ESF: Where next?

Submitted by on 20 November, 2002 - 9:50

After the Florence European Social Forum, Michaela Collins continues her analysis of the Social Forums, by asking: where do we go from here?
At the centre of the ESF was the million- person march against the War on Iraq. This sums up both the problems and the potential of the Social Forums.

It's impossible not to be moved and inspired by that mass of humanity. The section I marched with was overwhelmingly proletarian and political. They have resisted overwhelming media manipulation and intimidation. In Italy, Berlusconi effectively owns both the state and the media. They have held onto a vision of another world being possible.

But how do you organise that million (and others back home) into an effective force for bringing that alternative world into being? It was a massive show of opposition, but will it have any effect whatever? George W Bush certainly doesn't seem to have noticed.

Arguably, it is the power of these movements to work imperceptibly but inexorably, through a thousand channels, shifting consciousness by minute degrees, that is their strength. That is the idea espoused by some of the ESF organisers and underlies the theory of "cross-contamination" of Rifondazione, who were substantially responsible for mobilising for both the Forum and the demo. But that idea comes up against the problem of every spontaneist, non-hierarchical movement - what is to be done about organisation, and the fact that the absence of formal structures does not guarantee against invisible hierarchies.

The march was followed, on the Sunday by an Assembly which was to point the future direction for the ESF. Thousands of activists listened to rally-type speeches from pre-selected speakers. Presumably these were chosen at the mobilising meetings held in various European cities leading up to the Forum. The organisation behind the Forum was anything but transparent.

Noticeably, the speakers from England were all from the SWP in their Globalise Resistance or Stop the War Coalition, hats. The English mobilisation meetings had been SWP-dominated, as had the English "delegation" to the European mobilising meetings.

The domination of the various countries' mobilisations by one particular group belies the rhetoric of the Social Forums being about movements rather than parties. The decision that the Forums be non-deliberative again covertly favours certain strands of opinion against others.
"Broad consensus" politics can exclude radical, working class, Marxist or minority views on that basis that we don't want to alienate the "middle ground". The final declaration, for example, nowhere explicitly indicted capitalism, though I'm pretty sure the majority of participants see themselves as anti-capitalist. There is no sense of "how" another world will come into being; nor any more explict recognition that capitalism may resist our resistance.

Talking to people who had been at both the World Social Forum in Porto Alegre and the European Social Forum, they reckoned the European event was more political, more open to class politics. Certainly, there were vast numbers of union banners on the demo (mainly CGIL and COBAS, the radical union federations, and those unions had organised a general strike earlier in the year. The basis does exist for a united European working class movement that can begin to articulate its own alternative to capitalism.
Part of the anti-party feeling derives from disgust at the record of the traditional workers' parties ("socialist", "social democratic"' and "communist"). They have run governments, either alone or in coalition with explicitly capitalist parties, which have consistently put the interests of capital over those of the workers who elected them. The disgust is understandable, but it can lead to anti-democratic practices which ultimately put the movement in the hands of softer variants of those same interests, who will hope to use the moral weight of the Social Forums as a bargaining lever to mitigate the worst effects of capitalism without fundamentally challenging the system.

The working class has had to re-invent democracy every time it goes into struggle. If Social Forums are to be built in each country, the first thing that must happen is that they are built on the basis of genuine democracy, not covert domination by one particular group. They need to be actively engaged in building the alternative world which we believe is possible, through working class solidarity.

Some unions, notably in transport, have begun building real international links. These need to be extended at every level. If the fire fighters' dispute continues, this could be a first show of the ESF's ability to mobilise international workers' solidarity.

One of the suggestions to come out of the No Sweat workshop was for International Women's Day next year to be declared a Day of Solidarity with Women in Sweatshops. This would seem to be a positive way that "cross-contamination" can work practically between the labour movement, women's and anti-sweatshop campaigns.

