Origins of the crisis

This crisis arose after a significant loss in assets of the Popular Bank of Cyprus and the Bank of Cyprus, due to the debt restructuring plan in Greece, in March 2012. The two Cypriot banks then found themselves obligated to seek recapitalization in the capital city, Nicosia [fr].

Private-sector solution?

For their part, Greek banks are also closely tied to Cyprus. The Bank for International Settlements, [fr] or BIS, estimates the Greek banks’ investments in Cyprus at 12.6 billion euros, an amount not less than 28% of all Cypriot banks’ investments. This therefore rules out the possibility of a private-sector intervention plan on the island.

The offices of the Bank of Cyprus at Aglandjia, via Wikipedia CC-BY-2;0

So, if Cyprus could contribute from its banks the sum of 7 billion euros, refused to them by Europe, out of the 17 billion euros which it owes, Europe would be obligated to give aid to Greece again [fr], further weakening the recovering stability of the country. A renegotiation, particularly in the plan of the troika, would be risky. This is also partly why the Greek economy is affected by the tax on deposits.

Furthermore, organizing a private-sector intervention in Cyprus might be frowned upon by investors. It should not be forgotten that “the Greek case” is expected to remain unique. Otherwise, it would be tempting for other countries now experiencing a complex economic situation, such as Spain, Italy or Portugal, to seek private-sector assistance as well.

The consequences of this would be irrevocable. For the market to finance vulnerable states would become complex, even impossible, and restructuring of public debt for other countries, and of the European Central Bank, would loom dangerously on the horizon. In fact, regarding the deposits, this is another “unique case” which Europe hopes to create.

The Social Democratic Party of Germany [fr], or SDP, wants to make an example of Cyprus, in order to stop the vote in favor of European aid in the Bundestag [fr], which is essential to Chancellor Angela Merkel. So, aid for Cyprus is not likely to occur without the support of the Bundestag. The SDP sees a reserve of money in Cyprus which is noted to be of Russian origin, and suspected to belong to the “mafia”. The private sector intervention did not really hit the wallet of Russia, so the European solution should focus on deposits. Since Cyprus refused to accept a drain of deposits more than 10%, so as not to ruin the reputation of its economic system, it was necessary to broaden its tax base, and to spread the impact across all depositors, including residents. But this could still be enough to push Cyprus into the abyss. This is why it rejected the European plan.

At this point, Cyprus finds itself faced with several possibilities. Given the intense reactions in Europe, and especially in Cyprus, during recent days, some of the European decision-makers seem to want to backtrack, regretting their original choices. We see attempts to reduce the participation of Cyprus in its own bailout. However, Europe may not accept an attempted renegotiation. The debate about the complete participation of the ESM (European Stability Mechanism) [fr], which oversees 5.8 billion euros in aid, still remains.

Alliance with Russia

The second solution would be for Cyprus to ally itself with Russia. Indeed, Putin wants to defend Russian assets on the island, asking, in exchange, for large concessions on gas and Russian military facilities, not to mention the recent discovery of an oil deposit off the island. Russia could repurchase Cypriot banks [fr], notably the Laïka Bank, the second-largest banking establishment on the island, in order to save 2.5 billion euros in recapitalization. Russian aid would probably be complementary to European aid, and undoubtedly there would not be any actual rupture between Cyprus and the Eurozone. For its part, Russia would gain significant influence in strategically important Cyprus. The island would safeguard the interests of Moscow in Europe, but would risk creating some problems in the future.

But Russia is apparently in no hurry to make a decision. Andrei Kostin, director of VTB Bank [formerly the Vneshtorgbank], announced on March 21 that his institution was not at all interested [fr] in buying bank assets on the island:

Sur place, il y a deux banques dans une situation critique qui ont besoin d'être assainies. Il serait absurde de prétendre que nous aurions un intérêt là-dedans. Notre seul intérêt, c'est de retrouver au plus vite la faculté d'effectuer les paiements et de gérer les comptes de nos clients.

First, there are two banks in critical condition that would need to be cleaned up. It would be absurd to suggest that we would have an interest in those. Our only interest is to regain the ability to make payments as quickly as possible, and to manage the accounts of our clients.

And he added that his bank would need to:

arrêter son activité et quitter purement et simplement le marché chypriote” en cas de “décisions violant le droit, dictées par la politique.

 ”cease its activity entirely, and simply leave the Cypriot market” in the event of “decisions which violate the law, dictated by politics.”

Last resort – Bankruptcy

Finally, Cyprus can opt for the extreme but inevitable solution, if Russia and Europe deliver no proper support – bankruptcy. Then, recapitalization in Cyprus would be accomplished by banks issuing money.

That would mean leaving the Eurozone [fr], instituting strict controls over the flow of money, and blocking current accounts during the period of conversion to the new Cypriot currency. The island would be ruined, and its financial credit would be permanently damaged. This would be followed by a period of economic reconstruction under complex circumstances. And for the Eurozone, it would be a failure, and a disturbing precedent.

The final agreement reached in Brussels, with the intention to dismantle the largest bank of the country, and to tax bank deposits greater than 100,000 euros, is an ineffective hybrid solution, according to American economist Tyler Cowen:

 What will the price of a Cypriot euro be, relative to a German euro?  50%?  I call this Cyprus leaving the euro, but keeping the word “euro”, to save face.

