Second Mayday 2002 planning meeting
London Mayday | 03.12.2001 19:29
There will be a second Mayday 2002 planning meeting on Sunday 9th December, 2pm at London Action Resource Centre, corner of Fieldgate St and Parfett St, London E2. Nearest tube, Aldgate East and Aldgate.
There will be a second Mayday 2002 planning meeting on Sunday 9th December, 2pm at London Action Resource Centre, corner of Fieldgate St and Parfett St, London E2. Nearest tube, Aldgate East and Aldgate.
In the first half of the meeting we will discuss a mass action for May 1st, in the second half of the meeting we will discuss the possibility of making Mayday part of a week long festival with events/workshops on other days, IN ADDITION TO the action on Mayday itself.
May 1st:
At the first planning meeting, it was decided that people did want a mass action in London on May 1st.
2 ideas for this were proposed: a radical multi-sided game of football through the streets of London and a mass picnic/party.
Nothing was really decided on, so please bring any suggestions you have for actions on Mayday.
Mayday week:
3 ideas were proposed for the days leading up to and/or following May 1st (which falls on a wednesday, with the bank holiday the weekend after). These were:
1. Festival of Alternatives - A week of workshops, film showings (in all kinds of places), art exhibitions, music, discussions and actions which reflect the future kind of society we want to have after the fall of capitalism and which reflects the creative DIY culture of autonomy, co-operation, solidarity and ecological harmony. To cultivate a popular critical understanding of the state, consumer culture, capitalism and wage labour, and an understanding of our history, politics and goals.
2. Week of community based action - decentralised, local actions meant to arouse, empower and forge lasting networks for grass roots social change.
3.Series of days of anti-work themed actions and events, addressing wage labour, claimants unions, social disobedience etc.
4. Days of discussion - where we go out and talk to people in our communities about our politics and ideas.
There was a general feeling that the above ideas were quite similar and could be combined and used as a starting point for some sort of week-long festival-type thing. There was also a feeling that while we did want a large event/action of some sort on Mayday itself, we also wanted to use this to promote longer term things we were involved in, and having reclaimed Mayday, to use it to create sustainable year-round action.
PLEASE BRING: ideas for both the mass action and the week-long thing, activist AND non-activist friends, food to share.
LEAVE AT HOME: party lines, hierarchicalness, authoritarianism and general arseholeness.
Love and rage,
London Mayday.
In the first half of the meeting we will discuss a mass action for May 1st, in the second half of the meeting we will discuss the possibility of making Mayday part of a week long festival with events/workshops on other days, IN ADDITION TO the action on Mayday itself.
May 1st:
At the first planning meeting, it was decided that people did want a mass action in London on May 1st.
2 ideas for this were proposed: a radical multi-sided game of football through the streets of London and a mass picnic/party.
Nothing was really decided on, so please bring any suggestions you have for actions on Mayday.
Mayday week:
3 ideas were proposed for the days leading up to and/or following May 1st (which falls on a wednesday, with the bank holiday the weekend after). These were:
1. Festival of Alternatives - A week of workshops, film showings (in all kinds of places), art exhibitions, music, discussions and actions which reflect the future kind of society we want to have after the fall of capitalism and which reflects the creative DIY culture of autonomy, co-operation, solidarity and ecological harmony. To cultivate a popular critical understanding of the state, consumer culture, capitalism and wage labour, and an understanding of our history, politics and goals.
2. Week of community based action - decentralised, local actions meant to arouse, empower and forge lasting networks for grass roots social change.
3.Series of days of anti-work themed actions and events, addressing wage labour, claimants unions, social disobedience etc.
4. Days of discussion - where we go out and talk to people in our communities about our politics and ideas.
There was a general feeling that the above ideas were quite similar and could be combined and used as a starting point for some sort of week-long festival-type thing. There was also a feeling that while we did want a large event/action of some sort on Mayday itself, we also wanted to use this to promote longer term things we were involved in, and having reclaimed Mayday, to use it to create sustainable year-round action.
PLEASE BRING: ideas for both the mass action and the week-long thing, activist AND non-activist friends, food to share.
LEAVE AT HOME: party lines, hierarchicalness, authoritarianism and general arseholeness.
Love and rage,
London Mayday.
London Mayday
e-mail:
londonmayday@yahoo.co.uk
Comments
Hide the following 3 comments
Phorward the Fesival!
03.12.2001 20:02
Recently somewhere in europe there was a 'poster party' protest - it was anti-war I think, but the format and idea itself is superb. They held a social inclusive event at which people made loads and loads of posters about the issues (they also really promoted it and encouraged people to make posters at other events - got lots of kids involved too). Then all the posters were taken out onto the streets and appropriatly displayed in a mass action with lots of leafletting going on as well - a really successful project.
Staying on the idea of info distribution I do like the idea of a specific info-action day, with street theatre, subvertising, flyering etc... could also work as a mass action? Imagine the cops trying to say their information is dangerous so we must stop them spreading it, their information is a threat to the current status quo (oh shit of course that'll fall under new terrorism legislation won't it, still, they'd look pretty ridiculous).
On the subject of mass action, after last may day and the anti-arms DSEi demonstration, it seems pretty clear that the police are set on using section 60 (surround, isolate, contain, detain) on any large protest that has not had official clearance. So what to do? Reclaim Mayday for real that's what.
md2k2
Mayday
04.12.2001 03:48
Yeah the week festival is the best idea yet (it should also include info on what we will be doing on May 1st, to counter media and cop propaganda). Will definitely be involved with something if that goes ahead.
We should particularly emphasise we are for freedom (individual and collective) to contrast the innevitable authorian clampdown on us. Rather than appear as just another group pushing an ideology.
Mayday demo is essential, but I can't see them allowing the mass football game. But might be fun if they did.
Party style events are the best way to be dissruptive and non-confrontational.
We should be anticipating cop tactics and creating a type of event that would be difficult to contain. The idea of moving around a lot is good and never standing still (as on J18) so we don't get caught sitting on our arses as at last Mayday. That ties in with the football I guess. Or perhaps secret events dotted around central london not announced till day so people move from place to place at short notive.
Better line breaking tactics may be called for to help this too.
Whatever.
We should be planning events
*********
Football
04.12.2001 09:05
David