European Humanist Forum

Summary of news in the area 'Cultures, Migration and International Cooperation'
December 2007

 

 

 

Editorial   

 

A culture cannot be described by its folklore.

What really describes a culture is its ideal of happiness; its future aspirations present on myths and beliefs; the image of a shared life of happiness and welfare; a moral and a type of relation among its people; certain values, certain behaviour principles and the way to visualise these ideals.

Deep inside a culture is always its spiritual, holy side. All culture feeds on spirituality and this defines it and directs it. Are the freedom of believes and the coexistence of cultures possible?
Of course, it is not only a real possibility but also an experience already lived in many moments of our history when many cultures have mixed together on a civilisation project supporting improvement principles.

 

We observe different ways of mixing with other cultures corresponding to different mental locations distributed on 4 attitudes: 

1- Negation of other cultures: where a culture is considered as the final model of the human evolution and sees the others as non-developped. It is an imperialist and globalised attitude imposing its ideas and beliefs on others. It associates the progress to the disappearance of this backwardness that it wants to impose on its dominant culture.

2- the Tolerance of other cultures: where a culture feels superior to the others, but it does not want the others to disappear but makes an effort to live with the different things always keeping distance and its differentiation.

3- The Coexistence among cultures: here there is no culture superior to another. They share a common space and life. There is a complementary view of the differences and although the own identity is preserved, in the social practice cultures are mixed together.

4- The Integration among cultures: cultures mix together and have reciprocal influence on each other, choosing each other's elements and enriching them at the same time. There is a common project requiring a contribution of the best elements of each region and the obtained result is a new culture synthesised on a different level. On this project others are welcomed rather than "tolerated". We will not live with freedom of ideas and beliefs only because we wish to do so or because it is a positive value. We will live on coexistence and freedom when we finally face with decision a common project of welfare including all cultures and when we work with cultures' contribution. Today this project is the building of the Universal Human Nation.

 

We invite you to join European Humanist Forum through the thematic area ‘Cultures, Migration and International Cooperation’, which is aimed for the following objectives: 

·         Acting as a permanent meeting point between organizations and people working on these subjects.

·         Collecting experiences and information on immigration and integration of Cultures.

·         Making and spreading awareness materials and setting a position against problems.

·         Promoting joint actions. 

 

Contact:   Reto Thumiger  info@afroaid.net  or Ricardo Arias ricardoarias2@gmail.com 

 

 

 

 

Contents

 

Migration

1- The parish church turns into a mosque every Friday = O /> 

2- The widest study of immigration  

3- The French school and immigrants without legal documents 

4- Supermarket giant Sainsbury's says immigrants make better workers.  

5- The right wing demands Prodi the expulsion of 250,000 Rumanian immigrants  

7- Rome: Alarm: intolerance in the city  

8- Call to fight against racist events in Italy, in Rumania and in the whole Europe against the gipsy minority.  

9- Punishment expedition: Germani, risks for Italian people in Rumania  

10- Canada record Expulsion of foreigners:  

11- A poliambulatory for immigrants and Italian people without a fixed residence situated in Via del Leone 35, in the new wing of the popular hostel in Florencia, Italy.  

14- Migreurop: a European network of militants and researchers against the confinement of the "illegal immigrants"  

15- Death of a Polish immigrant after being shot with a "Taser gun" by the Canadian Police in act of undue violence  

16- 518. 000 registered immigrants are to be integrated in Madrid  

 

International Cooperation

 

1- Catalonian Universities will encourage cooperation with Africa  

2- A paradoxical debate in Morocco  

3- No more violence against immigrant women in Spain. Amnisty International suggest everyone's collaboration.  

 

 

Cultures and Minorities

1- Eurominority, the web portal of Non-state Nations and of European Minorities

2- Using Slovene is legal on the region

3- Spain: eventually a reestablishment of the rights for irregular immigrants

 

 

Campaigns, Direct Actions and Events 

1- Week of African cinema in Barcelona

2- 12th Music Festival in Móns (Catalonia)

3- Presentation of the III World Social Migration Forum

4- "The hub", new web portal for Abuse of Human Rights 

5- The Unesco Conferencia about the role of the media in Europe with regard to emigrants = O />= O /> 

 


 

Migration

 

09.11.2007
1- The parish church turns into a mosque every Friday

The church of Northern Italy turns every Friday into a mosque. A parish priest came up with this idea.

