Finland, Welcome to Father Frost against Putin III Festival in Helsinki

Finland, Welcome to Father Frost against Putin III Festival
in Helsinki (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)

From 9th to 10th of January 2016 third Father Frost against Putin-festival will be 
organised in Helsinki. This is the first time when festival will last two whole days. ---- 
Purpose of the festival is to create connections between Finnish and Russian grassroot 
activists, and it is also a way to spend Russian new year holidays. ---- As in earlier 
years, various Russian grassroot initiatives will present themselves in festival. You 
should visit festival, if you are interested on what has happened in Russian anarchist, 
feminist and queer movements during year 2015. ---- All festival events will be open to 
everyone. The festival is organized by Alusta anarchist federation (Helsinki local group 
A-ryhmä) and Anarchist Black Cross of Helsinki. ---- The festival organizers promise free 
meals to every visitor from abroad during the two festival days. Vegan food will be 
provided so it is suitable for as many people as possible.

For additional information, contact dedmoroz@riseup.net.

Festival begins 11 AM on Saturday 9th of January.

Excerpts from program, full program will be published later:

Maria Godovannaya "Motherhood and Art Practice: the gender balance of roles"

Motherhood completely reverses time and space of artists-mothers
transforming theirart-making strategies and techniques. After a
childbirth a female-artist immerses herself into maternal practices
displacing her artistic activities for a while. But for "thetrue female
artist" art returns to her life and artistic practices start to co-exist
with maternal practices, although in modified forms. The main questions
of my research: how the balance of gender roles is achieved by Russian
artists-mothers? what kind of combined practices they use? what happens
with professional careers of female artists when they become mothers?
how time and space of their art-making transforms under "pressure" of
motherhood? do they reflect their maternal experiences in art?

«The Displaced»: a performance by Masha Godovannaya and Polina Zaskavskaya

Post-feminist program is often excluded from the public space, silenced
and appropriated by discourse fo the power. «The Displaced» is using
voice-performative gesture to occupy space, to move the interpretative
framework, taking observer to a post-feminist context where questions of
authority, economic and social hierarchies, alienated work, art
production, inter-personal relations and collective experiences are
being formulated...

Lyonya Gegen: Neo-nazis and nationalists of Sankt-Peterburg

Once mighty far-right of Sankt-Petersburg is currently completely
disorganised. Year 2015 was the first time, when it failed to organise
main annual nationalist event, "Russian march" which once gathered
hundreds of participators. This presentation looks back to development
of the far-right in Sankt-Petersburg during this millenium, and how it
eventually collapsed.

10 PM -- 4 AM, a concert in Kupoli (Mannerheimintie 5 b 7th floor)

With singer-songwriter Stas Pochobut from Belarus and other performers.
On sunday 10th of January, program begins 12 PM and ends 9 PM. Details
will be announced later.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/801406223321950/
VK: https://vk.com/event108150936

Finland, Alt. media, Anarchist demonstration in Turku peaceful – one arrest

(en) Finland, Alt. media, Anarchist demonstration in Turku
peaceful – one arrest

An anarchist demonstration to oppose racism and fascism in the southwest city of Turku 
resulted in one arrest on Saturday. Police estimate that some one hundred people took part 
in the protest, which was otherwise peaceful. ---- The anarchists’ protest march circled 
the shores of the Aura River in the city centre. ---- Police remanded one person in 
connection with an anarchist demonstration in Turku Saturday evening. The drunken man 
pestered restaurant customers along the protest march’s route and was therefore taken into 
custody. ---- Otherwise, the one hundred-person-strong demonstration proceeded without 
incident, moving along the streets of Turku peacefully. Director Timo Malinen of the 
South-western Finland Police Department says local police had no prior information that 
the anarchists were planning a demonstration, but met with the group at the market square 
to agree on the route the group would take. The protest was arranged to express the 
group’s opposition to racism and fascism.

Malinen said the demonstration went surprisingly smoothly, seeing as how the police had 
reserved several patrols at the ready. The mood in Turku Saturday was tense, as the 
anti-immigrant Finns Party was holding its party congress in the city.

