After registration and breakfast delegates from Britain, Germany, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Finland, france, Belgium, Holland and Switzerland heard presentations from a number of diferant campaigns. The focus was not just about repression itself but also how activists around Europe have successfully tackled it.
The Aubonne group focused on lessons learned about trauma both physical and mental and how to deal with it. A talk about Thessaloniki and Simon Chapman talked about using the media and the hungerstrikes. Mark Barnsley spoke about how the state fitted him up after failing to do him for other stuff. The Geneva social forum rep spoke of the G8 repression and Swiss law and how the state do not diferenciate between diferant kinds of protest. Finally we learned from an unexpected speaker about a crucially important test case with European implications that is happening in Grenoble in December. This afternoon more sessions will cover certain subjects in more detail.
There are around 50 delegates here so far with the numbers expected to double tommorow with representative from every country in Europe.
A huge well done to everyone who has worked so hard to make this happen. The organisation covering everything from translation to accomadation has been really good and the food is fantastic.