KRITISCHE UITGEVER EPO MOGELIJK FAILLIET
Lodewijk Hof - 20.10.2004 15:39
De Belgische uitgever EPO krijgt te maken met de schending van de persvrijheid.
Do we still have the right to criticize Bush?Wolfowitz (the Pentagon) Tries to Bankrupt Michel Collon's PublisherVANESSA STOJILKOVIC265,000 Euros! (300.000 $) This is the enormous sum of money Hasbro is demanding from EPO, the publisher of Michel Collon's book, Monopoly - NATO in Search of World Conquest. Hasbro has initiated legal action in Paris for alleged « copyright infringement » of their board game, Monopoly. But who is pulling the strings at Hasbro ? Paul Wolfowitz. Yes, the number 2 man in the Pentagon, Undersecretary of Bush's war program. There are various indications that the attack is politically motivated...US multinational Hasbro suited the publisher EPO before the Court of Justice in Paris. Demanding 150.000 Euros for the damage made to its marks, 100.000 Euros for 'parasitism' and 15.000 Euros for costs. Why in Paris since the publisher is Belgian ? Because French courts are more repressive concerning freedom of speech and right to parody. On July 9th 2004, EPO was condemned to pay 20.000 Euros. He decided to go in appeal.Is this a simple lawsuit about commercial and legal questions ? Not at all :1° The « legal pretext » is scurrilous : Hasbro alleges that it is « a victim of copyright infringement » because Michel Collon published his masterly analysis of the US global strategy under the title of Monopoly - NATO in Search of World Conquest.The maneuver is legally awkward. Because prohibitions concerning the use of commercial trademarks exist to prevent actions that can be described as 'unfair competition'. However, a book of political analysis obviously does not compete with the sales of a board game. Michel Collon's book bothered US leadership circles by exposing its strategy of global warfare and unmasking their pretexts. But who can claim with a straight face that this book would subtract from global sales of the Monopoly board game ? They have something else in mind. 2° If we look at the board of directors of Hasbro, we find Paul Wolfowitz among them. Vice-minister of War, he is the 'thinker' preparing sinc 1991 the US strategy of 'global war'. He was the man who first pushed Bush to war. He, of course, resigned this lucrative position after he was named in this Bush administration. (Hasbro, along with Mattel, is one of the two global giants that dominate the toy industry). But business and politics in the USA are « communicating » with frequent exchanges. Dick Cheney, also, resigned from his position at Halliburton, but he continues to pull some strings.In the board of directors of Hasbro, we also find Marie-Helen Kravis. Her name is not well known, but she happens to be the wife of one of the world's riches men. The couple is tied in to the military-industrial complex and to Israel, as well, via the secret services and the global Jewish lobby in Congress. (Look the articles that follow here: « Who's Hiding Behind Hasbro ? » and « Wolfowitz, the 'Brains' behind the Global War ».3° It is clear that their goal is to bankrupt the publisher. EPO, active in France and in Belgium, distinguished itself over the past few years by publishing numerous books devoted to exposing US imperialism. The following titles are only a sample: « September 11» by Franssen; « Palestine » by Lucas Catherine; and the works of Calvo Ospina on the CIA - Bacardi - Cuban Mafia connection. Or Hassan & Pestieau on the occupation or Iraq. (See www.epo.be)The publisher of EPO is fighting courageously in order to maintain his independence in the wake of mergers that have put large publishers in the hands of industrial and financial interests. To demand such an exorbitant sum from him is clearly meant to prevent him from continuing his publishing activities.4° The problem is Monopoly's politically charged contents. In this book, published in 2000, Michel Collon delivered a masterful presentation that showed the war against Yugoslavia was not at all humanitarian in nature, but, instead, announced other wars to come, most notably the war against Iraq and against Afghanistan, which has since been confirmed. He revealed that Washington is fighting for the control of petroleum routes (projects for oil pipelines that will traverse the Balkans), which will permit it to eventually block European energy supplies. The real crime of Collon is to have exposed with evidence the global war US strategy.5° Michel Collon unmasked Wolfowitz in his book "Liar's Poker". The Belgian author nailed Wolfowitz with a little-noticed report that dated from 1992. Since 1992, Wolfowitz has been demanding that the Pentagon do everything possible to prevent the appearance of a European army. At a time when it seemed that the USA and Europe were marching in step, Collon has shown that this report was a barely concealed declaration of war against the USA's European 'friends'. The analysis was confirmed by subsequent events and the opposition between USA and EU. (See Collon's Liar's Poker, p. 116.)6° Michel Collon : a man to destroy ? For the last twelve