Director Malinen says the police were on hand to make sure the meeting could be carried 
out without incident, and several police were spotted near the Turku Logomo facilities 
that acted as the venue for the Finns Party meeting.

http://yle.fi/uutiset/anarchist_demonstration_in_turku_peaceful__one_arrest/8213342

Finland, A Brief Report from the December 6th riot of Helsinki

On the Finnish indepence day 6th of December there was a big riot (on local scale) in the 
capital Helsinki and the police estimates that a 100 000 euros worth of property was 
destroyed. ---- The banner on the left reads "let's stop the cuts, collectivize 
everything" and on the right "class war now" ---- December 6th is the national indepence 
day of Finland. It is a day when the nationalists and the elite celebrate "an united 
Finnish nation" and lost wars in the Presidential Palace in Helsinki on taxpayers money, 
while the elite and politicians have driven harsh austerity measures for everybody (except 
for themselves, obviously). ---- In the past years anarchists and autonomous leftists have 
organized pretty peaceful demonstrations against these rich people's baccanals in front of 
the Palace. This custom had been going on for over 10 years until the 6th of December last 
year when the Presidental Palace was under renovation and the rich celebrated in the old 
working class city of Tampere instead.

Local anarchists organized a demonstration against nationalism, which turned out to be the 
biggest riot of Finland in decades. Though this was hardly a riot on international scale, 
it gave a huge boost to the anarchist movement and it was the headline of every paper for 
a week or so. The police was completely unprepared, and the 500 demonstrators fought with 
them successfully and then went on to the city center smashing windows of malls and banks 
and other symbols of power and capital.

After the humiliating failure by cops, the parliament issued more money for crowd control 
gear and the police had trained strategies for riot situations. They have also practised 
dominating tactics in the demonstrations earlier this year. For example they confiscated 
anarchists' and the Left-Youths flags in the May Day demonstrations in Tampere and 
Helsinki as they were considered as "weapons". Due to the police actions, nobody expected 
this years demonstration to be anywhere near as successful as last year.
This years demonstration was again organized by anarchists and the theme was "from the 
suburbs to the Palace" and the place of assembly was in It?keskus, a suburb in 
east-Helsinki, which population mainly consists of immigrants and poor people. The start 
of the demo was very calm, with some 300 people enjoying subversive rap artists and vegan 
food. The place was well chosen as it managed to attract local hood kids and immigrants 
and other people who rarely attend to demonstrations.
After the gigs had ended the demonstration started to march towards the local metro 
station. A lot of people did not expect that cops would let the crowd into the metro, as 
the station was surrounded with dozens of riot police. To my and others' amazement they 
did let us through and the demonstrators packed into the train. The cops were expecting 
for the demo to get off in the Central Railway Station where they had centered most of the 
crowd control units. The demo however departed at different station which totally confused 
the cops. When the demo hit the streets, people started smashing the windows of pretty 
well chosen businesses, for example the air ventilation of Subay and McDonald's 
restaurants were improved. People threw fire crackers and burned flares and were shouting 
chants like "class war"and "what do the people want? ANARCHY!". After a while the cops 
managed to regroup and reached the demo to escort it to a location of their choise. They 
tried to move the demo to the designated area well away from the Presidential Palace and 
there was minor confrontations between the demonstrators and the police. The demo managed 
however to break out from the police escort and it took a good long time for the police to 
outnumber the demonstrators again.
?
The demo headed for the upper class parts of the city smashing windows and damaging 
expensive cars and spray painting slogans. People also tore down Finnish flags and burned 
a couple of them. After a long while the police managed to surround the demo, but afted 
one unsuccessful attempt of breaking through which led to some arrests, the demonstration 
managed to escape the siege and went on to one of the richest areas of the city. A lot of 
property were damaged ranging from traffic signs to jewelry stores.

Finally the police managed to surround the demonstration again. This didn't calm the 
rioting though and a lot of people and most of the rioters managed escape for the last 
time before dispersing through one buildings inner courtyard. Some 100 people couldn't get 
away however and they had to stay put for three hours. Finally the police let some of the 
people go and arrested the rest after filming everybody stating their name and social 
security and so on.
At the end of the night some 30 people were arrested including reporters and hang-arounds, 
most of which hadn't participated in the destruction of property. All the same they were 
charged with rioting, assaulting and not complying with police's orders. The police 
estimated that over 100 000 euros worth of property were damaged or destroyed.

