[New-imc] Re: IMC Andorra [application deadline 5 april 11 GMT]

Sat Apr 13 04:12:07 PDT 2002

Dear Bart and mates from Indymedia,

We are back in Andorra and back to the struggle, and we can assure you that
it is not easy. We had to close the place because of police pressures and
because we have been suffering boycotts of the communications.

We will only keep a flat for meetings in Andorra; the server and the rest of
the material have been moved and placed in La Seu d¹Urgell, a Spanish town
located 10 Km away from Andorra. This way, the server will be at least save
and we will be able to give information. We also have some friends in that
small city.

The days in Barcelona have been for us of a great intensity, not to mention
a gratifying experience; just as working with our mates in Barcelona has
been. We have learnt a great deal of things with them, and we have had also
the occasion to meet our colleagues arriving from all over the world to
cover the information against the Barcelona Summit. I sincerely think that a
great job was done in Barcelona and we feel very pleased for having the
opportunity to experience it so closely.

Now that we are back in our little country, we find that things have not
changed around here. We must act quickly to give some fresh air to freedom
of speech and democracy; both things find each day more difficult to breath
in this neoliberal atmosphere. I believe that IMC Andorra has a long and
hard way to go, and that is why we need to start working on it as soon as
possible. 

We are at your service to answer any question you might have and we also
send you here the philosophy that we share, as "an introduction to our IMC".

Greetings to all of you from Andorra

Note: Some people from the Andorran group work and meet at the other side of
the borderland, because of the political and police prosecution. We have
also installed the server in this city and we work closely with the local
inhabitants, because many of them work in Andorra. I think it would be a
good idea that the Andorran group, that is composed by around twenty people,
and the one from La Seu d¹Urgell could work together, taking into account
the fact that they share a place, the server, telephone numbers and other
means, and in the same way, their interests and worries are almost the same
ones. That is the reason why we propose IMC Andorra and La Seu d¹Urgell to
be the same one, even though they could also be two different links leading
to the same site. We all have had a joint meeting and we all agree. Do you
think it is a good idea?

INDYMEDIA ANDORRA (IMC)
INDYMEDIA LA SEU D'URGELL (IMC)

The Andorran Independent Media Communication Center (IMC) is a physical
meeting point for citizens, an independent virtual platform and an
alternative for the Pyrenees society, European citizens.

1. To break through the dominant thought: A place of convergence for
alternative media and independent journalists.

IMC is a cooperation web made with local, national and international media
organizations that believe like we do- that information must be independent
and free from rigid and closed patterns of popular mass systems. "Indymedia
Andorra-La Seu d¹Urgell (IMC)" is opened to any services exchange method
with local and other places independent journalism organizations. Through a
list of devoted co-workers, "Indymedia La Seu d¹Urgell-Andorra (IMC)",
treats on an equal basis a dynamic covering of current local events,
directly related to social problems and situation. "Indymedia Andorra-La Seu
d¹Urgell (IMC)" wishes and hopes to systematize its independent informative
line work endowed with volunteers and with an assignment calendar
collectively administrated.

2. For citizens: A democratic place for exchanging ideas, opinions,
thoughts, expression and also reflections.

Indymedia Andorra-La Seu d¹Urgell (IMC) wants specifically an exchange and
reflection platform of thoughts, ideology and freedom of expression for all
the Pyrenees society, with its headquarters situated in La Seu d¹Urgell; a
place with exceptional democratic values, where citizens possess the
recognized and untouchable freedom of expression as the main value of human
condition, to spread their thoughts and ideology as men. At the same time,
Indymedia Andorra-La Seu d¹Urgell (IMC) is also an exchange platform of
reflection of thoughts, ideology and freedom of expression for all the
Andorran society, preoccupied, diversified and active members. It wants to
establish a freedom of expression platform for citizens that wants to meet
and do not have other independent media to be heard, specially in Andorra,
where these media are limited, absolutely partisan and upholders of feudal
economic interests that are many times corrupted.

Indymedia Andorra-La Seu d¹Urgell (IMC) proclaims the principles of open
publishing as one of the few nowadays systems to become a real revolution in
the practice of democracy; method that started working for the first time in
Seattle, 1999, thanks to IMC (Independent Media Center). From now on, every
citizen who lives and works in Andorra (therefore, an Andorran and European
citizen); every citizen who lives and works in La Seu d¹Urgell; and every
independent social, cultural, sport, trade-union, managerial, economical or
political organization; freely has with IMC an irreplaceable, precious and
new tool as the way and possibility to wield the right of press. Every
person or organization that wish to spread information, to start a critical
analysis about a situation and subject, promote events or just to give an
alternative covering of their activities and work proposals still being
constructed, will find in "Indymedia Andorra-La Seu d¹Urgell" an open tool,
with complete democratic freedom.

