Beyond ESF

from email, 17 September 2008: European Social Forum is coming to Malmö and Asylgruppen (”the asylum group”) would like to take this opportunity to invite groups and people who happen to be in town anyway to a big open meeting about borders, Schengen and anything else that makes us angry. The plan is to meet, put faces to names of people working with similar issues in other countries, establish contacts, and be inspired by one another. The meeting will take place on Thursday 18:00-20:00 at St Gertrudsgatan 4: more

from email, 16 September 2008: Fort Europe looms over us. From fences with armed guards to the moat that is the Mediterranean. From an Italy where attempts are made to impose race laws against the romani, to a Sweden where deportations are celebrated with champagne and cake at the Migration Office. For these reasons and many more an action group from the European Social Forum Action Network intact a day without deportations during the European Social Forum, ESF. Thursday on the 18th will be decentralised actions as well as a larger demonstration. more

from email, 16 September 2008: It happened in the most unlikely country at a most unlikely place. The great international step forward in the repression against the global justice movement summit protests begun right in the middle of the cradle of the Swedish workers movement in Malmö. Some weeks later police were for the first time shooting at protesters in Gothenburg at an EU Summit and built a wall of containers around a counter summit, convergence center and school complex used for accomodation to end up violently storming the protest gathering arresting 456 people. more

from email, 15 September 2008: Radical Assemblies are open meetings on the activist center Utkanten. The assemblies are open discussions and participatory workshops on different topics with the purpose to exchange experiences and share information between different european activist networks. The Radical Assemblies and Utkanten is autonomous from ESF, so you dont need to pay participatory fee to ESF to take part. more

Here are some articles from external newswires filtered for the keywords: Malmo, Malmö, ESF. more

from email, 8 September 2008: During 17th - 21st September 2008 the European Social Forum will be hosted by Malmo, an event planned to give social movements and radical organizations all over Europe the opportunity to enter into dialogue with each other. More than 20,000 people are expected to attend this five-day Forum which will offer seminars, workshops, and art events, including music, all with the slogan 'Another Europe is Possible.' Simultaneously, various kinds of demonstrations, mass activities and street events will take place, some as part of the official ESF, but others outside and independent of this. The ESF 2008 Action Network is intended to co-ordinate these organizations – from other parts of Sweden and Europe – that wish to work independently and get involved in mass activities and other events in Malmo during the ESF period.  more

from email, 12 August 2008: There will be a "convergence center" in the activistcenter Utkanten, with space for assemblies, workshops and an action space. People who participate dont need to pay fee or participate in the official ESF (if they dont want to). Close to the official ESF-area there will be an open infopoint at the cafe Glassfabriken. more

from email, 12 August 2008: During 17th -21st the European Social Forum will be hosted by Malmo, an event planned to give social movements and radical organizations all over Europe the opportunity to enter into dialogue with each other. More than 20,000 people are expected to attend this five-day Forum which will offer seminars, workshops, and art events, including music, all with the slogan ‘Another Europe is Possible.’ Simultaneously, various kinds of demonstrations, mass activities and street events will take place, some as part of the official ESF, but others outside and independent of this. The ESF 2008 Action Network is intended to co-ordinate these organizations – from other parts of Sweden and Europe – that wish to work independently and get involved in mass activities and other events in Malmo during the ESF period.  more

Today, January 13 2007, police attacked the anarchist and anti-authoritarian motorbike demo in solidarity to the three comrades arrested at the social forum on May 6 2006 in Athens.

The demo was attacked by special motorbike forces (Z team) on the way back from Nikea hospital where there had been a solidarity gathering for two of the imprisoned comrades Tarasio Zadorozni and Gerasimos Kiriakopulos who are on hungerstrike.

The anti riot police squads (MAT) then stormed the comrades on the ground, 42 were taken into custody at the national security police headquarters in Athens, many of them injured, and 4 of them are still being held 9 hours later. more

Here's a communique of an anarchist collective in Athens about the role of the ESF, the Libertarian Anti-authoritarian Anarchist Forum and the anarchist demo in the morning of 6 May, the riots during the anti-war march the same afternoon, and the political consent of the ESF to state repression. Out of the 17 people arrested, 8 are facing felony charges and 4 are now imprisoned. more

People participating in the UK Local Social Forum Network met in Sheffield on the 4/5th December and found consensus on this document to be brought to the Assembly which is going to be held in Paris the 18/19 Dec 2004. more

The closing rally for the European Social Forum in London has been deeply marred by the intolerable behaviour of the British Organising Committee, and in particular by the forces that dominate it: the Socialist Workers Party, Socialist Action (the group behind London’s Mayor Ken Livingstone), and some trade unions.