Comments

Submitted by vickim on Fri, 22/11/2002 - 19:17

Well, the mysterious forces have begun preparations for ESF 2003 which takes place in November in St Denis near Paris. Here's a mailing I got from them, with some attempt to address the problems of accountability. But they do not pronounce on the political groups' exclusion question. And 'leaving up to the nations' how they organise their national mobilising committees looks like a recipe for more of the same for the UK. I'll post some details for the preparatory meeting mentioned on 7/8 December.-Vicki

"European Social Forum 2003, Paris/Saint-Denis

Proposal to create a European organisational structure

This text was approved at the meeting of the French Mobilisation Committee on the 21st October.

The French Mobilisation Committee will organise a meeting open to all organisations and networks in Europe involved in the European Social Forum 2002 and the World Social Forum. The meeting will take place on the 7th and 8th of December 2002, with the aim of agreeing the setting up of a European Steering Committee.

1. Dates for ESF 2003

Opening: Wednesday 12th November 2003

Closure: Sunday 16th November 2003

2. Venues

Paris and Saint-Denis.

We are working on a framework similar to that of Florence. This will involve: Plenary sessions in the mornings, each accommodating around 2000 people, which could take place in Paris or in Saint-Denis Around 40 seminars in the afternoons, shared equally between several sites (if possible, up to a maximum of 4 or 5). A central location (with stalls, a meeting area, a press area, and a certain number of seminars): in the Grande Halle de la Villette. An opening session: in Paris, at the Zénith complex A closing session: in Saint-Denis, at the Stade de France (feasibility still to be confirmed)

3. The elements of a representative structure

The European Social Forum 2003 will be the second held on the European continent. To guarantee its success, we propose to set up structures that are as united as possible to prepare the event. This will allow us to bring together all the social movements, networks, associations and organisations supportive of this proposal, of the project and of the Charter of Principles of the World Social Forum. We are addressing our call to the following social organisations and movements:

- trades unions

- community movements involved in popular education and local development

- international solidarity organisations

- organisations working against social exclusion

- human rights organisations

- organisations of environmentalists and ecologists

- farmers organisations

- economic networks offering social solidarity

- youth organisations

- migrant organisations

- cultural networks

- feminist networks - networks of researchers and lecturers

In order to create the most representative structures possible to carry out the preparations, both at a European and an individual country level, we need to bring together the continental networks of the diverse movements, as well as the National Mobilisation Committees.

4. Proposed structures

We propose to set up 4 bodies, aiming to combine genuine representation with organisational efficiency, and allowing for decision taking processes which are both transparent and democratic.

4.1 A European Steering Committee

The role of the European Steering Committee is to take the major decisions on the programme, the themes for debates, the speakers, etc. It will be composed of representatives of European networks and of the National Mobilisation Committees. Its composition must reflect the balance outlined above (diversity of movements and networks, diversity of representation from countries, particularly Eastern Europe and the Balkans). It should ensure that women are properly represented among the delegates. The Steering Committee is an open structure whose composition will be decided in a transparent manner, and whose membership list will be in the public domain. In order to assure the continuity of its work it is highly desirable, if not indispensable, to seek continuity within the Committee's membership. The Committee could contain around 100 people. That does not exclude a certain flexibility, as the process of preparation ahead will extend over a year, from autumn 2002 to autumn 2003. The expenses for participating in meetings (travel, accommodation) will normally be the responsibility of the networks, collectives or organisations that send the delegates. We also propose the establishment of a solidarity fund to encourage the participation of organisations that lack financial means, notably the social movements of Eastern Europe and movements of the socially excluded.

4.2 National Mobilisation Committees

Each country will organise as it sees fit, but it seems important to us to encourage the creation of National Mobilisation Committees, which will act as links with the French Mobilisation Committee and the European Steering Committee. These National Committees will be represented on the European Steering Committee. The French Mobilisation Committee is constituted on the basis on a united appeal (a short declaration signed by all of the French organisations committed to this proposal): it remains open so that organisations not present at the launch can join the process later. We must work to ensure that all types of social movements are contacted. The creation of this Committee must encourage the development of initiatives at local level, favouring the creation of regional collectives. These regional collectives will participate in the National Mobilisation Committee.