Mr. Aldo Danieli, parish priest of Poderno di Ponzano Veneto has decided that a part of his church is reserved every Friday for muslims inhabitants.

According to the parish priest, “in this way the wall of uncomprehension and intolerance will be demolished”. In the village near Treviso live 11,400 people. Among these, around 650 are immigrants, who come mostly from northern Africa and eastern Europe.

Source: www.tagi.ch

 

24.11.2007

2- The widest study of immigration

On the 24th of November 2007, M.I.P.E.X., (Migration International Policy Index) informs the press that they carry out a comparative study of the rights and the luck of legal emigrants in 25 states of the European Union, adding Canada, Switzerland and Norway to them.

It is the widest comparison ever made. It covers twenty million non-European emigrants who live and work under legal circumstances in the European Union.

Every European resident should beneficiate from the same opportunities. Obviously, the only effort of the governments cannot solve all integration problems, because the collaboration of everyone is required. This project is co-financed by the European Community to prepare common integration actions with common aims of freedom, security and justice.

MIPEX. has worked with 140 indexes, with 6 main postulates. These were the access to a job, the political participation, the medium term residence, access to nationality, the anti-discrimination and the family reunification....On the 20th November 2007 a debate is presented in Europe, in Brussels.

Various debates take place in Europe from the beginning of November until the 30th of March.

Source:http://www.integrationindex.eu

 

20.10.2007

3- The French school and immigrants without legal documents

Ibrahim is 21 years old and is currently studying electricity with a special focus on Air Conditioning in the Institute of Technical Education of Thoiry sur Marne (Department 77 in France). In his land, Turkey, he belongs to the "Kurd" minority. In case he was expelled from France, he could be put in prison because he has not accomplished the military service and he could also suffer from ethnic violence due to his origins. His regularization was rejected after the presentations of two requests from various judges. He was arrested last 28th of October just by the end of the lessons from that day. That was just before the Halloween holiday. Afterwords he was transferred to the Police Station and finally to the Detention Center. November the 2nd, he was going to take a flight to Istambul but this time was the commander of the plane that rejected his boarding. He found however the support of a bunch of people and members of different associations in order to encourage him to continue with his studies in his uncle's house. This matter has been closely followed by the media. Concentrations are becoming more and more important to help Ibrahim. Unfortunately he is not the only one enduring this situation: The Association "Education without Borders" is continuously asking for the regularization of those children whose families are afraid of sending their children to the school because usually the police comes into these schools and take the children to a refuge. There are currently plenty of solidarity signs and mass meetings to support these threatened children.

The Association also has an international solidarity network.

This friday, November de 9th, the association announced that Ibrahim was spelled from the Institute. His collegues did in response send a letter of complaint to the President of the Republic.

Last news are from the 30th of October. After beeing emprisonned for 5 days, ibrahim managed to postpon his military service for 3 months thanks to his french academic certificate. The association continues pleading and asking everybody for help to get Ibrahim a french visa through the Ministry.

Source: http://www.educationsansfrontieres.org/

 

4- Supermarket giant Sainsbury's says immigrants make better workers.

Immigrant workers have a "superior" work ethic to British employees, according to the supermarket giant Sainsbury's. The company said it found immigrants to be more flexible and happier with their terms and conditions in employment. It added that employing migrant workers in its stores often had a positive impact on the domestic staff. Sainsbury's was giving evidence to a House of Lords inquiry into the impact of immigration. In a written submission, it said that it had greatly increased the number of immigrants it employed over the past two years and would likely continue to do so in future.  

"In the long term, this could have a positive effect on their domestic colleagues. In some areas we have definitely seen a positive shift in culture where migrant workers have been introduced, which has led to a more diverse workforce fostering a more engaged group of workers."  

Sainsbury's said hiring migrant workers had forced it to be flexible in its working patterns and language barriers posed potential problems regarding health and safety. It said: "Where we have engaged skilled workers (HGV drivers from Poland, for example) we have had to be creative with their working patterns to allow them to return to their homeland regularly. "This has encouraged us to consider the use of flexibility among the whole workforce." It added, "Language barriers are a disadvantage, and migrants' understanding of health and safety requirements are naturally a major concern. Here again we have had to take a very flexible approach by adapting our communications and signage.  

