European Social Forum
Encyclopedia
The European Social Forum (ESF) is a recurring conference held by members of the alter-globalization
movement (also known as the Global Justice Movement
). In the first few years after it started in 2002 the conference was held every year, but later it became biannual due to difficulties with finding host countries. It aims to allow social movement
s, trade union
s, NGOs, refugee
s, peace and anti-imperial groups, anti-racist movements, environmental movements, networks of the excluded and community campaigns from Europe
and the world to come together and discuss themes linked to major European and global issues, in order to coordinate campaigns, share ideas and refine organizing strategies. It emerged from the World Social Forum
and follows its charter of principles.
in November 2002. The slogan was "Against war, racism and neo-liberalism," with specific reference to George W. Bush
's plan for regime change
in Iraq
.
Before its opening the ESF raised a large political polemy between Tuscan
local authorities (The President of the Region Claudio Martini, although criticised on some points by no-global activists, had been a supporter of the movement since the time of the Genoa Group of Eight Summit protest) on one side and the right-wing Italian government on the other. People feared that the ESF could provoke riots and accidents as those of the Genoa Group of Eight Summit protest, from July 18 to July 22, 2001. Florentine individuals such as the controversial journalist Oriana Fallaci
intervened in the polemics. Fallaci invited the people of Florence to shut up every shop and stay in the houses and compared the ESF to the nazi
occupation of Florence. Others opponents of the ESF were the political scientist Giovanni Sartori
, a liberal critic of Silvio Berlusconi
's government but an admirer of the United States
and the film-maker Franco Zeffirelli
, whose right-wing political views were already well-known. Another group of intellectuals of various political provenance defended the ESF and signed an appeal favourable to the meeting. Among them there were the journalist Tiziano Terzani
and the organizers of the "professors' movement" (a group of university professors that had organized a demonstration and groups of discussion against Berlusconi's policies).
But in fact the European Social Forum, which occupied the historical Fortezza da Basso and other conference buildings with its 60.000 delegates didn't provoke any accidents and it ended with a huge demonstration against the war which the organizers claim included the participation of 1,000,000 people. The debate on peace
and pacifism
was felt as paramount, even if the programme of the Forum included a large specter of issues (immigration
, European Union
's constitution
, Tobin Tax
and many others). Gino Strada
, president of Emergency, the Italian association that helps civil victims of armed conflicts, a leader of the pacifist movement, was one of the most popular orators. Big NGOs such as Amnesty International
joined the ESF, together with no-global organization such as ATTAC, left-wing parliamentaries etc. At the end of the meeting even pro-globalists such as the then president of the European Commission
Romano Prodi
showed sympathy for the moderation of the movement and for its pacifist issues.
In the final assembly the call was launched for a Europe-wide day of action on what would become the February 15 Global day of action against the war
. (Stop the War:The story of Britain's biggest mass movement, Andrew Murray
and Lindsey German
, ISBN 1-905192-00-2, p. 107)
A network of volunteer translators, Babels
, was set up to interpret the event into the various languages of the people attending.
The second European Social Forum was held in Paris
in November 2003.
Organizers claim that over 50,000 people attended and that around 150,000 marched on the demonstration that was held on the last day.
In France there has been some criticism of the organization for not being open enough. The participation of the French Socialist Party, the Parti Socialiste, also raised a lot of critical voices, since the party has been one of the proponents of liberalization of markets in the 1990s, but the most prominent group at the event was the Ligue Communiste Revolutionnaire.
Some anarchist
groups organised a rival event in the city, at the same time, while a women's forum was held in the days preceding the social forum
, in order to counteract the perceived under representation of women at the first ESF it is claimed that over 3,000 women attended.
The third European Social Forum was held in London
, mostly at Alexandra Palace
, but also with events throughout the Bloomsbury
area of London
on the 15–17 October 2004.
The organisers claimed that approximately 25,000 people took part in 500 plenaries, seminars, workshops, and cultural events, which were addressed by over 2,500 speakers. Participants came from across the continent and even from beyond the boundaries of European Union
.
There was also a marked increased in participation from minority groups such as black, Asian, Muslim, and refugee networks. More women were represented on the speaker platforms than in previous forums. The forum also included for the first time a three day cultural programme http://www.noeldouglas.net/moti/images/jamming/New_Cultural_Programme.pdf organised through open submission through the ESF website.