Written by Laurent Delors · Translated by Andrew Kowalczuk · View original post [fr] · comments (2)
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In 2010, a young couple from Berlin – Anna, a Polish journalist, and Thomas, a German photographer – decided to live on their globetrotting dream – and they decided to do it with their 6-month-old daugther Hanna on board. With a fully-packed Renault Espace they made a half-a-year-long road trip around the Black Sea, through the Caucasus to the Caspian Sea. The idea worked out so well that in 2012, already with their second daughter Mila, they travelled in Central America from Mexico down to Guatemala, Belize and Honduras.

From their first trip on they decided to share their unusual experiences through their blog, The Family Without Borders [en; Facebook]. The interest turned out to be so significant that in 2011 the blog was named the Best Travel Blog by the Polish edition of the National Geographic.

Global Voices (GV): Let’s imagine 25 years forward. Your daughters have their own children and want to go travelling with their babies. What is your reaction?

Mexico (Yukatan), Holbox Island. Photo © Thomas Alboth, used with permission.

Anna (A): I hope it will be this way. Recently, we've had some discussions about parents, kids and grandkids and how it all can change. We were a bit afraid that maybe they will choose a totally other way of life than we did and that it would be hard to accept it if they would start saying things like, “I want to go to a hotel.” But on the other hand, the more they grow up the more I feel that I’m scared that something can happen to them, all these mother-ish things.

Thomas (T): I would have wanted it. But I’m also not so sure if they will like this lifestyle, I have friends who grew up in a community flat and then they turned into the opposite. I’m also pretty happy to be completely different from my parents. So maybe one day they will stay in a hotel, will have nice rolling suitcases and that’s ok.

GV: You received the National Geographic title for the Best Travel Blog in 2011. Why do you think your blog became so successful?

A: I think it was two things. First, we didn’t plan for it to be big, so we were just doing what we liked, and I think these things are always going bigger when you just do what you love. We have known all these travel bloggers who had business plans, but for us it was basically writing for the grandparents, so that they could see Hanna safe and smiling. That was the beginning. After a while we started to check the statistics and we saw that people from 20, 40, 50 countries were visiting the blog, and we were like, “wow”. There is this generation of young Europeans who are studying abroad, travelling, making international couples and they think that if they have kids it will be all over. I think when they see what we did, they see hope that it all really doesn’t have to be over.

The whole family in their flat in Berlin. Photo by Kasia Odrozek

GV: Did you have a clear work division: who is writing, who takes pictures and so on?

A: Yes, we had clear divided tasks. It happened that I made some pictures but not often, normally the camera was in his hands all the time. I was writing the posts, Thomas wrote maybe two posts in these three years. For the blog he does all the technical things and I do all the human communication work. And on the road Thomas usually drives and I usually tell him where we are going [laughing]. The whole thing works when we are doing it together. A couple of weeks ago, he was in Burma and I was in Palestine and we didn’t post anything on the blog, and it felt strange.

GV: Would your experience be different without the blog?

A: For me having the blog was very motivating to get more knowledge about everything. On the second trip, I was writing in a much more journalistic way, so I was noting many more things, asking for more context while talking to people, taking leaflets in museums and so on. I don’t know if I would do all of this without knowing that I will publish it.

T: I was a bit jealous, because writing means reprocessing, while editing pictures is not the same experience, you don’t need more knowledge, you don’t have to understand the situation to make a picture.

At Lake Sevan in Armenia. Photo © Thomas Alboth, used with permission.

GV: What is your favorite memory when you look back at your travels?

T: More than a memory it is a feeling of being self-paced, that you decide about your own life. When you stay in one place you get into this daily rhythm, you get up, grab a coffee in the morning, you take a tram or metro and you go to your office, and 80 percent of your day is predictable. That’s what I liked about the trip, for a half of the year you decide what you want to do.

GV: Was there a moment when you thought, “This was a mistake”?

A: There was one such moment when I was scared and I thought that all these people saying that we were irresponsible parents were right. It was the night at a hotel in Guatemala where we saw three big men with guns passing by the corridor, talking angrily on the phone. We had to do something to feel better, so we asked them if they were dangerous. We didn’t speak too much Spanish but, luckily, we knew the word peligroso, dangerous. They answered “yes, but not for you and not here.” Then we learned that in Guatemala everybody has guns because they hadn’t been disarmed after the civil war.

GV: You say that your travels were about people and their stories. What was the craziest thing you heard or experienced?

T: If you come from a different world, even just the way people live their everyday lives seems interesting and sometimes strange.

The family has to say goodybe to their hosts in Guatemala, Chilasco waterfall. Photo © Anna Alboth, used with permission.

A: During the second trip, in Guatemala, we were hosted by a Mayan family in their small house with plastic chairs and a TV. After we talked to them, they were surprised, but not by the fact that we were travelling for so long – but that we could live without a TV for so long. Then in the evening, when I started to cut potatoes for a soup, all these small girls immediately started to help me because that’s what they do, they do everything together. When we were leaving, they were asking when we would come back and it was heartbreaking, we wanted to say that we would call but they didn’t have a phone, they wanted to write a letter but they didn’t know how to write.

GV: Any plans for the future?

A:We have to go on a trip again, of course. But before we do it, I need to finish my book on Central America, then we will go travelling again.

On March 26, 2013, The Family Without Borders will share their pictures and stories at a slideshow presentation at the Globetrotter shop in Berlin. For more details, please visit their blog or Facebook.

Written by Kasia Odrozek · comments (2)
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Daniel Andres Helmdach is scheduled to be deported from Taiwan, a suspected consequence of his participation in an anti-nuclear demonstration in Kaohsiung on April 30, 2011 [zh] while he was in Taiwan working as a volunteer on conservation projects.

