OntheWilderSide

Summary: Part of the May NATO/G8 event is moved to Camp David. Some folks will still protest in Chicago. Some are considering what to do about Camp David. See Twitter hashtags at the bottom of this article.

(excerpt from) OccupyWallSt.org
Facing Global Protest, G8 Retreats
March 6, 2012, 4:48 a.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

The Group of 8 Summit, a meeting of the governments of the world’s eight largest economies, was supposed to convene in Chicago this May. For months, Occupy Chicago, international anti-war groups, Anonymous, and hundreds of allies have publicly planned to shut it down. Now, only two months before the meeting is scheduled to begin, U.S. President Barack Obama is moving the assembly of over 7,000 leaders from the world’s wealthiest governments to the Camp David presidential compound, located in rural Maryland near Washington, DC, one of the most secure facilities in the world. The Chicago Tribune reports that summit organizers are “stunned” by the news.

Occupiers and allies celebrated the decision with a victory party last night. The Coalition Against NATO/G8 War & Poverty Agenda (CANG8) and Occupy Chicago issued the following statement:

The G8 moving to Camp David represents a major victory for the people of Chicago. The leaders of the 1% are moving because of the overwhelming resistance to the NATO/G8 war and poverty agenda in Chicago…

The city has carried out a campaign to intimidate and vilify protesters, claiming that protests lead to violence. In fact, the main source of violence in the world today is the wars being waged by NATO and the US. “We will march on May 19th to deliver our message: Jobs, Housing, Healthcare, Education, Our Pensions, the Environment: Not War! We and tens of thousands will be in the streets that day for a family friendly rally and march, with cries so loud they will be heard in Camp David and across the globe. We will be in the streets that day to fight for our future, and speak out against the wars and their cutbacks are designed to benefit the 1% at the expense of the 99% of the world.”

While officials claim the decision to move the G8 was not related to fear of protesters, Chicago police have admitted to expecting tens of thousands to show up in Chicago this May, and have been stocking up on “less lethal” weapons to use against protesters…

Chicago will still host NATO allies and partners on May 20 and 21 to discuss the war in Afghanistan and other topics, and will remain a focal point for the Occupy movement this spring and beyond. Everyone is still encouraged to go to Chicago this May for a major mobilization, or organize actions locally! Occupy DC and Occupiers in Maryland have also begun to consider their response to the moving of the G8 to their area.

Coinciding with the G8 and NATO summits in the U.S., the Occupy movement, trade unions, organizations of migrant workers and the unemployed, environmentalists, youth, and anti-war protesters throughout Europe have also called for days of action from May 17th to 19th centered in Frankfurt, Germany against “the crisis dictatorship of the European Union:”…

The decision to move the G8 is a victory; it shows that the political and economic powers-that-be are scared by the power of the 99% when we awaken and join together. We must continue to use our collective strength to fight the greedy agenda of the G8 governments, who only serve the interests of the global 1%. Occupy Chicago and their allies continue to mobilize. Stay involved in organizing against the G8 at Camp David and NATO in Chicago! Follow #OccupyCampDavid, #CANG8, #GTFOG8, @OccupyTheG8, and @OccupyChicago on Twitter.

While Obama may think he can hide world leaders from dissent or shield them from our protest, our message will be heard clearly across the world – including Camp David. Those responsible for the economic crisis, widespread inequality, and manufactured austerity – the G8, NATO, EU, IMF – will be held accountable, wherever they choose to meet. From Chicago to Camp David to Frankfurt, the #GlobalSpring is upon us.

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Full story at OccupyWallSt: here

Filed under: Action Alert!, activism, Anti-War, international politics, News, nonviolence, Peace, politics, progressive politics, social & economic justice, US Politics, war Tagged: | Barack Obama, Camp David, chicago, G8, NATO Summit, occupy, Occupy Chicago, Occupy The G8, Occupy Wall Street