This was the theme of the discussion that took place during the Sunday session of the forth Basic Democratic Network (BN) discussion weekend. The previous discussion weekend had centred around "summit hopping" in general.

This discussion was about anti-summit campaigns in the Netherlands specifically: "My summit first". This article has been compiled from the reports of the day, and from these I (Carla) have made an interpretation.

The conclusions are also largely my own.

Campaigns

A short introduction was given to the five campaigns which have taken place over the past year. I have distinguised between whether or not topic, time and place were already determined by the choice of the campaigne itself.

1. - Free Zone: actions and festivals around a topic in Amsterdam: started because it was felt that people and groups never meet each other any more and that it is difficult to find a place if you are new. The topic, time and place were self-chosen.
2. - COMODO: Committee March on the House of Orange ( a 'MA'M' style anti-monarchist movement). An external fact (Queen's Day, April 2000) was used to highlight our own struggle and to focus on nationalism and (power) hierarchies. The topic, time and place were predetermined. Loosly connected to the May 1, Global Day of Action Against Capitalism.
3. - Stank voor Bank: an external fact (the IMF/WB summit in Prague) was taken to organise two weeks of action in Holland against the power of the banks. Partly, this topic was chosen, the time was within the two week period directly before the summit, the place was not fixed. Linked to 26 September, Global Day of Action Against Capitalism.
4. - Betuwelijn: external fact (building of a highspeed railway through the Betuwe, an area of great natural significance) that was used as a launching pad for various campaigns against similar large infrastructural projects. Partly, the topic was chosen, time and place were chosen.
5. - Climate Change Summit (COP6), November 2000: External fact, which people responded to in Den Haag. The topic, time and place were fixed.

Summit hopping

Interestingly, the discussion revealed that there are numerous interpretations for the concept of 'summit hopping'. What is a 'summit' and when do you are you 'hopping'? Whatsmore, the notion of 'summit hopping within ones own country' was defined differently by different people. A deffinition of a summit: "An activity which has to a greater or a lesser extent gained public interest and which is organised by people other than the radical left." (Herman in a reader for the discussion weekend). As for 'hopping' , it is seen as thoughtlessly making sensational trips abroads, leaping from the one big summit to the next. People saw 'hopping' as something that lacks vision and that isn't part of a longer campaign, but instead is 'temporary' and 'one-off'.

A few definitions of summit hopping: "international mobilisation around the meetings of capitalist institutions" (group 1 Sunday afternoon, discussionweekend), or from Marco's two pieces about what moves us: "Campaigning from one summit to the next or perpetually organising" and "participating in protests around the meetings of capitalists."

Global Days of Action

There have been a number of Days of Action Against Capitalism, on which local action coincided with the summit. The Global Days of Action are a combination of local activity and summit hopping. Examples are November 30, 1999 (WTO summit in Seattle), May 1 2000 (chosen date), and September 29 2000 (IMF/WB summit in Prague).

The advantages of Global Days of Action, are that every local group can call one and that international connections and solidarity between groups and themes is made clear. In addition to this, the mass media pay a lot of attention to a summit and also explains a fair bit about the capitalist institutions themselves. This means that 'we' have less explaining to do, and can pay more attention to our own objections and demands.

Global powerstructures also manifest themselves locally. This provides an opportunity for throwing the proverbial spanner in the works. The success of a Global Day of Action defends on a certain interaction between the 'big picture' and the theme that a group is working on. Looking back at the Global Day of Action on September 26, the question is, in what ways has it benefitted 'the movement'? The Platform Prague Autum mobilised people to go to Prague and in the Netherlands, there was an 'action 2 weeks', culmulating in an (end)demonstration in Utrecht on September 26. What it resulted in, appart from personal contacts (!!), is a number of active people and the distributing of a lot of information outside of leftwing circles. Also, more longterm structures, such as Indy Media, were established in the wake of Global Days of Action. Furthermore, organisations such the WTO, IMF and WB are now not only broadly known, but portrayed negatively in the mass media and mentioned in one breath with the 'fight against capitalism'.

Continuity

One of the main criticisms made against summit hopping, is its lack of continuity. This continuity between campaigns can be achieved by organising local or national actions marking the Global Days of Action and by linking various themes together during these actions. Longterm media structures and national and local structures strenghten this continuity. Looking back to our own past can also help establish continuity. May 1 2000 was inspiring to many people, because the date was linked from the start to our own history of struggle. The day has obvious leftwing connections, and is even anarchist in origin. At present, preperations for May 1 2001 are primarily underway in England. There are plans for a life sized game of monopoly throughout the capital and the country. One of the things that is also required, is local, national and international networks, where goals, strategies and means are discussed. A major points of discussion is just how a local or national network can be constructed. Why or how an individual or a group is working around an issue determins the point of view. Dutch railway collectives, asylumseekers who soon will be turfed out onto th streets in their thousands, globalisation, euthanasia. How can these topics be linked to for example the Global Day of Action around the WTO summit in Quatar?

Local structures

An own autonomous zone or space is important. Using an own building, concrete and accessible local counterstructures can be built. Give Away Shops, refugee support centres, (vegan) food cooperations and action/information centres are all examples of these. National meeting places and times are vital. getting to know each other, meeting people, building trust, entering into discussion and working together are the foundations on which our movement can be built and strenghtend. In Holland, two places/times currently have this function, namely the Pentecoste-land days and the Anarchist Bookfair.

Conclusions

Most people at the discussion day were not of the opinion that summit hopping had been useful. The general feeling was, that it is now time for us to go back to our roots, to our local environment and attack the capitalist relations we find there. The decissions over mobilising against/around a summit should be made as the occaission arises. An action against a summit, participation in a Global Day of Action etc. must be part of a groups strategy. The contradiction between campaigning and working around summits on the one hand, local action and/or working on translating ideas into concrete projects (for example a vegan cafe or info shop) was not felt by most people. People intergrate visiting a summit in their daily activities. Often it fits in with the activities that a person or a group was working with anyway.

Do protests such as that against the IMF/WB summit in Prague fit better within the current day radical leftwing movement in the Netherlands, better than for example protests against the Climate Change Summit? This can most likely be put down to the fact that there are very few groups in the Netherlands concerned in any radical way with the environment. Eart First! being the notable exception, but then people involved in EF! also took part in the activities surrounding the Climate Change Summit. Many people and countries are interested in the influence of capitalism, the flow of capital, oppression, North/South relationships, solidrity with the South, supporting liberation movements, unequal balance of power between the ruling and the working class etc. All of these are part of or can be linked to the policies of for example the IMF/WB.

In the future it would be beneficial to place more topics and themes that groups within the radical leftwing/anarchist movement are working with, within the framework of the Global Days of Action. Hopefully the groups that that are working with other topics than those that have been mentioned here, have both the time and the inclination to do so.