Skip to content or view screen version

Storming of the Palace

imc uk'ista | 17.10.2004 12:25 | European Social Forum

Saturday evening, around 250 to 300 grassroots activists made their own free entry to the official ESF and denounced the ESF organising process from the stage of the main plenary.

The intervention occurred during one of the main pleaneries, where Ken Livingstone was expected to speak. A decision to pull Livingstone out of presenting his speech on a panel had been taken only shorty before.

The activists took the stage and hung banners – 'Kens party, War Party' – 'ESF Another World is For Sale', to bring attention to the exclusive nature of the london esf, and to report the police intimidation of activists at autonomous centres this weekend.

speakers on the stage
speakers on the stage


During a later meeting of the Assembly of Social Movements Redmond O'Neil (of the GLA) condemned the intervention, saying that the activists, who had 'outed' the problems with democracy and communication in the ESF, and had attacked people and stolen phones! A table had gone over during the taking of the stage, but many on the stage assisted in looking for any lost items. After some initial confusion from delegates, many became vocal both denouncing the intervention but many more supporting the statements of Babales and others.

Delegates listened to around half an hour of statements from activists, often cheering the speakers whilst they exposed some of the problems within the ESF process [ Babels Statement ]. Afterwards, activists handed the plenary back over to the official speakers and left as one group chanting 'solidarity' with some delegates following.

Later those that left were exposed to police violence, with people pushed and punched, police with batons at the ready, and a small number of arrests were made. The activists continued back to the 'Beyond ESF space' occupying the road. The activists were followed all the way back by several police vans

See [ Timeline ]
Reports [ Livingstone AllyPally speech replaced by protest by grassroot activists | Storming the palace (report and pic) | Visual Report ]
Some [Analysis]

imc uk'ista

Comments

Display the following 40 comments

  1. Proud — Whose interests are you serving?
  2. SWP' s Liberal bleating — CLASS WAR
  3. Biased as hell — Red Rob
  4. Disapointed but not surprised — Disapointed
  5. disapionted but not surprised — disapointed
  6. What did you achieve — Joshua Fenton-Glynn
  7. eye witness — qwerty
  8. these cows are small, those are far away — type
  9. fascist 1 anto-fascist 0 — red letter
  10. we laughed and laughed and laughed — capitalist
  11. Highlight of the ESF — steve
  12. Scum of the Earth — Witness
  13. ESF Volunteer — Rosa
  14. The exception rather than the rule... — tso
  15. OUTRAGE!!! PIRATES!!! — Dave
  16. The necessity of being critical... — roublard
  17. Disrespect creates disrespect — John
  18. Saturday night's actions: an attack on the democracy of the ESF — Milena Buyum
  19. In response to those who complain about the left ‘infighting’. — andanotherthing
  20. a lot of work to do b4 athens — Rosa
  21. @ ESF volunteer — involved
  22. no illusions — jelena and ziggy
  23. RE @ESF Volunteer — Rosa
  24. Open for Discussion — twiddle
  25. Disrupte the war not the esf — James
  26. The struggle continues — CLASS WAR
  27. RE: Open for discussion — Rosa
  28. Pathetic Lies By Minority Anarchists' — Truth
  29. As an eyewitness... — Joe
  30. John Brown — John Brown
  31. Re: as an eyewitness... — @
  32. again please — 20 goto 10
  33. A Black Mans Perspective — John Brown
  34. Reply to SWP rubbish — CLASS WAR
  35. Schnews on SWP stupidity — CLASS WAR
  36. An off duty volunteer... — Janina
  37. Evidence of the anti fascist and anti racist nature of the action — CLASS WAR
  38. RE:An off duty volunteer... — Joshua Fenton-Glynn
  39. it wasn't racist or fascist, just fucking pathetic — what happened to serious anarchism?
  40. reply to the utopian into 'serious anarchism' — CLASS WAR