This is not the first time that Taiwan has zeroed in on the participation of foreigners in anti-nuclear activities in Taiwan, where the recent construction of the fourth nuclear power plant in Taiwan has been met with strong criticism because of security concerns. Two Japanese people from Fukushima were warned by the country's immigration office [zh] immediately after they gave a speech at an anti-nuclear demonstration on April 30, 2011.

Photo from International Cultural Youth Exchange (ICYE) Taiwan which Helmdach had participated in 2011.

The country's premier, Yi-Hua Chiang, has called for a referendum to be held on the construction of the Fourth nuclear power plant in August 2013.

After becoming aware of Helmdach's detention, Helmdach's friend Rui-Guang Huang put out a call for help on his Facebook page:

我們的好朋友今天傍晚入境台灣旅遊，在桃園國際機場被擋在外面不得入境，原因是他兩年前來台灣時，觀察紀錄我們的環境教育活動，結果竟被標記，在未被告知的情形下，此時此刻被擋在機場準備送回德國。

Legislator Shu-Fen Lin called the head of the immigration office and requested them to explain the deportation of Daniel. The immigration office said [zh] that the National Security Council made the decision in 2010 that should a foreigner conduct anything not described in his or her visa, the person would be denied entry to Taiwan three years.

Helmdach worked as a volunteer in Taiwan for one year during 2011 through arrangements made by the International Culture Youth Exchange (ICYE). Rui-Guang Huang explained the nature of Helmdach's volunteer work at that time:

協助麟洛教會莫拉克風災社區重建工作、參與台南社大海灘廢棄物監測及相關環境關懷行動，在台期間認真學習，並善盡國際志工責任，充分配合服務單位的工作需要，並無任何不當行為。

After the Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan, Daniel studied issues related to nuclear power and walked with his friends from the Community College in Tainan City during the anti-nuke demonstration [zh] in Kaohsiung on April 30, 2011. Soon after the demonstration, special agents visited the Community College in Tainan City and the Tainan branch of ICYE, but they did not mention anything about Daniel's involvement in unlawful activities.

Written by I-fan Lin · comments (2)
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Hessel came to the worldwide recognition with the 2010 publication of his short pamphlet ”Indignez-vous!” (Time for Outrage!), which quickly became a publishing phenomenon – the work has sold some 4.5 million copies in 35 countries including China and been translated into 34 languages. The manifesto became the bedrock of global protests, including Spain's Indignants movement and the international Occupy movement.

Following the news of his death, more than 500 people paid homage to him at the Place de la Bastille in Paris. A peaceful march is planned on March 7, 2013, the day of his funeral.

A man who spoke meaningfully in simple words, Hessel sought to impart optimism to a disillusioned generation. He was the quintessential European, starting with his birth in Berlin, then his childhood in Paris, and right up to his latest European tour presenting and commenting on his book “Time for Outrage”. Hessel says that he found out what being European meant in the Buchenwald concentration camp, where he had been deported in 1944 for acts of resistance:

Cette expérience m’a ouvert politiquement. Nous étions là, solidaires, à partager un douloureux quotidien entre des milliers d’Européens. Il y avait là un brassage, une génération qui a inventé un monde nouveau dans son opposition au nazisme.

This experience was a political awakening. There were a thousand of us, fellow Europeans, sharing a very painful lot, and supporting each other. It was a melting pot, a generation whose opposition to Nazism had given rise to a new world.

Internet users celebrate Hessel on the page Facebook “Par millions rendons hommage à Stéphane Hessel” (One million pay homage to Hessel).

He became a diplomat with the United Nations and worked for development aid, making the fight for human rights his daily struggle. But it was after his retirement in 1983 that he fought his most outstanding battles. Called upon to defend the rights of undocumented foreigners in France in the 1990s, he also gained attention for defending the right of self-determination of peoples, alongside the Sahrawi and the Palestinians. He explained his point of view [fr] to Philosophie Magazine:

J’ai le sentiment d’appartenir à l’histoire des Juifs, d’autant que la Shoah m’a touché de près. Je me suis enthousiasmé pour le sionisme et la création d’Israël. Mais je ne partage pas le repli d’une partie de la communauté juive. Je déteste l’entre-soi communautariste. Depuis 1967, je refuse la politique de colonisation et de territoires occupés par Israël. Gaza est une prison à ciel ouvert.

I feel that I am a part of Jewish history, especially having been so personally affected by the Shoah. I was enthusiastic about Zionism and the creation of Israel. But I do not share the inward-looking attitude of a certain part of the Jewish community. I abhor self-centered isolationism. Since 1967, I have rejected the settlement policy and the occupied territories of Israel. Gaza is an open-air prison.

Today this pro-Palestinian stance has earned him severe posthumous criticism from the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France [fr].

He penned “Time for Outrage!” in 2010, a 32-page pamphlet promoting non-violent uprising, which would become a source of inspiration for hundreds of thousands of activists around the world [fr]:

Aussi, appelons-nous toujours à une véritable insurrection pacifique contre les moyens de communication de masse qui ne proposent comme horizon pour notre jeunesse que la consommation de masse, le mépris des plus faibles et de la culture, l'amnésie généralisée et la compétition à outrance de tous contre tous. A ceux et celles qui feront le XXI ème siècle, nous disons avec notre affection : CRÉER, C'EST RÉSISTER. RÉSISTER C'EST CRÉER.