The National Institute of Economic and Social Research said that 382,000 eastern Europeans had moved to the UK since their countries joined the European Union in 2004.  

On Saturday figures from the House of Commons library disclosed that 54 per cent of new jobs in Britain were taken by foreigners between 1997 and 2006.  

A survey also revealed that housebuyers believed that immigrants were one of the main causes for high house prices in Britain. More than one in five told in www. propertyfinder.com that the best way to tackle soaring house prices would be to control immigration. 

Source:http://www.haroldschiffman.org

 

6-11-2007

5- The right wing demands Prodi the expulsion of 250,000 Rumanian immigrants

E. G. - Rome -

The Italian conservative opposition capitalizes the "Rumanian crisis". The punishment is hard for foreign people who have commited an offence or who lack supplies.

The president of the party "Alianza Nacional" and former minister of Foreign Affairs Gianfranco Fini affirms "250,000 people" should be expelled from Italy. Moreover,

Silvio Berlusconi, former president of the government suggests the possibility of closing the border to Rumanians. Romano Prodi' s government, who approved a decree to extend to the community citizens (the Rumanian ones despite not appearing on the text) represive measures applicable to other immigrants, seems to be overwhelmed by the news.

The homicide of a woman in Rome presumably commited by a Rumanian man with criminal records led to a crisis of unpredictable consequences. Italy has always been the favourite destination for Rumanian immigrants. Since Rumania became part of the European Union in January, the amount of immigrants became bigger and aggravated the problem of shanties settlement on the outskirts of big cities. Rumanian people, chanties and offenses are considered as a whole by the majority of the public opinion and the right parties seem to have found a succesful election formula regarding the increase of xenophobia.

Prodi reacted offhand after Giovanna Reggiani's murder. "He made the necessary decision following the impression of the public opinion after such a horrible crime", said Anna Finocchiaro, governmental Senate spokeswoman. The emergency of an atypical decree aimed at Rumanian people and caused by an event happened in Rome was rapidly interpreted as a power sign of Walter Veltroni, roman mayor and new centre-left wing leader.The right wing took advantage of this and accussed the government of using a temporary remedy for a "very serious crisis".

Whilst the right wing asks for massive expulsions and a hard treatment to community or non-community foreigners, Prodi finds again difficulties.

The left sector of his government refuses the decree due to its xenofobic connotations. The text must be voted today by the Senate, and Prodi is stuck in the middle of those who ask for rigidness and those from the left who accusse him of "becoming part of the population demagogy". In this way, Prody does not have enough votes yet to turn the expulsion of community offenders into a law.

Source: http://www.elpais.com/artículos/cataluña 

 

 

3.11.2007

6- Bucarest in Italy: "Stop racism"

There was an urgent call to the Rumanian Embassy: please make the italian Government do everything possible to avoid punishing xenophobic acts.

ROME- The Italian Government should do its best in order to prevent the xenophobic acts, such as the attack to three rumanians in a parking in Rome (near the Tor Bella Monaca), from happening again. This is the telephone call made by the Rumanian Embassy in Italy in a text published on the web of the diplomatic mission. The text comments "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs" of Bucarest strictly condemns this agression against the Rumanian citizens. The embassy itself "has contacted immediately the prefecto and the Police Headquarters to ask for all the details dealing with this unfortunate event". "We have already requested the competent italian authority and still do, that they please urgently inquire this case to identify and punish the guilty" continues explaining the press release. "The Rumanian public opinion is waiting for the italian institutions to take the appropriate measures".

Source: www.repubblica.it

 

6.11.2007

7- Rome: Alarm: intolerance in the city

A device explodes opposite a shop owned by Rumanian people. A boy is assaulted near San Pietro and a household assistant is insulted and spitted on. Community of S. Egidio: "Worrying situation".