years, the Belgian author has been leading original political actions that have contributed a great deal in unmasking US imperialism. Since the celebrated Attention, médias ! appeared in 1992, his books, frequently republished in new editions and translated into numerous languages, combine a strategic analysis that is at once global and trenchant; his original contribution of the « media test » concept established his reputation as a man who « outed media-lies ». Co-director with Vanessa Stojilkovic of the film, The Damned of Kosovo, which has been translated into six languages, Collon has been invited to hundreds of conferences and debates throughout Europe and around the world.An analyst, but also militantly anti-war, Collon has led important international missions that studied the consequences of US aggressions : « 15 Belgians under the bombs of Nato » (Yugoslavia, 1999) and the 120 « Inspectors for Peace» (Irak, 2002). This accounts for Washington's fury. (soon at www.michelcollon-info/bio)7° But it is most of all because of his « war crimes » lawsuit, which he filed in Bruxelles against US General Tommy Franks that unleashed Washington's wrath. Michel Collon is one of the leaders of the movement "Stop USA," which has helped the families of 17 Iraqi victims file a complaint in Brussels in 2003 against General Franks, Commander in Chief of the US Army, for war crimes. It is a solid case that is based on numerous witness testimonies. The complaint stood an excellent chance of putting him away for good. But threats from Washington forced Brussels to suppress its own law of « universal competence ».'Coincidence' : The Hasbro firm went on the offensive a few days after the filing of this complaint, but ... three years after the publication of Monopoly. Vengeance is clearly the motive.All of these signs show that the Hasbro - Wolfowitz attack is politically motivated. The attack also involves major representatives of US imperialism, who provide a perfect example of the personal fusion of economic and political interests. The loathsome wars of US imperialism have broadened into a war against freedom of expression in favour of monopolies, Bill Gates and CNN.The Publisher EPO Must Be Saved !EPO must be saved. There are fewer and fewer independent publishers in the world today who have the means to publish testimonies, revelations, and serious analyses on US militarism, on the conduct of the Great Powers, and on important social questions.At the very moment when the whole world is mobilizing against the war, the Hasbro - Wolfowitz attack is part of an initiative made by the Bush administration to silence all protest. But, just as Michael Moore did not yield when they tried to stop the distribution of his film, Fahrenheit 9/11, Michel Collon and the publisher of EPO have decided to continue fighting. They refuse to be silenced, whatever pretexts may be used against them.How can you support them during this lawsuit ?1. By broadcasting this information (which is also available in Spanish, Italian and Dutch : soon at  http://www.michelcollon.info2. By sending a protest letter to Hasbro www.hasbro.com Or Hasbro, 1027 Newport Avenue Pawtucket, Rhode island, 02862, USA)3. By making the titles that EPO publishes known, by inviting their authors to debates, by helping EPO find new channels of distribution Contact :  jos.hennes@epo.be 4. By buying, in solidarity, one or more copies of Monopoly for yourself or for resale (sales have not yet been banned). Editions have been published in French, English, Spanish, Serbo - Croat and Dutch. Your support will enable us to cover important legal fees.TO ORDER IN ENGLISH (Monopoly under a new title) :Milo Yelesiyevich serbianclassics@hotmail.comTO ORDER IN FRENCH : nessa.kovic@indymedia.be who will forward TO ORDER IN SPANISH : Eva Forest : hiru@clientes.euskaltel.esFOR INFORMATION IN ITALIAN : andreamartocchia@libero.itTO ORDER IN DUTCH : Jos Hennes : jos.hennes@epo.beWho Is Hiding behind Hasbro,a 'Respectable' Toy Manufacturer ?MICHEL COLLONIt's about toys, but it is not about a nice and sweet little world. The global toy market is today in the hands of two mastodons who have succeeded in eliminating or buying out nearly all the other companies engaged in toy manufacturing: Mattel controls Barbie, Fisher-Price and Scrabble... And as far as Hasbro is concerned, this little family business (the Hassenfeld Brothers) took off in the 1960s by launching a militaristic action figure, G.I. Joe. Then, numerous take-overs allowed them to become the owners of the trademarks for Monopoly, Trivial Pursuit, Playskool, Pictionary, Cluedo, Atari, Teletubbies, knock-offs of Pokemon and Star Wars, numerous computer games, candy manufacturers and plenty of other firms. It's classic: the profits earned by these two toy giants went through the roof when they closed the maximum number of factories in the US and in Europe after having relocated them to impoverished Third-World countries. In 2002, Mattel shut down its Kentucky plant. Now it exploits 39,000 workers in factories in Asia. Hasbro only employs 10,000 people directly, only because it chiefly