4.3 The Secretariat

The organisation's Secretariat will be responsible for all the tasks of preparation, co-ordination (notably with the relevant local councils) and the material organisation of ESF 2003. It will work under the political direction of the European Steering Committee (which will guarantee its functioning), and in close liaison with the French Mobilisation Committee. Its constitution must also reflect a balance between the different social movements. The essential criterion for membership will be the necessary availability for the role (around 1 day per week) so that it can take on the demanding tasks described above. The group could unite with other teams to take on specialised work. Its composition could be around 20 people. 4.4 A financial organisation

It has been decided to set up an organisation to finance ESF 2003. Its sole remit will be to collect funds and to utilise them according to the decisions of the European Steering Committee and the French Mobilisation Committee."

Submitted by vickim on Fri, 22/11/2002 - 19:25

Cher(e)s ami(e)s,

Après le Forum social mondial (FSM) de Porto Alegre qui a montré la force du mouvement citoyen mondial et après le succès du premier

Forum social européen (FSE) à Florence et son impressionnante manifestation, c'est en France qu'aura lieu le deuxième FSE en novembre 2003.

En France, un Comité d'initiative pour le FSE 2003 s'est mis en place. Il rassemble des acteurs très divers de la société civile française qui, ensemble, veulent affirmer et montrer qu' " un autre monde est possible ".

Ce Comité d'initiative organise les 7 et 8 décembre 2002 une réunion ouverte à toutes les organisations et réseaux européens de la société

civile : syndicats, mouvements citoyens, d'éducation populaire, de développement local, associations de solidarité internationale,

environnementalistes, de droits humains, réseaux de l'économie sociale et solidaire, mouvements de " sans " et de lutte contre les exclusions, de jeunes, de migrants, de paysans, de pacifistes, réseaux culturels, féministes, de chercheurs et universitaires engagés dans le FSM et le FSE afin de :

- discuter une proposition de mise en place d'un cadre de travail européen pour le FSE 2003 de Paris et Saint-Denis (voir document

ci-joint),

- mettre en place un " conseil d'orientations européen du FSE 2003 ".

La réunion aura lieu à la Bourse du travail de Saint-Denis : 9-11 rue Génin 93200 Saint-Denis (voir plan ci-joint) les samedi et dimanche 7

et 8 décembre 2002.

Horaires :

Le 7 décembre de 10 heures du matin à 20 heures le soir.

Le 8 décembre de 9 heures le matin à 14 heures l'après-midi.

Nous vous remercions de faire circuler cette information aux organisations ou réseaux de la société civile que vous pensez pouvoir

être intéressés.

Nous vous remercions aussi de confirmer votre participation auprès de:

Virginie Peron : fse2003@ldh-france.org

Ensemble, agissons pour qu'une autre Europe et un autre monde soient possibles !

Le Comité d'initiative

français pour le FSE 2003

Submitted by vickim on Fri, 22/11/2002 - 19:35

The French organising committee is organising on the 7th and 8th December 2002 a meeting open to all organisations and European networks of civil society (?!): unions, citizens movements, state education, local development, international solidarity organisations, environmentalists, human rights activists, social economy networks, immigrants groups, peasants, pacifists, cultural groups, feminists, academics engaged in the World and European Social Forums... in order to:

- discuss the proposal to set up a group to work towards the ESF 2003 in Paris and Saint-Denis;

- to set up a "European steering group" for ESF 2003.

The meeting will take place at the Labour Exchange in Saint-Denis: 9-11 rue Génin 93200 Saint-Denis, on Saturday 7 and Sunday 9 December.

Times:

Saturday 7 December 10am to 8pm

Sunday 8 December 9am to 2pm

Please circulate this information to groups you think might be interested.

Please let us know if you will be taking part in the meeting by emailing Virginie Peron: fse2003@ldh-france.org

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