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Minutes Meeting No to NATO Summit 27/01/2018 Brussels

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No to NATO Summit – Minutes Meeting 27/01/2018 Brussels

Participants from the following organizations: intern. Network no to war – no to NATO; Movement de la Paix, France; Collectif Non à l’OTAN Non le guerre, France; Libertés & Parage, France; CFR Libertés, Women for Peace, Sweden; CND, UK; Die LINKE (Germany); European Left; IMI (Informationsstelle Militarisierung) Germany; CNGNN, Italy; P.R.C. Sinistra Europea, Italy; Leuvense Vredesorganis, Belgium; Intern. Coalition to ban uranium weapons; Movement Chretien pour la paix, Belgien; Left Alliance, Finland; CSP Comitté Surveillance OTAN, Belgium; IPB (International Peace Bureau; Greece; Vredesactie, Belgium; Agir pour la Paix, Belgium; International association of Democratic Lawers; Vrede vzw, Belgium; Oorlog is Geen Oplossing, Netherlands, PCOF (France).

Excuses: Lucas Wirl, (Germany), Ann Wright (USA), Joseph Gerson (USA)

Minutes: Yannick Beck (Vrede vzw)

Welcome

  • Next NATO Summit July, 11 & 12
  • Last year’s summit was a ‘small’ one: mainly inauguration new NATO headquarters; New US president and ‘NATO as Obsolete’ statements made a ‘normal’ summit difficult.
  • Counter actions:
    • Demonstration
      • Approx 12.000 attendees/ very colourful/
      • Wide spread of different movements: Women rights, climate, etc. …
      • Focus on Trump (‘Trump not welcome’) and its policies
    • Direct actions, road blocks near NATO summit with good media coverage
    • Counter-summit: 200 people and media coverage

 

Main topics of NATO summit 2018 (introduction by Reiner)

  • Doomsday Clock now at two minutes to midnight
    • Due to climate change, enlargement of refugees, conflicts and nuclear weapons
  • No official agenda until now
    • Five agenda points during NATO
      • Evaluation of the 2 percent GDP for military spending
      • Modernization of nukes in hosting NATO states (B-61 bombs)
      • Relations between Russia and NATO
        • Stoltenberg says he wants to talk
      • Global Nato: enlargement of NATO influence in the world
        • Relations with Malesia, Japan, etc. …
      • The European militarization & PESCO
        • Developing of a military research project
        • Developing of European drones
        • Military industrial complex in Europe
          • Germany, France and Italy
        • A step to a European army
        • Doubled the money for FRONTEX
        • EU needs and uses the military infrastructure of NATO
  • Remarks on introduction
    • Pollution due to military complexes etc. …
      • Increase of cancers near to military complexes
    • Green parties and socialist parties who are in favor of militarization
    • Focusing on press, media and opinion with images etc. …
      • Trying to convince other people
      • Not only ‘being against’ showing the alternative
      • Lobby work
      • Using the Nobel Prize ICAN received
    • Pollution of the Baltic sea due to operations, tests, exercises, etc. …
    • Sweden will contribute a part to test weapons etc. … Women for Peace will take action
    • Common action at five o’clock in the capitals of Europe Wednesday (beginning of the NATO summit)
    • Direct actions during the summit, a demonstration in Brussel
    • Trying to revive the Women Against NATO, trying to bring the topic women emancipating more in front
    • Already a network “European Network Against Arms Trade (ENAAT)”. Avoid double work
    • Important that all organizations are equal, we need to concentrate on one topic during and the discussion and the actions are the same. We need to have a clear conclusion after the counter summit. We can do symbolic actions like at Kleine Brogel.
    • We need to look more the relations between Europe, NATO and Africa.
      • Interaction between military and economic aspects
    • NATO forbids every country who wants to collaborate with NATO to sign the Ban Treaty
    • Acting against the partner/membership of Finland and Sweden, trying to interest people “if you want NATO you will get Trump” things like these.
    • Questioning the common values between Europe and USA? What are these common values “make America great again?” etc. …
    • What are the interests of NATO and Europe in Africa?
    • The war on terror: reaction on the war on terror with militarization gives a “carte blanch” to other countries for military intervention. Trying to find a good balance between how much information we give so we can inform as much people as possible.
    • Including the threat of fascism and racism backed by militarization and fed by it. Promoting alternatives. Anti -NATO must be globalized.
    • People are not aware of the danger caused by NATO. South NATO command will be build up in South Naples. Proposition to make a website so young people can find proper information.
    • Involving personal testimonies. Trying to make the message more effective. A big debate on security is very important, what is security etc. …
    • Do not forget the NATO competence centers, especially in Eastern Europe

 

Conclusion call of actions

  • A day of action in all European/NATO capitals, Wednesday 11th July 17:00h in capitals in Europe and also in USA
  • We want to abolish NATO
    • In a very clear sentence in the text
  • We want disarmament and not only acting against increased military spending
  • The future of Africa and NATO/Africa/paragraph on Global NATO
    • A bigger session in the counter summit to look closer to alternatives
  • Short appeal needed to mobilize people
    • A youth appeal to mobilize youth
    • women appeal to mobilize
  • A broad demonstration including youth, refugees, etc. …
  • We will conduct a one-day counter-summit

 

Remarks to the draft “Call for international actions against the NATO Summit, Brussels July 2018”

The Call was prepared by Kate Hudson, Ludo de Brabander and Kristine Karch.