The xenofophia wave invading the Italian capital seems to get bigger after a serious aggression against a Rumanian group in a peripherical village. The attack against the army in Gramsci street,  in Monterotondo, caused damages at the shop entrance, nobody got harmed. A celtic cross and a death threat on walls (...) In the surroundings of San Pietro, a 14 year-old boy was beaten up by a group of boys of his age. He was found with various cuts on his head and burns on his hands(...) A young household assistant has pressed charges against workers of  S.Egidio Community for having spitted on her and insulted her after finishing a telephone conversation with her husband in her mother tongue while she was travelling by tube.

Source: E-Polis newspaper Rome – page 22 – cronaca di Roma

 

1.11.2007

8- Call to fight against racist events in Italy, in Rumania and in the whole Europe against the gipsy minority.

Text extract from a call, carried out by gipsies, non-gipsies and active gipsies civil organisations in Europe and aimed at Italian and Rumanian Prime Ministers, at the Rumanian President, at the president of the European Commission and at the commissioner for Human Rights of the European Council:

 "... at the beginning of November, after the brutal murder which took place on 30th of October in Rome and whose only suspected was a Rumanian boy of gipsy origin, the Italian government has tried to take advantage of this hate wave and movement in order to adopt an urgent decree that would permit the expulsion of Rumanian citizens with few procedural guarantees of protection.The government declarations seem to mean that the decree is mainly aimed at "Rumanian offenders". However, it seems to have been created to allow the systematic violation of Human Rights by prohibitting the massive expulsion of foreigners.
After the decree was published ... it has been noticed that it is being applied mainly to Rumanian gipsies by dismantling gipsies settlements. Moreover, in the Italian country on its whole many people with gipsy appearance have had to undergo strict document controls with the object of expelling them from Italy. This kind of discrimination with ratial base infringe many Italian and European laws and the Italian police is in charge of searching gipsies to expel them from there.(...) I am concerned about how the debate seems to be dealing with the possibility of adopting a new European Management that limits the right to free movement of European citizens among the country members. ... the current European protection level is limited to the protection of individuals who have been threatened to be unvoluntary expelled from their countries. The mobilisation of the states on explicit racist grounds is something related so far to the Europen past.Claude Cahn – Head of Advocacy Unit - Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE)

Source : http://www.romanetwork.org/protest2.htm

 

3.11.2007

9- Punishment expedition: Germani, risks for Italian people in Rumania

“In Rumania 40,000 Italian people live and work. How can they not realise that certain behaviour and declarations threaten to make them be in danger?The lawyer Giancarlo Germani, president of the Rumanian Party in Italy, being opposite the Tor Vergata Policlinic (where one of the three victims of the punishment expedition that took place yerterday in Tor Bella Monaca recovers) does not hide the fact that he is “seriously preoccupied”. “Yesterday night's attack? This was not a surprise", he admits. "It was only a matter of time"...Politicians are irresponsible. They do not realise the consequence of supporting their own interests and small party problems. What do they really want? A war among poor people? If their party programme consists of relieving their anger against people belonging to a specific community, they should know they are not going to achieve it because people are not so naive as they think and in a long term they will fight against the politics which has been carried out by someone who has only made electoral promises and nothing else for 15 years".

Source: www.repubblica.it

 

10- Canada record Expulsion of foreigners:

Following the initiative of the Ministry of Public Security, Stockwell Day, Canada strengthens its frontier controls and refuses foreigners who are neither criminals nor terrorists. Some of them, when coming from their home countries will be locked in and mistreated. In the year 2006, only 16% of expelled foreigners had criminal history.

Last year, the expulsion had already beaten a record, according to the annual report, 12617 people were expelled. The refugees are associated without taking into account risks to the national security. Canada is closely related to the United States to reinforce the frontier security on terrorism....

The groups defending Human Rights are very concerned, especially Amnesty International.

Claudette Cardural, responsible for refugee affairs in the Canadian-French section of the association has noticed a complete change in the Canadian politics concerning foreigners since 2001.

Stefen Harper's government does not respect human rights so much. The procedural remedy system for the refugee statute has been reduced as well as the number of commissioners who have been in charge of it.

A law project has been shown and adopted in June in order to obligue the goverment to enter the remedy system in force, with the support of the new democratic party and the majority of liberal MPs. It will take longer to be approved by the Senate, being more conservative.

