NEXT MEETING: SUNDAY 3RD APRIL - READING (location to be confirmed nearer the time)
Introductions
Precarity Assembly, Wombles, Legal defence and monitoring group, Working group against work, Workers Power, Cambridge Action Network, ULUaa, Indymedia, National Medics group, Radio RampART Rhythms of Resistance, Reading anti-G8, Brighton Dissent, SmashEDO, London Rising Tide, Southampton anti-G8, G8 bike ride, 56a, LARC, No Sweat, Class War, Haringey Solidarity Group, Dissent legal support group and individuals.
Security considerations – public meeting.
Collection for cost of room £170
When to have next meet? In a month – discuss later.
Intro to how assembly works – proposals for coordination to be referred back to everyone in autonomous groups - people at meet accountable as scope of meeting goes beyond reps – people to go back to groups and discuss issues raised, such as fundraising and flyering.
Reports from Working Groups
1. FUNDRAISING
Benefit at St George's Theatre, Tufnell Park Road - 11th March 8:30 til midnight – bands and acts They need more circus/ theatre acts and volunteers to help out before hand and on the night. Contact fundraising working group.
NB Fundraising is the responsibility of all groups
2. PUBLICITY
Designs
Presentation of designs on computer, circulated designs for stickers/posters/flyers, people wrote down comments for working group.
Need more people to get involved, especially with the text for flyers etc.
Prices
| A5 Flyers | 30,000 £400 / 40,000 £457 |
| Posters | 3,000 £330 / 5,000 £440 |
| A7 stickers | 64,000 £675 |
| 128,000 £1,043 | |
| 5,000,000 £1,781 |
There are potentially 32 different sticker designs.
Need money! Tufnell Park event - £300, Samba busking £200 per day etc No bank account.
Need to decide how many of each, which designs, how to get money.
Discussion
Discuss designs as whole group or leave to working group? Pub group put designs up on website in the hope that people would come to meet with comments, www.resistg8.org.uk.
Need to get as much money as possible, need lots of stickers etc for the whole of the SE.
Autonomous groups may want individual sticker designs? We decided on joint publicity, but can still reflect diverse groups within this. Or should we give the impression that there is no connection, lots of separate groups stickering etc?
Stickers are more effective than posters, but we should still have both.
Photos and lettering should be clearer.
Humorous things work better.
Some designs obscure.
Use of word « fascist » is debatable...
Stencilling – culture-jamming group organising this. Cheap and personal.
Simple, punchy facts and figures – educate to get people on board, as well as push for resistance, expose specific problems.
Bigger, double-sided stickers? Act as flyers too.
USE HAND SIGNALS IN MEET TO SHOW AGREEMENT TO ESTABLSIH MEANINGFUL CONSENT
Email account for people to send in ideas about publicity e.g. some words that could be used – se_cre
yahoo.com – contact pub group for password.
Could use sticker designs as posters too – kids like putting up stickers.
Purpose of publicity? – audience – people who are already sympathetic -who are we representing? – just for activists? some designs won't work for next-door neighbours, should aim for people who are politically interested but don't know how to get involved?
Simple and eye-catching
Logo/something consistent for all stickers etc? website on some only to create an illusion of separate groups? Mandate from Jan meet – joint SE identity. Look at why separate collectives are working together. Modify designs in working groups.
Decision: general and specific publicity – less pressure for publicity working group – send individual group designs to pub group at se_creyahoo.com.
Need deadlines for designs and printing. Could do another print run nearer the time.
Need to know how much money – roughly £100 from each group – discuss in groups.
To arrange donation, contact publicity group.
3. TRANSPORT
Working group have researched prices for collective transport.
Trains
Two companies – for travel July 1st - 8th
- 700 seats, £27,000, 25% deposit in next two weeks! - £35 per person
- 576 seats, £33,000, £250 deposit March 16th, 10% by April 16th - £58pp
Would need to book in next two weeks.
Travel back on 8th may be a problem with environment action that day, solidarity for any arrests.
Insurance if the train is stopped? Given the amount of money, need some insurance we will get to summit!
The later we go, the cheaper it is, because we would be paying for the train to park up in between dates.
Could have train and coaches?