Of course, "Indymedia Andorra-La Seu d¹Urgell (IMC)" and all the
internationals IMC, establish dynamic discussion forums, without determining
actual factors to treat social, economical and political nowadays problems.
This discussion pretends to be a constant and constructive one, and with an
aim, facts and events compromised with citizenry, where democracy is born.

"Indymedia Andorra-La Seu d¹Urgell (IMC)" will be proud to be member of the
community of independent media, so to adopt the democratic philosophy of
open publishing; an activity done through a new version of its Internet site
as an open source, which means that in a future, it will be possible to
recoup the source code of the site, conditioned and personalized for every
person or organization that will want it so, not only from the Pyrenees and
Europe, but from all over the world.

3. A service exchange crossing.

Lodged in the beginning at Papafrita.org¹s network cyber café in Andorra la
Vella, the independent journalists are persecuted by the "Pyrenees Country"
police, under the orders of members of the attorney-general directly
elected, with no judicial career and that can not practice as public
prosecutors or district attorneys in Europe. Some of these independent
journalists have to go into exile to Spain, where they have all the warrants
of their rights related to freedom of expression and thought being
respected. Communication in Andorra also depends on a national enterprise
owed by private and public enterprises (STA), possibly and frequently being
controlled in an illegal way by the neoliberal government, and also through
the National Computing Center (CNIA). Acting in such a criminal way, the
Papafrita.org network server, its communications and accesses were cut and
interfered in different occasions, being boycotted just because they were
expressing what they thought and informing about what was happening. In view
of this prosecution to the rights to the freedom of expression, it has been
necessary to move the Internet server to a European Union territory. Even
though this political and financial prosecution from the Andorran neoliberal
members, a place is shared with the association ATTAC Andorra; this
association is suffering the same situation and conditions of prosecutions
because they have reported money laundry and they are opposed to the
Andorran situation as an offshore.

The already shown social, political and ideological tolerance of La Seu
d¹Urgell, accepted and defended by all the citizenry and politicians of the
Pyrenees city, promotes a concrete freedom and a life quality, for
establishing there the operative headquarters Indymedia Andorra-La Seu
d¹Urgell (IMC), because it is a safe place, with a sense of justice and
freedom that Andorra does not have. This facilitates that today there is a
closeness of complicities of ideas with La Seu d¹Urgell citizens. Many of
them work in Andorra and they perfectly know when they are suffering or not
the consequences of the neoliberal system and the lack of a labour and
social regulation, which is completely unacceptable in the rest of the
European countries.

4. A popular Education roll.

"Indymedia Andorra-LA Seu d¹Urgell (IMC)" is composed by volunteers with a
vocation for expressing their feelings, ideas and thoughts. People which
participate and collaborate with their abilities in its functioning with the
spread of knowledge, supported by a technical experience in the web of webs,
acquired since almost two years ago.

The IMC technical team offers to each volunteer and promoter of independent
journalism as a way of expression of freedom of information, the workshop to
find and or spread the alternative information that they consider
appropriate. This work is done with the necessary training in new Internet
media systems and in the professional task for creating web sites, radio and
television through the Internet web.

On the other hand, "Indymedia Andorra-La Seu d¹Urgell (IMC)" does not have
the pretension or will to assure journalism and thematic education about
globalization, climatic changes, cannabis authorization in coffee shops (as
it is the case of Holland), multinationals roll in the exploitation of
developing countries, the debt of these countries as a consequence of
speculation of occidental developed countries, the lack of solidarity and
equality of conditions to possess a home in our cities, etcŠ "Indymedia
Andorra-La Seu d¹Urgell (IMC)" wants a physical place (place and auditorium
for citizens) to facilitate meetings, speeches, video projections, etc, to
start. "Indymedia Andorra-La Seu d¹Urgell (IMC)" counts on everybody to be
the creators of events that will contribute to make a more dynamic popular
and citizenry education, and, at the same time, participate with other
social agents, schools and universities educating journalists for all the
citizens and whom ever wishes it.