Well known participants and speakers included Ahmed Ben Bella
, the leader of the Algerian resistance to French rule, Dr Aleida Guevara
, daughter of Che, George Galloway
, a leader of the UK anti-war movement, and Dr Mustafa Barghouti
from Palestine. Activist writers such as Susan George
, John Pilger
and George Monbiot
were prominent, and Gerry Adams
was one of many Irish figures speaking. The Forum opened with a rally in Southwark Cathedral
.
Unlike the Paris forum, in London there was initially no money provided to pay for events. Funding eventually came from the Greater London Authority
and the Mayor's office (Ken Livingstone
and his officers many of whom are in Socialist Action
), several Trade Unions such as NATFHE (the college lecturer's union), AMICUS
(a largely technical and industrial union), the Transport and General Workers Union (T&G) and UNISON
(the UK's largest public sector union), who provided funds, office space, subsidised tickets for unemployed and asylum seeker attendees and paid for some of the meeting space at Alexandra Palace.
The Socialist Workers Party
, Globalise Resistance
, the Tobin Tax Network and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
were central to bringing the event to London.
Other groups, for instance the London Social Forum, felt that the main organizing approach was too top-down and instead set up "horizontally" organised fringe events. These were known as the 'autonomous' or 'beyond' ESF events and participants ranged from non-governmental organisations, political parties
such as the Green Party
, to unaligned anarchists
and socialists.
The Millennium Dome
was turned into a giant hostel for over 5,000 participants to sleep in during the course of the event.
Subhi al Mashadani, the leader of the Iraqi Federation of Trade Unions
, was due to speak in a meeting on the Iraq war, but never got to speak. He was shouted down by some members of the audience who felt he was collaborating with the occupation and surged towards the stage when he attempted to address the 2,000 strong audience. The ESF's security took no chances and dragged a furious Mashadani from the stage for his own protection. The "End the Occupation" session was stopped, a first in the history of the ESF.
Later in the day an intervention was made by some of those who had been involved with the autonomous spaces during a meeting on anti-fascism
. They intended to invade the stage while the Mayor of London
Ken Livingstone
(who opposed the invasion of Iraq in 2003
but is a member of the Labour Party
which supported it) gave a speech. In fact, Ken Livingstone had already decided not to speak at the event, this being attributed by the National Assembly Against Racism
to threats from anarchists but the intervention went ahead. The SWP's Weyman Bennett, a steering member of Unite Against Fascism
and chair of the meeting, claimed that he was assaulted by an anarchist. A banner was hung up stating "Ken's Party > War Party" and the stage was turned into an open-microphone event with speeches against the 'vertical' organisation of the ESF, the war in Iraq, and recent attacks on freedom of speech
by the FBI (such as taking Indymedia servers down with international articles). After the intervention, the originally planned meeting about anti-fascism
went ahead but with a reduced audience. This echoed attempts by anarchists to attack French Socialist Party speakers in the Paris forum, an attack that was stopped by security.
The end of the forum saw a massive international demonstration through central London and a rally at Trafalgar Square
. However, the Metropolitan Police
arrested a number of anarchists on their way to this event. Javier Ruis was arrested at the Rally itself. He subsequently claimed that the West Essex Zapatista were responsible for the threats against Ken Livingstone, claiming that this was an example of Neoist
Invisible Theatre. The size of the rally was seen as a sign of its success as an event, though many European critics noted that all of the speakers were British and chosen by the British organisers. Estimations of the numbers present ranged from 70,000 to 100,000 people. Speakers called for an end to war, racism and privatisation. They advocated peace and social justice for Europe.
The fourth European Social Forum was held in Athens
, Greece
on 4–7 May 2006. According to the organizers, more than 35,000 registered. The demonstration on 7 May, Saturday afternoon, was announced by the media to have a participation of 80,000 demonstrators, a record in Athens since the anti-war mobilisation on February 15, 2003.
, Sweden
on 17–21 September 2008. Approximately 20 000 people were expected to participate in the forum.
, Turkey
, on 1–4 July 2010.
