Changes Must be Made for the Next ESF - Greece 2006.
Harry Hamlet | 17.10.2004 18:35 | European Social Forum | Analysis
What is needed more than anything is unity, and participation of all groups, in an honest and open organising process. Deliberate sabotage should not be tolerated. That those who destroyed the organising process may have had a hand in police arresting activists who were only trying to seek a voice and be heard within the ESF is shocking.
The latest reports from today's demonstration are disturbing. If demo-stewards have colluded with the police to cause the arrest of at least 12 activists (Radio Rampart) it marks a low point in the ESF process.
It also highlights the huge difference in consciousness and politics between centralist bureaucrats and their supporters and grass-roots anti-authoritarians.
That the billed organisers of the demonstration were, according to today's news reports BBC, Stop the War and CND, and not, instead of the ESF, exemplifies how centrists high-jacked the event for their own purposes.
The organising process conspired to exclude anti-authoritarians, and genuine activists who opposed the controlling click. Those in this clique have been motivated to boost there own long-failing and shrinking organisations. The irony of all this is that as groups become smaller they will become more aggressive in trying to hold on to bureaucratic power.
Sadly, this ruling clique became minions to the GLA when they gave a 400,000 grant. This meant eh event took ’a more commercial footing’ and booked commercial services. A correct model for the organisation of the would be for the participants to provide services where possible. This of course requires unity in the organising process, which the centrists deliberately sabotaged to gain control
Capitalism must be kept out of future ESF, and an inclusive and participatory approach must be followed, otherwise ESF will just become a social democratic political party, and they have failed.
Can anything be done to change the process, which is strangling a burgeoning movement. The answer is yes, and the actions of anti-authoritarians, in their protest on Saturday evening 'storming the place' and today's on the demonstration will surely, help.
The current rules of the ESF could be enforced, but they are being flouted. Rules about the power of sponsors need clarifying, and the numbers of anyone organisation, in any decision making process, needs to be limited. What sort of democracy is it when 50 members of the SWP turn up at a meeting to turn voting, that shouldn't even be taking place, this way or that.
The lesson for Greece in 2006 is: What is needed more than anything is unity, and participation of all groups, in an honest and open organising process. Deliberate sabotage should not be tolerated. That some of those who destroyed the organising process may have had a hand in police arresting activists who were only trying to seek a voice and be heard within the ESF is shocking.
It also highlights the huge difference in consciousness and politics between centralist bureaucrats and their supporters and grass-roots anti-authoritarians.
That the billed organisers of the demonstration were, according to today's news reports BBC, Stop the War and CND, and not, instead of the ESF, exemplifies how centrists high-jacked the event for their own purposes.
The organising process conspired to exclude anti-authoritarians, and genuine activists who opposed the controlling click. Those in this clique have been motivated to boost there own long-failing and shrinking organisations. The irony of all this is that as groups become smaller they will become more aggressive in trying to hold on to bureaucratic power.
Sadly, this ruling clique became minions to the GLA when they gave a 400,000 grant. This meant eh event took ’a more commercial footing’ and booked commercial services. A correct model for the organisation of the would be for the participants to provide services where possible. This of course requires unity in the organising process, which the centrists deliberately sabotaged to gain control
Capitalism must be kept out of future ESF, and an inclusive and participatory approach must be followed, otherwise ESF will just become a social democratic political party, and they have failed.
Can anything be done to change the process, which is strangling a burgeoning movement. The answer is yes, and the actions of anti-authoritarians, in their protest on Saturday evening 'storming the place' and today's on the demonstration will surely, help.
The current rules of the ESF could be enforced, but they are being flouted. Rules about the power of sponsors need clarifying, and the numbers of anyone organisation, in any decision making process, needs to be limited. What sort of democracy is it when 50 members of the SWP turn up at a meeting to turn voting, that shouldn't even be taking place, this way or that.
The lesson for Greece in 2006 is: What is needed more than anything is unity, and participation of all groups, in an honest and open organising process. Deliberate sabotage should not be tolerated. That some of those who destroyed the organising process may have had a hand in police arresting activists who were only trying to seek a voice and be heard within the ESF is shocking.
Harry Hamlet
Comments
Hide the following 9 comments
Voting!
17.10.2004 21:35
Sonic
Funding
18.10.2004 00:38
This 'purist' notion of what the ESF should have been troubles me - surely the whole point of such forums is bringing the widest range of progressives together to debate with each other and build alliances? But then, I never 'got' the anarcists anyway. Mind you, that's probably because the only ones I've met were smacked-out fourty-something crusties sharking drunk fifteen year olds in Bradford nightclubs.
As for vertical/horizontal differences, I have no problem with both groups existing and expressing ideas - it would be a poorer place without them. The Left in this country has been involved in pointless doctrinaire infighting for over fifty years - and look where that has got us. But since the Social Forum movement has started, that is (very) slowly changing.
