campaigns can help set the agenda on all levels. We have to campaign on local, regional and European level to get our point across. By linking local and national actions, we can generate European-wide publicity. We can show that there is an enormous amount of people that believe in an intercultural open society. It gives all participants a new energy to go on with their everyday struggle against racism and intolerance. You will get motivated and inspired by the ideas and enthusiasm of other people, learn from each other's experience and views, generate more publicity because of the scope and size of the activity, mobilise more people as you reach a wider audience, etc. If you would like to take part in this campaign, keep in mind that it is the variety and creativity of many different simultaneous activities all over Europe that make the UNITED campaigns unique. So: get organised! Find like-minded groups and start planning now! How UNITED can help You can order copies of this poster, up to 100 are for free. If you need more for special purposes, discuss it with the UNITED office. We will produce a special list of activities taking place all around Europe, which can help you to make contacts and exchange ideas with other groups. You could even link activities through the internet, or by sending faxes of solidarity to other organisations active in the Action Week. It will be updated several times and will be published on our website www.unitedagainstracism.org. Call UNITED if you cannot find a partner for your activities. We might know of other NGOs in your country who are planning something. A media release will be sent out to all the important European press agencies, newspapers, etc. If you feel that we should include a specific media contact from your country in our list, let us know. Journalists who want to know about specific activities will be informed about events in their country and are referred to the organisations involved. UNITED will produce a European report after the Action Week, including as many of the activities that took place as possible. The report is spread throughout Europe to support NGOs in reporting to their sponsors and to inspire action for next year. You can order copies of last year's report for inspiration and motivation. Just let us know what you need. We can only do this with your help! Do you need more information? UNITED can provide you with a wealth of information. You can order a copy of the European Address Book Against Racism to find like-minded organisations in other countries, or in your own country. You can phone or e-mail the secretariat to find out who else is organising something. You can check the UNITED website to order the campaign poster, or other campaign material to use in your own way. A full list of anti-racism magazines can also be found in the European Address Book Against Racism and on the UNITED website. Internet If you need to find information, internet is a wonderful medium. Good places to start your search for anti-racism news are the following websites: www.unitedagainstracism.org UNITED's home in cyberspace www.magenta.nl/crosspoint The largest collection of anti-racism links on Internet www.icare.to The Internet Centre Anti-Racism Europe How you can help UNITED Help us make the media release exciting! Announce your activities to us! Send us your ideas, invitations, leaflets and posters before the activities take place. Help us make the post-campaign report complete. Make sure your activity is included! Send us reports, newspaper articles, photographs, etc. after the event for the European report. The material does not have to be in English. What is UNITED? UNITED for Intercultural Action is the European network against nationalism, racism, fascism and in support of migrants and refugees. Racism, nationalism, fascism, discrimination, restrictive migration and asylum policiesThese issues have a European dimension. It is important to fight intolerance on all levels. Linked through UNITED, more than 550 organisations from a wide variety of backgrounds, from all European countries, work together on a voluntary basis. They base their cooperation on common actions and shared activities and on mutual respect. UNITED is and will remain independent from all political parties, organisations and states, but seeks an active co-operation with other anti-racist initiatives in Europe. Through the UNITED network organisations meet each other, work on common actions and share information. European-wide action weeks and campaigns are planned and discussed at UNITED network conferences. Like-minded organisations meet each other at such conferences and work together on specific projects and on specific topics. The workers in the secretariat are in constant contact with the network organisations, ensuring that information and proposals for action are transmitted rapidly. Information is received from more than 2000 organisations and mailings go out to about 2000 groups in Europe. If you want to get involved discuss the ideas and aims of the UNITED network within your organisation. Let us know that your organisation would like to join or to receive information. And add us to your mailing list! UP UNITED for Intercultural Action European network against nationalism, racism, fascism and in support of migrants and refugees Postbus 413, NL-1000 AK Amsterdam, Netherlands phone +31-20-6834778, fax +31-20-6834582 info@unitedagainstracism.org, www.unitedagainstracism.org