cafebabel.com

(Don’t) occupy Budapest: the right to protest in Hungarian streets

('Kata',) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:15:00 -0000

Something is rotten in the state of Hungary. The Hungarian government has reserved the entire city centre for celebrations on the upcoming national holiday, effectively blocking potential demonstrations. An overview of the opposition’s reaction

Arab spring in Morocco: royalists recognise indigenous language

('Lorna Slane',) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:49:52 -0000

Large-scale protests, like those seen on 20 February 2011, continue to be a familiar sight in Morocco. We talk to young Moroccans whose demands follow in the footsteps of the Arab spring – democracy, freedom, social justice – albeit with a royalist twist

'What if?': students re-imagine 2011's big events

('Annie Rutherford',) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 15:31:09 -0000

Protests, eurocrisis and elections: it's all too easy to assume the events we read about in the news are inevitable. Yet so often they are instead the result of chance encounters, spontaneous decisions and personal feelings. We asked four European students to re-imagine the big events of 2011

Voina: 'As a Russian activist, I'm not sure that I will live long'

('Annie Rutherford',) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 10:54:43 -0000

With organisers saying that almost 100, 000 people protested in Russia's biggest anti-governmental rally on 10 December - accusing the kremlin of 'fraud' in 4 December parliamentary elections - we hear from the Moscow-based self-styled 'street art gang' in part two of an exclusive interview, where they describe their role in this Russia

Russian art collective Voina: 'Zhlobs are in power in today's Russia'

('Annie Rutherford',) — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 10:05:48 -0000

The Moscow-based self-styled 'street art gang' formed in 2005. Its four main members consist of president Leonid Nikolaev - who was arrested at an 'election fraud protest rally' on 5 December - ideologist Oleg Vorotnikov, coordinator Natalia Sokol and her son and Voina's youngest activist, two-year-old Kasper Can't-Take-Our-Eyes-Off-Him Sokol. Part one of an exclusive interview marks their brief history

Contentious Guéant circular rejects work visas in France

('Annie Rutherford',) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 10:07:12 -0000

France’s governmental memo on employment for their residing non-European students caused quite a commotion, and we’re not talking Jerry Maguire style. Graduates like Nabil Sebti are taking a stand against what could either turn into a long-term policy of sealing France off or be a strategy to gain votes in 2012 elections

Romania's stray dogs, souvenirs of a communist past

('ReeAix',) — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 12:48:03 -0000

On 26 July, the European court of human rights criticised Romania’s inability to deal with the stray dogs roaming its streets. Legislation introduced by parliament to allow the euthanasia of the stray dogs has however provoked controversy. How have the strays, known as ‘maïdanezi’, become mired in political debate?

Indignant Athens: 'get your tax off my ass'

('Elina Makri',) — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 12:57:42 -0000

I haven't been on the streets for about twenty years, but I can't stand this anymore. I decided to protest after many years because I cannot bare our politicians’ apathy for people’s problems. They just keep on slamming the taxes on us - and that’s all. If politicians really wanted to find solutions for the country they would. One indignant protestor speaks

Shh(it), it’s the Queen: Elizabeth II’s ghost-town visit to Irish Republic

('Tim Mac an Airchinnigh',) — Tue, 17 May 2011 18:59:45 -0000

It has been hailed as the culmination of the Anglo-Irish peace process: the first ever visit of a British monarch to the Republic of Ireland on 17 May. But with Dublin’s streets lying empty, and the terrorist threat level in the north classed as ‘severe’, the visit seems like a very expensive exercise in cynicism

Ukraine, Belarus, Egypt...free the online activist in you

('Ilona Nuk\xc5\xa1evica',) — Wed, 11 May 2011 15:03:17 -0000

Ukraine’s ‘Day of Wrath’ against its president on 14 May has been organised online. Belarus’ internet is the only escape from regime propaganda. The Arab world reported its transitions online. Amidst these examples, Peter Ludlow, cyber rights activist and philosophy professor at Northwestern University in Illinois, emphasies that politics can be influenced in bottom-up solutions. Interview

