February 6: Solidarity With The FAU-B
Anarchist Union Banned By German Government!

Saturday, February 6 at 3:00pm
535 Smithfield Street, Downtown Pittsburgh

Solidarity With The FAU-B: German Anarchist Union Banned By The Government

What: Protest Gathering. Bring flags and messages of support.
When: Saturday, February 6th at 3:00pm
Where: Outside the Office of Honorary German Consul David Murdoch, 535 Smithfield Street, Downtown Pittsburgh

On December 11, 2009, the Berlin Courts decreed that the Free Workers' Union Berlin (FAU-B), an anarchist-syndicalist labor union 300 members strong, could no longer call itself a union or organize as such.

This is the culmination of a series of attempts by the renowned Babylon Cinema to legally undermine the FAU-B, which has emerged within the company as the strongest and most active workers' organization. The attack on the basic right of freedom of association is a defacto ban of the union and has potentially catastrophic consequences for all grassroots worker initiatives in the country.

As Hansi Oostinga of the FAU Berlin has stated, "Our month-long struggle at the Babylon Cinema has shown that self-organized, grassroots resistance is possible and can be successful, but also that all attempts will be made to stamp it out. A good union is one that the boss doesn't like."

The FAU-B is calling for international solidarity, asking supporters to protest outside German institutions, companies, and diplomatic missions. While Pittsburgh lacks a consulate general, we have an honorary consul- an individual appointed by the German Government to represent them in the city. In Pittsburgh, this is David Murdoch, a partner at a prestigious downtown law firm. Additionally relevant is that Germany is the largest foreign investor in the region, with seventy German-owned companies employing over 15,000 workers. We are also home to the U.S headquarters for major German firms such as Auma Actuators, Almatis, Bayer Schering, Draeger Safety, Neugart, ProMinent and Veka.

POG stands, as it always has and always will, in solidarity with grassroots labor initiatives facing government repression. We see the struggles of workers here as inseparable from the struggles of workers in Germany and elsewhere. This is simply recognition of the interconnected fate of those struggling against the forces of capital and the state. A modest gathering in solidarity with the FAU-B is important as a symbol of our collective commitment to support all workers under attack. At the protest we will have a video camera on hand to record solidarity messages. If the issue remains unresolved we will consider potentially more direct ways of increasing pressure locally.

For more information on the FAU-B case:
http://fau.zsp.net.pl/category/en

In Solidarity,

Pittsburgh Organizing Group
pog@mutualaid.org
www.organizepittsburgh.org