Source: Http://www.cyberpresse.ca/article/20071109/CPACTUALES1169078/5358CPRESSE

 

17.11.2007

11- A poliambulatory for immigrants and Italian people without a fixed residence situated in Via del Leone 35, in the new wing of the popular hostel in Florencia, Italy.

It is the first service ever in Toscana of this kind and the second one in Italy after the one in Milan. This offers a general and odonthology medicine constituted by 100 doctors and 20 volunteering dentists, whose work allows to offer daily qualified health services. The new poliambulatory of the association “Niccolo Stenone” was released yesterday by the reception adviser Lucia De Siervo, by the health manager Riccardo Poli, by the dentist coordinator Edoardo Francioni, by the president of the Stenone Mr. Giovanni Martini and by the president of Caritas Alessandro Martini. The service, open from Monday to Friday from 15 to 19 hours is aimed at Italian citizens and at immigrants with health problems who may not be registered at first on the national health service. This offer promotes and reinforce the health offer guaranteed on the region. Apart from urgent assistance and essential cures, there will be general medicine visits and odonthologic ambulatory visits. The poliambulatory opened on Monday 19th of November at 17 for the first time. 

Source: Aduc - http://www.aduc.it/dyn/immigrazione/noti.php?id=200787

 

5.11.2007

12- From a small boat to the fame 

Antonio Rio Maviba was born on the sea in May 1984, when his parents scaped from the atrocities in Angola's war. He had the chance to stand out in something that has led to his way out of the anonimity and probably out of the poverty and he made the most of it. That is, he belongs to Villareal football team and he is a professional footballer. His father played with Zaire (the current Democratic Republic of Congo) in the world championship in 1974.

His boat arrived in France at Marsella's harbour (On his passport states "the sea" as birth place)

In 2004, the trainer Francès Raymond Doménech wanted to sign him up for the French football team "les Bleus" to play a match against Israel. But he needed to have French nationality to play for the rank on the world championhip. The coverage of the media helped accelerate the case.

Source: http://www.eacnur.org/6402_01cfm?id=1072&CFID=1342919&CHOKEN=15951550

 

12.11.2007

13- Musical Diplomacy

The minister of Foreign Affairs, Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his French equivalent Bernard Kouchner have recorded an integration-song with the Turkish-German musician Muhhabet. 

The song with the title “Germany” is a mixture of R’n’B and oriental influences and it deals with the subject of integration and evaluation of foreign cultures. “Germany, why are you so narrow?, Germany, play the cards on the table”, says the line that both ministers sang. The participation of the ministers were limited to the words “Germany, Germany, France, France”, which mixes with the chorus. The finished song and the making-off pictures, as informed, will be placed on the web portal youtube on the website of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and of Plakmusik's website.

Muhhabet is author and star of a particular musical trend where oriental music, Rhythm, Blues and Hip Hop rythms as well as German lyrics are mixed up. 

Source:  www.tagi.ch

 

23/11/07

14- Migreurop: a European network of militants and researchers against the confinement of the "illegal immigrants"

This network wants to spread the generalisation of the confinement of foreigners without a residence permit and the multiplication of the fields, of the devices in the heart of the migratory politics in the European Union.

This network is translated into English, French, Danish, Spanish and Italian. Its aims are to promote "the great internment" and "the great distance" in the EU. Its action is placed against " The Europe of fields" to get to know the movements of different associations in various countries; to favour the exchange among groups with practice and with multiple objectives who can act together and one next to the other. On the 23rd November in Paris there is a meeting in the street Voltaire on the C.I.P    .

Source:http://www.Migreurop.org

 

15- Death of a Polish immigrant after being shot with a "Taser gun" by the Canadian Police in act of undue violence

Robert Dziekanski arrived in Canada last October 14th to visit his mother. He was captured by the local authorities in a lounge of Vancouver's Airport for 10 hours.Robert could not speak English. According to the video recorded by a traveller, Robert walks around in an agitated manner, very nervous and sweaty waiting to meet his mother. His behaviour, described as “strange” by the authorities, seems to be the more logical when somebody has been captured for 10 hours without communicating. Somebody calls the police. Four agents come into the scene, to shot Robert with a Taser only 25 seconds after arriving. A Taser is an electric pistol that shots 50,000 volts into the body, tying up the subject. But, why was he shot? The Canadian police have lied about why they shot Robert, but, luckily a video exists that denounces the injustice. Robert did not try to assault the police and was shot for no reason. The four agents involved have been reassigned within the Police. The Police have opened an investigation to determine what happened.

