The European Social Forum (ESF) is an annual conference held by members of the alter-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. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Anti-globalization. ... Anti-WEF grafiti in Lausanne. ... Noam Chomsky at the World Social Forum in 2003. ...

First ESF

The first forum was held in Florence in November 2002. The slogan was "Against war, racism and neo-liberalism", with specific reference to George W. Bush's plan for regime change in Iraq. Founded 59 BC as Florentia Region Tuscany Mayor Leonardo Domenici (Democratici di Sinistra) Area  - City Proper  102 km² Population  - City (2004)  - Metropolitan  - Density (city proper) 356,000 almost 500,000 3,453/km² Time zone CET, UTC+1 Latitude Longitude 43°47 N 11°15 E www. ... 2002 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December A timeline of events in the news for November, 2002. ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the 43rd and current President of the United States and a former governor of Texas. ... Regime change is the overthrow of a government (or regime) considered illegitimate by an external force (usually military), and its replacement with a new government according to the ideas and/or interests promoted by that force. ...

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 provenance defended the ESF and signed an appeal favourable to the meeting. Between them there were the journalist Tiziano Terzani and the organizers of the "professors' movement" (a group of university professors that had organized a demonstration and groups of discussion against Berlusconi's policies). Tuscany (Italian Toscana) is a region in central Italy, bordering on Latium to the south, Umbria to the east, Emilia-Romagna and Liguria to the north, and the Tyrrhenian Sea to the west. ... Protestors on the Streets The Genoa Group of Eight Summit protest, from July 18 to July 22, 2001, was one of the most dramatic protests in Western Europes recent history, drawing some 300,000 demonstrators and resulting in the death of at least one activist. ... Protestors on the Streets The Genoa Group of Eight Summit protest, from July 18 to July 22, 2001, was one of the most dramatic protests in Western Europes recent history, drawing some 300,000 demonstrators and resulting in the death of at least one activist. ... Oriana Fallaci Oriana Fallaci (born June 29, 1929) is an Italian journalist , author and political interviewer. ... The term National Socialism has been used in self-description by a number of different political groups and ideologies, some of which have no connection with the Nazis; see National socialism (disambiguation). ... Giovanni Sartori is an Italian political scientist specializing in the study of comparative politics. ... (born 29 September 1936) is an Italian politician, entrepreneur, and media proprietor. ... Gianfranco Corsi (born February 12, 1923), better known as Franco Zeffirelli, is an Italian film director. ... Tiziano Terzani (14 September 1938 - 28 July 2004) was an Italian journalist and writer. ...

But in fact the European Social Forum, which occupied the historical Fortezza da Basso and other conference buildings with its 60.000 delegates didn't provoke any accidents and it ended with a huge demonstration against the war which saw the participation of 1.000.000 people according to the organizers. The debate on peace and pacifism was felt as paramount, even if the programme 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 NGOsuch as Amnesty International joined the ESF, together with no-global organization such as ATTAC, left-wing parliamentaries etc. At the end of the meeting even pro-globalists such as the then president of the European Commission Romano Prodi showed sympathy for the moderation of the movement and for its pacifist issues. Widely-recognized peace symbol Peace is commonly understood to mean the Other definitions include freedom from disputes, harmonious relations and the absence of mental stress or anxiety, as the meaning of the word changes with context. ... Pacifism is the opposition to war or violence as a means of settling disputes. ... A Tobin tax is the suggested tax on all trade of currency across borders. ... Gino Strada is a war surgeon and founder of the Italian-based NGO Emergency. ... Look up Emergency in Wiktionary, the free dictionary An emergency is a situation that poses an immediate threat to human life or serious damage to property. ... A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an organization which is not a part of a government. ... Amnesty International logo Amnesty International (commonly known as Amnesty or AI) is an international, non-governmental organization with the stated purpose of promoting all the human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international standards. ... Association for the Taxation of Financial Transactions for the Aid of Citizens (ATTAC - Association pour la Taxation des Transactions pour lAide aux Citoyens) is an activist organization for the establishment of a tax on exchange transactions. ... The European Commission (formally the Commission of the European Communities) is the executive body of the European Union. ... (born 9 August 1939) is a centre-left Italian politician. ...

In the final assembly the call was launched for a Europe-wide day of action on what would become the February 15 Global day of action against the war. (Stop the War:The story of Britain's biggest mass movement, Andrew Murray and Lindsey German, ISBN 1905192002, p.107) February 15, 2003 was a global day of protests against the imminent invasion of Iraq. ... Andrew Murray may refer to: Andrew Moray, commonly referred to as Andrew Murray, Guardian of Scotland during 13th century; key military and political leader of the Scots during the Scottish Wars of Independence Andrew Murray (botanist) (1812–1878), Scottish botanist Andrew Murray (minister) (1828–1917), South African minister of religion... Lindsey German Lindsey German is a British Trotskyist politician and member of the Central Committee of the Socialist Workers Party. ...

