Earlier I understand he ( Weyman Bennet ) claimed that his phone and wallet had been stolen! Is this man another "poverty pimp" that seem to be crawling all over the voluntary sector or is it something else?

the other Guardian letter just to recap:-


"Lee Jasper, senior race advisor to Ken Livingstone (Letters, October 19), engages in a crude attempt to portray as a "racist attack" what was effectively a protest against the lack of democracy and consensus by the GLA in the organisation of this years European Social Forum. As members of some of the UK's leading anti-racist organisations, we feel compelled to ask Lee Jasper to stop using accusations of racism to provide political cover for what was clearly political dissent aimed at his employer, the GLA, and the mayor of London.
We witnessed the protest, and while there is never any excuse for any sort of "scuffle", the protest was supported by large sections of the audience, with banners highlighting the Labour party's policies on racism and war, and calling for its representative, the mayor, not to be allowed to speak in the forum. Whatever the rights or wrongs of such protests, Lee Jasper and the GLA must not play "the race card" to silence these voices.

But the ESF did clearly highlight that our real fight is against David Blunkett and his policies, which have done so much to legitimise popular racism and herald the re-emergence of the BNP. Let's save the accusations of racism for where they really belong.

Piara Power Kick It Out

Ashika Thanki Newham Monitoring Project

Suresh Grover National Civil Rights Movement

Cilius Victor Black Racial Attacks Independent Network

Rajiv Menon NMP Educational Trust "

**********************************

Some possible points..

1./ He (Weyman Bennet)is deliberately missing the point of the demonstration when he says "It is outrageous that an anti-fascist meeting organised by black and Jewish people should be attacked for any reason." The PROCESS of the ESF was still exclusive. Who is he "working" for? The SWP? His wallet?

2./ There could be a disturbing underlying implication in the above comment by Weyman Bennet that could be construed as racist in itself. Is "violence" against black and "jewish" people worse than violence against "non-black" or "jewish"? This is very divisive and arrogant. SWP tactic?

3./ Making money/ building power bases out of multiculturalism? How have we got to the stage where the few people seem to be making a career out of social apartheid? I have seen a lot of 'charities/NGOs' come and go in London and Nationally and most seem unaccountable. Most certainly do not help the poor in any effective way and seem to enable social division along race lines ( and 'yoof culture' )instead of the opposite. This is a disturbing trend with the rise of fascism. It's like all those NGO's working with the same Metropolitan Police Force who have been murdering Afro-Caribbeans in custody, targetting ( and killing )the homeless etc. And the GLA want more sadistic bastards patrolling the streets!!! SWP tactics?

A few bruised egos and words written in haste? I'm sure Mr Bennet is a lot richer than the people he claims to have attacked him. Nice little career eh Mr Bennet? - Haringey Socialist Alliance/SWP/ANL etc etc. Lets not forget he is another one of those SWP cliques that took over the conference and kicked others out of the organising process.

Weyman. Stop leeching off the Haringey poor and be honest with yourself!!!!!

Calling it a racist attack, and carefully selecting the right words, that press the right buttons, to describe the scene, is a disgusting distortion.

All this just to deflect criticism of Ken and his staff's undemocratic methods of which these accusations of racism and violence are a good example. Smear, divide and rule - the old lies, show how Ken and his staff operate.

My gut feeling is that he may have got together with Lee Jasper, to get their fictitious story together; but I wasn't there.

This guy was not a passive victim, he admits he was on top of the table. Are there any witnesses?

We are appalled at Lee Jasper's attempts to silence genuine criticisms of this year's ESF by playing the race card (Letters, October 19).

Any form of physical aggression is obviously to be condemned, but the direct action protest against Ken Livingstone's abortive participation in the ESF session on racism and fascism had nothing to do with race and everything to do with the undemocratic way in which the ESF was organised this year.

Whatever one thinks about direct action, the tremendous response the stunt received from the audience shows that the protesters were not alone in the belief that the London ESF dramatically parted company from the democratic, transparent, non-party and consensual principles upon which the World Social Forum movement was established in Porto Alegre in 2001.

Attempting to paint the 200 or so protesters as racially motivated white thugs when they actually included many black, Hispanic and Arabic activists is disgraceful.

Asad Rehman
Member of the UK ESF organising committee
and eight others

Similar statement in SW but no mention of the stolen wallet. Still playing the race card though -

FOLLOWING AN attempt to
violently disrupt a meeting at
the European Social Forum
(ESF) called to discuss antifascism,
Weyman Bennett,
the moderator of the session,
issued the following
statement:

‘ON SATURDAY evening a
group who have not participated
in the ESF stormed the stage of
the anti-fascist plenary session
of the ESF, punched the chair
and stole his mobile phone.
This behaviour is totally unacceptable
and self evidently in
total violation of the principles
of the ESF.