Hungary youth: 'I stay out of politics but am Facebook friends with Viktor Orbán'

('Linda Krajcso',) — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 13:21:22 -0000

The new controversial constitution, the first to be created on an iPad, was voted into law by the national assembly on 18 April and signed by the president on 25 April. Hungary’s youth remain apolitical, even to a new rule which would violate human rights. cafebabel.com Budapest interviewed fifty young Hungarians

Italian women for and against accused Silvio Berlusconi

('lebuffle',) — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 16:20:00 -0000

Whilst the satirical search engine 'Bungle Bungle' publishes videos of a million women protesters supporting the dignity of the female sex, Silvio's supporters protest in front of the law courts, where the Italian prime minister is due to show on 6 April, accused of the exploitation and prostitution of minors

Why are students protesting in Bologna

('blackbird3',) — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 12:30:00 -0000

With cries of 'block everything!', Italian students have been demonstrating for days against the university reforms currently being discussed in parliament. This report is from Bologna, where heated protests have even made headlines in the New York Times

December Belarus elections: protests as absurd as the president

('Annie Rutherford',) — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 17:52:45 -0000

In a bimonthly series, one Frenchwoman in Berlin discusses the latest ludicrousness from Lukashenko land. Post three: the absurd forms of Belarusian protests

Serbia: football violence, gay pride violence, anti-west violence?

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 11:30:21 -0000

‘The Serbs are experts at shooting themselves in the foot,’ said interior minister Ivica Dacic, after the world watched Serbs riot in the streets of Belgrade and later, Italy. Is it all down to an extreme right burgeoning fear of the west?

Greece crisis: profiling rich, scot-free yacht-owners

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 16:45:00 -0000

The economic flavour of the Greek crisis tastes different for those on top - the shipowners, the yachting association bosses - than the diet prescribed for the masses. In Athens though, the latter rage against the state rather than the privileged classes. Lucky richies

Belfast riots 2010: Orange Order, not girl guides

('Tim Mac an Airchinnigh',) — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 18:01:16 -0000

More bad news from the North? On the evening news in the Irish Republic, a report on the Belfast riots in catholic districts came third after a local car crash and economics reports. In the shadow of the 1998 peace process, the riots are the product of raging frustration in a shattered community

Greece: 'Time to teach civil servants a lesson'

('Darren Thompson',) — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 13:33:26 -0000

No public transport for 24 hours in Athens and flight cancellations at Greek airports

Ban bullfighting in Catalonia

('Louis',) — Fri, 21 May 2010 18:30:00 -0000

It’s a briskly warm spring afternoon in Barcelona and blood is shed for the first time this year in the grand Monumental arena to the cheers of willing fans. Brilliantly shimmering sequins sparkle on the skin-tight suit of a proud Torero as he marks the beginning of yet another season of bloodshed

L’Aquila post-earthquake: wheelbarrow people clean up themselves

('Alexandra Baxter',) — Sat, 15 May 2010 16:11:20 -0000

308 victims died in the 6 April 2009 earthquake. Over a year on, reconstruction of the capital of the Abruzzo region is slow. One citizens’ movement is defying politics and criticising the dilapidated state of the town’s historic centre; the story has even hit this year's Cannes film festival. Sabina Guzzanti's documentary received a standing ovation

London: protest singing for the UK elections

('Olly the Octopus',) — Wed, 05 May 2010 16:06:56 -0000

Anarchy in the UK? More like apathy; 60 and 61% of voter apathy was respectively registered in the 2001 and 2005 elections. What will happen on 6 May? A London-based protest singer on the role of music in 'raging against the machine'

