[fse-esf] Youth at Athens

[Luke at worldrevo]

Dear Friends, 
 
Revolution (socialist youth) have submitted a proposal to the European
Social Forum workspace for a Youth Assembly to take place at this years
ESF in Athens this May. At the London event the Youth Assembly attracted
some 200 young people. There was discussion on the oppression and
persecution of young people in the world today and proposals for action
to build an international fight back that culminated in the passing of a
resolution. 
 
Today it is more urgent than ever that the question of youth comes to
the heart of the forum process given that young people across Europe are
some of the worst affected by the bosses neo-liberal drive. Low pay,
unemployment and precarité are everyday realities for us. As we suffer
poverty and economic injustice a rising tide of racism sweeps the
continent as immigrants and Muslims come under attack by the state and
the far right creating for immigrant youth a triple oppression because
of youth, class and racial background. This triggered the youth
rebellion of France last autumn. This is indicative of a wider angry
mood in our working class communities at the ceaseless attacks and shows
that we have the will to fight back militantly.

In Britain young people, particularly those from ethnic minority and
working class backgrounds, face a series of reactionary laws and their
imposition by the police, notably “Anti-Social Behaviour Orders “(Asbos)
and Dispersal Orders which allow the police to order young people to go
home and should they refuse arrest, ban them from city centres or
shopping malls all without any breach of the law being committed or any
trial occurring.  

In addition a series of neoliberal measures are hitting education, both
schools and universities which have seem n mass demonstrations of
resistance last year in Italy and in France. In France we are witnessing
mass youth resistance to the CPE(contrat de première embauche) 
 
What to do and how to fight back is the central question young people
need to discuss in Athens and have a dialogue with the rest of the
workers and social movements.  
 
This means building on this success of the youth assembly at the last
ESF and holding an even bigger assembly in Athens that involves more
organisations and forum participants. We want to involve as many youth
networks, political groups, social movement organisations, trade unions
and so on in the youth assembly process as possible. If you are
interested in collaborating on this project or could put me in contact
with youth groups in your constituent countries please email me. To the
assembly organisers and participants of the forthcoming EPA we appeal
for you to give us the space and translation facilities to hold a large
open assembly in Athens. 

Further, to this if resources allow we think that such is the importance
of youth issues and participation that a space should be provided at the
forum on the condition that it is located centrally so as not to take
youth out of participating in the rest of the forum and creating a
‘ghetto’. 
 
Finally, I note with interest the report from Franco Russo regarding
developments with the charter initiative. The obvious omission from the
Charter, one recognised by Franco in one of his reports, is the question
of youth. We attended the Florence assembly and submitted a short
proposal on youth that is available on the transform website at
http://www.transform.it/altraeuropa/documenti/contributogiovani-1.INGL.d
oc 

There was an issue in Florence regarding outreach to other youth groups
and networks as we were the only youth organisation present so this
limited the fruitfulness of the discussion. My question to the Franco
and the other organisers of the Charter process is what plans do you
have to incorporate youth into the Charter? Will there be space at one
of the assemblies to raise this issue and bring proposals? 
 
Unfortunately I will not be able to attend the assembly in Frankfurt
this weekend but some of our German comrades will be attending. If you
email me – or respond on the esf/fse-list - regarding the issues I’ve
raised then I can put you in contact with them so that discussions can
be had at the Frankfurt EPA. I do hope to attend the final programme
meeting in Athens in April and I would like to suggest t that a
workgroup be held there on the youth assembly and the involvement of
youth in the Charter assemblies and process. 
 
Fraternally, 
Luke Cooper
www.worldrevolution.info   
luke at worldrevolution.org.uk