According to Amnesty International more than 269 people have died in the USA by cause of the Taser. In Canada, where 18 people have died this year from the same Taser shot has reopened the debate on the use of the Taser gun and the way the police acted in the Dziekanski case. The NGO Amnesty International has been reporting the use of the Taser Gun for the last years and now reiterates the request to investigate the danger of the Taser gun.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6nx0Cx3uMk

 

29.11.2007

16-  518. 000 registered immigrants are to be integrated in Madrid

The government council has approved the signature of a collaboration agreement between the Regional Executive and the Town Hall of Madrid in order to welcome and integrate the 518 598 immigrantes registered in this city.

This event includes a welcoming, sensitiveness, residence and participation programme.

This is the APOI project of Integral Attention with Ethnic Minorities of Eastern Europe, Attention to People of Subsaharian Origin and the Integral Programme of Situations of Social Exclusion of Young Immigrants...

The NGOs and the non-profit organisations collaborate with development projects of the Town Hall, the intermediate Service, racism and xenophobia.

The budget is around 13 million euros.The programmes are aimed at foreign residents of the city who belong to more than half the foreign population in the region. Here there are many Ecuatorian, Rumanian, Bolivian and Colombian people.

The Council for Immigration and Cooperation has signed 34 agreements in local entities so far and gives more than 16 million euros to support welcoming and integration projects through announcements. This year's budget has reached the amount of 10,578 millon euros.

Source: http://www.fundacionluisvives.org

 

 

 

 

International Cooperation

 

1.11.2007

1- Catalonian Universities will ancourage cooperation with Africa

EP - Barcelona  

State and Private Catalonian Universities presented the "Catalonian-African Institute" (called "ICA" in Spain) yesterday, which will launch cooperation projects among the African and the Catalonian universities. This institute has the aim of leading the coolaboration with the African continent on educational projects, according to what the Institute's President, Antonio- Pérez-Portabella explained.  

The ICA will sign collaboration projects during the following days. It also carries out plans, such as the training of around thirty African Managers, Teachers and Professors, as well as the supplying of resources to their universities. It also includes cooperation programmes on the fields of health, agriculture and teacher training.

Pedro Alonso, Manager of the International Health Research Centre in Barcelona and project manager of a vaccine to fight against malaria suffered by African children, explained that Africa "needs knowledge, training, science and technology" more than "money, resources and nice words". The ICA has the support of Banco Santander and of different Universities and Intitutions, among them are the Universities of Barcelona, Girona, Lleida and Vic as well as Barcelona's Autonomous university, Catalonian's Politechnic University, as well as the universities of Rovira i Virgili, Ramon Llull and Abat Oliba; IESE and ESADE.  

Source: http://www.elpais.com/articulo/cataluña/universidades

 

6.11.07

2- A paradoxical debate in Morocco

Morocco's prime minister Abbas El Fassi, criticises the visit of king Juan Carlos to Ceuta and Melilla. He assures "Spain must understand that the colonialism time belongs to the past"

Many years ago Morocco was illegally occupied by Western Sahara and the colonialism was not brought into question. Contrary to this, Ceuta and Melilla populations do not claim their right to self-determination.

Whilst Europe wants an approach to Mediterranean countries, the crisis of Morocco seems to be similar to that of Turkish nationalists with the Kurs population, risking in this way the cooperation process among both countries and the European Union.

Source:http://http.//www.eurominority.org

 

23/11/2007

3- No more violence against immigrant women in Spain. Amnisty International suggest everyone's collaboration.

Immigrant women who have suffered from domestic violence in Spain find obstacles to have access to economic compensations or work permits. Those who are in illegal situations take the risk of being force to pay a fee or to leave the country if they report to be victims of mistreatment.

In the year 2007, the rate for million of foreign women killed by their partners or former partners is almost 6 times bigger than the rate for Spanish women.

Domestic violence takes advantage of the vulnerability, lack of protection and defencelessness of their victims.

