1) Teken de petitie tegen de erkenning van de NSV!

De fascistische Nationalistische Studentenvereniging (NSV) diende een aanvraag in om erkend te worden aan de UGent. En erger nog, de directie van de UGent blijkt hier niets op tegen te hebben. Een breed platform wil daarom wijzen op de absurditeit van het erkennen van zo’n organisatie. We stelden daarom een petitie op. De petitie en meer informatie over de NSV vindt u op www.geenNSV.be .

Wij zijn om drie redenen tegen de erkenning van de NSV aan de UGent:

· Ten eerste. De NSV gebruikt systematisch geweld in hun acties. In 2004 nog, bezetten ze op gewelddadige wijze studentenresto de Brug. En in maart vorig jaar werden nog 30 NSV’ers gearresteerd toen ze in Antwerpen een studentencafé binnenvielen. Daarbij werden heel wat vernielingen aangebracht en raakten ook de uitbaters gewond.

· Ten tweede. De NSV verspreidt gedachten die zowel verboden zijn door de wet als door de interne reglementen van de UGent. In 2004 kwam er nog een veroordeeld racist op een door de NSV georganiseerde activiteit spreken. Dit strookt natuurlijk niet met de ethische code die in de UGent van toepassing is.

· En ten derde, ze zijn formeel niet eens in orde met hun dossier. Zo organiseerden ze bijvoorbeeld te weinig activiteiten om erkend te worden.

Neem dus zeker een kijkje op www.geenNSV.be en teken de petitie.

2) Kom naar de Studentenbijeenkomst!

Op donderdag 6 maart, op het moment dat het bestuurscollege beslist om het NSV al dan niet goed te keuren, komen we met zoveel mogelijk studenten om 12u bij elkaar in Blandijn Auditorium D. We willen onze onvrede ten opzichte van een eventuele erkenning laten blijken aan de pers & zullen samen beslissen wat we met de petitie (en tegen extreem-rechts) doen!

UPDATE (2): Petition Launched

Meer info hier en hier.
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Release Prof. Jose Maria Sison! Stop political persecution!

We, the undersigned, belonging to political, students and youth, human rights organizations from various countries all over the World condemn in the strongest possible terms the illegal arrest and detention of Filipino political refugee Jose Maria Sison in the Netherlands.–

On Tuesday, August 28, he was arrested by the Dutch police on the allegations of “multiple murders” and “calling for more murders” to the Philippines-based Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). According to the police, the cases are based on orders allegedly made by Sison in The Netherlands. Such a “case” is said to be a crime in the country and therefore merited Sison´s arrest.

Sison has been a political refugee in The Netherlands for the past 20 years. He has been a target of demonification and political persecution by various governments like those of the Philippines, The Netherlands and the European Union. He recently won a case against the European Union and the Dutch government on the latter’s inclusion of Sison in the list of foreign terrorist organizations and individuals. The terrorist-tagging has once led to the freezing of Sison’s account and the denial of several of his civil and democratic rights.

Just about the same time Sison was arrested, his home and those of his colleagues as well as the international office of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) were ransacked by the police. Materials were confiscated as individuals were questioned. Both Sison and Jalandoni are members of the negotiating panel of the NDFP.

On Tuesday, August 28, he was arrested by the Dutch police on the allegations of “multiple murders” and “calling for more murders” to the Philippines-based Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). According to the police, the cases are based on orders allegedly made by Sison in The Netherlands. Such a “case” is said to be a crime in the country and therefore merited Sison´s arrest.

Sison has been a political refugee in The Netherlands for the past 20 years. He has been a target of demonification and political persecution by various governments like those of the Philippines, The Netherlands and the European Union. He recently won a case against the European Union and the Dutch government on the latter’s inclusion of Sison in the list of foreign terrorist organizations and individuals. The terrorist-tagging has once led to the freezing of Sison’s account and the denial of several of his civil and democratic rights.

Just about the same time Sison was arrested, his home and those of his colleagues as well as the international office of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) were ransacked by the police. Materials were confiscated as individuals were questioned. Both Sison and Jalandoni are members of the negotiating panel of the NDFP.