The 'M' word: breaking the Bulgarian complex

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 16:27:34 -0000

In January 2009, Sofia’s then-mayor and current PM banned anti-government protests after citizen disillusion with the country’s corruption; Bulgaria is officially the poorest EU state, according to Transparency International. One year on, the remnants of a ‘protest culture’ lie in the urban, cultural and mediatic fragmentation of a society rooted in tradition, the past - and the mafia, to an extent

Unions, strikes and snow: Europe's 12 days of christmas discontent

('Tim Mac an Airchinnigh',) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 17:09:41 -0000

Is spreading the misery really the best way to get what we want? Inspired by the British High Court banning British Airways’ cabin crew's decision to take twelve festive days of industrial action, we take a look at the latest glut of stars and strikes to hit Europe

In Greece, remembering Alexis Grigoropoulos, 15, with riots

('Mohsin Patel',) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 17:39:50 -0000

Since 6 December, millions of Greeks have been gathering in the country's streets in memory of the teenager who was killed by a policeman during the student revolts. Collisions between anarchists and 6, 000 police have resumed with renewed vigour. 'When will we listen to what the youngsters have to say?'

Kasparas Pocius, not quite the father of Lithuanian anarchism in the millenium

('Daiva Repe\xc4\x8dkait\xc4\x97',) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:23:12 -0000

The 27-year-old is too young to be fairly branded the 'father' of Lithuanian anarchism today. However, as one of the co-founders of anarchija.lt, the critical magazine Juodraštis ('Draft') and the Vilnius Free University, he is the most visible public figure when it comes to presenting Lithuania's anarchist ideas to the wider public

Calling Europe’s anarchist class 2008-2009: no need to smash bank windows

('james whyte',) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:42:38 -0000

Today, anarchy has nothing to offer the public; a five-year-old sat in McDonalds could think of a better way to govern the people. Those that push it – the protesters on Europe's streets, as most popularly depicted in the media - are merely self-serving fools who ignore what democracy has done for us, and who are driven by some sort of warped fantasy of idyllic life

2 days in Warsaw: Solidarnosc, cult Polish documentaries and Berlusconi

('Lydia Bigos',) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 15:42:13 -0000

For two days at the end of April 2009, the Polish capital becomes the 'centre of Europe' as the EU's largest centre-right party descend on the city. Quality time spent between British, Spanish and Polish colleagues raises an understanding of what the last twenty years mean, and the gap between east and west. Opinion

Bloggers and facebookers want president Barroso out

Sun, 15 Mar 2009 10:10:32 -0000

'We don't care who, but the commission needs a new president in 2009'. Members of the 'Anyone But Barroso' campaign are none too keen on the current chief of the EU commission. Can it influence the European elections in June? Latest titbit of news from Brussels

Middle-East: British students still mobilised

('Hayley Wood',) — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 12:00:00 -0000

Fighting in the Gaza Strip may be over, but sit-in demonstrations organised via email and Facebook continue in 21 UK universities. Amongst other things, students demand bursaries for Palestinian students. This is a campaign which 'has only just begun'

Island fever: Martinique and Guadeloupe’s 'people are suffocating'

('Fiona Herdman Smith',) — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 12:48:42 -0000

The fuse lit in Guadeloupe in reaction to high living costs and an alienating 'cultural integration' has ignited Martinique. Could French Guiana in South America and La Réunion in the Indian Ocean follow, before the flames reach mainland France? Opinion from a young Martinican

Bologna Process: French universities react

('bellaonbabel',) — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 11:59:55 -0000

At the end of 2008, Spanish, Italian and Greek universities showed their discontent. In 2009 it is France’s turn to denounce the consequences of the Bologna Process, which recommended a more hierarchical ‘management’ of universities. A professor explains why

Turin in the Israel-Palestine crossfire

('Andrea Giambartolomei',) — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 15:30:47 -0000

