From the 9th to the 10th June 2017, CZKd hosted an international meeting of citizens resisting democratic regression in Europe.
About the meeting:
What connects the social movements and protests which have emerged in different countries in Europe over the past few years is the discontent of citizens towards the incapacitated or alienated institutions they depend on. Besides contesting the right-wing appropriation of discontent, social movements and protests for the defence of basic human rights and against inequality, racism and the authoritarian usurpation of power show how far the regression of democracy has gone and highlight the incapacity of the obsolete or corrupted mechanisms which are failing to resist the wave of conservative counter-revolution.
This conference was the initial stage of a solidary action, in which we discussed methods, ideas, programmes, experiences, chances and obstacles, in order to build a stronger front for democracy. Critical thinking, resistance and international solidarity are the fundamental values of Europe, which we evoke to rethink our common future and to overcome the consequences of the delegitimisation of democracy. Democracy has been taken for granted, but it is a practice that has to be thought through and developed every day. That is why CZKd invited movements and protests which carried and continue to carry the idea of democracy into the streets and squares of Europe, reclaiming public spaces and public goods, meeting and finding common ground for future actions, to transform the memory of freedom into its social reality.
Democracy will either revolutionise or fall to counter-revolution.
Videos:
Click on the titles below to access the videos.
About the recording:
All around Europe large movements have emerged. Why is this happening and in which political contexts? This recording features analysis and critical views on several of the most recent civil protests in Europe.
Participants
Speakers:
- Özge Çelikaslan – bak.ma, Istanbul
- Filip Jovanovski – FRU Faculty of Things That Can’t Be Learned, Skopje
- Igor Štiks – Author and Scholar
- Michał Sutowski – Krytyka Polityczna, Warsaw
- Jelena Veljić – Social Center Oktobar, Belgrade
Moderation:
Borka Pavićević and Aleksandra Sekulić – CZKd
About the recording:
In the past few years social injustice, corruption, election fraud and media censorship have led to protests, solidarity actions & strikes. Resistance in the streets and in the workplace can trigger change, either in the realm of political mechanisms or in a new form of solidarity for future actions.
Participants:
Speakers:
- Damir Arsenijević – Workers’ University, Tuzla
- Iva Čukić – Ministry of Space, Belgrade
- Mateusz Kijoswski – KOD Committee for the Defence of Democracy, Warsaw
- Matija Medenica – Marks21, Belgrade
- Andreea Petruț – Demos, Bucarest
- Ljubica Slavković – Ne Da(vi)mo Beograd
- Klementyna Suchanow – Polish Women’s Strike Organiser and International Women’s Strike Coordinator, Warsaw
Moderation:
Florent Schaeffer – CCFD-Terre Solidaire and Aleksandra Sekulić – CZKD
About the recording:
How can the experience of independent culture and its emancipation during the transition contribute to the establishment of a dynamic public field of mobilisation around social and political issues? Examples from Croatia form a starting point for the discussion.
Participants:
Speakers:
- Mirela Travar — Alliance Operation City, Zagreb
- Aleksandra Sekulić — CZKD
About the recording:
Migration constitutes one of humanity’s most basic instincts – the urge to go in search of new horizons. If we use the term crisis, it is appropriate to speak about the crisis of fundamental European values and the regression of the European vision in regard to the continents approach to dealing with refugees. It is inclusivity that brings security and the need for a sense of belonging plays a crucial role in integrating newcomers and improving our security.
Participants:
Speakers:
- Sara Kekuš – Centre for Peace Studies, Zagreb
- Ifigeneia Kokkali– Expert in Refugee Education, Greece
- Aleksandar Obradović– Philopolitics, Belgrade
- Žarka Radoja– Radio Free Europe, Belgrade
Moderation:
Lola Joksimović – CZKD
About the recording:
The open gathering of all, the plenum, was used to organise the students’ rebellions in Zagreb in 2009 and Belgrade in 2011. During the protests in Bosnia in 2014, plenums also became a public space in which to bring citizens back to politics and to give them the power to take collective decisions.
Summing up our shared views and the information we had acquired about initiatives, examples and histories of resistance, CZKd therefore invited their colleagues and the broader public to a free summarising discussion in the form of plenum.
The equal treatment of all the participants and the direction of the discussion was provided through moderation by Igor Štiks, with the hope of coming up with a declaration on our future solidarity and a potential modality for common actions.
Participants:
Moderation:
Igor Štiks – Author and Scholar
Rapporteur:
Clémence Beugnot — CCFD-Terre Solidaire
