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EUROPEAN SOCIAL FORUM OCT 14-17th

leeds social forum | 13.09.2004 12:37 | European Social Forum

The European Social Forum is less than two months away, the biggest event of its kind for years. It will take place on Oct 14-17, in London.

It is a gathering against war, privatisation, third world debt, racism and poverty and takes place every year – the last two were in Florence and Paris and had over 50,000 people attending. There will be seminars and workshops to discuss these issues, but there will also be films, music, and other cultural events. There will also be an Assembly of the Social Movements on Sunday morning to tie it all together and organise international actions and campaigns for the coming year, and an anti war demonstration that afternoon in London.

Come October, London will be thronging with activists and campaigners from around Europe, and we want as many people from Leeds to take part as possible.


Over 1,000 organisations have been involved in proposing seminars and workshops

There were around 900 events proposed by over 1,000 organisations from
campaigning organisations and networks, trade unions, the anti-war movement,
anti-racist organisations, Non-Governmental Organisations, Local Social Forum,
charities and many more.

Cost of Seminar to divide between the organisers £250, cost of a workshop under
75 people £ 75, cost of a workshop for more than 75 people £125

Demo

There will be an European demo on Sunday 17th at 1pm followed by music in
Trafalgar square which is hopefully going to express the diversity of the
movements involved in the ESF in all his spaces (no to cuts and privatisation,
yes to Peace. Let's build it with all our colours and creativity!)

Stalls

Stall space will be available in Alexandra Palace in North London and in
Bloomsbury in central London during the ESF. If your organisations is
interested in reserving a stall please email  ukesfstalls@gn.apc.org.
your organisation and for a list of ESF affiliates.



Autonomous spaces
There are many criticisms of the ESF, that it is too bureaucratic and reformist
etc. There will be an alternative autonomous space and this will start from
Wednesday 13th October

To get involved contact :  autospaces@yahoo.co.uk

see: www.altspaces.net

Unofficial "open" website:  http://www.esf2004.net (see "parallel projects)


Local Social Forum

There will be a seminar and a workshop organized by the network of LSF in Europe
(near 15 countries involved) and an open space in the alternative spaces if you
want to get involved. There is a list which is connecting Local Social Forum
in UK to send email  uksocialforum@lists.riseup.net. To subscribe
 http://lists.riseup.net/www/info/uksocialforum
There is a list which is connecting Local Social Forum in Europe to send email
 eulsf@lists.riseup.net
to subscribe  http://lists.riseup.net/www/info/eulsf

Volunteer at the ESF

Hundreds of volunteers are needed to help with organising the ESF. If you
are able to volunteer in the run up to the ESF please email
 ukesfvolunteer@gn.apc.org

Babels: interpretation at the European Social Forum

550 volunteers from Babels, an international network of volunteer interpreters,
will be interpreting during the ESF. They will come from all over Europe. We
will also need more interpreters coming from the UK. If you
want to be a volunteer interpreter please go to www.babels.org
Official website : www.fse-esf.org


Leeds Trades Council has passed support for the ESF and 3 coaches have already
been booked from Leeds.

We are planning to book free accommodation for Leeds delegates, which will
be available at various sites in London.

For more information about getting involved in Leeds please contact: Leeds ESF
Mobilising Group. Email:  leeds_esf@yahoo.com. Web www.fse-esf.org.uk. Phone
07792530977.
Hold regular fortnightly meetings, the next one is on 16 September 7.30pm at
Leeds Civic Hall.


BASIC INFORMATION
Register online - £30 waged, £20 concessions/students, £50 to register an
organisation/£30 as a delegate of an organisation – if you register now you can
get a free 4 day travel card for the buses worth £19.

Accomodation – register by September 23 for free communal space. People will be
opening up their homes, and there is a list of hostels on line that have been
block-booked by the ESF.

Travel – coaches being sorted at the moment, but not guaranteed


If you register before 1 October you get a free travel card which will be valid
throughout London and will entitle you to free travel on all London's
buses,trains and undergound services between 15-17 October. This offer will be
subject to availability.


You can find more information at www.fse-esf.org."

leeds social forum
- e-mail: leeds_esf@yahoo.com

Comments

Hide the following 10 comments

woopy-doo!

13.09.2004 15:08

"If you register before 1 October you get a free travel card which will be valid
throughout London and will entitle you to free travel on all London's
buses,trains and undergound services between 15-17 October. This offer will be
subject to availability."

Yes, at the expense of local working class taxpayers so that a load of middle class career bureaucrats can play with each other.

Hope the CNT get over and carry on what they didn't finish in Paris.


