European Social Forum

The European Social Forum (ESF) is an annual meeting held by members of the anti-globalization movement (also known as the Global Justice Movement). It aims to allow social movements, trade unions, NGOs, refugees, peace and anti-imperialist groups, anti-racist movements, environmental movements, networks of the excluded and community campaigns from Europe and the world to come together and discuss themes linked to major European and global issues. In order to coordinate campaigns, share ideas and refine organizing strategies. It is emerged from the World Social Forum and follows its charter of principles (http://www.wsfindia.org/charter.php)

First ESF

The first forum was held in Florence in November 2002. The slogan was "Against war, racism and neo-liberalism". The war was of course the United States President George W. Bush's plan for the removal of Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq.

Before its opening the ESF raised a large political polemy between Tuscan local authorities (The President of the Region Claudio Martini, although criticised on some points by no-global activists, had been a supporter of the movement since the time of the Genoa Group of Eight Summit protest) on one side and the right-wing Italian government on the other. People feared that the ESF could provoke riots and accidents as those of the Genoa Group of Eight Summit protest, from July 18 to July 22, 2001. Florentine individuals such as the controversial journalist Oriana Fallaci intervened in the polemics. Fallaci invited the people of Florence to shut up every shop and stay in the houses and compared the ESF to the nazi occupation of Florence. Others opponents of the ESF were the political scientist Giovanni Sartori, a liberal critic of Silvio Berlusconi's government but an admirer of the United States and the film-maker Franco Zeffirelli, whose right-wing political views were already well-known. Another group of intellectuals of various political provenience defended the ESF and signed an appeal favourable to the meeting. Between them there were the journalist Tiziano Terzani and the organizators of the "professors' movement" (a group of university professors that had organized a demonstration and groups of discussion against Berlusconi's policies)

But in fact the European Social Forum, which occuped the historical Fortezza da Basso and other conference buildings with its 60.000 delegates didn't provoke any accident and it ended with a huge demonstration against the war which saw the partecipation of 1.000.000 people according to the organizators. The debate on peace and pacifism was felt as paramount, even if the programm of the Forum included a large spectre of issues (immigration, European Union's constitution, Tobin Tax and many others). Gino Strada, president of Emergency, the Italian association that helps civil victims of armed conflicts, a leader of the pacifist movement, was one of the most popular orators. Big NGO as Amnesty International joined the ESF, together with no-global organization such as ATTAC, left-wing parlamentaries etc. At the end of the meeting even pro-globalist such as the then president of the European Commission Romano Prodi showed simpaty for the moderation of the movement and for its pacifist issues.

Second ESF

The second European Social Forum was held in Paris in November 2003. Organisers claim that over 50,000 people attended and that around 150,000 marched on the demonstration that was held on the last day. In France there has been some criticism of the organization for not being open enough. The participation of the French Socialist Party, the Parti Socialiste, also raised a lot of critical voices, since the party has been one of the proponents of liberalization of markets in the 1990s, but the most prominent group at the event was the Ligue Communiste Revolutionnaire. Some anarchist groups organised a rival event in the city, at the same time, while a women's forum was held in the days preceding the social forum, in order to counteract the perceived under representation of women at the first ESF it is claimed that over 3,000 women attend.

Third ESF

The third European Social Forum was held in London, mostly at Alexandra Palace, on the 15th - 17th October 2004. The organisers claim that more than 20,000 people from nearly 70 countries attended. The Socialist Workers Party, and Globalise Resistance have been central to organising the event, as has Ken Livingstone and Socialist Action through the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. These groups tend to see the ESF as an event, rather than a process.

Other groups see the ESF as a process, with the leadup and actual events being important forums for debate and networking. Hence, many participants in the local social forums of the UK, for instance the London Social Forum, feel that the organisers' approach is too top-down and are instead organising "horizontallly" organised fringe events. These are known as the 'autonomous' or 'beyond' ESF events and participants range from non-governmental organisations, political parties such as the Green Party, anarchists and socialists.

An intervention was made by some of those who had been involved with the autonomous spaces, intending to invade the stage while the Mayor of London Ken Livingstone (who is a member of Iraq-war-supporting Labour Party) gave a speech. In fact, Ken Livingstone had already decided not to speak at the event, but the intervention went ahead. A banner was hung up stating "Ken's Party > War Party" and the stage was turned into an open-microphone event with speeches against the 'vertical' organisation of the ESF, the war in Iraq, and recent attacks on freedom of speech by the FBI (taking Indymedia servers down with international articles). After the intervention, the originally planned meeting about anti-fascism went ahead.

Supporters of the forum point to the end of the forum which saw a massive international demonstration through central London and a rally at Trafalgar Square as a sign of its success as an event. This rally called for an end to war, racism and privatisation and for a Europe of peace and social justice which the organisers claim had 70,000. Others claim that there were up to 100,000. Despite this, the ending of the ESF ended in further controversy when speeches against police repression on the final day in Trafalgar Square were forbidden by the organisers and scuffles broke out resulting in some police arrests. As some European participants noted, this was very much a British event, with no European speakers even though this was the cumulation of the European Social Forum!

It remains to be seen whether the credibility of the ESF has been damaged by the process of the ESF 2004. It is possible that much of the anti-globalisation movement will refuse to partipate at all from this point on. It is also possible that widespread networking of 'horizontals' across Europe and beyond will lead to a re-invigorated process with greater transparency and internal democracy. Whatever the outcome, the next European Social Forum will be hosted by Greece in Athens in Spring 2006.

External links

• Official ESF 2004 site (http://www.fse-esf.org/)
• ESF: Debating the challenges for its future (http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/index.htm) Newsletter collecting articles and reflections on the 3rd ESF
• Rattling the Bars (http://www.georgemonbiot.com/dsp_article.cfm?article_id=621) by George Monbiot
• Unofficial ESF 2004 site (http://www.esf2004.net)
• Great success of London ESF (http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/article.php4?article_id=2978) by Alex Callinicos
• Give Peace Solidarity a Chance (http://www.peace-action.inbyron.com/news/european_social_forum.html#editor)
• Online version of The World Social Forum: challenging empires (ed. Jai Sen, Anita Anand, Arturo Escobar, Peter Waterman) (http://www.choike.org/nuevo_eng/informes/1557.html)
• Statement from WOMBLES website regarding the ESF process in 2004 (http://www.wombles.org.uk/news/article_2004_10_25_3228.php)
• Ya Basta statement on the 2004 ESF (http://www.wombles.org.uk/news/article_2004_10_25_2820.php)de:Europäisches Sozialforum

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