A network of volunteer translators, Babels, was set up to interpret the event into the various languages of the people attending. Translation is an activity comprising the interpretation of the meaning of a text in one language—the source text—and the production of a new, equivalent text in another language—the target text, also called the translation. ... Babels is a international network of volunteer interpreters and translators that was born out of the European Social Forum (ESF) process and whose main objective is to cover the interpreting needs of the various Social Forums. ...

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 attended. The Eiffel Tower, the international symbol of the city, with the skyscrapers of La Défense business district 5 km/ 3 mi behind. ... 2003 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December A timeline of events in the news for November, 2003. ... The emblem of the French Socialist Party The Socialist Party (Parti Socialiste or PS), founded in 1969, is the main opposition party in France. ... The 1990s decade refers to the years from 1990 to 1999, inclusive. ... The Revolutionary Communist League (Ligue Communiste Révolutionnaire) (LCR) is a French Trotskyist political party. ... Anarchism is a generic term describing various political philosophies and social movements that advocate the elimination of hierarchy and imposed authority. ... Image of a woman on the Pioneer plaque sent to outer space. ...

Third ESF

One of many packed meetings at the ESF 2004

The third European Social Forum was held in London, mostly at Alexandra Palace, but also with events throughout the Bloomsbury area of London on the 15th - 17th October 2004. One of many meetings at the third ESF in London This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... One of many meetings at the third ESF in London This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... This article is about the British city. ... Alexandra Palace from the east Alexandra Palace was built on a hill in Muswell Hill in North London in 1873 as a public entertainment centre. ... Bloomsbury may refer to: Bloomsbury, London, an area in the centre of the city the Bloomsbury group, an English literary group active around from around 1905 to the start of World War II. the Bloomsbury Gang, a political grouping centred on the local landowner, John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford... This article is about the British city. ... 2004 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December See also: October 2004 in sports Deaths in October • 29 HRH Princess Alice • 25 John Peel • 24 James Cardinal Hickey • 23 Robert Merrill • 19 Paul Nitze • 18 K. M. Veerappan • 16 Pierre Salinger • 10 Christopher Reeve • 9...

The organisers claimed that approximately 25,000 took part in 500 plenaries, seminars, workshops, and cultural events, which were addressed by over 2,500 speakers. Participants came from right across the continent and beyond the boundaries of European Union.

There was also a marked increased in participation by black, Asian, Muslim, and refugee networks and women being representated on the speaker platforms. The forum also included for the first time an 3 day cultural programme [1] organised through open submission through the ESF website.

Well known participants and speakers included Ahmed Ben Bella, the leader of the Algerian resistance to French rule, Dr Aleida Guevara, daughter of Che, George Galloway, a leader of the UK anti-war movement, and Dr Mustapha Barghouti from Palestine. Activist writers such as Susan George, John Pilger and George Monbiot were prominent, and Gerry Adams was one of many Irish figures speaking. The Forum opened with a rally in Southwark Cathedral. Ahmed Ben Bella Mohamed Ahmed Ben Bella (Muhammad Ahmad Bin Balla) (Arabic: ) (born December 25, 1918?, Maghnia, Algeria) was the first President of Algeria, and seen by many as the Father of the Nation. ... Aleida Guevara (born 1960 in Cuba) is the eldest daughter of Ernesto Che Guevara and his second wife, Aleida March. ... George Galloway George Galloway (born 16 August 1954) is a Scottish and British politician noted for his socialist views, confrontational style, and rhetorical skill. ... Susan Melody George was born on July 26, 1950, in London, England, UK. Susans been acting since the tender age of four, appearing in both television and film. ... John Pilger John Pilger (born October 9, 1939) is an Australian journalist and documentary filmmaker from Sydney, primarily based in London, UK. // Life and career Pilgers career in journalism began in 1958, and he has developed his reputation through both his reporting and the various books and documentary films... George Monbiot. ... Gerry Adams Gerry Adams MP, MLA, (Irish: Gearóid Mac Ádhaimh; born 6 October 1948) is an Irish Republican politician and abstentionist Westminster Member of Parliament for West Belfast. ... The nave Southwark Cathedral or The Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Saviour and St Mary Overie, Southwark, London, lies on the south bank of the River Thames close to London Bridge. ...