Amnesty International suggests everyone's collaboration to eliminate the disadvantages and obstacles that make it more difficult for immigrant women to overcome violence attacks and to achieve justice. A letter is ready to be sent to the Vicepresident of the Government, María Teresa Fernández de la Vega.

Source: http://www.actuaconamnistia.org

 

 

 

Cultures & Minorities

 

11.2007

1- Eurominority, the web portal of Non-state Nations and of European Minorities

This web portal was created in 1999 with the aim of spreading the information dated and distributed according to its chronology and it dealt with the different minorities. It is updated and translated in different languages thanks to the collaboration of volunteering translators. It is also aimed at all cultural and linguistic minorities of very populated regions and with much tendency to autonomy, as well as pro-independence people and separatist people in Europe. A minority can be searched taking into account a state, conflicts, reivindication or other types. In this portal you will find the Universal Human Right Declaration.

Source:http://www.eurominority.org/version/fra/reports-actualites.asp

 

This project has been carried out following bilingual posters ( event in the centre in Triestre) to correct the spelling of people's names.The Lega Nord has also supported it and has voted with the centre-left party

2- Using Slovene is legal on the region

The orthographic freedom under the fruilano could extend to TRIESTE. 

The text of protection of the Slovene linguistic minority will be legalised
Thanks to the votes of Entesa Democrática and Liga Norte, the Consejo Regional(Regional Counsil) has approved the procedure during four long sessions.

So far only in the meeting of Skgz and in Sso the Slovene law was commented on "But this is not a closed list, explains the manager of the Town Hall Tamara Blazina. The law indicated the requirements to be known as reference association". However, the law foresees the possibility for citizens belonging to the Slovene minority to make use in all the region Friuli Venezia Julia of its native language and to receive a response in Slovene or in Italian with a correct translation. The text has foreseen the possibility of exposing signs and indications, product labels, although in Slovene where this minority is represented according to the foreseen text and the Department will finance the teaching of Slovene at school and will promote the organisation of training courses and the professional update for the own staff.

Source: Espresso On - Line

http://espresso.repubblica.it/dettaglio-local/E--legge-l-uso-dello-sloveno-in-regione/1843647/6

 

13.11.07

3- Spain: eventually a reestablishment of the rights for irregular immigrants

Meeting, associating, syndicating and providing access to free justice and to a non compulsory education are the rights defended the Andalusian Network "Acoje".

The Constitutional Court has just agreed with all Organisations for Human Rights in Spain.Some sections of the foreign law of 2000 have been declared unconstitutional because they established restrictions to rights to gather, associate and syndicate. The free law assistance is set up, as well as the right of illegal minor children and from 16 to 18 years old, the right to non compulsory education. Protection laws for human rights are abolished as well as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the international treat for economic, social and cultural rights of the United Nations.

Source:  http://www.canalsolidario.org 

 

 



 

Campaigns, Direct Actions and Events

 

2.11.07

1- Week of African cinema in Barcelona

It takes place from the 8th to the 14th of November in "Casablanca Gracìa" cinemas and it is organised by the cultural association "El Ull Anònim" and by the film maker from Senegal Moussa Touré. In this edition there will be 13 people invited. Among these there are film makers and five young students from Senegal who take part in this project of cooperation of audiovisual training.

This African cinema fair involves a selection of films awarded on the last edition of the "Festival Panafricano de cine & television de Uagadugù", (FESPACO)

During this week all kind of audiovisual pieces are seen, which come from Senegal,Ethiopia, Nigeria, Burkina Faso,Kenya,  Democratic Republic of the Congo, Marocco, Algeria and Tunisia.

Source: http://www.ullanonim.org

 

2- 12th Music Festival in Móns (Catalonia)

Every day, when the worlwide muslims recite the Koran, they repeat by heart the following verse among others:" God did not send any prophet before providing them with a nice voice" The holiest words seem to become futile without the complement of a melody. In this way, the Persian culture represented by the great Sharam Nazeri during the Festival, considers that a verse is not complete if it is not sung.

Maybe for this reason people from the villages have sung "epics" to save past memories. In the same way that for children to learn mathematics easily, the multiplication tables are sung. Each country preserves its identity and its colective memory by singing.

