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This Years EF! Summer Gathering

EF! summer gathering contents collective | 26.07.2003 13:00

The Earth First! Summer Gathering is happening this year on a beautiful
site in North Yorkshire.

Dear Friends

The Earth First! Summer Gathering is happening this year on a beautiful
site in North Yorkshire.

This years summer gathering provides a much-needed space for all those
involved in direct action in Britain, Europe and the rest of the world
and for those who want to be involved in direct action - to meet and
talk about what’s been going on and what we’re going to do next.

It is undeniable that we are in the midst of a global crisis: more people
live without access to enough food than at any time in history or pre-
history; pollution has changed the air all animals, us too, breathe;
there is now more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere than there has been
for at least 20 million years, and is changing the worlds climate fast
and unpredictably; many of us and the people we care about will die of
various cancers, most likely caused by the environment we live in; not
content
with stripping the land from the masses, nor our time as we work for
others profits, capitalism finds new commodities, DNA, feelings and relationships,
yes son Ill buy you a treat if you’re good; nobody believes governments
will make things substantially better; a quarter of the worlds species
are very likely to go extinct over the next few decades.

Thankfully, over the past decade there has been an upsurge in Direct
Action in the UK confronting this multi-sided social and ecological problem
- against GM crops, the Tory governments road-building program, mass
demonstrations against institutions that manage the global economy like
the World Bank, creating social centres, and action on climate change.
Globally the same has been true with inspiring new networks emerging
from the Piquetera movement in Argentina (not so dissimilar from Britain’s
direct action network), Peoples Global Action to the recent Social Forum
events around the world.

The EF! gathering and the network of groups and individuals that go has
been a major part of much of this action. Indeed, the EF! gathering is
the once-a-year chance to get together as a direct action movement to
discuss what everyone's been doing, find out what's going on, and decide
what we want to do next. Whether it was discussing whether we should
shut down London’s financial centre on June 18th 1999, or discussing
the fall-out from the Mayday 2000 media-bonanza, the gathering has been
a central part of the evolution of the UK’s direct action movement.

Ten years on from the first EF! gathering some are questioning the usefulness
of the Earth First! network which is seen by some as a social club and
as not expressing many peoples politics. Local Earth First! groups either
don’t exist or are shrinking in
numbers, there’s much less visible eco-direct action, there's a dearth
of newer people getting involved in the Earth First! Network.

Many people are saying change is needed. We need a different network,
or a better network. Some question whether there is a direct action
movement or scene left at all. Some of these points may be true, but
there are certainly thousands of angry people taking action - look at
how many took direct action over the recent war in Iraq, which was certainly
against the wishes of most of the groups in the Stop the War coalition.
We need to meet each other face to face and talk about what we are doing,
what we want to do in the future and how different groups might work
together.

In response to recent years' events we have organised the content, the
workshops and discussions, of this years gathering so that everything
is up for discussion. Including future gatherings themselves. Key questions
for the gathering, we think, include - what sort of things do people
think we should tackle? What sort of network do we want? What kind of
communications - in print and on the web - do we need? Is the activism
of the 90's desirable now, and if so, is it possible given long-term
unemployment is much more difficult for people now, and many peoples'
critiques of activists being 'specialists in social change'? If not,
what should we be doing that’s different? Should we work together for
some of the time on something? What sort of meetings, including gatherings,
are desirable?

The gathering starts Wednesday 13th August, finishing on Sunday 17th
August. The discussions are structured so that they feed into one another,
so please try and attend the whole gathering.

Of course, the gathering is also all about having a good time, and showing
that low-impact non-hierarchal living works well and is fun. There is
a cafe, comedy evening, bar, open-mic talent night, film shows, music
and beautiful countryside and 300 other people to entertain and inspire
you too!

Full details about the gathering is on our website. www.earthfirstgathering.org.
But you need #10 (minimum suggested) to get in, money for vegan, organic
food (about #3.50 per day), or bring your own, and a tent.

The timetable will be available the week before the gathering, also on
the website.

Finally, the EF! gathering is open to all who want to or do, "take action
to confront, stop and eventually reverse the forces that are destroying
the planet and its inhabitants", and leader-less way of achieving those
aims, whether you think the moniker 'Earth First!' is relevant or not.


Don’t get put off by the name ‘Earth First!’ this gathering is for all
those interested in struggling for social transformation thru non-hierachical
methods towards a more ecological and free society and taking direct
action towards this end.

Yours in struggle,

EF! summer gathering contents collective.



EF! summer gathering contents collective