  • In the beginning we should add the general militarization, ecological / environmental problems, refugees
  • Also include right-wing force, enlarge the danger of fascism (conclusion not consensual)
  • The concept of “War on terror”, destroying international law, ‘carte blanche’ for every intervention, should be included in the paragraph with Afghanistan,
  • Ban Treaty should be included and the demand for signing it
  • Disarmament should be included in the last paragraph
  • Make More clearly what actions we want
  • Make our demands clearer, get rid of NATO, etc.
  • a phrase about the link between Nato – UE and wars “against terror” waged in Africa (Libya), which force people to migrate
  • say clearly that we are against any kind of “European Defense policy” and militarization of Europe
  • We will add the last sentence from the Call from 2017: Our demand to our governments is clear: we must leave NATO and NATO must be dissolved.

The working group of the Call will rework the call and finalize it. It will be a more internal understanding for us, later we will discuss, who and how we will use it for mobilization.

Read the Draft nato summit 2018 call for intern. actions.pdf

Remarks to the proposal “First ideas for the one-day counter summit, Brussel July 2018”

The paper was prepared by Reiner Braun and Ludo de Brabander.

Points of the general discussion:

  • Is a counter-summit necessary or actions more effective?
  • We need the discussions between us about our controversial topics
  • We need also international face to face exchanges, not only via internet or social media
  • We need the international exchange, the information about our successes and also our mistakes
  • We need the discussions about our further strategies and actions

 

Points to be added to the program:

  • Give the victims of NATO a face
  • Add interactive elements to the conference
  • Artists, exhibition, theater / theater workshop
  • The topic NATO enlargement should be included
  • Refugee problem and NATO crimes should be addressed
  • Concert or party on Saturday evening
  • Working with posters one side for … / the other side against …
  • Make the conference as a form of tribunal

The result of the conference should be a call for a tribunal in 2019, where NATO will celebrate it’s 70 anniversaries.

Read the First ideas for the one day counter summit 2018.pdf

Read the First ideas for the one day counter summit: updated after 27/01 meeting.pdf

A working group for the counter-summit was set up, who is responsible for the preparation.

Financing of the events

  • Important to share financial burden/responsibilities. After last summit Vrede vzw had to pay the gap (Contributed 2000 euro for the counter summit; This can’t be repeated)
  • Ask all partner organizations of the no to nato network to contribute at least 50 Euro
  • Asking for ‘moral’ contribution
  • A contribution for catering and costs during the counter summit
  • European left can contribute a bit of the counter summit
  • Organizing popular to raise money
  • We should use crowdfunding for the demonstration.
  • Ask for a small participation fee for the counter-summit.
  • Use the website (no-to-nato.org) for fundraising.
  • Working group to look for the finance
  • It is clear: The ICC (international coordinating committee) of the international network “No to war – no to NATO” take over the financial responsibility for the counter-summit, but all are asked to make contributions and help by fund raising.

 

Mobilization/demonstration

  • 7 or 8th July (weekend before) the demonstration, date isn’t decided yet. Belgian Platform will soon decide
  • Difficult to mobilize the same people who mobilized against Trump

Call for actions/ Mobilization / Media work

 

Next Meeting

We will meet again at March 25th in Brussels. We will send out a safe the date invitation asap and announce the meeting place later. Ludo will organize it.

On this meeting we will setup a working group for mobilization.

This meeting should also launch a statement to the enlargement of the fare right.

 

Additional Hints, outside of the minutes:

Information list of the network No to War – No to NATO www.no-to-nato.org, To subscribe the list, send an email to To unsubscribe the list, send an email to  For sending information over the list use the address

Website: https://www.no-to-nato.org/ and https://www.no-to-nato.org/actions-around-nato-summits/actions-nato-summit-2018-brussels/

https://www.no-to-nato.org/women-against-nato/

Women Against NATO list is a communication mechanism for women researching, organizing and campaigning for the dismantling of the North Atlantic TreatyOrganization. To subscribe the list, send an email to To unsubscribe the list, send an email to  For sending information over the list use the address

 

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