In the same way, the Kurd Aynur will sing along. The melody seems to give life to the word seriousness and it is necessary to go through centuries..It is not surprising that in many cultures this essential function of remembering by singing is carried out by professional groups such as the ----------or the --------. In the mandinga culture its best heir is Boubacar Traoré.

They collected voices belonging to different traditions, as this year's festival has suggested, we attend a performance which is not merely musical. We have the chance of knowing more abot more intimate aspects of each nation. It is a priviledged chance to feel the world's soul

Source:http://www.auditori.cat

 

13.11.2007

3- Presentation of the III World Social Migration Forum

It will be hold in Rivas Vaciamadrid, Spain, in Septiembre 2008.

In the context of violation to migrants' rights, we live in a globalised world which is making the frontier closing bigger and which is building high walls. This also leads to a serious crisis of refugee rights.

This forum wants migrants to be considered as social subjects, going beyond the administrative situation and making it possible to carry out an international protection.

Workshops, lectures and cultural activities to be carried out are centred in five thematic axis: globalisation and migration, societies of origin of migration processes, barriers and human rights, the societies dealing with arrival and situation of migrants (asylum,refugee and internal movement).

Source: http://www.fsmm2008.org/es/index.php 

 

4- "The hub", new web portal for Abuse of Human Rights 

http://hub.witness.org already exists in English, French and Spanish. It is the successor to the social network "witness", a NGO created in 1992 with the purpose of using audiovisual means to contribute to the sensitiveness and awareness which, according to its co-founder Peter Gabriel "trained hundreds of activists in more than 70 countries" to report" on line"  violancions to Human Rights.

It is a space of video exchange like Youtube, but this would also include other services such as group discussion, user register and NGO space.

Source: http://www.fundacionluisvives.org/articulos/2450.html

 

22/23-11 2007

5- The Unesco Conference about the role of the media in Europe with regard to emigrants

It will take place on the 22nd and 23rd of November in UNESCO's head office in Paris. There the attendance of assistant director-general Abdul Waheed Khan is confirmed on behalf of the director general. It is a great challenge for Europe. Four main aspects will be dealth with about legislation and the organisation of European radios and televisions,considering them as important to contribute to the process of integration of immigrants.

·        The presenters and reporters, as well as radio actors and television should emphasise the diversities and its importance.

·        A very special attention should be taken by making an agreement on the way to transmit and analyse information on topics related to immigrants and their integration.

·       All kind of audiovisual work (documentary, cartoons,...)should present all sides of people's life in society.

·       A politics of specific human resources to the media should be established taking into account the multicultural dimension of society.

  On the first day, the conference will focus on cultural and legal aspects of immigration and integration and on the second day it will focus on the practice on the media industry.

A round table may take place on the 22nd November which will allow to examine new procedures to promote intercultural exchanges. The participants will focus on the legislative aspect to improve the expression of diversity. A session is anounced to present a guide of good manners to improve social and cultural relations, reflecting diversity of the information provided by the media. The participants will study the needs of media to hire foreign staff.

Source: http://portal.unesco.org 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Editorial Stuff & Disclaimer

The selection of theses news do not represent the official opinion of the  European Humanist Forum  or the area "Cultures, Migration and Internationa Cooperation", nor the editors of these newletters. We let you to reproduce totally or partially this document,  without comercial purposes, mentioning only sources.

Take part in the composition: Carolina Lanzas Otazu carolina.lanzas@hotmail.com; Caterina Aguiló papirus50@hotmail.com; Cecilia Riccioli z62riric@uco.es; Claudia Firino; Claudia Maistrello; Ester Micó Olcina ester_emo@hotmail.com; Fulvio Faro; Friderike Carolin Weiss friderikeweiss@yahoo.es; Gianni Simonati; Liliana Elisa Vega Moreno liliana_elisa@hotmail.com; Lucía Rodriguez Ilaria; María José García Prieto; Maria Miguel Cuadra; Noelia Buitrago noelia.buitrago@tradumatica.net; Noemí Borràs noemiborras@yahoo.es; Pascale Robinet; Rebeca Sandoval del Campo r-m-7458@rocketmail.com; Reto Thumiger; Ricardo Arias; Shirley Patricia Moya Saavedra, Ana, Ana Claudia, Angela, Dora, José Luis,  Lietza, Nieves, Nor, Rosa Lila, y Silvia

 

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