Violent attacks on the movement
suppress freedom of
speech and risk providing pretexts
for other outside forces to
intervene in the movement.
This was all the more unacceptable
as it was an entirely
white group attacking a black
and Jewish platform.

The organisers knew of the
call by the people claiming to
be the Wombles, and others, for
people to storm the ESF on Saturday
evening and, having discussed
this with a number of
delegations, had agreed that
this group would be admitted to
the building, and allowed to
make their protest and explain
their views.

This is what happened, and
when the police arrived at the
building they were asked not
to intervene by the organisers
of the ESF, and they left the
building.’

 http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/graphics/1924/1924_p14.pdf

Also, in the same issue, some cracking political analysis from Mr Callinicos on the reasons for the meeting being interrupted -

There was a downside to the ESF. There were a few
ugly incidents that marked the re-emergence of the
anarchist Black Bloc whose thuggish behaviour
during the Genoa protests of July 2001 played so
disastrously into the hands of the police.

The Black Bloc was supported by some small
and unrepresentative groups that had been
consistently hostile both to the ESF itself and to the
coalition that brought it to London.

The physical attacks these people made on the
forum no doubt reflected frustration at the fact that
the various rival events they organised attracted
very small numbers. But this was a minor blemish
on an overwhelmingly successful event.

 http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/graphics/1924/1924_p04.pdf

Letter 1

Dear Editor

Lee Jasper, Senior Race Advisor to Ken Livingstone (unwelcome anarchy at ESF, letters October 19th) engages in a crude attempt to portray what was effectively a protest against the lack of democracy and consensus by the GLA in the organisation of this years European Social Forum as a 'racist attack'. As members of some of the UK's leading anti-racist organisations dealing with the daily reality of racial violence for minority communities and its impact on our society we feel compelled to ask Lee Jasper to stop using accusations of racism to provide him political cover for what was clearly political dissent aimed at his employer the GLA and the Mayor of London.

We witnessed the protest and that whilst there is never any excuse for any sort of 'scuffle' - the protest was supported by large sections of the audience, with banners highlighting the Labour Partys policies on racism and war and calling for its representative the Mayor not to be allowed to speak in the forum. What ever the rights or wrongs of such protests, Lee Jasper and the GLA must not play 'the race card' to silence these voices.

The ESF did however clearly highlight that our real fight is against Blair and Blunkett's New Labour and their policies which have done so much to legitimise popular racism and heralded the re-emergence of the British National Party. Lets save the accusations of racism for where they really belong.

Yours
Piara Power, Director Kick It Out
Ashika Thanki, Secretary Newham Monitoring Project
Suresh Grover, Chair of National Civil Rights Movement
Cilius Victor, Black Racial Attacks Independent Network
Rajiv Menon, NMP Educational Trust

----------------------------

Letter 2

Dear Sir/Madam

I am one of those arrested during the ESF closing rally in Trafalgar Square. I am utterly disturbed by the letter you published on the 19th of October 2004 signed by Lee Jasper and others. Now I find myself accused of being a racist white thug disconnected from the ESF
organisation.

I have been attending weekly co-ordinating meetings to prepare this event from day one, and this is widely documented. Admittedly, I am part of the minority marginalised by the GLA and Socialist Workers Party. Nevertheless I have given much of my time this year to try to make the ESF a success according to its own principles of diversity, consensus and openness, as stated in the Charter of Principles.

On Sunday, I was trying to mediate access to the stage to allow some people who had been previously attacked by police, unlawfully detained and prevented from joining the demonstration, to tell the crowd what had happened. The situation was difficult, but the stewards reacted badly, lost control and ended up creating a chaotic situation. They then tried to physically expel me from my own mobilisation. When I refused to move, they
called the Police on me. This is the last thing you do to a fellow compañero. I did not try to storm the stage, tear down barriers or the like.

I had arrangements to spend the next few months in Porto Alegre, Brazil, working at the World Social Forum (WSF). Now I have to choose between paying a fine and carry on, or going to court to set the record straight. This may impair my contribution to the WSF.

I demand an immediate apology from Lee Jasper and the other signatories of the aforementioned letter.

Javier Ruiz

------------------------

Letter 3

Letter to The Guardian on European Social Forum

As a communist, I have many disagreements with the anarchists and autonomists who stormed the stage at the anti-racist and anti-fascist session at the European Social Forum. However, Lee Jasper and others are very wrong to suggest that this protest "had nothing to do with how the event was organised" (Letters, October 17).

The fact is that mayor Ken Livingstone (who was supposed to speak at the disrupted session) has run preparations for the ESF with an iron fist. He, not the thousands of ESF activists, decided how the ESF budget should be spent. Speakers and chairs at the main ESF meetings were exclusively friends and political allies of Ken's. While the first two events in Florence (2002) and Paris (2003) were largely inclusive celebrations of the European left, this year's event - while still very worthwhile - caused widespread alienation due to the bureaucratic and arbitrary way it was staged. This probably contributed to the fact that the London ESF was under half the size of the Paris event.