Unlike the Paris forum, the London one had no money upfront to pay for events. Funding eventually came from the Greater London Authority and the Mayor's office-Ken Livingstone and his officers many of whom are in Socialist Action-several Trade Unions such as NATFHE (the college lecturer's union), AMICUS (a largely technical and industrial union), the Transport and General Workers Union (T&G) and Unison (the UK's largest public sector union), who provided funds, office space, subsidised tickets for unemployed and asylum seeker attendees and paid for some of the meeting space at Alexandra Palace. For more coverage on London, see the London Portal. ... Ken Livingstone Kenneth Robert Livingstone (born June 17, 1945), is a British politician who has been the Mayor of London since the creation of the post in 2000. ... Socialist Action is a small socialist group in the United Kingdom. ... A union (labor union in American English; trade union, sometimes trades union, in British English; either labour union or trade union in Canadian English) is a legal entity consisting of employees or workers having a common interest, such as all the assembly workers for one employer, or all the workers... The National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education (NATFHE) is the trade union and professional assocation: for people working with those above statutory school age, and primarily concerned with providing education, training or research. ... Amicus is Britains second largest trade union, formed by the merger of MSF (Manufacturing Science and Finance) and the AEEU (Amalgamated Engineering and Electrical Union) agreed in 2001. ... The Transport and General Workers Union, also known as the TGWU and the T&G, is one of the largest general trade unions in the United Kingdom and Ireland - where it is known as the Amalgamated TGWU - with 900,000 members (and was once the largest trade union in the... UNISON logo UNISON is the largest trade union in the United Kingdom, with over 1. ...

The Socialist Workers Party, and Globalise Resistance, the Tobin Tax Network, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament where central to bringing the event to London. The Socialist Workers Party (SWP) is one of the largest political parties of the far left in England. ... Globalise Resistance (GR) is a British anti-capitalist alliance. ... Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament logo In British politics, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament has been at the forefront of the peace movement in the United Kingdom and claims to be Europes largest single-issue peace campaign. ...

Other groups, for instance the London Social Forum, felt that the main organising approach was too top-down and instead organised "horizontally" 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. A fringe is an ornamental appendage to the border of an item, such as a flag. ... A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an organization which is not a part of a government. ... A political party is a political organization subscribing to a certain ideology or formed around very special issues. ... The Green Party of England and Wales (GPEW) is the principal Green political party in England and Wales. ... Anarchists can refer to several things, among which: The movie Anarchists Supporters of the principles of anarchism The Anarchists (Les Anarchistes), a famous song from Léo Ferré A List of anarchists This is a disambiguation page—a list of articles associated with the same title. ... Socialism is any economic system in which the means of production are owned and controlled collectively or a political philosophy advocating such a system. ...

The Millennium Dome was turned into a giant hostel for over 5,000 participants to sleep in for the event. The Millennium Dome, with the Canary Wharf complex in the background, seen from the River Thames Aerial view of the Millennium Dome The Millennium Dome, seen from the Isle of Dogs. ...

Jean Lambert MEP (Green, London) inter alios at the School of Oriental and African Studies during a fringe meeting of the ESF on the situation in Aceh, October 15, 2004. An Italian Senator Francesco Martone from the Greens was also in the audience (not shown).

Subhi al Mashadani, the leader of the Iraqi Federation of Trade Unions, was due to speak in a meeting on the Iraq war, but never got to speak. He was shouted down by some members of the audience (who felt he was colloborating with the occupation) who surged towards the stage when he attempted to address the 2,000 strong audience. The ESF's security took no chances and dragged a furious Mashadani from the stage for his own protection. The "End the Occupation" session was stopped, a first in the history of the ESF. Download high resolution version (1760x1168, 499 KB)Jean Lambert inter alios at the School of Oriental and African Studies, London, during a satellite meeting of the European Social Forum on the situation in Aceh, 16 October 2004. ... Download high resolution version (1760x1168, 499 KB)Jean Lambert inter alios at the School of Oriental and African Studies, London, during a satellite meeting of the European Social Forum on the situation in Aceh, 16 October 2004. ... Categories: MEP stubs | Green politicians | Members of the European Parliament from the United Kingdom ... The Green Party of England and Wales (GPEW) is the principal Green political party in England and Wales. ... This is a list of Members of the European Parliament for the United Kingdom in the 2004 to 2009 session, ordered by name. ... Aceh (IPA pronunciation: , pronounced approximately AH-chay, but with [e], not [ei] at the end) is a special territory (daerah istimewa) of Indonesia, located on the northern tip of the island of Sumatra. ... October 15 is the 288th day of the year (289th in leap years). ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Italian Senate (Italian: Senato della Repubblica, Senate of the Republic) is the upper house of the Parliament of Italy. ... The Federation of the Greens (Federazione dei Verdi) is the Italian Green Party. ... The Iraqi Federation of Trade Unions (IFTU) is the largest union federation in Iraq. ... This article deals with the post-invasion period in Iraq and its occupation. ...

