[Media-watch] ESF Meeting

[jane herbstritt]

Invitation to attend a meeting to build for the European Social Forum in 
Paris, November 12-16 2003.

What is the European Social Forum?
The European Social Forum (ESF) is the annual European gathering of 
organisations and individuals involved in the anti-capitalist, pro-democracy 
movement.  It was inspired both by the mass demonstrations held at the 
‘group of eight’ and the World Trade Organisation meetings in Seattle, 
Prague and Genoa, and by the World Social Forum that has taken place 
annually in Porto Allegre, Brazil for the last 3 years.  The anti-capitalist 
movement had protested AGAINST capitalist structures, American imperialism 
and the anti-democratic practices of coalitions like the G8, the World Bank 
and the World Trade Organisations – now we wanted to offer an ALTERNATIVE. 
The first ESF in Florence last year was conceived as a space where we could 
imagine and debate alternative worlds where people came before profit, and 
formulate concrete proposals for effective action for change.  The event was 
a great success, with around 60,000 people attending and over 1 million 
people from across Europe joining the march on the final day against war in 
Iraq.

What organisations participate in the European Social Forum?
A vast range of organisations attended the ESF in Florence last year.  These 
included human rights organisations, NGOs, trade unions, people from the 
peace movement and the environmental movement as well as some political 
organisations.

When you register with the ESF you can either register as a delegate 
representing a particular organisations, or simply as an individual.

Get involved!
We want to encourage as many people as possible to come to Paris for this 
year’s social forum.  As part of this process, groups, organisations and 
individuals have been invited to attend ESF mobilising meetings with a view 
to co-ordinating participation for the ESF from Scotland.  To date, this 
includes: Glasgow AUT, Glasgow NUJ, T&G housing, Dundee Trades Council, 
Scottish Socialist Party, Palestinian Solidarity Campaign, No Sweat, Glasgow 
World Development Movement, Aberdeen Concept North East, Edinburgh Stop the 
War and Aberdeen Stop the War.  We aim to continue to expand this network 
and encourage greater collaboration between organisations.

These meetings have brought people together to decide:
1.	Who will be the two people from Scotland to speak in the plenary 
sessions.  The following names were put forward at our last meeting:  Bill 
Speirs STUC, Rozanne Foyer STUC, Aamer Anwar human rights lawyer, Mike 
Gonzalez Latin American academic, Rosie Kane SSP MSP.
2.	Seminars to be put forward with other European organisations.  This 
includes for example, seminar suggestions on: cultural identity in the 
social movement (with the Berberes); transnational corporations and GATs 
(with the European Observatory); war on terrorism and Islamaphobia (with 
French Citizenship and Resistance); leaders and leadership in the social 
movement (with NextGENDERation).
3.	They have also included feedback on ESF planning meetings taking place 
across Europe and attended by members of Globalise Resistance, Dundee Trades 
Council and the SSP.

If you are interested in getting more involved in mobilising organisations 
in Scotland to be involved in the ESF, you are welcome to attend our next 
meeting on Monday 8th September, 7:30p.m at Lauries Bar, Kings Street, 
Glasgow.

The ESF website is at: www.fse-esf.org

Do not hesitate to contact either Gill Hubbard, convenor Globalise 
Resistance Scotland (07985797022), or Mike Arnott, secretary Dundee Trades 
Council and on the GR steering group (07951443656) if you have any 
questions.

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