[Imc-india] Re: [IMC-Process] Re: constructive support for Madurai collective?

[Shayne O'Neill]

Just checked the newswire. WOW.

It seems to me that imc-india newswire is out of control with
full-blown hate postings.

Does *anyone* have a suggestion on how to contact the collective if MC
cant.

Intimidating ethnic minorities is NOT what indy is about.

Shayne.

------------------------------------
"Must not Sleep! Must warn others!"
-Aesop.
Shayne O'Neill. Indymedia. Fun.
http://www.perthimc.asn.au

On Thu, 28 Aug 2003, Montgomery Cheddar wrote:

> Boud,
>
> What is all this nonsense about "local" activists? I
> REPEAT: I DO NOT LIVE IN MADURAI, I LIVE IN KOLKATA!
> What do I do? Fly to Madurai and join some hunt for an
> elusive "collective" which controls India Indymedia?
> Where is this "collective"? They do not answer emails.
> They do not respond to hate on Indymedia.
>
> Then you tell me I have no right to criticise India
> Indymedia because I am not in Madurai - I am not
> "local". And you are in Poland! Why is someone in
> Poland answering for some people in Madurai?
>
> Then you tell me to talk to a "Mumbai collective".
> Why? I am not in Mumbai. Should I travel to Mumbai as
> well as Madurai? Perhaps I should join China
> Indymedia, because China is more "local".
>
> You say this is "non-hierarchical" but all I see is a
> small closed group which won't communicate, which only
> meets in one city and won't be accountable to anyone
> but themselves. How long must we wait for a response
> to our concerns?
>
> Meanwhile, a friend and colleague of mine is ritually
> threatened with rape and murder on India Indymedia
> simply because she works for Human Rights Watch. You
> cannot justify this. The newswire must be closed and
> these threats eradicated, NOW! People threatened by
> posts that remain on Indymedia have EVERY right to sue
> Indymedia. It is not an idle threat, but an action of
> last resort.
>
> I am coming to believe that the "local" element on
> India Indymedia newsire is more and more
> Hindutva-oriented and probably based in the US. The
> Indymedia movement are refusing to take action, taking
> their "devolution" model to such an extreme that it
> becomes tyranny. It is the attitude of the Indymedia
> movement that is hierarchical and WE are the people
> trying to open it up to greater accountability and
> transparency.
>
> Ganesh.
>
>
>  --- boud <boud1 at wp.pl> wrote: > [apologies if this is
> a second post - it was hanging
> > in my mailbox
> > as unsent and i haven't seen it on the archive
> > yet...]
> >
> > hi harsh, ganesh, rao, everyone,
> >
> > ###
> > SUMMARY of suggestions
> >
> > (0) Please try to understand how Indymedia works,
> > e.g.
> > http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Global/NewImcHowTo
> >
> http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Global/PrinciplesOfUnity
> >
> http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Global/MembershipCriteria
> >
> > (1) Please try to get healthy communication going
> > with the Madurai
> > collective (which does the features on
> > http://india.indymedia.org)
> >
> > (2) Please try to support IMC Mumbai, propose a
> > public IMC Mumbai meeting
> >
> http://lists.indymedia.org/mailman/public/imc-mumbai/
> > http://mumbai.indymedia.org
> >
> > (3) Consider organising new local collectives in
> > India
> > http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Global/NewImcHowTo
> > ###
> >
> >   i'm a volunteer in Indymedia Poland, also in the
> > new-imc working group,
> > and i helped IMC India a bit some time ago (i did
> > actually live in India
> > for a couple of years). You can see the archives for
> > 2001/2002 to see
> > my earlier comments:
> >
> > http://lists.indymedia.org/mailman/public/imc-india/
> >
> > (or if you're curious about what i do in Indymedia
> > PL or the new-imc working
> > group, please just browse through the archives:
> >
> > http://lists.indymedia.org/mailman/public/imc-pl/
> > http://lists.indymedia.org/mailman/public/new-imc/
> > )
> >
> > harsh wrote:
> >
> http://lists.indymedia.org/mailman/public/imc-india/2003-August/000973.html
> >
> > hi harsh,
> >    South Asia Citizens' Web is an excellent
> > resource. You and whoever
> > else work on it are owed a huge amount of
> > congratulations from everyone
> > interested in human rights in South Asia.
> >
> > However, the Indymedia network is something
> > different, and i think
> > there are some misunderstandings on how it works. If
> > you really wish
