Thursday 14th October
As soon as I got off the tube at Holborn I could tell there was something going
on. ESF volunteers were handing out leaflets, letting people know that the
European Social Forum had arrived in London. They were explaining how to get
to Conway Hall to register to the steady stream of people with rucksacks and
suitcases, although there were so many posters declaring that 'Another World is
Possible' that you could just follow them! After collecting my wristband I
picked up the guide to the ESF and was nearly overwhelmed by how many meetings,
workshops and cultural events were going on. Clearly some advance planning was
going to be necessary!
Fortunately I had until the evening to decide to go to the 'Words of
Resistance' event, put on by Bookmarks book shop. The event began with Michael
Rosen reading some of his poems – insightful and really funny!
There were also
contributions from Victoria Brittain, who read from her play 'Guantanamo –
Honour Bound to Defend Freedom', Adrian Mitchell, who sent a film to accompany
a reading of his poem 'Tell Me Lies', Ghada Karmi and acclaimed sci-fi writer
China Miéville.
Friday 15th October
After a few problems trying to find a room, which, according to the
receptionist didn't exist, I settled down in a meeting about 'Women, Resistance
and Globalisation'. The speakers were Meena Menon from India, Christine Delphy
from France and Lindsey German from the UK.
I learnt about the women's
movements in all three countries and about how the struggle for women's rights
can fit into the broader struggle for workers' rights. The main debate
focussed on analyses of the causes of women's oppression – patriarchy or
capitalism. There were loads of really good contribution from the floor,
especially from one trade unionist who explained how much more respect she got
from her male colleagues whilst they were fighting together on a picket line.
Next up was a plenary on 'Overcoming Wars in Europe'. The speakers were Tony
Benn, Don Tonio Dell'Olio from Italy, Irfan Dundar from Turkey, Tobias Pfluger
from Germany and Eamon McCann from Ireland. Eamon McCann delivered one of the
fieriest speeches I have ever seen, denouncing British policy in Northern
Ireland and drawing parallels between that conflict and the ongoing occupation
of Iraq.
Saturday 16th October
I began Saturday with a look at the lesser-known revolutionary Rosa Luxemburg.
There was talk and discussion about her life and work, her contribution to
Marxist theory and the relevance of her ideas today, especially her pamphlet
'The Mass Strike'.
After that I headed out to Alexandra Palace for a plenary on 'War, Social
Movements and Political Parties'. The meeting heard from Andrew Murray (UK),
Beatriz Quiros (Spain), Fausto Bertinotti (Italy), Alex Callinicos (UK), Raúl
Romera Rueda MEP (Catalonia) and Diane Abbott MP (UK). This was a really
lively meeting, charting the debate over whether political parties should be
involved in social movements such as the ESF. Even though political parties
are not officially involved in organising the ESF, they are still present –
speaking in meetings, selling papers and involving people in political
discussion. It seems sensible to officially include them, especially when much
of the activity of social movements is itself political – like the
international day of action on February 15th 2003, which was called by the ESF
in Paris. Diane Abbott MP got the biggest cheer of the meeting after she
called on Tony Blair to resign because of his lies over the war in Iraq.
I spent the evening at an electrifying fringe meeting hosted by RESPECT – the
Unity Coalition. It was on the subject of 'The New Left in Europe' and
featured speakers from left-wing political parties from Italy, France, Germany
and England and Wales. The central message of the meeting was that genuine
left-wing parties established on a base of opposition to war and privatisation
and support for peace and social justice are doing well at the ballot box and
that working people need and want parties to stick up for their rights like
never before.
Sunday 17th October
This was the day of the big demonstration – and a day I had been looking
forward to it for months. The theme of the demo was 'Time to go – Bush Out!
Troops Out!' The 100,000-strong march wound its way through central London and
ended with a massive rally in Trafalgar Square. There were great speeches from
a whole host of people and then Asian Dub Foundation ended the day in style!
Tony Blair must be gutted that his attempts to draw a line in the sand under
the Iraq war have so obviously failed!
Earlier in the day the Assembly of Social Movements (the decision-making part
of the ESF) met to decide the strategy and key events for the movement in the
next year. The Assembly called for an international week of action (9-16
November) against the apartheid wall in Palestine, international days of action
on December 10 and 11 (the anniversary of the UN declaration of human rights)
and a massive weekend of protests at the anniversary of the start of the war on
Iraq (19 and 20 March).
For more information about the next ESF in Greece and other decisions made at
this year's ESF please go to www.fse-esf.org
|
|
|