, the countries that have permitted "free trade
and liberal politics", "have seen poverty and need decline, in some cases dramatically". "As the NGOs of rich countries oppose globalization by signs, slogans and stone storms in the name of poor countries, Africans and Asians call for more free trade, capitalism
and globalization
." According to a study by the "respected Pew Research Center" of 40 000 people, almost everywhere, particularly in Africa and Asia, a majority of people has a positive attitude on globalization".
and Fidel Castro
were praised. 300 of the demonstrators were masked, although it was forbidden. The demonstrators broke bank windows, set cars on fire and threw bottles and stones.
and zionism
” use list of terrorist organizations to weaken "freedom movements, leftist organizations and solidarity groups" in "Palestina, Basque, Colombia, Greekland, Turkey, Belgium and Denmark". These lists contain Basquean ETA
, Colombian FARC, Kurdish PKK and previously also Palestinian PLO and PLFP, which are all known communist terrorist organizations except the socialist PLO, which gave up terrorism in 1988. The seminar was organized by Mikael ”micro” Cromsjö, whose blogs host "unholy alliances of right and left extremism". According to the seminar summary, a secret elite alliance has been pursuing Global Order with a single money, government and army, for hundreds if not thousands of years.
European Social Forum Activists News Agency : http://openfsm.net/projects/european-social-forum-activists-news-agency/project-home
Alter-globalization
Alter-globalization is the name of a social movement that supports global cooperation and interaction, but which opposes the negative effects of economic globalization, feeling that it often works to the detriment of, or does not...
movement (also known as the Global Justice Movement
Global Justice Movement
The Global Justice Movement is a network or constellation of globalized social movements opposing what is often known as the “corporate globalization” and promoting equal distribution of economic resources.-Movement of movements:...
). In the first few years after it started in 2002 the conference was held every year, but later it became biannual due to difficulties with finding host countries. It aims to allow social movement
Social movement
Social movements are a type of group action. They are large informal groupings of individuals or organizations focused on specific political or social issues, in other words, on carrying out, resisting or undoing a social change....
s, trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
s, NGOs, refugee
Refugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...
s, peace and anti-imperial groups, anti-racist movements, environmental movements, networks of the excluded and community campaigns from Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and the world to come together and discuss themes linked to major European and global issues, in order to coordinate campaigns, share ideas and refine organizing strategies. It emerged from the World Social Forum
World Social Forum
The World Social Forum is an annual meeting of civil society organizations, first held in Brazil, which offers a self-conscious effort to develop an alternative future through the championing of counter-hegemonic globalization...
and follows its charter of principles.
First ESF
The first forum was held in FlorenceFlorence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
in November 2002. The slogan was "Against war, racism and neo-liberalism," with specific reference to George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
's plan for regime change
Regime change
"Regime change" is the replacement of one regime with another. Use of the term dates to at least 1925.Regime change can occur through conquest by a foreign power, revolution, coup d'état or reconstruction following the failure of a state...
in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
.
Before its opening the ESF raised a large political polemy between Tuscan
Tuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
local authorities (The President of the Region Claudio Martini, although criticised on some points by no-global activists, had been a supporter of the movement since the time of the Genoa Group of Eight Summit protest) on one side and the right-wing Italian government on the other. People feared that the ESF could provoke riots and accidents as those of the Genoa Group of Eight Summit protest, from July 18 to July 22, 2001. Florentine individuals such as the controversial journalist Oriana Fallaci
Oriana Fallaci
Oriana Fallaci was an Italian journalist, author, and political interviewer. A former partisan during World War II, she had a long and successful journalistic career...
intervened in the polemics. Fallaci invited the people of Florence to shut up every shop and stay in the houses and compared the ESF to the nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
occupation of Florence. Others opponents of the ESF were the political scientist Giovanni Sartori
Giovanni Sartori
Giovanni Sartori is an Italian political scientist specialized in the study of democracy and comparative politics.-Biography:Born in Florence in 1924. Sartori began his academic career as a lecturer in the History of Modern Philosophy...
, a liberal critic of Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi , also known as Il Cavaliere – from knighthood to the Order of Merit for Labour which he received in 1977 – is an Italian politician and businessman who served three terms as Prime Minister of Italy, from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006, and 2008 to 2011. Berlusconi is also the...
's government but an admirer of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the film-maker Franco Zeffirelli
Franco Zeffirelli
Franco Zeffirelli KBE is an Italian director and producer of films and television. He is also a director and designer of operas and a former senator for the Italian center-right Forza Italia party....
, whose right-wing political views were already well-known. Another group of intellectuals of various political provenance defended the ESF and signed an appeal favourable to the meeting. Among them there were the journalist Tiziano Terzani
Tiziano Terzani
Tiziano Terzani was an Italian journalist and writer, best known for his extensive knowledge of 20th century East Asia and for being one of the very few western reporters to witness both the fall of Saigon to the hands of the Vietcong and the fall of Phnom Pehn at the hands of the Khmer rouge in...
and the organizers of the "professors' movement" (a group of university professors that had organized a demonstration and groups of discussion against Berlusconi's policies).