In conclusion the night was a great success on the anarchists' part and the demo managed 
to attract people who hadn't been in any kind of demontrations before. Of course these 
kind of demonstrations are just a small part of the every day class struggle, but it gave 
the participants a great experience and hopefully this tradition continues next year.
Mainstream media coverage:
http://yle.fi/uutiset/police_make_arrests_at_independence_day_protests/7674025

Finland, Helsinki Anarchist Book Fair 2014

Infoshop Mustan kanin kolo and Union of Conscientious Objectors 
(Aseistakielt?ytyj?liitto), will organize the fifth annual Helsinki Anarchist Book Fair 
(Varjokirjamessut) 26th of October 2014. The alternative book event takes place at Peace 
Station, East-Pasila district of Helsinki (Veturitori 3). ---- The Helsinki Anarchist Book 
fair is an interesting and free of charge alternative to Helsinki Book Fair that takes 
place at the same time in Messukeskus. There will be a lot of vendors and books that you 
can?t find at Messukeskus! ---- There will be plenty of literature on such topics as 
anarchism, feminism, animal rights, antimilitarism, immigration, environmental resistance 
and many others. Besides from different book stalls there will be interesting talks on 
different topics, presentations of books, music and reasonably priced lunch cafe.

The event will be organized completely on voluntary basis, and we are not aiming to make 
profit but instead to provide place for different groups and individuals organizing on 
grassroots level. We will not have material or symbols connected to political parties at 
the event as we want to support a decision making process that is based on free 
association of individuals who make decisions together, not centralized power structures.

If you want to have a sales or information table or provide program to the event contact 
us at varjokirjamessut@riseup.net

Finland, Anarchist counterculture festival Musta Pispala in Tampere, Finland 17-20 July 2014

OPEN CALL TO ORGANISE AND TAKE PART IN "MUSTA PISPALA" ANARCHIST COUNTERCULTURE FESTIVAL 
---- Musta Pispala (?Black Pispala?) is an anarchist counterculture festival organised 
yearly in the city of Tampere, Finland. The festival will be this time 17-20 July 2014, 
and festival takes place again in the cultural environment of Pispala region, 2-3 km from 
city center. In the festival there will be different sorts of events ranging from 
workshops to anarchist book fair and record fair, gigs and football tournament - full 
festival programme will be announced later on. ---- WHY MUSTA PISPALA? ---- We believe is 
important to have free spaces that are anti-commercial, against all authorities and 
hierarchies. We want to create this space so that people can feel themselves safe, and 
safely interact and work together - independent from their age, gender, cultural and 
social backgrounds and possible physical/mental disabilities. What we want is anarchy here 
and now.

WE NEED YOU

We welcome you not only take part but also to organise the festival. Do
you have knowledge or skills you would like to share? Would you like to
hold a workshop? Do you have a distro you would like to bring? We are
open to all suggestions concerning festival programme.

We will also need volunteers during the festival. You are most welcome
to help with e.g. cooking, cleaning up, taking care of festival safety,
translating workshops, and with other small tasks. Volunteers will get
a free entrance to all festival gigs.

Workshop suggestions should be sent to mustapispala@takku.net and are
due 20 April. We accept suggestions also later on but in order to
publish the festival schedule in time we wish to have majority of
workshops booked in advance. If you wish your band to come to the festival
you should contact us ASAP as gigs are already almost full booked. Please
answer to the following questions in your e-mail:

IF YOU WISH TO HOLD A WORKSHOP / LECTURE / OTHER ACTIVITIES
1. Topic of the workshop and small description
2. Is the workshop open for all or is it only for a limited amount of
participants? Does your workshop require preliminary enrollment?
3. Does the workshop require some sort of special equipment or space?
4. Will you need accommodation? Do you need help with travel or other
costs?
5. What will be the working language for workshops and do you need
translation for the workshop?

IF YOU WISH TO HAVE YOUR BAND PLAY IN THE FESTIVAL
1.Band title
2. Link to your music in the Internet
3. To how many people you will need accommodation? What will be the
approximate amount of travel costs?
4. Possible limitations with dates?

IF YOU WISH TO VOLUNTEER
1. What would you be ready to do? Do you have a driving license or a
car?
2. Possible limitations with dates and time
3. Can you translate during workshops, what will be the working languages?
4. Will you need accommodation? Could you offer accommodation, and if,
to how many people?

