Glocal group hanau

De precarity webring

1. Group name (in original language):

glocal group hanau

2. City/geographical area:

Hanau (Germany)

3. Short description (including brief history):

GLObal actions: summit-hopping, international mobilisations and research for new impulses in networking processes, as process of “globalisation from below”, in touch with frassanito- and euromayday-network, one year of experiment in the frame of peoples global action (pga) around a conference in Belgrade in 2004. loCAL initiative: as parallel process of searching for daily struggles, to stay grounded locally, also as practical criticism against a kind of “autonomist ghetto”… since one year local campaign “hanau3d – appropriation – migration – precarisation”, linked with Megainfarkt (which is explained on another node-card), with an alliance-for-right-to-stay for 17 families under deportation threat and with the local social forum in a campaign against 1-euro-jobs (which is a german speciality since “HartzIV”-reform of social welfare-system) GLOCAL was found in 2002 – with the main aim to search for links between the so called Europe-wide “event-hopping” and our local initiatives.

4. Type of group: (e.g. assembly of several groups, trade union, magazine/alter media, social centre, militant research group, immigrant support group, queer action group etc.):

Hard to say… perhaps: assembly of a few people acting on a lot of issues keen on linking as much as possible

5. Issues addressed (e.g. migration, call centres, care, universities etc.):

appropriation, migration, precarisation

6. Repertoire of practices (e.g. direct action, information & assistance, support, performances etc.):

More or less three dimensions: direct action, deepening discussions about the interconnection of different struggles and trying to find some kind of continuity in struggles, be it via direct support or different forms of communication Building bridges between different struggles is one of the main aims within these practices.

7. Initiatives and open political processes:

We started in 2003 with an initiative in the quarter around the squat we meet. In the centre of this campaign we tried to collect wishes about a possible neighbourhood-centre in an empty old school. In the moment this campaign is in a sleep-mode – we failed in having enough energy to really start such a process from the beginning, while the people in the neighbourhood remained in distance – apart from 3 bigger street-parties. After two years we decided to slow down energy. But to keep the contact with a few people we reached through that initiative. In 2005 the campaign hanau3d was born – from the decision to blow some weeks really a lot of energy in concentrated actions in this small town. To concentrate again more on the local level – but to link it with the transnational networking processes. To empower the local struggles with a global perspective on one hand. And to root locally what we understand as concept of “globalisation from below”. This was some kind of success – in each of the three dimensions some alliances were found to continue on the local level. The dimension of appropriation is linked to Megainfarkt (see own node card). Migration as second dimension is linked to no one is illegal. In the dimension of precarisation there is on the one hand a campaign against 1-euro-jobs in connection to the local social forum and especially to a local circle of unemployed. The second field of activism is a research-project in the sector of food-services. (see research-question)

8. Struggles you are involved or you know in your city (if possible, including contact):

Bleiberechtsbündnis (alliance for right to stay) – contact: ag3f@comlink.org Erwerbslosenkreis (unemployed) – contact:

9. Networks in which the group is participating and/or links with other groups:

- Euromayday-network - Franssanito-network (via no one is illegal) - Peoples Global Action (loose contact in the last two years) - radical left meeting against the g8-summit in 2007 in germany - nolager http://(www.nolager.de)

10. Brief explanation of involvement in the MayDay mobilizations:

In 2005 we finished hanau3d-spring with a collective trip to the euromayday-parade in Hamburg. We participated with Megainfarkt-Crew and a truck about protection marriage. You can see some pictures with lots of plastic-flowers on http://hamburg.euromayday.org

11. Research developed (in case you have any, present the issues and method):

research-project in the sector of food-services. Asking migrant workers in different conditions: working in fast-food-chains as mc donalds as well as independent “döner”-diners. To search for moments of subjectivity and to get a picture of the spectrum between exploitation and self-exploitation between subjective decisions and objective circumstances… to research for stories of individual daily resistance… We use a questionnaire but don’t mind to change the direction if a talk makes it necessary.

12. Contact e-mail:

infoladen_hanau@gmx.net

13.Website and/or weblog:

http://www.metzgerstrasse-hanau.org/glocal.html (only german language!)