But in fact the European Social Forum, which occupied the historical Fortezza da Basso and other conference buildings with its 60.000 delegates didn't provoke any accidents and it ended with a huge demonstration against the war which the organizers claim included the participation of 1,000,000 people. The debate on peace
Peace
Peace is a state of harmony characterized by the lack of violent conflict. Commonly understood as the absence of hostility, peace also suggests the existence of healthy or newly healed interpersonal or international relationships, prosperity in matters of social or economic welfare, the...
and pacifism
Pacifism
Pacifism is the opposition to war and violence. The term "pacifism" was coined by the French peace campaignerÉmile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress inGlasgow in 1901.- Definition :...
was felt as paramount, even if the programme of the Forum included a large specter of issues (immigration
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
, European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
's constitution
Constitution
A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...
, Tobin Tax
Tobin tax
A Tobin tax, suggested by Nobel Laureate economist James Tobin, was originally defined as a tax on all spot conversions of one currency into another...
and many others). Gino Strada
Gino Strada
Gino Strada is an Italian war surgeon and founder of the UN-recognized Italian NGO Emergency. Emergency has operated in thirteen war-torn countries, including Iraq, Afghanistan, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Cambodia, and the Central African Republic.- Biography :Dr...
, president of Emergency, the Italian association that helps civil victims of armed conflicts, a leader of the pacifist movement, was one of the most popular orators. Big NGOs such as Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
joined the ESF, together with no-global organization such as ATTAC, left-wing parliamentaries etc. At the end of the meeting even pro-globalists such as the then president of the European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
Romano Prodi
Romano Prodi
Romano Prodi is an Italian politician and statesman. He served as the Prime Minister of Italy, from 17 May 1996 to 21 October 1998 and from 17 May 2006 to 8 May 2008...
showed sympathy for the moderation of the movement and for its pacifist issues.
In the final assembly the call was launched for a Europe-wide day of action on what would become the February 15 Global day of action against the war
February 15, 2003 anti-war protest
The February 15, 2003 anti-war protest was a coordinated day of protests across the world expressing opposition to the then-imminent Iraq War. It was part of a series of protests and political events that had begun in 2002 and continued as the war took place....
. (Stop the War:The story of Britain's biggest mass movement, Andrew Murray
Andrew Murray
Andrew or Andy Murray may refer to: * Andrew Murray, often spelt Andrew Moray, leader of the Scots during the Scottish Wars of Independence...
and Lindsey German
Lindsey German
Lindsey German is the convenor of the British anti-war organisation Stop the War Coalition and a former member of the central committee of the Socialist Workers Party. She was editor of Socialist Review for twenty years until 2004...
, ISBN 1-905192-00-2, p. 107)
A network of volunteer translators, Babels
Babels
Babels is an international network of volunteer interpreters and translators that was born out of the European Social Forum process and whose main objective is to cover the interpreting needs of the various Social Forums...
, was set up to interpret the event into the various languages of the people attending.
Second ESF
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in November 2003.
Organizers claim that over 50,000 people attended and that around 150,000 marched on the demonstration that was held on the last day.
In France there has been some criticism of the organization for not being open enough. The participation of the French Socialist Party, the Parti Socialiste, also raised a lot of critical voices, since the party has been one of the proponents of liberalization of markets in the 1990s, but the most prominent group at the event was the Ligue Communiste Revolutionnaire.
Some anarchist
Anarchism
Anarchism is generally defined as the political philosophy which holds the state to be undesirable, unnecessary, and harmful, or alternatively as opposing authority in the conduct of human relations...
groups organised a rival event in the city, at the same time, while a women's forum was held in the days preceding the social forum
Social forum
A Social Forum is an open meeting place for civil society organizations and individuals opposed to neoliberalism and the domination of the world by capital and imperialism. The first Social Forum was the World Social Forum held in January 2001 in Porto Alegre. It was designed as a counter forum to...
, in order to counteract the perceived under representation of women at the first ESF it is claimed that over 3,000 women attended.
Third ESF
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, mostly at Alexandra Palace
Alexandra Palace
Alexandra Palace is a building in North London, England. It stands in Alexandra Park, in an area between Hornsey, Muswell Hill and Wood Green...