So, let us all commit to a truly peaceful insurrection against mass media, whose only offer to our youth is mass consumerism, contempt for the weak and for culture, widespread amnesia and merciless competition pitching everyone against everyone else. To those who are going to create the 21st century, we say, with all our affection: TO CREATE IS TO RESIST. TO RESIST IS TO CREATE.

Hessel believed that society must always push itself to be better. In December 2010, he confided to Le Monde des Religions (The World of Religions) [fr]:

Nous ne sommes nous-mêmes que lorsque nous essayons de nous dépasser, lorsque nous ne nous contentons pas de l’acquis.

We only come into our own when we seek to surpass ourselves, when we are not satisfied with what has already been achieved.

Hessel understood well the social and ideological leanings of the younger generations and the opportunities opened up by modern means of communication and information. What he saw was the possibility for the young activists to consolidate their revolt [fr]:

Je constate avec plaisir qu’au cours des dernières décennies se sont multipliés les organisations non gouvernementales, les mouvements sociaux […] qui sont agissants et performants. Il est évident que pour être efficace aujourd’hui, il faut agir en réseau, profiter de tous les moyens modernes de communication.

I am pleased to note that over the past few decades, more and more active and efficient NGOs and social movements have appeared [...] These days, it seems quite clear that in order to be efficient we need to network and make the best use of all modern means of communication.

And thus, demonstrators in France, Spain, Greece, Italy, and Portugal throughout 2011 and 2012 began to call themselves The Indignants, or in the case of New York, Occupy Wall Street, in line with Hessel's writing. The pamphlet also found a significant place in the recent uprisings against dictatorial regimes in the Arab world.

In Syria, a project to publish the book in Arabic was yet to be completed. A volunteer group composed of Syrian writers and researchers decided to revive the idea and published the translation of Time for Outrage in Arabic on their website The Republic [ar] just days after the author's death.

A video posted on YouTube on February 27, 2013 honors Hessel, combining readings of his appeals to the younger generation in English, French, and German with footage of demonstrations all over Europe:

In Spain, some have wrongly labeled Hessel as the “father” of the 15-M movement, where his book has lent a name, notoriety, and media coverage to activists going under the name of “Los Indignados“. Juan-Luis Sanchez commented [es] on the connection between Hessel and the 15-M movement:

La aportación más importante de Hessel al 15-M fue la de transmitir, con su edad y trayectoria política, un tipo de credibilidad que los grandes medios necesitaban para poder hablar de las movilizaciones en calle sin sentir que daban voz a lo que caricaturizaban como un latido antisistema. [...] Su palabra, “indignación“, fue un regalo: un ejemplo perfecto para la nada y el todo a la vez. Para esa militancia inclusiva que usaba términos que no dejaran a nadie fuera.

Stephane Hessel's main contribution to the 15-M movement is that, due to his age and political career he has conferred a necessary credibility to mainstream media, so that they may speak of citizen mobilization without having the impression of giving voice to what they caricature as being a wave of anti-system sentiments [...] the word “indignation” was a gift : a perfect example of everything and nothing all in one, for this all-inclusive activism using expressions that leave nobody out on the cold.

The German online magazine diesseits.de called Hessel the “ideological father” of global protest in a headline [de]:

Der 95-jährige Stéphane Hessel war der ideologische Vater der demokratischen Aufstände weltweit. Von Arabellion bis Occupy Wallstreet kamen die Menschen seiner Aufforderung nach Entrüstung und Einmischung

At 95, Stephane Hessel was the ideological father of the pro-democratic rebellion that shook the world. From the Arab Spring to Occupy Wall Street, people have answered his call for insurgence and commitment to a cause.

Homage of the Indignants in Marseille. Photo shared on the Facebook page One million to pay hommage to Stéphane Hessel

ALL JUX wrote on his blog [fr]:

Stéphane Hessel a réveillé l'esprit critique, le sens humain et la raison. Il a encore su initier le mouvement d'indignation politique qui se répand sur les continents en publiant un tout petit livre par le nombre de ses pages mais d'une puissance sans mesure par la portée de ses propos.

Stéphane Hessel has awakened critical awareness, human sense, and reason. He has also implemented a worldwide movement of political indignation by publishing a book: a very small book, going by the number of pages, but containing powerful comments of immeasurable impact.

Portuguese blogger Helena Araujo described why youth should listen to Hessel in her blog 2 dedos de conversa [pt]:

Indignez-vous! Engagez-vous! – é a consciência do século XX que nos fala, a voz de um homem livre que atravessou o pior e o melhor que o século passado nos legou”

Get Angry! Get Involved! – the conscience of the 20th century is talking to us, the voice of a free man who has lived through the best and the worst of what the last century has bequeathed us.

Gathering in memoriam of Stéphane Hessel at Bastille (Paris) on 27/02/2013- Photo by Célia Bonnin for the facebok pageOne million to pay hommage to Stéphane Hessel

On the Facebook page Par millions rendons hommage à Stéphane Hessel [fr] (One Million Pay Homage to Stéphane Hessel), Rüdiger Bender expressed his gratitude:

Wir denken voller Dankbarkeit an Stéphane Hessel …dankbar für ein Leben exemplarischer Menschlichkeit und tapferen Engagements für die unantastbare und gleiche Würde aller Menschen … dankbar für seine Fragen und Anstöße und noch mehr für seine Ermutigung für uns und sein Vorschußvertrauen auf uns: dem gilt es nun gerecht zu werden.

