Consensus breaks down at the Social Forum
Thursday October 21, 2004 The Guardian

source: http://politics.guardian.co.uk/esf/comment/0,15212,1331907,00.html

I was the chair of the anti-fascist plenary at the European Social Forum. I would like to clarify the incident referred to in your leader (October 18). Shortly after the meeting began, around 100 people marched into the hall and stormed the stage. Despite the fact that I allowed the intruders to make a statement, I was hit in the face and pushed off the table. My wallet and mobile phone were snatched.

As a black activist, I have been involved in the movement for many years. I have only ever been attacked in this way by racists. It is outrageous that an anti-fascist meeting organised by black and Jewish people should be attacked for any reason.

The ESF was the biggest gathering of global justice activists ever seen in Britain. It should be remembered for that. But we need also to be clear that this kind of behaviour should never be repeated in our movement.
Weyman Bennett
Unite Against Fascism

We are appalled at Lee Jasper's attempts to silence genuine criticisms of this year's ESF by playing the race card (Letters, October 19).

Any form of physical aggression is obviously to be condemned, but the direct action protest against Ken Livingstone's abortive participation in the ESF session on racism and fascism had nothing to do with race and everything to do with the undemocratic way in which the ESF was organised this year.

Whatever one thinks about direct action, the tremendous response the stunt received from the audience shows that the protesters were not alone in the belief that the London ESF dramatically parted company from the democratic, transparent, non-party and consensual principles upon which the World Social Forum movement was established in Porto Alegre in 2001.

Attempting to paint the 200 or so protesters as racially motivated white thugs when they actually included many black, Hispanic and Arabic activists is disgraceful.
Asad Rehman
Member of the UK ESF organising committee
and eight others

Not all conventional political groups were absent from the ESF. Labour Reform made a small contribution to one of the autonomous spaces. A small contribution, because we were there to learn from what people are already doing and talk to people with ideas of their own. We regard it as a success because we opened up conversations with people we would not usually meet.
Rosamund Stock
Labour Reform Network Project

Would people please stop fighting about the European Social Forum? I got my badge in three-quarters of an hour on the Thursday, had a wonderfully interesting Friday and Saturday, and never heard or saw any rows.
Bruce Kent
Movement for the Abolition of War

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