»WE WILL NEVER WALK ALONE!«
Posted on | March 18, 2008 | No Comments
»WE WILL NEVER WALK ALONE!«
PUBLIC FORUM
ROG FACTORY / SOCIAL CENTRE
ON THURSDAY, MARCH 27th AT 17:00
Both city and state authorities (and even during Slovenia’s presidency of the European Union and in the so-called year of intercultural dialogue) respond to the question of the fate of public spaces for independent culture, art, education, research and social activities by one-sided decisions and measures that threaten our existence. We are thus currently in the process of mobilizing an international network of solidarity that is responding with the present letter of support for the Rog factory in Ljubljana and an invitation to a public forum.
Individuals, groups and organisations that have responded to the ongoing eradication of public spaces with the occupation of the abandoned bicycle factory in the centre of Ljubljana and converted it, on a purely voluntary basis, into a centre of culture, art and social activities are now facing strong political pressure and attempts of physical eviction from the factory. According to reports from the temporary users of the factory, the decision was made by the mayor of Ljubljana. If they should not bow to his will, the mayor has personally announced a possible intervention by the security guards and the police.
The main problem is that this exacerbates the uncertain continuation of the various cultural, artistic and social activities that have been taking place in Rog for the past two years. It should be noted that Rog is the only place available for many of them. Let us only mention the numerous events taking place in the completely furnished, programmatically innovative and well visited concert hall, the circus and the gallery, as well as activities of the Rog social centre that holds regular meetings and weekly discussions with workers living in boarding houses, activists from the asylum seekers home, people without papers, detained in the detention centre in Postojna, the erased citizens of Slovenia and others who recognise the creative, organisational and resistance potential of Rog. The temporary users of Rog thus represent an inexhaustible wealth of knowledge and experience. In many ways they have become an example to other autonomous spaces of independent art and cultural, intellectual and social activities both in Slovenia and in Europe.
The Rog factory proves that it is possible to organize life and labour without concessions to privilege and profit demanded by the capitalist city management and the advancing eradication of public spaces, including institutions of art, culture, education and social activities, that threatens to destroy the identity of the city and turn it into a place of alienation, fear and despair. We therefore denounce all forms of eradication of such places and stand committed to defending them.
At the public forum we intend to discuss actual experiences and to give concrete proposals on how to defend, keep and reinforce the existing public spaces both on the institutional as well as independent levels. The functioning and association of various institutional and independent artistic, cultural and social projects in Slovenia and in Europe portends a new model of autonomy. In this sense, a common goal is not our only concern – what is essential is a common course and concrete activities taking place in the spaces of radical openness, as well as the expansion of the existing and the creation of new autonomous spaces.
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