Kid Penfold
Comment
18.10.2004 00:54
Tonga
Comment missies the point
18.10.2004 11:35
The problem with the GLA's £500,000 funding for the ESF is not the amount but what it bought them: the autocratic management of the event, which is the way the Ken's Socialist Action assiatants do things for him. They took charge of the organising process with the agreement of a large faction. It also allowed them to place speakers at Plenary events, and give a slice of the action to the SWP who danced to their tune. Consensus was ignored, minorities were alienated and excluded.
The grants given in Paris, and Florence were in comparison given unconditionally, so previous ESF's were orgainised and controlled by the movement itself.
How this effected the event itself will we determined by the reports of those who attended.
Pete
London an inclusive European Social Forum
18.10.2004 13:03
The ESF Solidarity Fund enabled many delegates to attend from Eastern Europe and the Global South.
Refugees and Asylum Seekers were able to attend for free.
20,000 delegates were able to travel for free in London.
The Wombles chose to walk away from the ESF after Alaxandra Palace had been provisionaly booked.
SWP members are activists in their workplace, union, community and campaigns.
Lets work together to build on the success of the European Social Forum in London.
trade unionist
Florence - Paris - London
18.10.2004 15:11
because i felt it would be worse than in Paris...
In Firenze it was a special moment on unity,because:
- the antiwar mouvement against Bush had to be born there and
- It was also a cultural fight against Berlusconi inwhich all
the italian center to radical left was of one mind. There
were old people thanking us, like some kind of common
antifascist partisans. In the final concert we saw all the
sponsors e.g. from old wealthy families of the region,
millionäres beeing proud for enabling this event to happen
and thus making it possible to show,that the death of Carlo Guliani
had nothing to do with the denouncing propaganda lies of
berlusconi against the mouvement.
In Paris allready the local activists which we interviewed
befor ethe ESF were quite against the whole thing, telling
us that this was election propaganda of the left parties
against the Chirac UDF,for those parties ( socialist and
communists) were in the local governements of the quarters
where the 2. ESF was held.They were so much mistrusting
any action coming from the ESF, that they even did not
believe in the honesty of the squating that was spontanously
organised out of the GLAD space "soit disant" for the
local sans papiers.
As i heared how the decision for London was made, i knew
that i would not want to be in the 3. ESF.
It is shurely nessecary to find better ways, but such a
mass event in a big city in the capitalist system is
not possible without thinking about money and as
somebody said : "when money talks bullshit walks",
or shall we meet i summer somewhere, where we halftime
work together for the finances? where is this ?
I would have loved if there could have been a decision
for a European action day against the destruction of
the social rights all over and also against the ongoing
war....but this was not possible it seems. I knew i would
not be able to change this by coming to London.
greetings from berlin
Ruth
Ruth Luschnat
Hurrah!!!!!
18.10.2004 20:16
Hurrah!!!!! It was so inclusive that a group of grass roots activists invaded it ....... Heh, and the cops were there in numbers too, thats inclusive........
"The ESF Solidarity Fund enabled many delegates to attend from Eastern Europe and the Global South."
Hurrah!!!!! And then some of them got turned away at border posts, along with Babels volunteers........
"Refugees and Asylum Seekers were able to attend for free."
Hurrah!!!! Except of course for the £10 they had to pay at registration.
"20,000 delegates were able to travel for free in London."
Hurrah!!!!!There were only 19,000 and as it goes, their travelcards cost them either £30, £20 or £10 ....... free used to mean "for no money"
"The Wombles chose to walk away from the ESF after Alaxandra Palace had been provisionaly booked."
Hurrah!!!!!The organisers chose to impose their corporate, trot agenda on the proceedings, thus alienating many groups including the wombles.......
"SWP members are activists in their workplace, union, community and campaigns."
Hurrah!!!! But mostly they sell dodgy literature outside supermarkets on a Saturday morning. And sometimes they get a nice green vest and get to be psuedo-pigs for the day at SWP dominated A-B marches
"Lets work together to build on the success of the European Social Forum in London."
Hurrah!!!!Indeed, lets show just how removed grass root activists are from the deluded SWaPpies that rant on, and on, and on , and on, - If you think tthe ESF was a success, I hate to think what it would have had to be, to be a failure.
ftp
*sigh
18.10.2004 23:32
"Hurrah!!!!! It was so inclusive that a group of grass roots activists invaded it .......
Nice one, you invading it shows it was not inclusive, nice circular logic there.
"Hurrah!!!!! And then some of them got turned away at border posts, along with Babels volunteers........"
The SWP control the UK borders, now that is news.
.
"20,000 delegates were able to travel for free in London."
"Hurrah!!!!!There were only 19,000"
Wow a whole thousand out, thanks for pointing out that dangerous misinformation there.
"Hurrah!!!!!The organisers chose to impose their corporate, trot agenda on the proceedings, thus alienating many groups including the wombles"
You were always going to walk out, your lot did the same at the 1st ESF in Florence (although then the big bad wolves were RF, and the second one in Paris (French CP to blame) dont pretend that you were ever going to particpate.
Its amusing that there are no reports or numbers on your little event, I wonder why?
Sonic
Such bitchiness
22.10.2004 12:43
tylermb