NATO Game Over: 22 March 2008

Resist Military Globalisation!

Five years after the Iraq war started: an international action weekend at NATO's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.

Europe serves as a staging ground for military interventions worldwide. The framework can differ: NATO, EU, US coalition of the willing, UN. The target as well: Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon, .... But the departure points not: military bases, airports and harbours in Europe. Europe hosts a large military intervention machinery.

Economic globalisation also has its military correlary. New York Times' columnist Thomas Friedman said: "The hidden hand of the market will never work without a hidden fist. McDonald's cannot flourish without McDonnell Douglas, the builder of the F-15. And the hidden fist that keeps the world safe for Silicon Valley 's technologies is called the United States Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps." And this fist is not solely a US phenomenon as Europe builds its own intervention capacity through the EU or forms a partner with the US in NATO.

You pay for, and perhaps your work contributes to, military forces which can be rapidly deployed everywhere in the world. We make war under the labels of 'military humanitarian intervention' and 'war against terrorism'. Behind these PR labels the military intervention machineries protect economic interests and sustain the existing global order.

The 5th anniversary of the Iraq war is a good moment to make the resistance against military globalisation visible again. We don't need a machinery for global military intervention. We don't need military alliances that threaten the rest of the world. Enough. Security is too important to leave to the military.

In Heiligendamm a broad and international movement challenged the legitimacy of the G8-leaders and blocked the G8-summit. It is time to challenge the legitimacy of their military power tools as well.

NATO Game Over

Through NATO, Europe is involved in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. European states train military forces for the NATO Response Force and due to NATO the US still maintains bases in Europe used for military interventions worldwide. During the Iraq war US soldiers deployed from their bases in Europe to the Persian Gulf. In Afghanistan NATO has taken the lead in the military occupation and a lot of European states have soldiers in Afghanistan.

Last but not least, NATO nuclear weapons are still deployed in Europe. And they are as illegal here as elsewhere.

Peace activists from all over Europe will join in Brussels, Belgium on March 22 2008 for the first edition of 'NATO - Game Over'. We go to NATO's headquarters and close them. We will enter and inspect NATO for evidence of war preparations and the deployment of nuclear weapons.

'NATO – Game Over' is not a ordinary demonstration, neither is it a game. It is a nonviolent and resolute attempt to close NATO. Up till today, every nonviolent direct action at or around NATO's headquarters was met with large numbers of police, miles of barbed wire, prohibitions,... a shameful waste of tax payers money. This will not stop us. Through nonviolent direct action we prevent wars and stop war crimes.

Seminar on Military globalisation and nonviolent resistance in Europe

Together with the action Bombspotting and War Resisters International organise a seminar on military globalisation and nonviolent resistance in Europe. 5 years ago the Iraq war enlarged the public awareness of Europe's role in the military globalisation. In 2003 all over Europe nonviolent direct actions took place against the deployment of US and UK troops to Iraq. Meanwhile several military bases are met with a lot of local resistance. On this seminar we bring together the local resistance against bases and nonviolent direct action groups from several European countries to share knowledge on the military complex and to build partnerships and common strategies. We put together our knowledge on military bases, movements and deployments to create a common awareness of the military intervention machinery (NATO, EU and other) and how our local military base functions in it. We investigate how we together can be the sand in the machine: how can co-ordinated local actions and international actions raise our impact.

Accomodation is available from 20 March till 24 March 2008.

Interested? Contact international[at]bombspotting.be

More information:

NATO Game Over: Participate!

What is a Bombspotting action?

NATO HQ, the site of crime

NATO background information