Build, Relax, Learn – Internationalist Camp Homolje Mountains, 18.-25.07.
Let’s stop mining in Homolje Mountains!
Serbian Context
For the past weeks, Serbia has been rising. Riots, large-scale blockades, total civil disobedience. People are fed up with 35 years of corruption. There’s a real revolutionary momentum calling for reelections, change, and justice. Amongst many clashes with police, there’s moments of hope and togetherness.
We don’t know how the situation will develop in the next weeks. We do know that now it’s more important than ever to stand in solidarity with anyone fighting on the ground!
There’s an EUropean interest in keeping Serbia authoritarian – it’s easier to exploit their resources and people that way. EUropean media is mostly keeping quiet about social movements, protests and human rights breaches here. Let’s change that – by hosting an internationalist camp in Homolje Mountains!
Why Homolje Mountains?
In Homolje Mountains, we’re building up a permanent site of resistance. Located in the middle of unique nature, it’s the perfect place to reconnect to yourself and all beings around you.
However, the state-backed, merciless pursuit of gold, copper and other “critical” materials have wounded Homolje Mountains. Thousands of drills have been drilled in the wilderness of dense, old woods. Dundee Precious Metals Inc. has illegally poisoned and depleted water sources. They have destroyed habitats of many species, including highly protected ones. Entire villages have been pushed out of existence or been relocated.
We are fed up with this destruction. An attack on the earth is an attack on all of us. We are rising.
What to expect?
We want to bring together Serbian and international activists with a rich program of workshops, construction, star gazing and music. While getting to know each other and the region, we also aim to defend Homolje Mountains with direct action. Feel free to offer program of your own: wether it be walks through nature, discussions on current events, dreaming about utopias, or organizing emotional care.
Many activists are burnt out, hurt and tired. We want to offer a place to regenerate and process the events of the past weeks with other activists in a safer space.
You’re invited to stay for as long as you’d like!
How to get there?
The best option is to take a bus from Belgrade Bus Station towards Bor (run by Darkum) and get off at “Dumitrov Potok Hotel”. The bus runs once a day at 5:30pm, arrival time 9:05pm. From there, we will shuttle you to the campsite. You can buy the bus tickets at the Belgrade Bus Station for around 1500din/15€. They only accept din or card.
Here you can check some of the connections: https://www.polazak.com/
In order to get to Belgrade, check bus websites (for example busbud.com). There should be many buses from different European cities heading towards Belgrade.
- If you are coming from Germany, you can take the FlixBus Munich-Belgrade for ~35€.
- If you are coming from Austria, you can take the FlixBus Vienna-Belgrade for ~20€.
- If you are coming from Hungary, you can take the TerraTravel Bus Budapest-Belgrade for ~25€.
There will be a solidarity fund at the camp to help cover travel costs.
Of course, you can also hitch-hike to Belgrade, Bor, or Zagubica.
If you are an EU-citizen crossing the border to Serbia, you will be asked to show a valid ID or passport. You cannot travel with expired documents. In case you are asked: you will stay with a friend in Belgrade / Zagubica. You can stay in Serbia for up to three months. If you are planning to stay longer than that, you need a visa.
Theoretically, you have to register yourself at a police station in the municipality you’re staying at once you arrive there. You would receive a document proving that you did that. Very rarely, they check this document when people leave the country. If you don’t have it, they can fine you with up to 50€. We’re not aware of any cases where this has happened. Contact us if you have any more questions about this!
What should I bring along?
Accomodation will be in tents. Bring your own if you have one. Temperatures during daytime are quite high (30°C and more), but at night it cools down to 10-15°C. Make sure to have anything you need to protect yourself against the sun.
There’s a house with few beds, electricity from solar panels and wifi at the campsite. It may still be helpful if you bring powerbanks to charge you phones. Mostly, there’s no mobile connection.
There will be breakfast and cooked food, feel free to bring additional snacks. Drinking water is available.
If you have some spare space in you bagpacks, here’s a list of things we need to turn this camp into a permanent site of protest: https://cryptpad.fr/pad/#/2/pad/view/TvfAiwMXz3of7kZdok37Qv-ksqW2XybhtrQkA3poNUQ/
Sign Up!
Everything is set – only thing missing is you! Please sign up so that we can be prepared for your arrival. After signing up, we will send you all additional information.
https://cryptpad.fr/form/#/2/form/view/B62l9Oomrd0Ng5BFc-RNUWMy0JsZAjn+YQID4EHY+cM/
You can contact us here: homoljecamp@systemli.org
Help us mobilise more people to Homolje internationalist camp! Share our info-texts, website, and graphics. Here’s useful materials.