, but also with events throughout the Bloomsbury
Bloomsbury
-Places:* Bloomsbury is an area in central London.* Bloomsbury , related local government unit* Bloomsbury, New Jersey, New Jersey, USA* Bloomsbury , listed on the NRHP in Maryland...
area of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on the 15–17 October 2004.
The organisers claimed that approximately 25,000 people took part in 500 plenaries, seminars, workshops, and cultural events, which were addressed by over 2,500 speakers. Participants came from across the continent and even from beyond the boundaries of European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
.
There was also a marked increased in participation from minority groups such as black, Asian, Muslim, and refugee networks. More women were represented on the speaker platforms than in previous forums. The forum also included for the first time a three day cultural programme http://www.noeldouglas.net/moti/images/jamming/New_Cultural_Programme.pdf organised through open submission through the ESF website.
Well known participants and speakers included Ahmed Ben Bella
Ahmed Ben Bella
Mohamed Ahmed Ben Bella was a soldier and Algerian revolutionary, who became the first President of Algeria.-Youth:...
, the leader of the Algerian resistance to French rule, Dr Aleida Guevara
Aleida Guevara
Aleida Guevara March is the eldest daughter of four children born to Ernesto "Che" Guevara and his second wife, Aleida March....
, daughter of Che, George Galloway
George Galloway
George Galloway is a British politician, author, journalist and broadcaster who was a Member of Parliament from 1987 to 2010. He was formerly an MP for the Labour Party, first for Glasgow Hillhead and later for Glasgow Kelvin, before his expulsion from the party in October 2003, the same year...
, a leader of the UK anti-war movement, and Dr Mustafa Barghouti
Mustafa Barghouti
Mustafa Barghouti is a Palestinian democracy activist. He was a candidate for the presidency of the Palestinian National Authority in 2005, finishing second to Mahmoud Abbas, with 19% of the vote.Barghouti was born in Jerusalem...
from Palestine. Activist writers such as Susan George
Susan George (political scientist)
Susan George is a well-known Franco-American political and social scientist, activist and writer on global social justice, Third World poverty, underdevelopment and debt. She is a fellow and president of the board of the Transnational Institute in Amsterdam...
, John Pilger
John Pilger
John Richard Pilger is an Australian journalist and documentary maker, based in London. He has twice won Britain's Journalist of the Year Award, and his documentaries have received academy awards in Britain and the US....
and George Monbiot
George Monbiot
George Joshua Richard Monbiot is an English writer, known for his environmental and political activism. He lives in Machynlleth, Wales, writes a weekly column for The Guardian, and is the author of a number of books, including Captive State: The Corporate Takeover of Britain and Bring on the...
were prominent, and Gerry Adams
Gerry Adams
Gerry Adams is an Irish republican politician and Teachta Dála for the constituency of Louth. From 1983 to 1992 and from 1997 to 2011, he was an abstentionist Westminster Member of Parliament for Belfast West. He is the president of Sinn Féin, the second largest political party in Northern...
was one of many Irish figures speaking. The Forum opened with a rally in Southwark Cathedral
Southwark Cathedral
Southwark Cathedral or The Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Saviour and St Mary Overie, Southwark, London, lies on the south bank of the River Thames close to London Bridge....
.
Unlike the Paris forum, in London there was initially no money provided to pay for events. Funding eventually came from the Greater London Authority
Greater London Authority
The Greater London Authority is the top-tier administrative body for Greater London, England. It consists of a directly elected executive Mayor of London, currently Boris Johnson, and an elected 25-member London Assembly with scrutiny powers...
and the Mayor's office (Ken Livingstone
Ken Livingstone
Kenneth Robert "Ken" Livingstone is an English politician who is currently a member of the centrist to centre-left Labour Party...
and his officers many of whom are in Socialist Action
Socialist Action (UK)
Socialist Action is a small Trotskyist group in the United Kingdom. From the mid-1980s Socialist Action became an entryist organisation, attempting to take over other organisations, with members using code names and not revealing their affiliation....
), several Trade Unions such as NATFHE (the college lecturer's union), AMICUS
Amicus
Amicus was the United Kingdom's second-largest trade union, and the largest private sector union, formed by the merger of Manufacturing Science and Finance, the AEEU agreed in 2001, and two smaller unions, UNIFI and the GPMU...
