All of the programme will be at Norra Skolgatan 10, exept The Growing Influence of NATO and the Militarisation of EU that will be in Folkets hus Nobeltorget, Sal 1.

The general format of the EPA forum is that each "strand" or theme will start with an introduction to the issues in that theme. This will usually be one speaker followed by a short question and answer session and will last around 30 minutes. Following this, we will divide into the smaller workshops. These may have one or two people giving a more detailed introduction to the specific area, or feedback on existing campaigns, but will be mainly an interactive discussion rather than a presentation. The workshops will all have a focus on practical outcomes and what we can do to achieve change in their area.

The final strand, on Sunday 21 September, will not have the introductory speaker in the same way, since this strand is trying to draw together the outcomes of all the previous workshops and work out and implement practical ways forward, both on specific ideas and in terms of establishing better networks.

Thursday

09.30-12.30

Globalisation of Militarism

Hans Lammerant (Belgium) will introduce us to militarism, the reach of the military-industrial complex and the militarisation of civilian infrastructure.

Workshop: Resistance to Military Infrastructure

On the expansion of military bases and local resistance to it, the military use of civilian infrastructure, such as ports and airports, and the use of civilian transport infrastructure, such as railways, roads and ports as vital links in military conflicts.

Resource persons:

Hans Lammerant from Vredesactie about trainstopping in Belgium

Ed Horgan from Peace and Neutrality Alliance about the resistance to US military refuelling at Shannon Airport, Ireland

Workshop: Campaigns Against War Profiteering

On analysing the war industry: arms trade/service providers to the military, financial institutions, etc., stories from campaigns and coordination at European level of work against corporations profiteering from war.

Resource persons:

Javier Garate from War Resister International's Global Initiative Against War Profiteers

Pepe Ortega from Justicia i Pau, Catalonia, Spain

Inez Louwagie from Vredesactie, Belgium

Cajsa Nykvist and Anna Sanne Göransson from Ofog about action against the Swedish arms trade

Rolf Lindahl from the Swedish Peace and Arbitration Society (Svenska Freds och Skiljedomsföreningen)

14.00-17.00

Nuclear Weapons

Nuclear weapons are perhaps the ultimate expression of militarism and the militarist mindset. Sian Jones from Aldermaston Womens Peace Camp(aign) (UK) will introduce us to the topic.

Workshop: US Nuclear Weapons in Europe and Resistance

On the location of the US / Nato nuclear weapons in Europe are and the resistance to them, the Bomspotting campaign in Belgium and the implications of the recent withdrawal of US nuclear weapons from the UK.

Resource persons:

Hans Lammerant from Vredesactie, Belgium

Mell Harrisson from Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, UK

Workshop: New Nuclear Weapons in France and the UK

On the French nuclear upgrade: missile 51, the UK nuclear upgrade: the extensive upgrade of AWE Aldermaston, and reasons to be cheerful: Scotland.

Resource persons:

Sian Jones from Aldermaston Womens Peace Camp(aign), UK

Dominique Lalanne about the campaign against the new French M51 nuclear missiles

Workshop: Camping Against Nuclear Weapons and Tracking Nuclear Convoys

On camping as resistance, the importance of direct witnessing and tracking nuclear weapons (NukeWatch).

Resource persons:

Ippy Dee and Adam Conway from NukeWatch UK

17.00-18.00

Training: Nonviolent Action Preparation

Action training, legal briefing etc. for everybody who wishes to participate on Fridays nonviolent direct actions against war trade in southern Sweden.

Resource persons:

Swedish anti-militaristic activist group Ofog

Sian Jones and Ippy Dee from Aldermaston Womens Peace Camp(aign)

18.00-21.00 at Folkets hus Nobeltorget, Sal 1

The Growing Influence of NATO and the Militarisation of the EU

The EU development is becoming more aggressive and Nato is involving European countries in its warfare. Jan Öberg (Sweden) from the The Transnational Foundation for Peace and Future Research gives an introduction.

Workshop: Partnership for Peace and New NATO Countries

On Sweden as example of one way of getting sucked into NATO, training areas and how countries get involved without joining.

Resource persons:

Agneta Norberg, who is on the board of the Swedish Peace Council, the Stockholm Network Against War and the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space

Workshop: The Lisbon Treaty: Military Aspects, Consequence for the Peace Movement and Effect on Neutrality

On the militarisation of the EU, the particular effects on Neutrality and the consequences for the peace movement in Europe of the Lisbon Treaty.