Clearly, many ESF activists and anti-capitalist groups felt excluded and simply left the process (including the Wombles, the group behind the protest). Even the volunteer group Babels, who provided all the simultaneous interpretations at the event, have now publicly complained about "exclusion of many people, organisations, networks, groups, and even countries", with the result that the Forum "has been entirely dependent on the state. (.)
The organisation of the ESF in this way has had disastrous consequences for the self-development of our movements."

I myself have been excluded twice from meetings of the ESF coordinating committee. My crime? I have written extensively and openly about the challenges and problems of the ESF in the pages of the Communist Party's Weekly Worker.

Tina Becker
Communist Party of Great Britain
 http://www.cpgb.org.uk/esf/index.html

-------------------

Letter 4

Dear editor

We are appalled at yesterday's letter by Lee Jasper, the Mayor of London's Policy Director on Equalities and Policing, in which he attempts to silence genuine criticisms of this year's ESF by playing the race card.

Any form of physical aggression is obviously to be condemned, but the direct action protest against Ken Livingstone's abortive participation in the ESF session on Racism and Fascism had nothing to do with race and everything to do with the undemocratic way in which the ESF was organised this year.

Inexplicably, having made their point, the protesters were then followed by 15 police riot vans with three violent arrests taking place just nearby Alexandra Palace.

Whatever one thinks about direct action, the tremendous response the stunt received from the audience shows that the protesters were not alone in the belief that the London ESF dramatically parted company from the refreshingly democratic, transparent, non-party and consensual principles upon which the World Social Forum movement was established in
Porto Alegre in 2001.

Co-ordinators from Babels, the international network of volunteer interpreters that translated all plenaries and seminars at the ESF, also issued a statement from the platform in which they condemned the Greater London Authority's suffocating control of the Forum. Babels directly promotes and allows cultural diversity and accessibility of national delegations to social forums through allowing inter-linguistic communication.

Attempting to paint the 200 or so protesters as racially motivated white thugs when they actually included many black, Hispanic and Arabic activists is disgraceful. Does Lee Jasper really believe that a scuffle broke out, as reprehensible as this is, because the chair of the meeting was black or because there were Jewish speakers on the panel? He surely doesn't which can only lead to the conclusion that he is using identity
politics to smother dissent.

Asad Rehman, Newham Monitoring Project, member of the UK ESF organising committee
Cathy Arnaud, Babels Spain
Panayotis Yulis, Greek Social Forum
Oscar Reyes, Red Pepper, member of UK ESF organising committee
Jean-Baptiste Eyraud, Annie Pourre, No Vox network, Paris
John Street, Babels UK, member of the UK ESF organising committee
Dave Jones, Indymedia UK volunteer and Nomad
Anselmo Schweitzner, MNLM, Brazil

So young Alex, the SWP's Mr Theory, is concerned about the revival of the black bloc is he. Well this young lad has clearly not read his history of resistance to capitalism, and the fuedalist & other hierarchies that came before it. Does he seriously believe that Marx's 1st International, upto whatever International the SWP claim to be leading now, is the be all and end all of resistance?

The much misunderstood black bloc, conveniently smeared as it is by all those interested in containing/controling forms of struggle, is in fact the most free and unadulterated representation of direct struggle going back many centuries. Wherever there is repression, there is resistance - by word of mouth, by deed, in anger, in revenge. Wat Tyler was no member of the SWP!

If you and your 'black bloc' mates were so fuckin radical direct action types, you'd be out every day sabotaging the cogs of CAPITALISM and attacking the sellers of the Sun and the fuckin Mail instead of sitting about until other members of the left do summat and then kicking off against them, wouldn't you?

Wouldn't you?

Until you can be arsed to risk real jail time and persecution like the genuine anarchists (yes and commies and Trots) of old then you will always be despised by the rest of us as a bunch of showboating egotists with NOTHING to offer the revolution.

You are very sad and fucked up people. Kropotkin would laugh you out of town, if you didn't try to chin him first.

Many gay activists are not in the least bit suprised by spurious accusations of "racism" from Lee Jasper and his associates. When we criticised Dr Dr Qaradawi who described homosexuality as "a depraved practice" in the British media, what was the response from the GLA (for whom Mr Jasper works)? We must be "racists", of course. When we criticised Buju Banton who is accused not only of inciting antigay violence in his music but was also implicated in a gay-bashing attack earlier this year, how did the 1990 Trust (of which Mr Jasper is a founder) characterise this criticism? You guesed it, "racist".

It's a sorry state when the Mayor of London's advisor on race issues abuses the word "racist" to the point where its meaning is devalued and is becomes simply another institutional tool to silence disent and smeer critics.