5. To put reflection into practice: A citizen mobilization place.

To end and as a main subject, "Indymedia Andorra-La Seu d¹Urgell (IMC)"
wishes to be the motor for the mobilization of the communities of the
Pyrenees; from La Vall d¹Arán to Roses; from La Seu d¹Urgell to Donosti-San
Sebastián; from Perpinyà to Foix; or from Toulousse to Biaritz. The section
of Events and its calendar, supplies in first place to militants from La Seu
d¹Urgell and Andorra (in the last one, it will be possible if politicians
and judges that do not have the sense of democracy, do not prosecute us) a
privileged tool for the promotion and circulation of the acts, appointments
and local, regional and national events. The evident objective is to
consolidate the activist movement of citizenry and to awake the population
to the efforts that have been made and achieved through the different webs
in the world for the promotion of SOCIAL JUSTICE, to turn our Pyrenees
society into a place of freedom, safety and justice.

More than ever, ANOTHER WORLD IS POSSIBLE. But the task that we all have to
do is still enormous. The Independent Media Communication Center in La Seu
d¹Urgell and Andorra, is willing to contribute to the effort for achieving
peace, adopting as their aim the objective of convincing each citizen of
Andorra and La Seu d¹Urgell this world where we live will not be led only by
them and we have to be conscious and know that each of us citizens- have in
our hands an essential part for that to happen.

To conclude, it would be ungrateful not thanking the other brothers and
sisters from the different international Indymedia, for their help, their
emphasis at the exceptional job that they have done all over the world for
almost three years. Without them, we would probably not be here today. These
men and women are pioneering in the movement as a physical meeting point for
citizenry and also pioneering in a virtual platform of independent and
alternative information, and it will never be enough to state how much the
Indymedia that inform all over the world deserve our respect and our
gratitude. So, greetings for all of you, men and women.

Indymedia Andorra -  Indymedia La Seu d¹Urgell

> De: "Bart" <bart at indymedia.org>
> Fecha: Tue, 2 Apr 2002 11:45:42 +0200
> Para: "New Imc List" <new-imc at lists.indymedia.org>
> CC: <guirao at papafrita.com>
> Asunto: IMC Andorra [application deadline 5 april 11 GMT]
> 
> Hey Everyone,
> 
> I think Andoraa is ready, as stated in my mail from a couple of weeks ago.
> I now lifted my own moratorium so I handle again some applications.
> 
> As I said in my previous mail, I don't find a personal introduction to imc
> andorra. Josep ? can you send one in.
> After they're approved internally, I'll wait sending the stuff to process
> list until I received the personal introduction.
> 
> Bart
> 
> ----------- Application info ----------
> Dear Bart,
> 
> First of all, we want to thank you for your e-mail. We have taken some time
> to contact you, because we wanted to organize a meeting for all the people
> involved in this enterprise to assure that it has been made very clear to
> all of us in what this consists of, and its possibilities and implications.
> On the other hand, I want to confirm that we can contact you in English, if
> you wish, or in French or Spanish.
> 
> We have red the five documents attentively, and we all agree with all of
> them. That¹s the reason why after the conversations with the other members,
> especially with Enric from IMC Barcelona- we think that Andorra has to be a
> completely new enterprise. Starting from scratch will always be more
> effective than adjusting the means that we are using now in Internet, such
> as the case of papafrita.com.
> 
> Applicants¹ group from Andorra state that they have red the ten points of
> the Principles of Unity, and that they agree with them, like with the
> totality of the points revealed in the documents IMC MEMBERSHIP CRITERIA &
> Network Membership.
> 
> We are a group of men and women coming from different press and multimedia
> fields, that a couple of years ago started to spread antiglobalisation
> information through the web site papafrita.com and we opposed its status as
> a fiscal paradise and illegal money laundry. We suffered a very hard
> repression, and some of our co-workers live today in Spain, victims of a
> political and police prosecution.
> 
> Notwithstanding that, we are still working and informing Andorra¹s citizens,
> amongst others, that have been following and reading our work, and little by
> little, they have started to support and to encourage us. In a short period
> of time, we have become an independent and not manipulated press group.
> 
> At this moment, we¹d like to start a communication platform -free and with
> no censorship- to allow all the people that has something to say to do so.
> The objective is giving social groups, associations, trade unions, and women
> and men that wish to live in a free world, the opportunity of freely saying
> what neoliberal government¹s pressure censored during these last years in
> its controlled medias. That¹s the reason why with your help and support- we
> want to create now IMC Andorra.
> 
> contact list person:
> Eva Tauler  (tauler at papafrita.com)
> 
> imc-communications : Josep Guirao (guirao at papafrita.com)
> imc-tech : Laurent Bache (bache at papafrita.com)
> imc-process : Eva Tauler (tauler at papafrita.com)
> imc-finance & imc-proposals : Josep Parramon (parramon at papafrita.com)
> 
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