Assembly of Social Movements And Anti-Ken Livingstone Intervention
16.10.2004 21:15 | European Social Forum | Indymedia | London
This evening, grassroots activists gained entry to the official ESF and denounced the organising process from the stage of the main plenary. During a later meeting of the Assembly of Social Movements Redmond O'Neil (of the GLA) condemned the intervention, saying that the activists, who had 'outed' the problems with democracy and communication in the ESF, had attacked people and stolen mobile phones and wallets!
While its true that the table on the stage was knocked over, and someone did drop their wallet and mobile, when this was mentioned and people tried to locate the items, activists on the platform assisted in looking for them.
Many people made interventions, from a statement from Babels (the volunteer network of interpreters) to an Indymedia Volunteer, and even one of the low paid cleaning staff at Alexandra Palace during the half hour open microphone session.
The responses of the delegates waiting for the other plenary was mixed. But many were positive, particularly their reactions when they realised the stage intervention was only for half an hour and that the plenery was going to continue.
The hundreds of activists then left the plenary space to allow the planned event on fighting facism and and racism in europe to go ahead (without Ken Livingstone Mayor of London... it seems he had in fact pulled out of the panel earlier in the afternoon after news of the planned intervention filtered through).
After the hundreds of activists left Alexandra Palace, they took to the streets marching down the hill taking up the road. Soon they were met by a line of police who tried to push them out of the road and onto the pavement. In the scuffle the police hit several people and arrested at least one person.
The Assembly of Social Movements later decided to send a delegation to the police to complain about the police over reaction on the slopes of Alexandra Palace - next to the ESF.
Many people made interventions, from a statement from Babels (the volunteer network of interpreters) to an Indymedia Volunteer, and even one of the low paid cleaning staff at Alexandra Palace during the half hour open microphone session.
The responses of the delegates waiting for the other plenary was mixed. But many were positive, particularly their reactions when they realised the stage intervention was only for half an hour and that the plenery was going to continue.
The hundreds of activists then left the plenary space to allow the planned event on fighting facism and and racism in europe to go ahead (without Ken Livingstone Mayor of London... it seems he had in fact pulled out of the panel earlier in the afternoon after news of the planned intervention filtered through).
After the hundreds of activists left Alexandra Palace, they took to the streets marching down the hill taking up the road. Soon they were met by a line of police who tried to push them out of the road and onto the pavement. In the scuffle the police hit several people and arrested at least one person.
The Assembly of Social Movements later decided to send a delegation to the police to complain about the police over reaction on the slopes of Alexandra Palace - next to the ESF.
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