PUNKS AGAINST G8
Punks Against G8 is an anti-G8 project by Acclaim Collective (A). In the year 2008, when the G8 summit meeting was held at Lake Toya in Hokkaido, Japan, in July of that year, this project was born to protest against the barbaric G8 meeting held by and meant only for the selfish rich. We, as punks, join the lasting struggle against the G8, and will continue this project to support the struggle as punks. Similar to all resistors around the world that resist the G8, we, punks, are also an undeniable part of the resistance with good reasons. This is why we named the project "Punks Against G8". We must first make our reasons clear for our resistance against the G8, to gain knowledge of the ways to fight against G8. This project is meant to seek methods of the struggle, together in solidarity.
As many may know, every year, big-scale protests arise against the G8. Each year, protesters attempt to get as close as they can get to the G8 meeting venue in order to block the G8. Each year, protesters attempt to symbolically destroy the G8, in order to create a better world without the G8. But, wait, let's think about it a bit more. About how "globalization", as symbolized by the G8, exists in this world as it takes various forms, and how it affects us, not only at the time of the protests each year. To think about these matters could lead us to understand just "what" the anti-G8 protesters want to destroy, and may provide a link between those who are not so interested in the G8 (but of course, they are also not irrelevant to the G8). The distance between the G8 and us is so close, yet so far away. The distance between the G8 and us is so far away, yet so close.
To put the relationship between the G8 and us in short, maybe it could be summed up like this... "They are few, we are many". In the same way that the real goal of the rich ruling class (only 8 people!) is to divide us up and make us oppose against each other, they impose upon us, who are actually the "many", the theory of the "few". They are attempting to legalize on a worldwide scale, neo-liberalism, which places its principles on "the chosen", through concepts such as the "jungle law", self-responsibility, and market economy. This is their, the neo-liberalist's version of "globalization". The tragic ending being survival of the chosen, and death for all the other remaining scums. This is already clear and hardly needs explanation when you take a look around this discriminative and competitive society.
When you take a good look at the society we live in, it gradually becomes clear that the neo-liberal policies, which are indeed wind-ranging, are separating us and making us become enemies against each other. Racism - using national borders as blockage against so-called "illegal" persons. Exploitation - forced labor/survival that is convenient to the "master". Repression - a police state based on "anti-terrorism" laws. Sexism - gender roles that still torments females and queers. Social isolation - the classification of "able" and "dis-abled" based on cutoffs of social welfare. And so a sense of "discomfort", such as the feeling of "oppression" and/or "suffocation" is nurtured towards the society based on separation and antagonism. That sense of "discomfort" can sometimes lead to the killings done by the system, otherwise called "suicide". What more, that sense of "discomfort" is hardly ever shared between people, and can never be outdone by the people. That is because the legalization of neo-liberalism relies on our "silence" for the approval of the "lie". The people have no choice but to lie to their own sense of "discomfort" and be silent. Or else, they won't be able to be the "chosen" one if they were to mention the word "discomfort".
Some of the problematic characteristics of the G8 is that it symbolizes "global capitalism", "top-down control" and "lavish excess". These are all structural elements of the G8. As for the core element of the G8, there is the symbol of the "wall". Why is there always a "wall" built between us and them at the G8 summit meetings? This "wall" hides all their lies and is deeply linked to our separation and antagonism. Needless to say, the "wall" deprives all eyesight and stripes all sense. The "wall" built by the "chosen" in order to protect themselves, conveniently hides them, and casts a darkness which numbs our sense of "discomfort". This "wall" extends into society and into our minds. Now you may begin to understand that in order to discover ways to fight the G8, it is important to make a linkage between the "wall" and us.
The struggle against the G8 directly affects the way we live in this world. At the same time, it also may help us acknowledge how we exist in this world. At least, in an imperial state such as Japan. We are the unmistakable "many". But actually, the "many", which is formed within the ruling order of the unmistakable "few". The struggle against the G8 version of the world, which functions on stepping on each other, can only start from this recognition. Only when we realize this fact, will we be able to say "they are few, we are many". The struggle against the "few" G8 is a struggle to break down their "wall", and to go and meet the other "many" = "us" beyond the "wall".
Resist the G8.
Acclaim Collective (A)
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