Thanks and reflections and more from No! G8 Action Japan

from email, 10 August 2008:

Dear comrades,

There are many things to say; we cannot express all that is in our hearts in this letter.

But for now we can say one thing: thank you for coming to Japan and working hard with us while staying there. The fact that you came means a lot to us. The event has developed a totally new dimension that announces the burgeoning of a planetary movement -- despite difficulties, shortcomings, and failures ­ thanks to your coming and fighting with us as part of one and the same event of the anti-G8 protest 2008.

We have to understand what has happened and what needs to be done for the better, and we are working on it now in Japan. Over this assessment, many internal contradictions are surfacing, as might always be the case. We have many self-critiques ­ about communication, tactics, logistics, and manners of conduct in general.

This anti-G8 was marked strongly by the particular situations in Japan: the society, the system of control, the police, and the inclinations of the masses under a high consumerist society. It might be that we have not yet discovered the most effective way of organizing and protesting in this social context. But there is a positive thing ­ many activists of the younger generation feel that something has changed fundamentally and they will push this inclination further and further.

In any event our position about the assessment is clear vis-à-vis one respect: notwithstanding the particularity of the situation, we are no longer an insular entity; we cannot go back to the state where the anti-capitalist struggle is fought only among Japanese within their isolated domain; it has to be always fought, hand in hand with you, globally.

We would like to stress that this anti-G8 has played the role of the premier stage where the global justice movement and the East Asian movements have met and tried out the possibilities of collaboration. Now we must reflect on the entire event in order to continue and develop this connection.

For this purpose, we have a request: would you write up your thoughts on the event, honestly and frankly ­ good things, bad things, as well as your own impressions and reflections ­ whenever you have a moment and send it to us? Any length is welcome. We will translate it and publish it on a website with the original. This would be really helpful for going beyond the difficulties of communication and constructing a powerful global network.

Keep in touch!

in solidarity,

Go Hirasawa
Sabu Kohso
No! G8 Action Japan

Bookmark/Search this post with:

delicious | digg | reddit | newsvine | furl | google | yahoo | technorati