Resource persons:

Claudia Haydt from Informationsstelle Militarisierung, Germany

Ed Horgan from the Peace and Neutrality Alliance, Ireland, on neutrality issues

Workshop: NATO and the EU: Common Command Structures and Excuses for Interventions

On Nato and EU infrastructure, rationales/excuses for military interventions and the ambitions of Nato and the EU to be global policemen.

Resource persons:

Rae Street, Campaing for Nuclear Disarmament, UK

Wilbert van der Zeijden from Transnational Institute, Netherlands

Friday 19 September

All day

Actions Against Militarism

There will be a big open and legal action at Aimpoint in Malmö at 11 am, and there will be smaller nonviolent actions in other places during the whole day. See also the prep session on Thursday 17.00.

14.00-17.00

Nonviolence

This strand aims to be a stage in between the analyses of the issues facing the antimilitarist movement and the co-ordination stage. In this strand we aim to evaluate the strategies taken on by the anti-militarist movement over the years and try to come up with more effective strategies to strengthen the movement.

Introductions: Andreas Speck (Germany) and Javier Garate from War resisters International.

Workshop: Movement Action Plan

Analysing the different stages of where the direct action anti-militarist movement is. How to move forward in the development of our movement.

Resource persons:

Marcus Armstrong from Turning the Tide, UK

Andreas Speck from War Resisters International

Workshop: Nonviolence tools for campaign development

Using different tools (pillars of power, spectrum of allies, cross spectrum,etc) we will analyse the strategies used by the direct action anti-militarist movement and how to develop more effective strategies to reach your campaign goals

Resource persons:

Stellan Vinthagen, peace researcher, activist and on the War Resisters Internernational's council.

Javier Garate from War Resisters International

Workshop: Planning a nonviolent action

Practical workshop on preparing nonviolent action, we will look at different action models e.g. Mass nonviolent direct action and high risk and secretive action.

Resource persons:

Martin Smedjeback, nonviolence trainer and active in Ofog, Sweden

Inez Louwagie from Vredesactie, Belgium

Saturday 20 September

09.30-12.30

The Militarisation of Space

Space in an integral part of modern war fighting. From the US "missile defence" system, to unmanned aerial vehicles to satellite surveillance to basic communications, modern, high-tech militaries rely on their space capabilities. Introduction by Bruce Gagnon, Coordinator for Global Network Against Nuclear Power and Weapons in Space.

Workshop: Resistance Against US Missile Offence Installations in Europe

The US "star wars" missile system requires both radar and missile bases in Europe.

This workshop will look at the new bases being built in Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary and the resistance to them. It will also look at the role of existing bases (such as Menwith Hill in the UK).

Resource persons:

Jan Tamas, spokesman for the No to Bases initiative against a US radar base in the Czech Republic

Dave Webb, chair of Yorkshire CND and Convenor of the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space

Workshop: European Military Ambitions in Space

On the militarisation of the European Space Agency, European military projects in space: Galileo, and the role of space industries, with the example of the Swedish space industry.

Resource persons:

Bruce Gagnon, Coordinator for Global Network Against Nuclear Power and Weapons in Space

Agneta Norberg, who is on the board of the Swedish Peace Council, the Stockholm Network Against War and the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space

Sunday 21 September

09.30-12.30

Co-ordinating our Resistance

The driving force behind the EPAf has been a desire, expressed frequently whenever anti-militarist activists from more than one place gather, for us to be able to coordinate our activities better (when appropriate), to support each other better, to have better contacts and communications and so to be more effective.

While the early part of the forum has focussed on specific areas, this final session will try to draw everything together and map a way forward to build on the contacts established
during the forum.

We will probably split down into workshops along the following lines, although much of this session will be dictated by what the people present want to achieve.

Ofog will introduce and coordinate.

Workshop: Coordinated Action

How can we co-ordinate decentralised actions, spread information about actions to come, documentation and spreading information about actions done?

Workshop: Information Sharing - How EPA will Share Info Within the Network

How can we make the information and knowledge within our groups available to others around Europe in the most effective way? How we can make and run a database with all the information EPA will cover, and also information about action methods? How we can share information and contacts so that several groups/person don´t do the same work? How will communications work within the EPA network?

Workshop: The Next European Peace Action Forum

Do we want another European Peace Action Forum? If so when, who will host it, how will it be organised, what do we want it to achieve?

Workshop: Practical skills for direct action

This session will be an opportunity to share skills, learn new techniques and learn from each other others experience.

 

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