Several hundred young people coming from the "autonomous spaces" (included in the programme of the Forum and who the day before had fiercely criticised, although without violence, the management of the Forum) were coming to the demonstration when the Police attacked them making four arrests (two Italians and two Greeks).  more

Working as a part of the Autonomous Spaces, the WOMBLES helped put on a 5 day and night event - Beyond ESF - at Middlesex University, Tottenham Campus in north london, with presentations, workshops, discussions from groups all over Europe as well as free live bands, cinema and food every night. In conjunction with diverse groups and individuals participating with both the official ESF and 'Beyond ESF' events, a large number of actions against state borders, racist immigration policies and authoritarian centralised control took place.  more

The relationship between the WOMBLES & the ESF process has been complex. Our involvement in the social forum discourse started when we were invited to participate in the first London Social Forum (LSF) in Oct 2003. The LSF had taken a critical position towards the various leftist parties (like the Socialist Workers Party (SWP) & their front group Globalise Resistance), who had sought to dominate the ESF mobilizing process while actively opposing local social forums. It was clear to us that there were progressive attempts to go beyond the hierarchical characteristics of traditional left politics & engage with the rise of anti-capitalism & its subsequent radicalization on a grassroots level. more

This text was discussed and prepared over a six-month period through a series of discussions, WOMBLES meetings and open forums to decide our reaction to the European Social Forum [ESF] planned for London in October 2004. Our consensus analysis decided that the ESF is incapable of achieving revolutionary change because it accepts the current hierarchical system and seeks minimalist-reformist change inside current governmental structures. We speak for our group and no-one else. more

Our involvement in the social forum discourse started when we were asked to participate in the first London Social Forum [LSF] in October 2003. The LSF had taken a critical position towards the various leftist parties (like SWP and their front-group Globalise Resistance) on the way they had dominated the ESF mobilising process. It was clear to us that there were progressive attempts by ex-leftists and academics to go beyond the hierarchical characteristics of their previous involvement in politics and engage with the rise of anti-capitalism and its subsequent radicalisation. more

«Beyond ESF» sera constitué de conférences, d'actions directes et de célébrations des cultures de résistance : un opportunité pour créer une alternative, un mouvement social d'une imagination et d'une créativité infinies, contre l'apathie de la culture capitaliste. Nous sommes pour une vie nouvelle, un monde nouveau, à construire à partir de la coquille décadente du vieux monde.  more

Beyond ESF sarà in parte workshop, in parte azione diretta, in parte celebrazione delle culture di resistenza - una opportunità di creare un alternativa; Un movimento sociale di infinita immaginazione e creatività contro l'apatia della cultura capitalistica. Noi siamo per una nuova vita, un nuovo mondo, creato dal guscio marcio del vecchio. more

"Beyond ESF" (Mas allá del FSE) estará compuesto de conferencias, acciones directas, y de celebraciones de las culturas de resistencia. Una oportunidad para crear una alternativa; un movimiento social con imaginación infinita y creatividad contra la apatía de la cultura capitalista. Queremos una vida nueva, un nuevo mundo creado del podrido esqueleto del viejo. more

Το Beyond ESF θα είναι εν μέρει ένα συνέδριο, εν μέρει άμεσες δράσεις, εν μέρει ένας εορτασμός των κουλτούρων αντίστασης. Μια ευκαιρία να δημιουργήσουμε κάτι διαφορετικό, ένα κοινωνικό κίνημα με απεριόριστη φαντασία και δημιουργικότητα ενάντια στην απάθεια της καπιταλιστικής κουλτούρας. Υπάρχουμε τελικά για μια νέα ζωή, θέλουμε έναν νέο κόσμο να δημιουργηθεί από το διαβρωμένο κέλυφος του παλιού. more