We owe a debt of recognition to Stéphane Hessel…recognition for a life of exemplary humanity and courageous commitments in favor of the inviolable and equal dignity of all human beings…recognition for his questioning and motivation and even more so for his encouragement and trust in us:  it is now up to us to rise to the challenge.

On the Facebook page en Hommage à Stéphane Hessel [fr], Sweekitt Carlson exclaimed:

Un résistant est mort, pas la Résistance!

A resistance fighter is dead, but Resistance is not!

A petition requests his entering in the Pantheon in Paris [fr] (where distinguished dead French citizens are kept):

Nous souhaitons ardemment que la pédagogie civique et la mémoire collective témoigne de l’importance de l’esprit de résistance. Parce qu’avec Stéphane Hessel, c’est une vie consacrée à l’intérêt général et au service d’une certaine idée de la France qu’il s’agit d’honorer.

We fervently hope that our civic awareness and collective memory bear witness to the importance of the spirit of resistance. Because in the case of Stéphane Hessel, it means honoring a life devoted to the well-being of all and in the service of a certain idea of France.

Written by Emmanuelle Leroy Cerqueira · Translated by Alison · View original post [fr] · comments (1)
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Video created by Stanislas Buagev to present SenseCamp 2013 in Berlin – Sous license CC-BY-2.0

Written by Marie-Laure Le Guen · Translated by Theodora Rowlands · View original post [fr] · comments (0)
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On January 25, 2013 an #Aufschrei (outcry) rang out through the German-speaking blogosphere in response to an article in Stern, a weekly German news magazine. Journalist Laura Himmelreich reported on an encounter with Rainer Brüderle, a politician from the Free Democratic Party (FDP), who allegedly made remarks about her buste and approached her inappropriately. Himmelreich's experience is just one of many examples of sexism that exists in everyday life.

Using the hashtag #aufschrei (#outcry), female Twitter users have been reporting their experiences of similar cases of everyday sexism, sexual harassment and, in some cases, even of sexual abuse. Below are some of the tweets:

@terrorzicke: Der Prof, der mir auf der Erasmus-Party zuraunte “I want to see you naked!” #aufschrei #England

@terrorzicke: The lecturer who whispered to me at an Erasmus party: “I want to see you naked!” #aufschrei #England

@Ine_12e: Ich näh die Dammnaht enger als vorher, da wird ihr Mann sich sicher drüber freuen. Arzt nach Geburt #aufschrei

@Ine_12e: I’m sewing up the perineal suture tighter than it was before, your husband should be pleased with that. A doctor after giving birth. #aufschrei

Street Art in Karlsruhe. Photo from Flickr by theodoritsis (CC BY-ND 2.0)

@KatiKuersch: Der Vorgesetzte, der mir sagte, ich müsse nur mal flachgelegt werden, dann ginge es mir psychisch sicher besser. #aufschrei

@KatiKuersch: The supervisor who told me I just needed to get on my back to feel psychologically better. #aufschrei

@marthadear: der vater einer schulfreundin, der auf ihrer geburtstagsfeier all ihren freundinnen poklappse gab. ich habe mich immer versteckt. #aufschrei

@marthadear: My friend's dad who smacked all the girls on the bum at her birthday party. I spent the whole time hiding. #aufschrei

@Wendelherz: Wie ich anfangs das Gefühl hatte, gar nix beisteuern zu können, und dann nach und nach alles hochkommt und ich kotzen möchte. #aufschrei

@Wendelherz: Feeling, at the beginning, that I couldn't add anything at all and then bit by bit, everything came up and I wanted to throw up. #aufschrei

hanhaiwen: Und all die Leute die auf solche Vorfälle jemals mit einem verständnislosen „ja und?“ reagiert haben. #aufschrei

hanhaiwen: And to anyone who has ever responded to such an incident with an unsympathetic, “So what?” #aufschrei

@sincerelyjurs: Und immer wieder das Gefühl, sexistische Situationen nicht als solche benennen zu dürfen, um nicht als Spaßbremse dazustehen. #aufschrei

@sincerelyjurs: And always feeling like you’re not allowed to label these situations as sexist, without being branded a killjoy. #aufschrei

MmeCoquelicot: Es geht nicht darum, dass ich mich nicht wehren KANN. Es geht darum, dass ich es nicht ständig müssen sollte. #aufschrei

MmeCoquelicot: It’s not that I can’t fight back, it’s that I shouldn’t always have to. #aufschrei

In the eyes of many Germans, sexism is not a problem that exists in today’s society. However, the tweets posted with the hashtag #aufschrei (outcry) show that this is not an accurate view and that sexism is in fact a common problem, even now. Journelle tweets:

Was ich an #aufschrei mag,ist,dass dieser “Minisexismus” in der Masse mal sein ganzes hässliches Gesicht zeigt und nicht runtergespielt wird.

What I like about #aufschrei (outcry) is that it’s bringing much-deserved attention to these abhorrent cases of casual sexism that might otherwise be ignored or trivialized.

Antje Schrupp writes about the newsworthiness of sexism and investigates the causes of this debate:

Auch viele Männer, die sich selbst gegenüber Frauen völlig korrekt verhalten, dachten bis vorgestern: Das ist zwar nicht schön, aber doch keine Nachricht – und suchten deshalb nach “Nebengründen”, die diese Veröffentlichung erklären könnten.

Es braucht aber keine weiteren Gründe, um so eine Story zu veröffentlichen, denn es gibt inzwischen massenweise Frauen und auch Männer, die das durchaus für eine Nachricht halten. Die sexuelle Belästigung keineswegs für eine Lappalie halten, auch dann nicht, wenn sie sich auf “niedrigem Niveau” abspielt.