(a largely technical and industrial union), the Transport and General Workers Union (T&G) and UNISON
UNISON
UNISON is the largest trade union in the United Kingdom with over 1.3 million members.The union was formed in 1993 when three public sector trade unions, the National and Local Government Officers Association , the National Union of Public Employees and the Confederation of Health Service...
(the UK's largest public sector union), who provided funds, office space, subsidised tickets for unemployed and asylum seeker attendees and paid for some of the meeting space at Alexandra Palace.
The Socialist Workers Party
Socialist Workers Party (Britain)
The Socialist Workers Party is a far left party in Britain founded by Tony Cliff. The SWP's student section has groups at a number of universities...
, Globalise Resistance
Globalise Resistance
Globalise Resistance is a British anti-capitalist activist group. The group was established after the emergence of the anti-globalisation movement and sought to bring together a broad array of organisations opposed to neo-liberal capitalism and corporate power.The group has organised conferences...
, the Tobin Tax Network and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament is an anti-nuclear organisation that advocates unilateral nuclear disarmament by the United Kingdom, international nuclear disarmament and tighter international arms regulation through agreements such as the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty...
were central to bringing the event to London.
Other groups, for instance the London Social Forum, felt that the main organizing approach was too top-down and instead set up "horizontally" organised fringe events. These were known as the 'autonomous' or 'beyond' ESF events and participants ranged from non-governmental organisations, political parties
Political Parties
Political Parties: A Sociological Study of the Oligarchical Tendencies of Modern Democracy is a book by sociologist Robert Michels, published in 1911 , and first introducing the concept of iron law of oligarchy...
such as the Green Party
Green Party of England and Wales
The Green Party of England and Wales is a political party in England and Wales which follows the traditions of Green politics and maintains a strong commitment to social progressivism. It is the largest Green party in the United Kingdom, containing within it various regional divisions including...
, to unaligned anarchists
Anarchism
Anarchism is generally defined as the political philosophy which holds the state to be undesirable, unnecessary, and harmful, or alternatively as opposing authority in the conduct of human relations...
and socialists.
The Millennium Dome
Millennium Dome
The Millennium Dome, colloquially referred to simply as The Dome or even The O2 Arena, is the original name of a large dome-shaped building, originally used to house the Millennium Experience, a major exhibition celebrating the beginning of the third millennium...
was turned into a giant hostel for over 5,000 participants to sleep in during the course of the event.
Iraqi Federation of Trade Unions
The Iraqi Federation of Trade Unions is the largest union federation in Iraq and the only officially recognized trade union body. It was formed in the aftermath of the Iraq War by several groups, most prominently the Iraqi Communist Party, which wished to disassociate itself from the National...
, was due to speak in a meeting on the Iraq war, but never got to speak. He was shouted down by some members of the audience who felt he was collaborating with the occupation and surged towards the stage when he attempted to address the 2,000 strong audience. The ESF's security took no chances and dragged a furious Mashadani from the stage for his own protection. The "End the Occupation" session was stopped, a first in the history of the ESF.
Later in the day an intervention was made by some of those who had been involved with the autonomous spaces during a meeting on anti-fascism
Anti-fascism
Anti-fascism is the opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals, such as that of the resistance movements during World War II. The related term antifa derives from Antifaschismus, which is German for anti-fascism; it refers to individuals and groups on the left of the political...
. They intended to invade the stage while the Mayor of London
Mayor of London
The Mayor of London is an elected politician who, along with the London Assembly of 25 members, is accountable for the strategic government of Greater London. Conservative Boris Johnson has held the position since 4 May 2008...
Ken Livingstone
Ken Livingstone
Kenneth Robert "Ken" Livingstone is an English politician who is currently a member of the centrist to centre-left Labour Party...
(who opposed the invasion of Iraq in 2003
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
but is a member of the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
which supported it) gave a speech. In fact, Ken Livingstone had already decided not to speak at the event, this being attributed by the National Assembly Against Racism
National Assembly Against Racism
The National Assembly Against Racism is or was a British anti-racist and anti-fascist group.-External links:...
to threats from anarchists but the intervention went ahead. The SWP's Weyman Bennett, a steering member of Unite Against Fascism
Unite Against Fascism
Unite Against Fascism is an anti-fascist pressure group in the United Kingdom, with support from politicians of all mainstream UK political parties...
