October/November 2003

A European Social Forum in the UK ? Action urgently required

This message comes to you from activists of the London Social Forum. It's
about some problems and issues concerning the future possibility of a European Social Forum in the UK. It ends with a statement which we ask you to sign urgently. First, some background. Please forward the message to your networks as soon as possible. As the next ESF assembly on November 10 in Paris will make a decision on this, we would urge you to e-mail us back as soon as possible, so we can circulate this statement to as many organisations and individuals as possible in Britain and Europe. Please e-mail signed statement back to  uk-esf2005@riseup.net


Background

As you probably know the second European Social Forum will take place in Paris on November 12-16. The organising group have received a proposal led by Globalise Resistance and CND to have the next ESF in the UK in 2004.

The London Social Forum activists who have put out this message in principle welcome the idea of a European Social Forum being held in the UK. However, we feel the proposal led by Globalise Resistance and CND to hold it as soon as 2004, and in London, is not something which we would support without much fuller discussion, for the following reasons:

1) The current proposal has been put forward by a small number of organisations, and drafted in haste in a 'top-down' way; there appears to have been little or no discussion with important sections of civil society, for example direct action groups, local community groups, unemployed people's groups, ethnic minority and migrant communities and faith groups. There has been no public meeting yet to discuss the proposal, which means many organisations and social actors are still excluded.

2) There is a risk that if the proposal goes ahead, it will be led and shaped by its proposers to the exclusion of others and of the politics which they represent.

3) A much larger and stronger European Social Forum could be developed given a few months longer and a fully open, transparent and democratic process for shaping the event. In particular, the emerging local social forums in London, Manchester, Sheffield, Cardiff, Newcastle and elsewhere should have a key role in drawing together groups in their areas to plan the next ESF. So far, they have been excluded.

If you share our view on this, and if you want to see an ESF which would be bigger, broader and more democratic, at a later date with more time to prepare, we ask you to endorse the statement below, as organisations or as individuals, and e-mail it to  uk-esf2005@riseup.net. All replies will then be consolidated and sent to GR/CND in good time for the November 10th meeting in Paris, with copies to the other national delegations who will meet there to coordinate planning of the next ESF to happen after Paris 2003.

We feel this is the quickest and simplest way to ensure that the organisations who have made the current proposal and other members of the international planning group are aware of the problems of the present proposal and of the support for a broader-based ESF event in Britain, preferably in 2005.

For further information about social forums see:

London Social Forum -  http://www.londonsocialforum.org

Mobilisation for the ESF -  http://www.mobilise.org.uk

European Social Forum -  http://www.fse-esf.org

UK social forum email list:  uksocialforum@lists.riseup.net


Statement to sign

We, the undersigned, in principle welcome the idea of a European Social Forum being held in the UK. As part of the World Social Forum movement, the ESF unites people from a wide range of political and social backgrounds. It brings together NGOs, trade unionists, anti-capitalists, community activists, environmentalists, concerned citizens, ordinary workers and many others in a forum to debate ideas and organise against capitalism and the forces of neo-liberalism. It is not simply a movement that opposes global injustice - it also builds practical alternatives and solutions. It is a movement that embraces our differences and acknowledges our strengths.

In this spirit of diversity and pluralism, we feel that the current moves to bring the ESF to London in 2004 are in need of a radical overhaul. The proposal so far lacks transparency and, crucially, the possibility for all interested
organisations and individuals to fully participate in its planning.

We believe that the process must be started from scratch again if it is to
be successful in making the ESF the property of all the different strands of the progressive and social justice movement in the UK. In our opinion, this cannot realistically be achieved in time to bring the ESF to the UK in 2004. Therefore, we suggest the ESF be held in 2005 in a yet to be determined city in the UK. However, we want to stress that in our opinion the ESF should take place annually and therefore suggest that Athens should host the ESF in 2004 - members of the Greek Social Forum have already indicated at various meetings that this would be possible.

Even if the ESF assembly decides on November 10 in Paris that London would be the best choice for the ESF 2004 to take place, we feel that the following steps are of absolute necessity:

1) A proper consultation process with all interested and relevant actors of civil society should begin immediately: with the trade unions, NGOs, campaign groups, cultural and community organisations, social movements and forums, political groups, left & alternative media, and faith groups.

2) During this consultation process, the question of venue and timing of the ESF in the UK should be discussed and clarified (if not London 2004). London should be considered amongst other UK locations. A realistic timetable should be drawn up, setting out key stages in the coordination and consultation process.

3) All bodies of the ESF process should from now on meet in public, be open to observers, advertise their meetings, agenda items and resolutions in advance and provide full minutes on a website for all to see. They should also operate by consensus decision-making processes and have rotating chairs/facilitators.

4) The development of local and regional social forums in the UK should be encouraged by the participants in the ESF process.

Please add your signature by emailing  uk-esf2005@riseup.net