Read this website first, before you believe any of the propaganda for the European Social Forum...

I'm not involved in the ESF and haven't even decided whether or not I'll attend. But the linked Paul Treanor article is complete crap - it seems like somebody who receives all his information through a strange filter and does not actually have any contact with anybody in the social 'movements'. I've come across some of his articles before and they are almost always counter-intuitive and twist logic to support strange positions...

My sympathies are closer to the PGA - which seems to have a lot more potential and inspiration - but the ESF is still a good forum for a wide range of people to get together and discuss things. There wil be disagreements about tactics, philosophies, goals, but what do you expect in such a broad meeting!? For more radical people not to attend will mean that they will become increasingly irrelevant outside of their own circles.

The criticisms in the treanor article seem blown out of proportion and subject more to the unusual agenda of this guy treanor than concerns of radicals. e.g his axe to grind seems to include introducing the death penalty for racists; removing human rights because of his philosophical objections; the mythology of the second world war; promoting a war between the EU and USA. Are these the most pressing concerns at the moment?

He also tries to smear the Forum by 'exposing' a list of 'sponsors'. However, almost all of these seem to be foundations and funding bodies. Their aim is not to influence the agenda. They are simply a useful source of money. You send off a detailed funding application saying "we're organising a conference about globalisation" or whatever, they give you a generous grant and then you submit a report.

A distinction has to be made between a company who sponsor things for commercial gain or to co-opt critics; and foundations who fund things because they've got a mandate to 'promote cultural discussion' or whatever.

A legitimate concern (but one which I disagree with) would be that there are more mainstream and some hierarchical groups there. But let's keep the debate to that and not bizarre questions about whether ESF will be debating whether we should uphold people's human rights against oppressive regimes or not.

Claudio Martini (DS), is hosting the ESF .
Under the title "Anonther world is possible.
The DS have been running things in Tuscany since the war ,
with one or two name changes, it's the same possee .

Before Martini goes international he should look at his own back garden, eg Tuscany. Where the environment is being devastated by his REGIME and their CORPORATE cohorts.

Their will definately be an Unofficial / unauthorised FRINGE
possibly a series of meetings, and some serious demonstrations against Martini the DS and the Italian greens (verdi) devious Charlatans, big business lackies.



Paul Treanor is spot on !

The ESF will be a great event.
It follows the massive Porto Allegre World Social Forum, where 70,000 social movement activists met, and issued a call for increased resistance to war, privatisation of the earths resources, oppression and exploitation.

Now tens of thousands of activists from accross Europe will meet in Florence for the ESF. It will be a real buzz to meet such a broad range of people from all over the continent and from every kind of protest movement. We can get things done here!

Yes, there are a few marginal individuals who have made it their full time job to smear the ESF by fanatical internet posting. Hi there, Mr Treanor! I guessed you wouldn't be able to resist posting here when I first saw this thread! Well, loads of us have listened to your point of view, it has some merits and good points. We have listened, and we are still going to the ESF.

Paul has his own authoritarian philosophical agenda. While clever and provoking, it is not shared by most of us who were on the streets of Seattle or Genova. We are going to the ESF, and we will make sure it is our voice that is heared, not the voices of those who would co-opt our movement.

The point of criticism above seems to be that some Italian reformist local councils are providing space. Yes, these reformists will have collaborated with capital and done shit. But if we had a similar event in the UK, we would probably find a labour city council to let us use a big town hall, council facilities etc.

Yes, I'm sure such a council would have a history of cuts, privatisation and sell outs. But we would still use their space - and then discuss resistance to their cuts, privatisations and sell outs!

Most people at the ESF will be protestors. Most of the seminars and workshops and speakers will be about resisting war, racism and capital. It is an event not to be missed.

Were going.

The ESF deserves a permanent link on Indymedia.

The bloody Johannesburg Summit gets a link to its official website on the front page of Indymedia! take a look!

Now, we all know about this corporate jamborree, the "World Summit on Sustainable Development" WSSD. Big buisiness and governments have organised it, and are using it to greenwash corporate power and environmental destruction.

So why does the website of the ENEMY deserve a plug on Indymedia?!!! There is a counter-summit in Jo'burg, at least their website should have a link.

In contrast to the WSSD, the ESF is one of OUR gatherings - a gathering of the movement. Indymedia is publicising a CAPITALIST summit, but ignoring a huge ANTI-CAPITALIST one!

just to let you know

the ESF and the UK mobilisation (plus the anti-war demo!) have all been proposed by me in the features mailing list and should be up soon.

noel