This issue completes our fifth year of publication. For twenty issues of Muutoksen kevät I have been writing these summaries to give you just a glimpse of the action taking place in Finland and the mental landscape of the Finnish movement. It has been an uneven ride, sometimes there have been long lulls in action, other times I could hardly find the time to write. Sometimes it has been fun, especially when I could report about some successes or rises in activity. Then again we have had our darker times, too.

Muutoksen kevät was launched as a rainbow project to combine the interests of various movements that had spawned in Finland or had become more energetic. An attempt to build the fifth nuclear reactor here has been blocked mainly by civil action. Veganism was on the rise, and the first fur farm raids had caught attention. And so on. We wanted to have common forum for various actors without linking them to some organisation or strict ideology. For the most part this has been a success.

Another important motive for us was that we wanted to be able to spread the ideas of the movements outside the scope of their own actors, attract wider attention to the ecorevolutionary themes. On that our track record has been a bit mixed. Yes, the members of the editorial have been interviewed and quoted in the mainstream media, even to the point of frustration. But the attention has centered on some specific themes, and as we all know, the attention span of the media is notoriously short.

The number of readers has been quite large at some points, reaching presumably over 2000, but for the last two years it has been dwindling seriously. I can only hope that our hatching editorial collective will be able to revitalise the circulation of the magazine, otherwise we won’t have so many years left. Right now the situation is quite ok, our circulation is about 1000 per issue, but to fulfil our original ideas it would have to grow quickly.

Readership, circulation and such are however just secondary issues. The most important thing is that there are successful campaigns, solidarity between movements, direct action, all those things to write about. Magazines and discussions should always follow the movements, not replace them.

I would like to thank all of our international contacts for sending us their publications, news, and publicising our articles. Your help has been invaluable to Muutoksen kevät. Especial thanks for: Earth First! Journal, Do or Die! –magazine, Green Pepper/Verge and all of the EYFA crew, Rainbow Warriors in Russia, Arkangel, Counter Info, Green Anarchist, Green Line, Underground, ALF Supporters Group, London Gandalf Supporters Group, One Struggle, No Compromise, NOAH in Norway, Car Busters, Trident Ploughshares, Hillgrove Campaign, SHAC crew, various IMCenters, and many individuals, some of which have been mentioned on page 2.

THIS ISSUE INCLUDES:

On page 4 we have a walk down the memory lane, an article about the five years of Muutoksen kevät written by Ville Lähde. Then on page 5 we have an article about the relationship between Oikeutta eläimille (Justice to Animals) –movement and Muutoksen kevät, and a short column “an Ode to the Activist“ written by Mia Salli. Then on page 7 we have an article about the Food Not Bombs –movement in Finland by Sampsa Oinaala, plus a look at the antimilitaristic movement in general by Kaj Raninen.

Elina Mikola has written an article about the Buy Nothing Days here in Finland for page 8, and it is joined by a FAQ on the same subject. Then we have an article about the landless people’s movement in Brazil by Karel Keiramo on page 9. Then on page 10 – 11 we have articles about the recent Hague conference. For page 12 Kirsi Hietala has interviewed an old animal rights activist Maria Wikström.

On the pages dedicated to the magazine MEGAFONI we have an article on resistance to car sports, a manifesto of self-organising animal liberation movement, plus an old article from the late Kaurapuuro (Oat porridge) magazine.

On page 17 Sampsa Oinaala writes about local means to inhibit climate change. Then on page 18 we have articles on whaling and giant corporations. On page 19 Niklas Vainio recounts his experiences from a big anti-nuclear demonstration that was held here to protest the proposed building of the fifth nuclear reactor (what goes around…). On page 20 we have animal rights news and on page 21 news on genetics.

On pages 22 and 23 we have assorted news on Davos, the upcoming zapatista march and the Göteborg EU-summit. The Finnish Independent Media Center (VAI) has been invaluable here, thanks a lot. The on page 24 Heta Leino wrties about the World Social Forum, mainly about her experiences on the local democracy initiative in Brazil.

On page 25 we have assorted news on animal rights campaigns and illegal direct action. The year started here in Finland by a fourth fur farm raid on the same fur farm, showing the farmers that the animal liberation movement is far from dead here. In the years 1995 – 2000 there have been nearly 60 fur farm raids in Finland, resulting in damages at least of 10 million FIM and the loss of valuable “property“ (read: animals). Then on pages 26-27 we have prisoner’s support info and a continuation of our follow-up of the repression of activists in the United States.