Coaches
£12,000 - £13,000 one way
Block booking with National Express, 1,000 tickets would get 10% discount in groups of 10, as well as a further 10% discount given the number of tickets.
£27,000 return – open return dates.
Could have coaches to ourselves, or go in groups on scheduled services.
Debate – trains vs coaches!
Options:
- Trains
- Coaches – NE block
- Coaches – decentralised
- Decentralised e.g. car conveys etc
- Cycling
- Get tickets off NGOs or SWP and travel together
Train – safer? All eggs in one basket? More fluid if we go individually?
Could go up on train, then return on coaches?
Trains – glamorous? Decorate them? Makes a political point of we get stopped, publicity? More effective than getting to summit?
Coaches can be blocked just as trains. May be logistical problem if some coaches are stopped.
Which coach company?
Hard to stop a train? Difficult to stop one train and not others, e.g. NGO trains.
Make/maintain links with transport trade unions e.g. RMT- would help logistically and politically, long-term considerations.
Train would offer space and time for solidarity, especially for people new to actions who don't know people to establish affinity groups, and legal briefing/debriefings
Need to know how many people travelling, including Europeans.
Megabus????!!!
Lift-share – contact transport group at LARC and Cambridge Action Network
Subsidise people e.g. refugees, unemployed etc.
How to sell tickets in advance?
Need money for convergence space, medical stuff, radio etc, why spend too much energy on transport?
N.B. TRAINS CAN BE STOPPED! Train company not liable if it is out of their control i.e. if instructed not to run train.
Shouldn't be trains vs coaches, should have a train and everything else. Question is whether to go ahead and book a train/trains?
Block of train?
Should make political decision about WE WANT TO DO REGARDLESS OF WHAT COPS MAY/MAY NOT DO.
Discuss and come back after break.
WELL DESERVED BREAK
Feedback on transport
Transport working group needs decision on train in order to book asap.
Dates?
The shorter, the cheaper.
Miss Make Poverty History demo? Or attend to get people top go to direct actions? Context for out mobilisation? Personal decision.
Need time in Scotland to prepare convergence space etc before actions start.
9 days is a long time for non-activists, people without the time to spare.
Early train does not mean people have to go to demo.
Cost of one-way train? Not much cheaper and logistical problem to sell two types of tickets.
Demo – crude to divide people, should have presence at demo.
Train should just go for 4 days for direct action.
People new to actions should arrive when space is ready and it's cheaper that way! Briefings on train.
Some people can go up independently to set up space, not a consideration for block transport. Who is the train for? Not for main activists.
Train less likely to be stopped on 1st than 4th?
Train either 1st-9th or 4th-9th? Suggests how long the G8 itself is.
To get people to come, need to be there for Make Poverty History demo on 2nd?
PROPOSAL: two trains, because with internationals one will not be enough and it forces us to sell tickets and get people to come! Would there be a discount if we book two? Easier for internationals to get train.
No block on booking train, doing that does not exclude other options.
DECISION: Back to working group! Meeting Monday 28th 7pm
FEEDBACK
(1) Legal
Guide to scots law should be on website from mon/tues
Need £3,000 and posters for legal observers and articles to go into magazines – contact legal working group if you can put an article in your publication.
Someone on train to give advice.
Find out re where trains can be stopped on way to summit?
(2) Medical
Has been no meeting yet.
Need people with first aid skills/child carers/vegan cooks etc.
Training 1st week April and 13th March in Brighton, part of direct action training by Seeds for Change – contact medics working group.
Revolution medical group.
Black Cross from US want to come over.
NON-SMOKING MEETING?!
(3) DISSENT meet Glasgow
About 70 people, subgroups on schedule, no major problems apart from.........
- NO CONVERGENCE SPACE!
- NO PLANNED MASS ACTION!
We need to focus on sorting actions!
Scotland liaison group – coordination - need money and people! – convergence group email list can be accessed through dissent website.
People who were going to go to Scot to see what they need didn't go, but Scottish regional meet – pleased with SE solidarity, but we haven't heard anything from them as yet.
Convergence space – working with Scottish CND – compromise, one site with autonomous spaces.
No convergence working group as yet.........established!
MOBILISING
(1) G7 Finance ministers action feedback – samba band action on The Mall, a number of small groups, but call-out was a bit late and not much coordination before and during action. FIT stop and search......