resorts to slave trafficking, which has well known advantages. (1)When You Buy a Board Game or a Toy, You're Making Paul Wolfowitz, the "Brains behind Bush, RichWhen you buy a toy or a board game for yourself or for your children, in all likelihood you are making the stockholders of Mattel or Hasbro rich. And it is necessary to know that the average budget for toys for a child growing up in the EU is ?250/per annum.You'll find fashionable society among the board members you are involuntarily enriching. Or villains. That depends on your point of view. First of all, Paul Wolfowitz is one of the greatest war mongers in the United States. Rumsfeld's no. 2 man, Bush's Secretary of War, which forms a perfect tandem with Cheney, according to Time : "If Rumsfeld is the face, the mouth and the arm carrying the gun for the war in Iraq, then Wolfowitz is the intellectual godfather, the heart and soul." (2) (See the following article on Wolfowitz.)« The heart and the soul of the war » remained on the Hasbro board of directors right up until the eve of his nomination by George Bush. Will he return to Hasbro once his public service is completed, like many other US personalities, fervent practitioners of this lucrative sport which is the business-politics yo-yo ? It's likely, but in any case his ties and their mutual interests remain, whether they remain discrete or not. Dick Cheney, US vice-president, theoretically has nothing at all to do with Halliburton's petroleum operations, which he administered before his current assignment. But the scandal of « inflated orders » has shown that he has shamelessly used the occupation of Iraq to line Halliburton's pockets, and in all likelihood, his own too.Tied to the Military-Industrial Complex and to IsraelBut while perusing the list of the Hasbro board of directors, we discover another very interesting name : Marie-Helen Kravis, who had served on the board of directors of Ford, Canadian Imperial Bank, Vivendi Universal and Hollinger. This company is connected to the US hard right and to the Israeli secret service, whose former director, Shlomo Ben Gazit, also sat on the board of directors of Hasbro (3). She controls various British and American newspapers who played a leading role in the dossier drawn up for Iraq. Marie-Helen Kravis also sat on the board of directors of Seagrams, whose founder, Edgar Bronfman Sr., is the president of the influential lobby 'The World Jewish Congress'. She also has a seat on the board of directors of the Hudson Institute, a conservative US think thank. Bush Senior named her as an advisor to the Department of Energy. She is presented as an « expert » in international economics, public policy and strategy on the web site of the Council on Foreign Relations, most important organ that discusses and decides US foreign policy. (4)Her husband, Henry Kravis, is in 351st place on the list of Forbes richest people in the world. His fortune is estimated to be at least $1.3 billion. His firm, KKR, owns or did own outright or in part numerous important firms: Safeway, Union Texas Petroleum, Duracell, American Re Insurance, Nabisco...Finally, for those who would be surprised that a French court would demonstrate such deference to a US company, we note that KKR is the principal stockholder of the French electric-power company, Legrand. Whose president is Ernest-Antoine Seillière, the head of Medef, i.e., the most important of all business leaders in France(5). The business world is, indeed, quite small.Among the other current members of the board of directors of Hasbro, we can also find Jack Greenberg (ex-boss of McDonalds), Paula Stern (former president of the US International Trade Commission), Sylvia Hassenfeld (American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee) and Alan Batkin (Vice President of Kissinger Associates). Kissinger Associates is a consulting firm that helps US multinationals make big profits with "Doctor Henry's" seasoned advice. Dr. Henry was Pinochet's boss, and he bossed around a few more of the bloodiest dictators on the planet.Conclusion : Hasbro is by no means a game. Neither for the tens of thousands of Third-World workers, exploited for the benefit of stockholders and the richest of business leaders like Kravis and Wolfowitz. Nor for its role on behalf of US and Israeli military aggression. Hasbro is an element in the military-industrial complex that installed the Bush regime in power and unleashed its global war.(1) Figures from the International Council of Toy Industry. See also Thérèse Jeunejean, Le grand jeu de la mondialisation, Le Ligueur (Belgique), 12/11/2002. Gresea (Belgique), La face cachée du jouet, juillet 2002.(2) http://www.time.com/time/personoftheyear/2003/poywolf.html(3) See Geoffrey Geuens index, Tous pouvoirs confondus, EPO, 2003, whom we thank for his valuable aid.(4) Source : (5) On the importance of the Council on Foreign relations, see Geuens, idem, p. 84-92.Paul Wolfowitz, the Brains behind Bush's 'Global War'This article will be soon on www.michelcollon.info This web site is not yet open, you will receive a mail.
 Website: http://www.epo.be
|