Finland, Baltic Anarchist Winter Meeting 5th of January 2014 in Helsinki

The first Baltic Anarchist Meeting was held in Tallinn, Estonia in May 2012. The meeting 
was attended by many anarchists from many countries and the atmosphere was good and 
exciting. Second gathering will be arranged 5.1.2014 in Helsinki, a day after Father frost 
against Putin-festival (https://avtonom.org/fi/node/22485). ---- The purpose of this 
gathering is to exchange experiences and improve the co-operation between anarchists 
around the Baltic Sea. Participants from all around the world are very welcome but we hope 
to see especially people from countries around Baltic sea, from individual activists to 
people active in different groups. The program and participating groups will be updated 
later. There will be at least lectures, discussions and distributing of publications and 
other materials.

Just as in the first Baltic Anarchist Meeting, we will discuss spreading
anarchism for a broader public and updates from different groups, but we
are also in search for other topics. Please let us know, if you or your
group want(s) to take part in organizing and preparing the meeting and
the program. Send email to amr_hki@anarkismi.net.
The meeting is open for everyone, but in case you are in a need of
accomodation, please register. Accomodation is provided only for known
and trusted activists, thus you need recommendations if you are in need
of it. The first update containing more information about the program
and participants will be out in November.
The program will begin on Sunday morning 5.1. and will continue until
late, so accommodation will be arranged for both Sat-Sun (3.-4.1.) and
Sun-Mon (4.-5.1.) nights when needed. Accommodation can also be arranged
for the Fri-Sat night for those who want to participate in the Father
frost against Putin-festival on Saturday.
Welcome!
Organized by Anarchist Black Cross Helsinki and A-ryhm?
Registration form:
Name or nickname:
Place of activity:
Email:
Phone number:
Time of staying, need for accommodation:
Who could recommend you?
Diet, allergies or anything we should know (food prepared during the
meeting will be vegan):
Suggestions for a discussion or workshop you could organize:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/664933820204407/
WWW:
https://avtonom.org/en/news/baltic-anarchist-winter-meeting-512014-helsinki-0

Finland zet megastap op weg naar e-democratie

Finland heeft een burgerinitiatief goedgekeurd dat bepaalt dat elke Fin een wetsvoorstel kan indienen. Indien hij er in slaagt 50.000 landgenoten achter zich te krijgen dan is het parlement bij wet verplicht zich over dat voorstel uit te spreken. Het zou gaan om het verst reikende initiatief op vlak van de introductie van de e-democratie, op basis van het zogenaamde crowd-sourcing.

Ter vergelijking: een soortgelijk initiatief in het Verenigd Koninkrijk wil dat mensen 100.000 handtekeningen verzamelen, waarna hun voorstel ter goedkeuring wordt voorgelegd aan een commissie die beslist of het de moeite loont er het parlement mee lastig te vallen.

De Finnen hebben een platform geïntroduceerd dat luistert naar de naam ‘Open Ministry’. Vanaf 1 oktober kunnen burgers zich daar na identificatie via een elektronische identiteitskaart in de debatten mengen.

Toch gaat het zeker niet om een primeur. Het allereerste land dat een grondwet opstelde gedeeltelijk op basis van crowdsourcing is IJsland. Burgers konden toen o.a. via Facebook de voorstellen bespreken.

Bron : Express.be

De Finnen doen het weer: krijgen als enige EU-land onderpand voor Spaanse steun

Finland heeft van Spanje een onderpand van 770 miljoen euro bekomen in ruil voor deelname aan de steun voor de Spaanse bankensector. Het onderpand vertegenwoordigt 40 procent van het Finse aandeel in de leningen aan Spanje. Dat heeft de Finse minister van Financiën Jutta Urpilainen bekendgemaakt.

Als tegenprestatie betaalt Finland zijn aandeel in de leningen in een keer, in plaats van in vijf termijnen, zoals de meeste andere landen van de eurozone. Volgens Urpilainen is Finland het enige land dat een onderpand van de Spaanse banken heeft bedongen in ruil voor steun.

Het onderpand wordt door Spanje cash uitbetaald en vervolgens geïnvesteerd in obligaties van de top 5-landen van de eurozone, aldus nog de minister.