and chair of the meeting, claimed that he was assaulted by an anarchist. A banner was hung up stating "Ken's Party > War Party" and the stage was turned into an open-microphone event with speeches against the 'vertical' organisation of the ESF, the war in Iraq, and recent attacks on freedom of speech
Freedom of speech
Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship. The term freedom of expression is sometimes used synonymously, but includes any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used...
by the FBI (such as taking Indymedia servers down with international articles). After the intervention, the originally planned meeting about anti-fascism
Anti-fascism
Anti-fascism is the opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals, such as that of the resistance movements during World War II. The related term antifa derives from Antifaschismus, which is German for anti-fascism; it refers to individuals and groups on the left of the political...
went ahead but with a reduced audience. This echoed attempts by anarchists to attack French Socialist Party speakers in the Paris forum, an attack that was stopped by security.
The end of the forum saw a massive international demonstration through central London and a rally at Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square is a public space and tourist attraction in central London, England, United Kingdom. At its centre is Nelson's Column, which is guarded by four lion statues at its base. There are a number of statues and sculptures in the square, with one plinth displaying changing pieces of...
. However, the Metropolitan Police
Metropolitan police
Metropolitan Police is a generic title for the municipal police force for a major metropolitan area, and it may be part of the official title of the force...
arrested a number of anarchists on their way to this event. Javier Ruis was arrested at the Rally itself. He subsequently claimed that the West Essex Zapatista were responsible for the threats against Ken Livingstone, claiming that this was an example of Neoist
Neoism
Neoism is a parodistic -ism. It refers both to a specific subcultural network of artistic performance and media experimentalists, and more generally to a practical underground philosophy...
Invisible Theatre. The size of the rally was seen as a sign of its success as an event, though many European critics noted that all of the speakers were British and chosen by the British organisers. Estimations of the numbers present ranged from 70,000 to 100,000 people. Speakers called for an end to war, racism and privatisation. They advocated peace and social justice for Europe.
Fourth ESF
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
on 4–7 May 2006. According to the organizers, more than 35,000 registered. The demonstration on 7 May, Saturday afternoon, was announced by the media to have a participation of 80,000 demonstrators, a record in Athens since the anti-war mobilisation on February 15, 2003.
Fifth ESF
The fifth European Social Forum was held in MalmöMalmö
Malmö , in the southernmost province of Scania, is the third most populous city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg.Malmö is the seat of Malmö Municipality and the capital of Skåne County...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
on 17–21 September 2008. Approximately 20 000 people were expected to participate in the forum.
Sixth ESF
The sixth European Social Forum was held in IstanbulIstanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, on 1–4 July 2010.
"Rich western groups oppose capitalism, African and Asian people want more capitalism"
According to the big Swedish newspaper SydsvenskanSydsvenskan
-External links:*...
, the countries that have permitted "free trade
Free trade
Under a free trade policy, prices emerge from supply and demand, and are the sole determinant of resource allocation. 'Free' trade differs from other forms of trade policy where the allocation of goods and services among trading countries are determined by price strategies that may differ from...
and liberal politics", "have seen poverty and need decline, in some cases dramatically". "As the NGOs of rich countries oppose globalization by signs, slogans and stone storms in the name of poor countries, Africans and Asians call for more free trade, capitalism
Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
and globalization
Globalization
Globalization refers to the increasingly global relationships of culture, people and economic activity. Most often, it refers to economics: the global distribution of the production of goods and services, through reduction of barriers to international trade such as tariffs, export fees, and import...
." According to a study by the "respected Pew Research Center" of 40 000 people, almost everywhere, particularly in Africa and Asia, a majority of people has a positive attitude on globalization".
"Destruction and terrorist praising"
In the demonstrations of the European Social Forum 2008 in Malmö, terrorists and dictators such as Abdullah ÖcalanAbdullah Öcalan
Abdullah Öcalan , Kurdish founder of the terrorist organization called Kurdistan Workers' Party in 1978.Öcalan was captured in Nairobi and extradited to the Turkish security force, and sentenced to death under Article 125 of the Turkish Penal Code, which concerns the formation of armed gangs...
and Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
were praised. 300 of the demonstrators were masked, although it was forbidden. The demonstrators broke bank windows, set cars on fire and threw bottles and stones.
