Anti IMF/WB Annual Meeting Activist Camp - Prague 2000

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You are deciding to come to Prague to protest against IMF and World Bank. We want to give you the latest update on accommodation for activists in the tent camp at the Prague Strahov stadium.

We, who work in the FAM company, are organizing the native American style holiday camps for children and environmentalist groups since 1980. We have founded our company in 1991. We produce, sell and lease native American tee-pees, different historical or large tents. We organize outdoor activities for youth as well.

After four months of very complicated negotiations with organizers of demonstrations, Prague City Council, police and Interior ministry we succeeded in signing an agreement on July 31, that made it possible for us to build a tent camp with all necessary facilities for the protests participants coming to Prague.

After four months of negotiations authorities accepted legitimacy of expression of alternative opinions on IMF and WB and agreed that protest participants can be accommodated just fifteeen minutes walk from a city center - all this on condition that FAM provider will ensure that law and order will be preserved at the camp itself.

Agreed principles

  • The tent camp will be placed at the large open space at the Strahov stadium (see the plan). Access routes will be marked and border crossings, airport and railway stations will have enough of information leaflets to lead you on your way. The camp will be operating from September 21 to September 29.
  • Though negotiations took much longer than expected and FAM´s additional costs rose, we want to keep proposed admission fee of 1,350 Czech crowns unchanged. This is less then for one night stay in an average hotel and with a possibility to stay for a few days more this is definitely the cheapest accommodation in Prague at that time. The price includes accommodation with showers and WC toilet, security service, organisational service, recycling waste disposal, daily and final cleaning of the camp.
  • We hope to accommodate up to 15,000 activists. They will be able to build their own tents in a sector of their choice. Others can stay in our large or small tents without additional charge. Groups of more than 20 people can get reservations in our tents at tent@fam.cz
  • Sufficient number of mobile WCs, showers and washing basins will be available, as well as field kitchen basins for washing dishes with drinkable water.
  • Food will be arranged by Czech private companies including vegetarian food, or food for those who accept meat. Nonalcoholic drinks - tea and soft drinks. For those interested Czech beer will be available as well. Water at the stadium is drinkable. Food will be served on paper plates or on own plates brought by activists themselves. No plastic or canned drinks will be used - with exception of specialized drinks like iont ones.
  • Exchange office will be provided to help you to change foreign currencies in a good exchange rate. It is necessary that visitors use Czech crowns. This is why FAM provides also exchange service at Strahov. (Exchange rate cca. : 1$ > 38Kè, 1DM > 17Kè)
  • Czech companies will be offering to sell tents, sleeping bags, and other camping equipment in reasonable prices. As we were advised by some activists not to use plastic it will be possible to buy simple metal pots, plates, cups or cutlery.
  • A shop with whatever is necessary for hygiene will be available together with cheep clothes shop.
  • We want to organize also an Internet cafe at the stadium as well.
  • Parking will be available just outside the stadium for cheap price: 200,- crowns for a bus and a day, 150,- for a microbus and a day, and 100,- crowns for a car and a day.
  • We have reached a special agreement with a city mass transport company to strengthenn an ecological tram service running near to the stadium. Tickets will be available at the stadium. FAM received discount price for 7 days ticket for 250,- crowns, or for 15 days valid ticket for 280,-crowns.

    Conclusion: We are trying - even at the higher cost to the company - to ensure the most environmentally friendly standards. We are offering best prices for bus parking, we ensure environmentally friendly tram transport through the city and provide waste collection and recycling.

    We hope that all this can help to convince you to decide that WHEN COMING TO PRAGUE - THAN TO STRAHOV.

    We would like to ask you to kindly fill in the questionnaire that can be found on www.fam.cz. We will answer quickly either directly at your email or with a numbered supplement on our website.

    Tomáš Robur Doubek
    Press agent - FAM
     

    We've promised to answer your questions, which were sent to us by e-mail. Some answers you might find when carefully re-reading the basic text, the rest we are specifying:

  • Accommodation cannot be free because of costs of the camp establishment and of providing services, which are really high. However there is no possibility to pay for a day individually, but only to buy a ticket for the whole period of time for 1350,- CZK. We are not preparing another camping sites.
  • The number of people, wherever they might come from, is not limited, but if you want to reserve some places in our tents you should e-mail on our address.
  • The first aid is provided, of course, but you should be insured. If you have no insurance, you'll have to pay for the health service and medicaments.
  • We were promised, that special tickets for seven days for all Prague public transport (trams, buses, underground = subway) stay valid at least till 29.9.00. It means, that if you'll buy a ticket on 21.9.00, you might use it for nine days. These tickets will be sold ONLY in the camp at STRAHOV.
  • If you like to use your buses to get to the town, you could stop for aboard and getting out by bus and tram platforms in the centre.
  • Information not only about demonstrations but also about tourist sights you'll obtain in our information office (in the camp at STRAHOV).
  • The query on an arm shop we take as a joke (a bad one), arms and stones naturally won't be sold. Our notion about protests is to organise happenings, for example we are informed about preparation of an action called "One thousand drums against globalisation" which we will support by sold of Indian drums (made by Czech producers).
  • Unfortunately we cannot accommodate your pets in the camp, we are really sorry. Leave your sweeties at home. (My dog is suffering from my absence for two months of camp preparation now….)
  • We evaluated you suggestion on cloakroom (for luggage and precious objects) as a very good idea and we will try to work it out.

    Tomáš Robur Doubek
    Press agent - FAM