Later in the day an intervention was made by some of those who had been involved with the autonomous spaces, in a meeting on Anti-Fascism, intending to invade the stage while the Mayor of London Ken Livingstone (who opposed the war but is a member of the 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. Weyman Bennett, a steering member of Unite against Fascism and chair of the meeting claimed that he was assaulted by an anarchist. 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 but with a reduced audience. This echoed attempts by anarchists to attack French Socialist Party speakers in the Paris forum, an attack that was being stopped by security. The current Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone. ... Ken Livingstone Kenneth Robert Livingstone (born June 17, 1945), is a British politician who has been the Mayor of London since the creation of the post in 2000. ... This article covers invasion specifics. ... The Labour Party has since its formation in the early 20th century been the principal left wing political party in the United Kingdom (see British politics). ... A public demonstration Freedom of speech is often regarded as an integral concept in modern liberal democracies, where it is understood to outlaw censorship. ... The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is a Federal police force which is the principal investigative arm of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). ... The Independent Media Center, also called Indymedia or the IMC, is a loose network of amateur or alternative media organizations and journalists who organize into decentralized collectives, normally around geographic locations. ... Anti-fascism is the opposition to facist ideology, organization, or government, on all levels. ...

The end of the forum 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. Trafalgar Square is a square in central London that commemorates the Battle of Trafalgar (1805), a British naval victory of the Napoleonic Wars. ...

Fourth ESF

Athens ESF poster

The forthcoming fourth European Social Forum will be held in Athens, Greece, in 4, 5, 6 and 7 May 2006. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (546x762, 81 KB)http://athens. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (546x762, 81 KB)http://athens. ...

From Turkey, about 750 person will held on that forum.

Students of Universities in Ankara (Students from Middle East Technical University, Hacettepe University and Ankara University) are preparing for this forum. In METU, a fanzine called odtüBülteni invited all students to participate this forum. It's expected 40 or 50 Turkish students will take part at this social forum meeting.

References

First ESF

• European Social Forum: Meeting of a Multitude, Tom Behan, Andrew Stone, Socialist Review, November 2002

The Socialist Review is the monthly magazine of the Socialist Workers Party (UK). ...

Second ESF

• European Social Forum: Paris on My Mind, Gill Hubbard, Socialist Review, December 2003
• Rattling the Bars, George Monbiot, originally Published in The Guardian 18th November 2003

The Socialist Review is the monthly magazine of the Socialist Workers Party (UK). ... The Guardian is a British newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. ...

Third ESF

• ESF: Debating the challenges for its future Newsletter collecting articles and reflections on the 3rd ESF
• Great success of London ESF, Alex Callinicos, Socialist Worker, 23 October 2004
• Old tricks from the hard left, Paul Kingsnorth, New Statesman, 25 October 2004,
• Remembering the ESF, Emma Dowling, UK Watch, 25 July 2005
• Young people are highly political Matthew Tempest talks to the mayor of London, Ken Livingstone about the ESF, 14 October 2004
• Building on the Success of the London ESF Globalise Resistance 2005

Alex Callinicos Alex Callinicos (born 1950 in South Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe)) is a Marxist intellectual (a contradiction in terms) and a member of the Central Committee of the Socialist Workers Party. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... The New Statesman is a left-of-centre political weekly published in London. ... October 25 is the 298th day of the year (299th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 67 days remaining. ... UK Watch Logo UK Watch is a left-wing web based media project, based on the model of Z Net. ... July 25 is the 206th day (207th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 159 days remaining. ... Ken Livingstone Kenneth Robert Livingstone (born June 17, 1945), is a British politician who has been the Mayor of London since the creation of the post in 2000. ... October 14 is the 287th day of the year (288th in Leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Globalise Resistance (GR) is a British anti-capitalist alliance. ...

External links

• Official ESF site
• Collaborative site for preparation of ESF activities and proposals
• Official Athens ESF site
• Unofficial ESF 2004 site
• Online version of 'The World Social Forum: challenging empires'(ed. Jai Sen, Anita Anand, Arturo Escobar, Peter Waterman)
• Online journal issue on 'The Organisation and Politics of Social Forums' (ed. Steffen Boehm, Sian Sullivan and Oscar Reyes)