Terrorism and extremism
Big newspaper Sydsvenskan considered it "disgusting" that ESF 2008 hosted a panel discussion on how ”imperialismImperialism
Imperialism, as defined by Dictionary of Human Geography, is "the creation and/or maintenance of an unequal economic, cultural, and territorial relationships, usually between states and often in the form of an empire, based on domination and subordination." The imperialism of the last 500 years,...
and zionism
Zionism
Zionism is a Jewish political movement that, in its broadest sense, has supported the self-determination of the Jewish people in a sovereign Jewish national homeland. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, the Zionist movement continues primarily to advocate on behalf of the Jewish state...
” use list of terrorist organizations to weaken "freedom movements, leftist organizations and solidarity groups" in "Palestina, Basque, Colombia, Greekland, Turkey, Belgium and Denmark". These lists contain Basquean ETA
ETA
ETA , an acronym for Euskadi Ta Askatasuna is an armed Basque nationalist and separatist organization. The group was founded in 1959 and has since evolved from a group promoting traditional Basque culture to a paramilitary group with the goal of gaining independence for the Greater Basque Country...
, Colombian FARC, Kurdish PKK and previously also Palestinian PLO and PLFP, which are all known communist terrorist organizations except the socialist PLO, which gave up terrorism in 1988. The seminar was organized by Mikael ”micro” Cromsjö, whose blogs host "unholy alliances of right and left extremism". According to the seminar summary, a secret elite alliance has been pursuing Global Order with a single money, government and army, for hundreds if not thousands of years.
First ESF
- European Social Forum: Meeting of a Multitude, Tom Behan, Andrew Stone, Socialist ReviewSocialist ReviewThe Socialist Review is the monthly magazine of the British Socialist Workers Party. As well as being printed it is also published online.-Original publication: 1950-1962:...
, November 2002
Second ESF
- European Social Forum: Paris on My Mind, Gill Hubbard, Socialist ReviewSocialist ReviewThe Socialist Review is the monthly magazine of the British Socialist Workers Party. As well as being printed it is also published online.-Original publication: 1950-1962:...
, December 2003 - Rattling the Bars, George Monbiot, originally Published in The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
18 November 2003
Third ESF
- ESF: Debating the challenges for its future Newsletter collecting articles and reflections on the 3rd ESF
- Great success of London ESF, Alex CallinicosAlex CallinicosAlexander Theodore Callinicos is a Trotskyist political theorist, a member of the Central Committee of the Socialist Workers Party and its International Secretary, and is Director of the Centre for European Studies at King's College London...
, Socialist WorkerSocialist WorkerSocialist Worker is the name of several socialist/communist newspapers associated with the International Socialist Tendency...
, 23 October 2004 - Old tricks from the hard left, Paul KingsnorthPaul KingsnorthPaul Kingsnorth is an English writer. He lives in Cumbria, England.Kingsnorth attended the Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe from 1985–1991, and then went on to study modern history at Oxford University between 1991 and 1994...
, New StatesmanNew StatesmanNew Statesman is a British centre-left political and cultural magazine published weekly in London. Founded in 1913, and connected with leading members of the Fabian Society, the magazine reached a circulation peak in the late 1960s....
, 25 October 2004, - The ethics of engagement revisited: remembering the ESF 2004, Emma Dowling, Ephemera: theory & politics in organization, May 2005
- Young people are highly political Matthew Tempest talks to the mayor of London, Ken LivingstoneKen LivingstoneKenneth Robert "Ken" Livingstone is an English politician who is currently a member of the centrist to centre-left Labour Party...
about the ESF, 14 October 2004 - Building on the Success of the London ESF Globalise ResistanceGlobalise ResistanceGlobalise Resistance is a British anti-capitalist activist group. The group was established after the emergence of the anti-globalisation movement and sought to bring together a broad array of organisations opposed to neo-liberal capitalism and corporate power.The group has organised conferences...
2004
Fifth ESF
- Official page of the ESF 2008 in Malmö
- Official networking platform and collaborative working space of the ESF
External links
- Official ESF process site
- Official ESF 2008 site
- Collaborative site for preparation of ESF activities and proposals
- E-library on the social forums (developed by euromovements.info)
- Official Athens ESF site
- Online version of 'The World Social Forum: challenging empires' (ed. Jai Sen, Anita Anand, Arturo Escobar, Peter Waterman)
- Online journal issue on 'The Organisation and Politics of Social Forums' (ed. Steffen Boehm, Sian Sullivan and Oscar Reyes)
- Unofficial ESF 2004 site
- Wikiforum: Wiki on the European social forum process
European Social Forum Activists News Agency : http://openfsm.net/projects/european-social-forum-activists-news-agency/project-home