During the military campaign against Hamas on the Gaza Strip, a wave of Muslim immigrants across Europe, stretching from London, Paris, Amsterdam, Madrid, Brussels as well as Milan and Rome – protested against Israel’s actions, supporting their Palestinian ‘brothers’. Perspective of the communities in Turin, a twin city of Gaza and Haifa

Riots in Latvia: the dream of a fast buck is over

('Andrew Christie',) — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 12:39:45 -0000

During Latvia’s economic miracle period many people lived beyond their means. Now it is payback time. 14 January saw the fraught situation in the country escalate. A mass demonstration against the centre-right government ended in violent rioting; 'everything is not ok'

Greece youth: violence in the name of education

('Elina Makri',) — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 12:30:00 -0000

9 December. As the funeral takes place of a young boy, whose death led to days of continuous rioting in Greek cities three days earlier, a look at where the rebellion is coming from. Voice from Athens

Why boo the French national anthem at a football stadium?

('Sarah Truesdale',) — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 10:27:03 -0000

Will revolution soon hit the grandstands of France? After the Marseillaise was booed during a match against Tunisia in October, several politicians expressed their rage. It's a problem which says a lot about society in general

Riots, reactions in Montenegro and Macedonia after recognising Kosovo

('Gojko Keselj',) — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 13:49:12 -0000

Whilst over 400, 000 Albanians celebrated openly in Macedonia, Montenegros’ 15, 000 were silent after the former Yugoslav states recognised their neighbour. Unilateral independence was declared eight months ago

Biking is trendy, politics is not in green Budapest

('Akli Hadid',) — Tue, 27 May 2008 19:00:00 -0000

Resistance groups may be fighting pollution in Budapest, but there’s a long way to go from holding bicycle protests to creating a political impact. How can ecological thinking blossom in the Hungarian capital?

Radar station for US anti-missile defence on Czech soil?

('Susannah Readett-Bayley',) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0000

But it hadn’t banked on such a large opposition from two thirds of the population and such an angry reaction from its future neighbours. A return to the cold war?

4x4s: urban penis substitutes

('John Smith',) — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 12:00:00 -0000

As night falls across cities in Europe, including here in Lyon, 'eco-guerillas' deflate four-wheeler car tyres in a revolt against a lifestyle which they find scandalous

Bike traffic: return of the scorchers

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 12:00:00 -0000

Environmentally conscious cyclists regularly battle errant cars in European cities

Olympic games: Europe up in arms over Tibet

('Susannah Readett-Bayley',) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 12:00:00 -0000

A huge victory for some, enormous disappointment for others. For the first ever time, the Olympic torch has been extinguished under mass pressure, as Europe makes itself heard

Feminism in France: the Rose Revolution

('John Smith',) — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 12:32:00 -0000

May 1968 was a turning point in world history, but it was also a rupture for women's history. Feminists of yesterday and today tell us about their war

1968: a tour of Europe's revolts

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 12:00:00 -0000

Spain, Czech Republic, France, Italy, Poland and Germany - spinning through Europe's uprisings during that infamous year of rebellion

Six-colour Poland

('Daniel G. Ross',) — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 00:00:00 -0000

The gay community is no longer hesitant to campaign for tolerance, despite the conservatism of the current Kaczyski government

Alexander Milinkievich: 'voting in Belarus oft means ending up jobless'

Fri, 23 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0000

The leader of the group of opposition parties in Belarus and Sakharov Prize winner on the need for close collaboration between his country and the EU

Alternative lifestyles: 'I came to Amsterdam to live in a squat'

Mon, 28 Aug 2006 14:00:00 -0000

In the 1980s, a political movement of squatters changed the face of the Dutch capital. Today, young apolitical Eastern Europeans are joining the squatter movement

Lidl cracks the whip

Mon, 21 Aug 2006 00:00:00 -0000

Lidl supermarkets are a familiar sight in malls around Europe, popular among students and cash-strapped families. But according to the German services employees’ union, ver.di, Lidl supervisors repress their workers and enforce 45-hour work weeks.