Despite the unpleasant nature of these incidents, up until the day before yesterday, a number of men would not have considered them to be newsworthy, even those who treat women with dignity and respect. As a result, they have been trying to come up with additional reasons to justify the publication of these incidents.
But reports of this kind are considered newsworthy by masses of women, as well as men and so do not need any further justification in order to be published. Sexual harassment in any shape or form is by no means an insignificant matter.

Unfortunately, as so often happens in such debates, the uninformed and ignorant also feel the need to speak out and be heard. Below is one of the more friendly comments made by Twitter users criticising or ridiculing the campaign:

@robby_eberlein: #aufschrei Wie langweilig und trostlos muss der Alltag sein wenn man sich über solchen Nonsens dermassen aufregen kann…..

@robby_eberlein: #aufschrei (outcry) How boring and dull your life must be to get upset about this nonsense…

Meike Lobo took to her blog to criticise, among other things, the vagueness inherent in the terms ‘sexism’, ‘abuse’ and ‘sexual violence’:

Die Vermischung dieser Schlagworte überdramatisiert das Eine und — weitaus schlimmer — bagatellisiert das Andere. Die Grundhaltung mag bei allem eine ähnliche sein, nämlich die Objektifizierung des Gegenübers, aber das ist nach meinem Empfinden auch alles.
Kindesmissbrauch und Vergewaltigung sind schwerste Verbrechen und allein schon dadurch ganz klar zu trennen von Sexismus, der zwar oft unangenehm, schmierig und geschmacklos, aber eben kein Verbrechen ist. Solche schlimmen Verbrechen für die Lösung eines sozialen Problems zu missbrauchen, empfinde ich als Ohrfeige ins Gesicht aller Opfer sexueller Gewalt (sie selbst mögen das freilich anders empfinden).

For one thing, by using these catchwords together, the situation tends to be overdramatized and, far worse, trivialized. The main idea behind using each of these words may well be similar, namely, the objectification of the person subjected to it, but as far as I’m concerned, that’s also all it is.
Child abuse and rape are the most serious of crimes and are automatically differentiable from sexism, which, although often unpleasant, sleazy and tasteless, is not in itself a crime. In my opinion, misemplying such grave crimes in an attempt to solve what is essentially a social problem, is a slap in the face to all victims of sexual violence (who, of course, may well feel differently).

Sensitive Men

Some men have shown themselves to be rather more discerning and have vowed to react more sensitively to these issues in the future:
John tweets:

@einbequemesbrot: Schon krass, dass es heute noch so zugeht. Werde in Zukunft aufmerksamer sein. #Aufschrei

@einbequemesbrot: Disgusting that this is still happening in this day and age. Will be more considerate in the future. #Aufschrei

Alf Frommer reports on the change in attitudes triggered by this discussion on his blog Siegstyle.de:

Es steckt eben in jedem ein Brüderle. Eine Zoten-König oder ein Blicke-Belästiger. Ich sollte mein Verhalten überprüfen, auch wenn ich von mir selbst niemals annehmen würde, ich wäre ein Sexist. Aber vielleicht ist das gerade die Gefahr: ich halte mich für einen modernen Mann, der Frauen ernst nimmt und für die Gleichberechtigung und die Frauen-Quote eintritt. Trotzdem bin ich in einigen Dingen nicht besser als ein Ol’ Dirty Brüderle oder ein Franz-Josef Wagner, der eine Bildungsministerin zunächst mal nach dem Äußeren bewertet.

Daher bin ich froh über die Diskussion – weil ich darin in erster Linie eine Aufforderung sehe, mich selbst zu überprüfen.

There is a Brüderle [the FDP politician] hiding in everyone. A master of dirty jokes or a pervy old man. I should really look at my own behaviour, even though I would never consider myself to be sexist. But maybe that is where the danger lies. I consider myself to be a modern man, who takes women seriously and supports gender equality. Nevertheless, as someone who, at least initially, judged the Education Secretary based purely on her appearance, I am in some ways no better than an Ol’ Dirty Brüderle or a Franz-Josef Wagner [German tabloid columnist known to be sexist].
That is why I am pleased about the ongoing discussion. I see it as a prompt to reevaluate myself and my own behaviour.

By January 25, the Twitter debate had even reached the mainstream media:
Handelsblatt (a leading German language business newspaper) and Spiegel (a weekly German news magazine). In the meantime, the debate has spread to every type of media, including television. The main news programmes on public television have reported on the matter, while sexists and feminists took to political talk showa to debate the terminology being used, and whether sexism is even a problem.

The debate on sexism has escalated to such a height of publicity so quickly, primarily because it exposes the ongoing existence of a cultural phenomenon believed to have been long since overcome. As members of a modern society, Germans seem to think that sexism, gender stereotypes and the like have been left firmly in the past, but the reports surfacing on Twitter give powerful evidence to the contrary. Consequently, this has led to a passionate and emotionally-charged debate, that is, at times, lacking in respect and sensitivity to the subject matter.

Since then, the Twitter hashtag has gone global. See: #outcry and #assez.

Written by Katrin Zinoun · Translated by Helen Odia · View original post [de] · comments (4)
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Screenshot from Eve Ensler's short film “One Billion Rising”

Every third woman falls victim to rape or abuse in her lifetime. With the world-population of seven billion, this means that one billion women and girls are being confronted with, or personally experience, violence daily. More than 603 million women live in countries where domestic violence is not regarded a crime. According to a press release from the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's campaign, ‘UNiTE to End Violence against Women', as many as 70% of women experience some sort of violence.