Bron : AFP / Express;be

Finland zal de euro verlaten eerder dan dat het de schulden van andere landen zal betalen

Finland zal de euro verlaten eerder dan dat het de schulden van andere landen zal betalen. Dat heeft de Finse minister van Financiën Jutta Urpilainen gezegd in een interview met de Finse zakenkrant Kauppalehti (via de Daily Telegraph).

Urpilainen zei dat Finland een toegewijd lid van de euro is en dat de euro belangrijk is voor het land, maar dat Finland niet ten koste van alles aan de euro vasthoudt. Finland is op alle scenario’s voorbereid, aldus de minister.

'Collectieve verantwoordelijkheid voor de schulden, het economisch beleid en de risico's van andere landen, is duidelijk een brug te ver,' aldus nog de minister.

Kort na de eurotop van vorige week raakte bekend dat Finland vragen had bij het ESM, het permanente noodfonds voor de eurozone dat staatspapier van eurolanden opkoopt op de obligatiemarkt. De Finse regering had daaromtrent voorbehoud aangetekend bij een parlementaire commissie.

Finland is naast Luxemburg, Nederland en Duitsland een van de vier EU-landen dat nog over een AAA-kredietstatus beschikt.

Bron : The Daily Telegraph / Express.be

Kanttekening : 

Van SOLIDARITEIT gesproken !!!  Wat indien Finland geld zou vragen aan de overige euro landen  ?

Wat mij betreft,  mag men alle landen die andere landen in de steek laat, uit de eurozone gooien ...

Nooit gehoord van : SAMEN UIT , SAMEN THUIS !

Luc Schrijvers

Hoe het kleine Finland het einde van de eurocrisis zal inluiden...

De eurocrisis is aan haar zoveelste maand van paniek, onrust en onzekerheid toe. Maar voor Matthew Lynn van Marketwatch komt het einde eindelijk in zicht. Zijn endgame-scenario voor de eurozone?  Van ‘Spanic’ over ‘Quitaly’ tot ‘Fixit’ tegen het einde van de zomer.

Volgens Lynn zal hernieuwde paniek in Spanje worden gevolgd door de dreiging van een Italiaanse exit als hen een eenzelfde voorkeursbehandeling wordt onthouden. Daarna zet Finland een punt achter de ganse eurosaga.

1.   Spanic (‘Spain in Panic’) komt er wanneer Spanjaarden beseffen dat 100 miljard euro hun bankencrisis niet kan oplossen en de economie nog verder krimpt onder druk van de recessie en de besparingen. Tegelijkertijd is het ook erg onduidelijk waar die 100 miljard net vandaan moet komen. Wanneer Spanje komt aankloppen voor een tweede reddingspakket zal een massale run op de banken ontstaan.

2.   Quitaly (‘Italy Quits’) ontstaat wanneer de Spaanse bailout de druk op Italië opvoert. Spaanse banken krijgen leningen tegen 3% interest, terwijl de Italiaanse banken en overheid tegen 6% lenen. De Italianen moeten - als derde economie van de eurozone - ook opdraaien voor 22% van het Spaanse reddingspakket. Als Italië niet dezelfde voorkeursbehandeling krijgt als Spanje, zal het beginnen te dreigen met een exit, wat nog meer chaos zal veroorzaken op de markten.

3.   Fixit (‘Finnish Exit’) zal het einde inluiden van de crisis en van de eurozone. Finland is een klein land met een sterke economie die het beter kan doen buiten dan binnen de monetaire unie en niet dezelfde historische bagage of de economische impact meedraagt als Duitsland.

Als de Finnen de eurozone verlaten – en de eurosceptici worden in Finland steeds talrijker – betekent dit game over. De eenheidsmunt zal instorten of tot een paar landen beperkt worden nadat het eerste land de eurozone vrijwillig verlaat.

Dit hele scenario is weinig hoopgevend. Chaos, onrust en het verlies van talloze spaarcenten zullen de stappen op weg naar de desintegratie kenmerken. Je economische portefeuille vul je best met dollars, goud en Zwitserse franken, want de euro wordt volgens Lynn vrijwel waardeloos.

Bron : The Wall Street Journal / Express.be