What can we learn from this? Send call-out earlier! More publicity.
(2) EMPLOYMENT – meet at Department of Trade and Industry on Victoria Street (don't know where summit will be yet)
Theatrical action 1st day Thursday 10th March– « New Deal for the Dead » – dress up as ZOMBIE's (Zone of autonOMy Bringing Inclusive Employment).
2nd day Friday 11th March – London – migrant labour – Precarity Assembly meeting next Sat (see timetable below)
-Brighton – work and claimants – Midday – opposite ManPower Queen's Road
Spoof website. Press releases.
CIRCA, Rhythms of Resistance, anyone willing to dress as a zombie.........
Need people to make banners etc
MEETING: 19:30 Wednesday 2nd March The Cock Tavern, Euston Road
(3) ENVIRONMENT – March 15th - Noise Demo Chiswell Street near Old Street and call for autonomous actions too!
G8 climate change action group – March 14 – 6-9:30pm Ashbee Hall, 28 Commercial Street – NGOs, Dissent etc
8th July – National Day of Climate Action
(4) Indymedia – national network meeting in Bristol next weekend, deciding what will happen at G8 re IMC. Going to tour with films, need more films and dates for tour.
(5) ULUaa proposal for action during G8 - meet 20th March 2pm ULU to arrange – details nearer the time.
(6) Void Network from Greece networking across Europe. Event at Circle Community Centre at St George's Theatre, 49 Tufnell Park – talking circle of libertarian ideas this Thurs/Fri/Sat.
(7) Cowley Club Brighton – Sunday 27th Midday – meet re G8 bike ride. Need support vehicle - biodiesel van – and places to stay on the way. See www.g8bikeride.org.uk
(8)Benefit gig 11th March at St George's Theatre (see details above)
(9) 17th March Derby G8 Environmental meeting
(10) CIRCA and LIA training on 27th in London before start of tour on 14th, Bethnal Green Battalion etc – need help with publicity, training Mondays 7-9pm.
Final Bits
Working groups to make decisions after assembly and post on email list.
NEXT MEETING – SUNDAY 3RD APRIL – READING (location to be confirmed nearer the time)
TIMETABLE OF EVENTS AND ACTIONS BEFORE G8 SUMMIT
- Void Network – Theory, Utopia, Empathy and Ephemeral Arts – 2 days (3,4,5 March) of art and dialogue – Circle Community Centre, 49, Tufnell Park – see www.circlecommunitycentre.org.uk, www.voidnetworksociety.org
- Precarity Assembly – Sat 5th March – upstairs at Cock Tavern, Phoenix Road, NW1, near Euston - see www.precarity.info
- London Rising Tide - film screening « The Oil Factor –Behind the War on Terror » – Sunday 6th March 5:30pm at LARC – see www.londonrisingtide.org.uk
- Employment Ministers meet – midday 10th March - Department of Trade & Industry, Victoria Street
- Benefit Event at St George's Theatre, Tufnell Park Road - 11th March 8:30 til midnight
- Public Meeting to launch anti FIT (Forward Intelligence Team of Scotland Yard) action - Saturday 12th March – 2-5pm at LARC (London Action Resource Centre) 62, Filedgate Street, Whitechapel, E1 1ES
- Climate Change Counter-Summit - Monday 14th March – meeting 6-9:30pm Ashbee Hall, 28 Commercial Street, London – email g8climaterisingtide.org.uk, see www.risingtide.org.uk
- Climate Change « Pots and Pans Noise Demo » – Midday 15th March London – bring noise! – 52 Chiswell Street, London, EC1 (Moorgate)
- April 2nd – « No Borders » International day of action
ONGOING EVENTS
- WOMBLES meetings – Tuesdays 7.30pm at LARC – see www.wombles.org.uk
TIMETABLE OF ACTIONS DURING G8
2nd July – Make Poverty History Demo
4th July – Mass Direct Action at Faslane Nuclear Submarine base
6th July – Mass blockades of the summit etc GLOBAL DAY OF ACTION AGAINST THE G8
8th July – Day of Action against Climate Change
See www.dissent.org.uk for details
Email info-g82005riseup.net