London European Social Forum Newswire Archive

17-10-2004 02:09

Backwards Intelligence Team (FIT surveillance cop piss take)

Funny piss take on the police FIT - The "Forward Intelligence Team" - the police unit who photograph, film and harass activists on a regular basis mostly in London.

This was part of one of the creative actions from the Autonomous Spaces around the European Social Forum in London 2004 Read more >>

17-10-2004 01:33

SAMBA HITS OXFORD STREET

With a delayed start due to uninvited company, we were left rushing to Speakers Corner - 1 hour late and feeling a bit disorganised, but ready to bring on the carnival spirit, bringing the unexpected, encouraging people to question everything. Read more >>

17-10-2004 01:28

Guardian / Observer: "Anarchists storm European Social Forum"

The Guardian (official media partner of the European Social Forum...) reports on saturday evenings intervention at the ESF: Read more >>

17-10-2004 01:02

G8 CLIMATE CRIMINALS CRITICAL MASS - A SAMBISTAS PERSPECTIVE

"People need the G8 like a fish needs a bicycle"

Coming straight from the High Court for the Fairford trial, the sambistas gathered in the cafe of the Royal Festival Hall to have a chat over coffee. We were already joined by some of the police, but spirits were high and we were ready to visit some of the climate criminals haunts.
Read more >>

16-10-2004 23:02

NO BORDERS ACTION - A SAMBISTAS PERSPECTIVE

Spurred on by the news that our Serbian friend* was having real difficulties getting the visa to come to the ESF, the international sambistas showed up at the Southbank on the wet Thursday evening to join the No Borders action at Waterloo station. Read more >>

16-10-2004 22:46

alt-space warrior

defending ............. Read more >>

16-10-2004 22:23

Babels coordinators statement

Babels coordinators statement, 7pm, October 16 2004 Read more >>

16-10-2004 21:20

storming the palace (more pics)

pics from tonight's autonomous action at the palace (see previous report) Read more >>

16-10-2004 21:15

Assembly of Social Movements And Anti-Ken Livingstone Intervention

This evening, grassroots activists gained entry to the official ESF and denounced the organising process from the stage of the main plenary. 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, had attacked people and stolen mobile phones and wallets!

Read more >>

16-10-2004 20:57

Livingstone AllyPally speech replaced by protest

In a tremendous response to the Wombles call for a protest at the “official” ESF’s values, a coalition of demonstrators stole Ken Livingstone’s keynote delivery.
Read more >>

16-10-2004 20:28

storming the palace (report and pic)

activists invaded alexandra palace this evening and took to the stage in a successful action highlighting the exclusiveness of the london esf, the police repression of autonomous spaces and actions, and no borders issues. Read more >>

16-10-2004 19:54

ESF: "In the name of democracy..." ?

yesterday's evening session on the occupation of Iraq couldn't go through - because of despite calls for democracy? Read more >>

16-10-2004 18:33

Ken Livingstone cancels speech at ESF

21:30: The demonstration has entered the Tottenham campus, the location of Beyond ESF. Apart from the one arrest at Alexandra Palace earlier, everyone is safe and sound.

21:05: The crowd is walking in the middle of White Hart Lane, and has got as far as the sports area. Police helecopters are flying overhead. Everything is OK.

20:40:The crowd has marched passed Wood Green tube station, taking a detour to come out past he station and off the main road. Crowd numbers are now aprox 200. There are four police vans, which is much less than before. Once people left the main road the police escort decreased. There is a good mood in the crowd with chants of "our streets".

20:35: Demonstrators are approaching Wood Green tube station, marching along the road with a banner saying "ESF --another world for sale. We say another world is possible."

20:20: 150-200 people are now walking back to the Beyond ESF space. A police van (driving too fast) drove into protestors. No-one was hurt. Demonstrators kicked the van; other police vans are in close proximity.

20:10: Other eye-witnesses say that the police were "quite" violent, using batons while making the arrest. 100s of people are marching towards Wood Green, there is no trouble with them at the moment.

20:00: The part of the demonstration oustide Ali Pali contains 100 people. There was a confirmed report of one arrest in the past few minutes. An eye-witness describes police "wading in" and the person arrested being "bundled into a van." Demonstrators are now moving towards Wood Green station.

19:50: Some of the protestors are moving outside of Alexandra Palace (Ali Pali). Police presence outside is small numerically. Demonstrators outnumber police and are encircling them. Police are coming out of Ali Pali as reinforcements. Police are trying to move noisy demonstrators off road onto pavement and not really succeeding. There are reports of extra police vans arriving from both inside and outside Alexandra Palace.

19:20: between 200 and 400 people have succeeded in entering the official European Social Forum without paying or registering. They are in the main plenary space, scaling scaffolding and hanging banners saying: "Another world is for sale" and "Ken's party -- the war party", referring to Mayor Ken Livingstone, funder of the ESF and member of the ruling New Labour Party.

While Ken Livingstone has cancelled his planned plenary speech, protestors are now giving speeches explaining why they are dissatisfied with the current ESF, including reading a statement from the translation group, Babels, explaining that while they would be happy to work in a Social Forum that followed the WSF principles, they had problems with the way the ESF in London had been organised. Babels had 500 international volunteer translators who were keen to work according to WSF principles, but many have not come to the ESF in London (see earlier criticism of the London organising from Babels).

Babels said, "Many opportunities of experimentation and innovation have been missed out on during the organization of this forum, resulting in the exclusion of many. This is in total contradiction to the Porto Allegre charter. Instead, the London ESF has employed classical neoliberal organization, management & service delivery, with the result that the forum has been totally dependent on the state. This has had disastrous consequence for the development of our movement." They finally mentioned that, "as ESF delegates prepare to discuss the fight against racism and facism in Europe today, some of our fellow translators cannot be here today because they are not allowed into the UK. It is sad that the organisers of the ESF have not helped in this process."

16-10-2004 14:45

Lab of Insurrectionary Imagination worship outside Selfridge's

The Laboratory of Insurrectionary Imagination teamed up with a samba band and clowns outside Selfridge's on Oxford Street. Read more >>

16-10-2004 14:44

Some more impressions of the ESF [picture report]

Some more impressions of the ESF [picture report] Read more >>

16-10-2004 13:18

police video teams at beyond esf

police video surveillance team outside beyond esf in tottenham. Read more >>

16-10-2004 12:26

IMC Party photos at Camden Center

Some photos from the party in the indymedia space at the Camden Center. Read more >>

16-10-2004 10:24

Police Presence At ESF Accommodation

Between 9am and 10am there has been a build up of police presence outside a building being used to accomodate people who are attending the ESF and Autonomous Spaces. Read more >>

16-10-2004 09:29

RISING TIDE BLOCK WEST END

RISING TIDE BLOCK TRAFALGAR SQUARE, HAYMARKET, ST. JAMES’

Global warming protestors Rising Tide brought traffic to a halt for almost an hour in London’s West End today. Read more >>

16-10-2004 02:57

nuff radios.. bring a kettle!

its cool wi d coffee and t and lovelyness an lots of lovely esf and artist abstract

and we love radio/ radio digitalis

but can we be allowed more than one kettle?

any suggestions email radio rampART

radiorampart@yahoo.co.uk
ithink?

Read more >>