• Ron Blom In the Netherlands, as in the rest of Europe. the welfare state is beIng demolished and people from Third World countries are trying to escape poverty.
People lose the jobs, housing and living conditions deteriorate, people are waiting years to get a house. These are the consequences of the government policies of the last 12 years, that stood for the interests of the rich.
But appearances can be misleading. Many people get confused and blame immigrants and refugees. But those people are in an even worse situation!
Racists
Racist organisations like the Centrumdemokraten (2 members of parliament and together with other racist and fascist organisations also represented in the local councils of many cities) struggle together for a "Netherland for the Dutch". But of course this exclusively white, Dutch Holland won't be a better place for the ordinary Dutch people. VICT In Parliament the leader Janmaat almost always votes for the further dismantling of the welfare state! The different farrignt parties are in tavour of the same policies as The Dutch government, composed of Social Democrats and 2 Liberal groupings (PVDA, WVD and D66). Their main difference is that according to them, immigrants and refugees should Tece Toucher.
Although for years now, immigrants without a Dutch passport have the right to vote and to get elected at local level, even the new government (for the first time in almost 100 years without the Christian Democrats) coula make the next step expanding this to national level.
Instead of that, the asylum policies were tightened, The law on affirmative action for immigrant people is passed without any sanctioning on trespassing by employers. After that the racist parties showed the electoral notential of racist politics, the ordinary right wing (but also social democracy) political parties more and more talk about the "refugee problem", about "more duties instead of rights for immigrants". Especially the leader of the "liberals", Bolkestein, whose party is in the government coalition, but who as leader of the parliamentary group of the "liberals" is developing himself more and more towards a kind Ber. lusconi-like right wing opposition.
Solidarity
For the Dutch section of the FI Socialist Workers Party (SAP) and the youth organisation, Rebel, it's Clearn we nave to struggle together with the immigrants and refugees for the improvement of their conditions. That's why we are involved in the creation of local and na. tional anti-racist and antiTascist Committees.
We are involved in the broad, more moderate movement "Nedeerland Bekent Kleur" ("Netherlands shows colour, takes sides"). but also in the campaign "Scholars (pupils) against racism" and in the more direct action organisation, Anti-Fascist Action, that is famous for effectively breaking up starvation, environmental devastation, exploitation and injustice make fascist meetings. you angry... The building of a powerful anti-fascist movement If you reject the is connected with the idea that they struggle for more jobs, better wages and social are somehow security and the defence "inevitable " or of the welfare state. We have to fight for the permanent defence and expansion of features of democratic rights, like im- human migrants' right to vote, the right of appeal for. refu- society... gees who are not recog- Then, like us, nised as such by the HutCh CTATe you've Solidarity also means probably the cancellation of the thought a lot Third World debt, and forcing our government to about how to stop supporting dictator- change the ships. Because without poverty and repression world. Simply nobody has to flee. wishing things would get Get Active! better is not To find out enough. more about Working alone Rebel write to:
you can change Rebel, Sint some things a Jacobsstraat little, for a 10-20, 1012 while; working NC Amsterdam, together with Netherlands or others, you can phone (00 31)
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• In depth • Blair • Texaco • • Bala Kumar ECOLOGICAL activists have won a battle with oil giant Texaco over its destruction of eastern Evador.
The US-based company promised in May to repair the damage dome to the indigenous communities who have suffered.As part of its activities It felled two million acres of rainforest, spilled more oil than in the Exxon Valdez disaster, dispossessed indigenous peoples from their lands, polluted the water they bathe, cook and drink from, and poisoned the air. And that's just for starters! At the beginning Texaco was taking 93 per cent of the profits with the paltry remainder for Ecuador. The Ecuadorean government, which relles heavily on the sale abroad of petroleum to keep its ruling elite well looked after, was pressurized into taking action by the Amazon for Life campaign within the country and by an international boycott of Texaco. Indigenous peoples and small farmers is most obviously in crisis. want money spent on reforestation; removing abandoned equipment, cleaning abandoned oll wells; new schools and hospitals; and sewerage and drainage facilitles for the towns. However other oil companies Including British ones are now Involved in oll exploitation and they have found new areas to pillage. Indigenous communitles have vowed to protect their land and people from "ecological violence and cultural terrorism" and have called for a 15 year suspension of all mining. Now that this partial victory has been won, the longer struggle is to challenge the export dependency of Ecuador on one non-renewable and harmful mineral as well as the power that wester transnationals wield in Third World countries. That means changing the economy to serve the poor and powerless, not the rich and powerful. It also means lookIng for allies with the potential and in whose Interest It Is to change society. And that's the working class.
employment, lexaco promises to make The list of demands are
Mail to Liberation! PO Box 1109 London NA 2UU
Toxic Texaco beaten by Ecuadorean greens