> > to contribute constructive energy, i am sure this
> > should be possible.
> >
> > i don't understand everything in the Indymedia
> > network, but i do (sort
> > of) understand something about the parts of it where
> > i've volunteered.
> >
> > Could i suggest for general reading you start off
> > with
> >
> > http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Global/NewImcHowTo
> >
> > ? This page is designed for organising any new local
> > collective which wishes
> > to be officially associated with the network. If you
> > want to understand
> > bits i know little about, you're just going to have
> > to read for yourself,
> > maybe starting off at
> >
> > http://docs.indymedia.org/
> >
> >
> > > To  who ever is in-charge of IMC(s)
> >
> > Everybody is in charge collectively - we're a
> > non-hierarchical
> > network.  Now that you seem to want to contribute,
> > *you too* are in
> > charge. That's the whole idea of Indymedia. Everyone
> > should be able to
> > participate.  We don't want "superior" leaders,
> > whether upper caste or
> > upper intellect or senior in experience or whatever,
> > who decide for
> > "inferiors".
> >
> > But you should read about consensus-type
> > decision-making, please see
> > the links at:
> >
> >
> http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Global/ConflictResolution
> >
> > > http://india.indymedia.org/front.php3
> > >
> > > Damn it, no one still seems to have woken up after
> > a nearly a year
> > > long takeover of India Indymedia by the fascists
> > of the Hindu right.
> >
> > Wrong. People are aware of it, but respect the right
> > of the locals who
> > *live* in India (the Madurai collective) to decide
> > autonomously what
> > their editorial policy is.
> >
> > > Indymedia newswire in India is a mighty disaster,
> > and will remain so
> > > if if it continues  this ludicrous free speech
> > open media type of
> > > model.
> >
> > These are progressive activists living in Madurai
> > that chose this model
> > of open publishing. The way Indymedia works is that
> > you are going to
> > have to come to consensus about an editorial policy
> > with the locals
> > if you wish to contribute constructively.
> >
> > Participants in the global indymedia network feel
> > uncomfortable about
> > deciding, on behalf of activists living in Madurai,
> > that those activists
> > do not have the right to choose a 100% free speech
> > editorial policy.
> >
> > It's not that we don't care - it's that colonialism
> > has gone on for
> > too long and we (the indymedia people mostly living
> > in rich countries)
> > don't want to repeat the "civilising mission" of our
> > hierarchical,
> > hypocritical leaders.
> >
> > > This indie newswire run by  India IMC should be
> > shut down right away,
> > > It is contributing to hate speech daily. Who are
> > these irresponsible
> > > folks in charge of India IMC ? What the bloody
> > hell is the IMC doing?
> > > Why is no one taking notice ? Should someone take
> > you guys to court
> > > before you sit up and take notice.
> >
> > This is called making a threat. Indymedia does not
> > work by making threats.
> > Is insulting people a constructive method for
> > "progressive" activists?
> >
> > > It is a shame that IMC which is peddled as space
> > for use by
> > > progressive movements and campaigns has been
> > highjacked like this and
> > > IMC cant  or dosent  seem to want to intervene to
> > change this
> > > situation. Is no one answerable here ..... .
> >
> > Everyone who is a real (pro-human rights) grassroots
> > activist in India
> > or who has close contact with them and who also has
> > good internet
> > access is answerable, IMHO.
> >
> > > It is the responsibility of all secular activists
> > working on India to
> > > actively and openly challenge IMC policy and its
> > newswire in India.
> >
> > The way to challenge this policy is to contact the
> > present collective
> > who are living *in* India, not just working "on"
> > India, and to consider
> > starting real, local Indymedia collectives based in
> > India itself.
> >
> > ganesh wrote:
> >
> http://lists.indymedia.org/mailman/public/imc-india/2003-August/000971.html
> >
> >
> > > The India Indymedia collective has done NOTHING to
> > > stop the hate and has ignored repeated requests to
> > > "hide" these calls for murder and rape against
> > named
> > > individuals.
> > >
> > > I have repeatedly asked to help with the newswire
> >
> === message truncated ===
>
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