Wilf


Skint

13.09.2004 15:12



As I said when this was first announced with the 'prices' I,being on benefit cannot
afford £20. I also said that I wouldn't be able to save up and I haven't- Things like
eating and laundry and just getting from one benefit pay day to the next have got in the
way- just everyday stuff like that- that the heirarch's dont count in their
considerations.
Plus,of course I would only be able to attend on ONE day and then not for all of that
Then there's the cost of travel to London, then the long haul to Alexandra palace by bus
cos the tubes too expensive. Plus have to bring my own food.

So much for inclusivity... (no doubt,i'll get a load of answers about being a whinger
etc)...

Will Ken pay for my travel expenses AND provide free acoomdation IF I wanted to stay
overnight AND allow me to pay a couple of quid only AND provide for a specialized diet??

and for ALL those in a similar situation???- I think not,but then th SWP etc only want
those that agree with their Trot twaddle to come.

GL


CNT?

13.09.2004 15:54

"Hope the CNT get over and carry on what they didn't finish in Paris."

Wilf

Want you mean the job of protecting the French Socialist Party from the more militante anarchists?

W@

W@


My mistake

13.09.2004 16:32

Your absolutely right, my apologies.

I'll rephrase it....hope a load of militant anarchists do the job properly this time.

Wilf


...

13.09.2004 17:36

The CNT had their chance in 1936...they blew it. Oh anarchists. They talk the talk, but when it comes to the crunch, they don't walk the walk.

Ulyanov


a pointless post to answer a pointless post

13.09.2004 20:21

och, shut yer hole Lenin. Ah've read books n'aw y'ken? Or were you talking about an Ulyanov Ilyitch Lenin other than the murdering-bastard one?

"ye Trotskyites by name,
lend an ear,
lend an ear

Ye trotskyites by name,
your faults i will proclame,
your doctrines i will blame,
lend an ear,
lend an ear"

-inspired by history that. not russian history either. brilliant

the IMC server loves people like me and you Ulyanov, filling it up with much incisive and impartial commentary

someone who isn't going to be labelled, or somesuch
mail e-mail: balls@2.you
- Homepage: http://www.geocities.com/edinburghciderpunx


stupid criticism makes us all look stupid

13.09.2004 22:17

>Will Ken pay for my travel expenses AND provide free acoomdation IF I wanted to stay
overnight AND allow me to pay a couple of quid only AND provide for a specialized diet??

pay for your travel expences? well, the tube & bus card sounds good. free accommodation? u should already know that at least one large-scale social centre will be offering free convergence for the week. couple of quid? well, actually, £20 for three days isn't too bad and there will be plenty of blags going, plus most of the good stuff will be outside ally pally anyway. specialized (sic, gee, ken's supposed to pay for your flight from the states, too, huh?) diet? fuck, if he's paying our travel expences it's only fair he buys our food, right?

>and for ALL those in a similar situation???-

sure thing, but why stop there? the ESF group should pay our food, rent and travel FOR EVER, not just during the week. very rational.

>I think not,but then th SWP etc only want
those that agree with their Trot twaddle to come.

yeah, those trots with all their buckets of cash, they're the only ones who can afford the £20! i still can't figure if ur joking with your whole post, if so, i take my hat off 2u xxx

diagonal


Shut the fuck up!

14.09.2004 00:00

Indymedia is being turned into a laughing stock by idiots posting endless amounts of crap as "commentary" on articles. Why does every article have to be followed by a load of stupid comments about "trots", "liberals", "anarchists" etc...? Sometimes I read Indymedia and think that I could be looking at a Viz parrody of how radicals would run a media outlet - unfortunately, the rediculousness of the comments posted here exceed even Viz`s prejudices!

Please, please, please think before you post the next message about how you hope a bunch of anarchists do this-that-or-the-other, or go on some random conspiracy rant about the SWPs latest evil plan! THIS WEBSITE IS FOR NEWS! If you have a comment which adds to the NEWS article posted, add it. If not, shut the fuck up and save your snide comments for down the pub or fuck off to a chat room!

bored of your crap


I second that

14.09.2004 13:55

Well said and well put.

trade unionist


Still skint

15.09.2004 14:49



I'd not be coming from the States just a little way outside of London.

£20 for 3 days. I repeat, I could only come for 1 day (and only part thereof) and
there's no way I could have 'saved up' that amount. Even the train and bus fare for one
day would prove difficult.

I'm sure there are plenty of people who would like to have attended but have been put off
by costs, even with 'free' travel in London. For health reasons-sleeping on the floor
on a basic mattress,if that (presumably) at a social centre isn't ok for me.
Ok so most others wouldn't have that prob' but it's another barrier for me.

Food, unless I make the food myself, again for health reasons, I cannot 'buy in' from
what may be available. Yes, I know that's my problem but I can't be the only one.

So I shall have to give the whole thing a miss,like many others I suspect, and just put
my feet up in front of daytime corporate TV.

GL