The press release also states that the probability of a woman between the ages of 15 and 44 years being raped or suffering domestic violence is higher than contracting cancer or malaria, being involved in a motor vehicle accident, or affected by war.

One Billion Rising Logo, V-Day Advertisment

Faced with these alarming figures, the organisation V-Day initiated the international campaign One Billion Rising. This rapidly growing movement demands the end of violence against women and girls, and calls for equal rights; they aim to reach and sensitise as wide an audience as possible.

Therefore, on February 14, 2013 one billion people are called upon worldwide to participate in demonstrations. All over the world, men and women will “strike, dance and rise” in public places and announce their solidarity through other directed activities.

One Billion Rising is a campaign which concerns everyone. By now more than 13,000 different initiatives have been organised in over 190 countries, with the number of activities rising daily.

Swiss blogger Nathalie Sassine-Hauptmann writes in her blog Clack [de] about this “feminist wave” [de]:

Zurzeit feiern weibliche Proteste grosse Erfolge – zumindest in den Medien. Nach #Aufschrei kommt jetzt der Aufstand. Lokale Aktionen und globale Resonanz zeichnen «One Billion Rising» aus: Um gegen Gewalt an Frauen zu protestieren, werden 190 Länder am «day to rise», dem 14. Februar 2013 an einem gigantischen Flashmob teilnehmen. Niemand ist darüber mehr überrascht als Eve Ensler, Initiantin und Autorin der «Vagina-Monologe». «Es geht über Klassen, soziale Gruppen und Religion hinaus. Es ist wie ein enormer feministischer Tsunami.» berichtete sie dem englischen «Guardian» gerührt.

Currently women's protests are enjoying great successes – at least in the media. After #Aufschrei [outcry, a popular anti-sexism hashtag] comes revolt. Local actions and global response distinguish “One Billion Rising”. To protest against violence against women, 190 countries will take part in a gigantic flashmob on the “day to rise”, on February 14, 2013.
No one is more surprised about this than Eve Ensler, initiator and author of Vagina-Monologues. “It is beyond the scope of classes, social groups and religion. It is like an enormous feminist Tsunami”, she shares with the Guardian.

Local protests range from the first Somali flashmob ever in Mogadishu, protest marches on the Scottish isle of Bute, to a large-scale rally in India and a huge dance event in Bangladesh.

Map of all events planned in Germany to date

In Germany alone, more than 120 events like dance demos, human chains, theater shows, anti-violence seminars, etc. will take place. In Switzerland, the Feministische Friedensorganisation (cfd) [de] and PeaceWomen Across the Globe (PWAG) [de] initiated a joint platform, on which the Swiss organisers can network, exchange ideas and projects; for continuous publishing of events happening in Switzerland. So far, flashmobs in Basel, Bern, Zürich, Genf, Worb, Thun, Lugano, Biel, Lausanne and Gümligen have been planned. This movement is unbelievably dynamic, since people are able to connect through social media and personally contribute to this global action with individual creativity and commitment.

Map of all events planned in Switzerland to date

There are already 138 video contributions on the YouTube channel of V-Day, showing men and women from around the world explaining why they will take to the streets on February 14.

Blogger Helga Hansen [de] from Braunschweig, Germany, who writes for German feminist association, Mädchenmannschaft [de], recorded a personal video statement:

Sharon Adler, awarded “Berlin's Woman of the Year 2012″, and founder of the online journal AVIVA-Berlin [de], took part in this video action as well:

More statements [de] from men and women in Germany are found in the blog Die Münchnerin [de].

Luziehfair writes on German writers’ blog Ausrufern [de]:

Nachdem ich in der letzten Zeit unter anderem Diskussionen um Unwörter des Jahres verfolgen durfte und die aktuelle Sexismusdebatte in den Medien (vermutlich auch an den Stammtischen, aber das ist ja nicht mehr mein Millieu) die skurrilsten Formen annimmt und sich zeitgleich überall auf der Welt Tragödien wie in Indien abspielen, möchte ich mal konstruktiv werden:
“Eine von drei Frauen auf diesem Planeten wird im Laufe ihres Lebens geschlagen oder vergewaltigt. Das sind eine Milliarde Frauen, denen Gewalt angetan wird … ein unfassbares Greuel. Am 14. Februar 2013 läd der V-Day eine Milliarde Frauen dazu ein, raus zu gehen, zu tanzen und sich zu erheben, um das Ende dieser Gewalt zu fordern. [...] Wir zeigen der Welt unsere kollektive Stärke und unsere globale Solidarität über alle Grenzen hinweg. [...]“

Das ist der Aufruf der Kampagne One Billion Rising und ich finde, er gehört gehört. Soll Gehör bekommen.

Lately I have had a chance to follow, among others, discussions around the “non-words of the year”, the current sexism debate in the media (probably also the cracker barrel, although that is no longer my milieu) is taking on the most bizarre forms, and simultaneously, tragedies like [rape] in India happening all over the world, I would like to be constructive:
“One of three women on this planet is beaten or raped during her lifetime. That is one billion women, who suffer from violence…an inconceivable horror. On February 14, 2013, V-day invites a billion women to go out, dance and rise up, to demand the end of this violence against women. [...] We show the world our collective strength and our global solidarity beyond all borders. [...]“

This is the appeal of the campaign One Billing Rising and I think it needs to be heard. It must be heard.