This case by the Dutch government is obviously weak and ignominious as it resorted to trickery and random pillaging to look for evidence. With this dastardly action, the Dutch government has effectively killed the peace process between the Philippine government and the CPP-New People´s Army-NDFP.

Likewise, the statements made by Philippine president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and the Philippine military hailing the arrest as a “triumph of justice” clearly show that they are not serious in pursuing the already-stalled peace negotiations. As a legitimate political refugee, he has been unjustly prosecuted without due process and regard for the relevant United Nations conventions on political refugees. We abhor this unjust and onerous action against Sison. This political persecution happens in many countries and clearly various reactionary governments like that of the Dutch are hellbent in silencing political dissenters, both individuals and organizations.

We are calling to all progressive youth and students, human rights advocates, civil libertarians and peace loving people in the international community to condemn this attack on the rights and freedom of Prof. Jose Maria Sison. In particular, we call for his immediate release and the return of all confiscated materials.

Political persecution against Prof. Sison and all progressives asserting and fighting for the legitimate demands and rights should STOP!

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Name / Organization / Country

1. Eleanor de Guzman / ANAKBAYAN, Sons and Daughters of the People / Philippines

2. Leni Valeriano / Tanggulan Youth Network for Human Rights / Philippines

3. Dion Carlo Cerrafon / Student Christian Movement of the Philippines / Philippines

4. Biyaya Quizon / Student Christian Movement of the Philippines / Philippines

5. Dianne Asuelo / Student Christian Movement of the Philippines / Philippines

6. Ana Vania Fatalla / Kabataan Party / Philippines

7. Venzer Crisostomo / League of Filipino Students / Philippines

8. Koen Hostyn / COMAC / Belgium

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Just reply to sign…

UPDATE (1) on my previous article concenring the arrest of’Joma’!

Today on newsinfo.inquirer.net (added emphasis):

In a text message to the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Gloria “Joy” Kintanar said she filed the murder charges that became the basis for the arrest of Sison in the in the central town of Utrecht.

“Yes I did,” Kintanar said, adding she would fly to the Netherlands to testify in the trial “if needed.”

Sison, founding chairman of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed wing, the NPA, was arrested Tuesday on charges of “giving orders from the Netherlands to murder” Kintanar and Arturo Tabara.

According to Dutch prosecutors, Sison ordered the assassination of Kintanar on January 23, 2003. Kintanar was shot dead in a Japanese restaurant in Quezon City.

The communist rebels owned up to the murder of Kintanar for his alleged crimes against the “revolution and the people.”

Dutch authorities also said Sison was behind the murders of Tabara and his son-in-law Stephen Ong on September 26, 2006. Tabara, former member of the highest command of the NPA, was branded by the communist rebels as a “seasoned criminal and fanatic contra-revolutionist.”

One doens’t have to be a legal mastermind to see how ridicullous these charges are. ‘Joma‘ has resided (after his passport has been withdrawn bij the Philippine government in 1987) in the Netherlands for 20 years now!

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It’s interesting to see, however, that ‘Joma‘ can be tagged as the ‘commander’ who has ordered the killings of these two men from the Netherlands, while according to the Philippine government ‘command responibility’ is not applicable to president Gloria Macapagal Aroyyo, who is the ‘commander and chief’ of the Armed forces of the Philippines (AFP).

The AFP has been tagged by human rights organisations such as amnesty international and karapatan for their role in the more then 800 political killings that has happened in the Philippines since Gloria came to power!

Another interesting comparisation is the case filed before Begian courts against General Tommy Franks, who led the US-led invasion of Iraq in march 2003, for genocide. After political pressure from the US, our Belian ‘anti-genocide’ laws were beïng changed, so that charges like these became impossible!

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Since political pressure seems to be verry important in these cases, Filippino people all over the world have already responed to this arrest. So far protest have already been launched in the Philippines, in Hong Kong and in Canada. More protest will folow in the Netherlands, the US and hopefully among other places also in Belgium!

The rights of Jose Maria Sison have to be safeguarded and the peace process (starting with multual respect for human rights) in the Philippines has to be given first priority on the agenda of the Philippine government!