solidarity action in Amsterdam
Por dep. de choreografia revol. - Saturday, Dec. 21, 2002 at 4:36 PM

A short description of what happened today in Amsterdam as part of the international day of action

The action of economical disobedience with Argentina has been executed as planned today in Amsterdam, although the police declared to dissolve it three times, confiscated a megaphone (but of course we can shout) and arrested three people.

The act started at the third stock of Bijenkorf warehouse, where people started throwing rolls of toiletpaper down in the lionsdenn and a collective whistle-concert that drew the attention of all the shoppers inside. Outside on Dam-Square the samba-band started playing, then it went along the building of ABN-AMRO bank where huge letters were glued on the windows (reading ABN-AMRO HANDS OFF ARGENTINA). Further it went to the New Church, the place were in februari this royal wedding took place between prince whatshisname and Maxima Zorreguieta. Her father is one of the wealthy bosses of Argentina and he was in the junta during the dictatorship! There was another marriage now, with tango-music and an escrache of a man looking like the father of the bride. Police prevented the exposing of pictures of murderd Argentineans on the churc.

Then it went to Albert Heyn Supermarket. Albert Heyn is a dutch multinational owning more than 200 supermarkets of the DISCO-chain in Argentina (where they announced to massively lay off people when the crisis struck). Outside people stood with banners an held speeches, inside people started to fill shoppingcars with goods to send back to Argentina because people are hungry there. Police decided to disturb this part of the action, and ended up arresting three persons and a megaphone.

Although the police had decided to forbid the rest of the demonstration, the activists walked further behind the sambaband, through the bussiest shoppingstreet where thousands of leaflets where distributed towards the shoppingmall where we had planned a party to hand out prices to the teams of shoppingcar-racers. But the shoppingmall was blokked by the police, so we had to do the party outside (with balloons an champagne for everybody).

Because of the arrests people decided to go back through the shoppingstreet again to the police-station and demand their freedom, but where stopped by angry police at Dam Square. After some waiting (and hearing that the manager of Albert Heyn was not planning to press charges) people went to the police station, where the three arrested were released. Happy ending of a bit chaotic but satisfying action. Up to the next! Y que viva la libertad y la desobediencia economica.

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