Luziehfair also refers to the trailer of Eve Ensler's touching short film (Caution: Trigger Warning):

Meanwhile, Frauenblog [women's blog] [de] is thinking about afterwards:

Und hier kommt die Frage nach dem Danach ins Spiel. Macht es Sinn, diese Entwicklungen in Gang zu setzen und danach die Aktion zu beenden? Wünschenswert wäre es mit Sicherheit, hier eine Kontinuität anbieten zu können. Doch nicht jeder Event kann auf Dauer angelegt werden, dafür haben wir einfach nicht genug Kapazitäten und Kraftreserven. Aber: Ein solcher „Event“ entsteht ja auch nicht aus dem Nichts, sondern es ist eingebettet in bereits vorhandene Strukturen, die auch am Tag danach noch existieren und ihre gewohnte Arbeit fortsetzen. Sollten sich im Anschluss an One Billion Rising […] Frauen finden, die sich dieser Bewegung anschließen, sei es als regionale V-Day-Gruppe oder als Verstärkung in den bereits existierenden Frauengruppen vor Ort, so wäre dies neben unserem öffentlichen Statement:„Wir sind hier, wir sind überall, wir sind stark, wir sind laut, wir lassen uns nicht mehr zum Schweigen bringen“ ein großartiger Erfolg.

This is where the question of afterwards arises. Does it make sense to launch these developments, only to end the action afterwards? Sure, it would be desirable to offer continuity, but not every event can be maintained, we simply do not have the capacity or strength. But: such an event does not emerge out of nowhere, it is embedded in already existing structures, which continue to exist and execute their work in the days after. By connecting with One Billion Rising [...], should women join this movement, whether it be a regional V-Day-group or to support an already existing local women's group, this would be a monumental success, in tune with our public statement: We are here, we are everywhere, we are strong, we are loud, we will no longer be silenced”.

Written by Claudia Blaser · Translated by Monia Raupert · View original post [de] · comments (5)
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The photo that won the first place in Journalism in Arab European photographers ninth festival 10-10-2012. Source: Yazan Homsi Facebook page

(more…)

Written by رامي الهامس · Translated by Rami Alhames · View original post [ar] · comments (0)
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What I like about #aufschrei [outcry] is that it’s bringing much-deserved attention to these disgusting incidents of casual sexism that might otherwise be played down.

Using the hashtag #aufschrei [de], female Twitter users have been reporting the sexual harassment and abuse they have experienced at work or at school, or when simply going about their day-to-day lives. Ina Marinescu has collected some of these Tweets on her blog [de].

Written by Katrin Zinoun · Translated by Helen Odia · View original post [de] · comments (0)
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The religious wars were never about religion as such. They were about who held the power of interpretation, about who controlled the knowledge and culture available to the masses. It was a war of gatekeepers of information.

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Iran's embassy in Berlin, source: Iran Global

Iran's diplomatic missions have been under attack around the world in recent weeks by Iranians and Afghans, for different reasons. The Iranian embassy in Berlin was attacked by supporters of the Iranian opposition, and Iran’s consulate in Herat, Afghanistan was attacked by Afghans.

There are also conflicting reports about whether the Iranian embassy was attacked in Copenhagen, Denmark on Saturday. While one MP accused [fa] the Iranian opposition of attacking the Islamic Republic's embassy in Denmark, another denies [fa] such an attack took place.

Anger in Herat

A couple of hundred angry Afghan protesters tried to storm Iran's consulate in the western Afghan city on Sunday, December 9, 2012, in to protest the alleged killing of Afghan immigrants by Iranian security forces.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=DoTuAhxBymA

Berlin Attack

A group of Iranian nationals described as “activists” and “refugees” stormed [de] the Islamic Republic's embassy in Berlin on Wednesday, November 28. The action sparked a hot debate within the Iranian blogosphere, with ideas ranging from praise to condemnation and denouncements.

A video posted on YouTube, apparently from the incident, contains blurry footage that shows an often mentioned “red and black flag” that was erected in place of Iran's official flag.

Activists attacking Iran's embassy chanted slogans such as “Down with the dictator!” and “Down with the Islamic Republic!”

Andishe Novin, an Iranian blogger in Germany [fa] with apparent anarchistic inclinations reports his/her account of the incident and describes the action to have been carried out “in solidarity with and in support of Nasrin Sotoudeh's hunger strike” as well as other prisoners of conscience. According to this blog, the invaders demanded “the unconditional release of political activists in Iran arrested by the Islamic Fascist regime.”Ashkan, another blogger, sees what was done by these people as “a symbolic action” and writes that the Islamic Republic's flag is a symbol of all the hardship and catastrophes in Iran. The current Iranian flag replaced an earlier flag featuring a lion and sun after the 1979 revolution:

“This flag is a symbol of execution, massacre, torture, addiction, unemployment, imprisonment, prostitution, robbery and crime!”

Ashkan praises the invaders for torching the flag

On the opposite front, another Iranian blogger, nick-named Shahgholam [fa] calls the storming of the regime's embassy in Berlin, “barbaric”:

“When barbarism is institutionalized in a person or group, it does not matter if you live in Iran, in the third world, or the heart of modern Europe. It does not matter whose territory you are trespassing on. No liberated soul would support today's storming of the Iranian Embassy in Berlin just as no one supported the lunatic army's barbaric invasion of the British Embassy in Tehran one year ago.”

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“Pilgrimage to Our Lady of Austerity – All Paths Lead to Merkel”. Poster by Artº 21.

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