{"id":1309,"date":"2009-02-06T08:18:47","date_gmt":"2009-02-06T16:18:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bbrace.laughingsquid.net\/wordpress\/?p=1309"},"modified":"2009-02-06T08:18:47","modified_gmt":"2009-02-06T16:18:47","slug":"wsf-we-won%e2%80%99t-pay-for-the-crisis-the-rich-must-pay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bbrace.net\/wordpress\/?p=1309","title":{"rendered":"WSF: We won\u2019t pay for the crisis. The rich must pay!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Declaration of the Assembly of Social Movements at the World Social Forum
\n2009, Belem, Brazil.<\/em><\/p>\n

We the social movements from all over the world came together on the
\noccasion of the 8th World Social Forum in Bel\u00e9m, Amazonia, where the
\npeoples have been resisting attempts to usurp Nature, their lands and their
\ncultures. We are here in Latin America, where over the last decade the
\nsocial movements and the indigenous movements have joined forces and
\nradically question the capitalist system from their cosmovision. Over the
\nlast few years, in Latin America highly radical social struggles have
\nresulted in the overthrow of neoliberal governments and the empowerment of
\ngovernments that have carried out many positive reforms such as the
\nnationalisation of core sectors of the economy and democratic
\nconstitutional reforms.<\/p>\n

In this context the social movements in Latin America have responded
\nappropriately, deciding to support the positive measures adopted by these
\ngovernments while keeping a critical distance. These experiences will be of
\nhelp in order to strengthen the peoples\u2019 staunch resistance against the
\npolicies of governments, corporations and banks who shift the burden of the
\ncrisis onto the oppressed. We the social movements of the globe are
\ncurrently facing a historic challenge. The international capitalist crisis
\nmanifests itself as detrimental to humankind in various ways: it affects
\nfood, finance, the economy, climate, energy, population migration \u2026 and
\ncivilisation itself, as there is also a crisis in international order and
\npolitical structures.<\/p>\n

We are facing a global crisis which is a direct consequence of the
\ncapitalist system and therefore cannot find a solution within the system.
\nAll the measures that have been taken so far to overcome the crisis merely
\naim at socialising losses so as to ensure the survival of a system based on
\nprivatising strategic economic sectors, public services, natural and energy
\nresources and on the commoditisation of life and the exploitation of labour
\nand of nature as well as on the transfer of resources from the Periphery to
\nthe Centre and from workers to the capitalist class.<\/p>\n

The present system is based on exploitation, competition, promotion of
\nindividual private interests to the detriment of the collective interest,
\nand the frenzied accumulation of wealth by a handful of rich people. It
\nresults in bloody wars, fuels xenophobia, racism and religious
\nfundamentalisms; it intensifies the exploitation of women and the
\ncriminalisation of social movements. In the context of the present crisis
\nthe rights of peoples are systematically denied. The Israeli government\u2019s
\nsavage aggression against the Palestinian people is a violation of
\nInternational Law and amounts to a war crime, a crime against humanity, and
\na symbol of the denial of a people\u2019s rights that can be observed in other
\nparts of the world. The shameful impunity must be stopped. The social
\nmovements reassert their active support of the struggle of the Palestinian
\npeople as well as of all actions against oppression by peoples worldwide.<\/p>\n

In order to overcome the crisis we have to grapple with the root of the
\nproblem and progress as fast as possible towards the construction of a
\nradical alternative that would do away with the capitalist system and
\npatriarchal domination. We must work towards a society that meets social
\nneeds and respects nature\u2019s rights as well as supporting democratic
\nparticipation in a context of full political freedom. We must see to it
\nthat all international treaties on our indivisible civic, political,
\neconomic, social and cultural rights, both individual and collective, are
\nimplemented.<\/p>\n

In this perspective we must contribute to the largest possible popular
\nmobilisation to enforce a number of urgent measures such as:<\/p>\n

* Nationalising the banking sector without compensations and with full
\nsocial monitoring, * Reducing working time without any wage cut, * Taking
\nmeasures to ensure food and energy sovereignty * Stopping wars, withdraw
\noccupation troops and dismantle military foreign bases * Acknowledging the
\npeoples\u2019 sovereignty and autonomy ensuring their right to
\nself-determination * Guaranteeing rights to land, territory, work,
\neducation and health for all. * Democratise access to means of
\ncommunication and knowledge.<\/p>\n

The social emancipation process carried by the feminist, environmentalist
\nand socialist movements in the 21st century aims at liberating society from
\ncapitalist domination of the means of production, communication and
\nservices, achieved by supporting forms of ownership that favour the social
\ninterest: small family freehold, public, cooperative, communal and
\ncollective property.<\/p>\n

Such an alternative will necessarily be feminist since it is impossible to
\nbuild a society based on social justice and equality of rights when half of
\nhumankind is oppressed and exploited.<\/p>\n

Lastly, we commit ourselves to enriching the construction of a society
\nbased on a life lived in harmony with oneself, others and the world around
\n(\u201del buen vivir\u201d) by acknowledging the active participation and
\ncontribution of the native peoples.<\/p>\n

We, the social movements, are faced with a historic opportunity to develop
\nemancipatory initiatives on a global scale. Only through the social
\nstruggle of the masses can populations overcome the crisis. In order to
\npromote this struggle, it is essential to work on consciousness-raising and
\nmobilisation from the grassroots. The challenge for the social movements is
\nto achieve a convergence of global mobilisation. It is also to strengthen
\nour ability to act by supporting the convergence of all movements striving
\nto withstand oppression and exploitation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Declaration of the Assembly of Social Movements at the World Social Forum 2009, Belem, Brazil. We the social movements from all over the world came together on the occasion of the 8th World Social Forum in Bel\u00e9m, Amazonia, where the peoples have been resisting attempts to usurp Nature, their lands and their cultures. We are […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"","spay_email":""},"categories":[5,15],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bbrace.net\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1309"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bbrace.net\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bbrace.net\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bbrace.net\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bbrace.net\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1309"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bbrace.net\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1309\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bbrace.net\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1309"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bbrace.net\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1309"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bbrace.net\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1309"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}