[fse-esf] Re: [esf-norden] CEE-ESF mobilisation News 1-2008

[Laura M Tuominen]

Hello,

thank you Tord for your effort on the mobilisation news. A very small
correction though: my email address is laura.m.tuominen at helsinki.fi.

Regards,

Laura Tuominen
coordinator
mobilisation tour Estonia-Latvia
mobile: +358407309360

Quoting Tord Björk <tord.bjork at mjv.se>:

> Please feeel free to redistribute this newsletter!
> 
> 
> CEE-ESF mobilisation Newsletter
> 
> Nr 1-2008
> 
> 1. NOC ESF-5 mobilising tours to CEE-countries
> 
> 2. Immanuel Wallerstein goes East
> 
> 3. 47 000 Euro ready for use in the Solidarity Fund
> 
> 4. Visa staff for ESF participants
> 
> 5. Fund raising staff for CEE organisations
> 
> 6. Global Action Day 26.1 in CEE countries
> 
> 7. CEE perspectives in WSF strategy
> 
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> 1. NOC ESF-5 mobilising tours to CEE-countries
> 
> There is a need to strengthen the mobilisation efforts for the European
> Social Forum in Malmö 17 - 21st of September. The Contact group for
> Europe
> and the World in the Nordic Organizing Committee (NOC) have decided to
> initiate two tours, The aim is to meet interested organisations and
> movements to inform and exchange experience on issues of importance to
> those
> who want to participate in ESF-5. From Finland Laura Tuominen, board
> member
> of NOC, will coordinate a tour to Estonia and Latvia 8-11.3. From Sweden
> Tord Björk, coordinator of the Contact Group for Europe and the World
> will
> visit Czech republic, Hungary and hopefully continue to Slovenia,
> Croatia,
> Slovakia, and Poland on a fast visit 16-21.2 before the European network
> meetings and the European preparatory assembly for ESF in Berlin
> 22-24.2.
> 
> The aim of the tours is:
> 
> - Getting in contact with a broad range of groups and movements
> interested
> in ESF-5
> - Discussing what kind of issues are important for interested
> participants
> from countries visited on the tour and east-west exchange of experience.
> - Informing practically about ESF participation both concerning how to
> influence the program, webb-pages and the Solidarity fund.
> - Discussing how to strengthen the role of CEE in ESF and if possible
> also
> WSF and similar cooperation.
> - Informing the media.
> 
> For more information: Estonia-Latvia tour; Laura Tuominen,
> laura.tuominen at helsinki.fi
> Central European tour; Tord Björk, tord.bjork at mjv.se
> 
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> 2. Immanuel Wallerstein goes East
> 
> The well-known US academician and world-system theoríst Immanuel
> Wallerstein
> will participate on the NOC tour to Tallin, the capital of Estonia on
> the
> 8th of March. He will speak on the issues of global capitalism and the
> future of social forums. Wallerstein is one of the very few that
> predicted
> the downfall of realsocialist regimes in the CEE countries. The venue is
> still to be confirmed. For more information, see Estonia-Latvia tour
> above.
> 
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> 3. 450 000 SEK, ca. 47 000 Euro ready for use in the Solidarity fund
> 
> Two major contributions to the Solidarity fund for travels and other
> costs
> primarily for Central- and Eastern Europe are now granted. From Forum
> Syd/SIDA 200 000 SEK (Swedish crowns) and from the general support to
> ESF
> from the Malmö municipality 250 000 SEK, in total 450 000 SEK. This makes
> it
> now possible to plan and pay in advance for supporting collective
> transports
> and other costs for participation from CEE-countries. Further efforts to
> get
> more funding is also on its way. The budget goal for the solidarity fund
> is
> 1 million SEK.  
> 
> For more information and requests: Tord Björk, tord.bjork at mjv.se, add a
> copy
> also to esf2008 at gmail.com
> 
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> 4. Visa staff for ESF participants
> 
> NOC recently employed Sophie Sermage to take care of visa matters at the
> ESF-5 office in Malmö. If you need information, send an email to:
> esf2008 at gmail.com
> 
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> 5. Fund raising for CEE organisations and participation
> 
> It is necessary to find all means for funding CEE participation at
> ESF-5.
> Some donors require that organisations in CEE countries apply for the
> money
> for such participation. Francisco Contreras at the NOC office can help
> organisations in CEE countries with this task, contact se above.
> 
> NOC also call upon everyone in Western Europe with possibilties to
> contribute to the Solidarity fund. It was stated at the EPA meeting in
> Stockholm that this was an important task. In Denmark and Finland fund
> raising efforts are on their way apart frpm Sweden We also need the rest
> of
> Europe to contribute to this prioritised task.
> 
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> 6. CEE Global Action Day more political than in the West
> 
> The Global Action Day was globally a success with more than 800 actions
> in
> 80 countries. In Europe according to estimation made by the NOC European
> Contact Group with the help of sometimes uncertain information on the
> www.wsf2008.org website action was carried out in 25 countries in
> approximatly 400 places.
> 
> It has been claimed that CEE countries was very weak on this action day.
> In
> numbers of action this is true, only 1 action in 10 took place in CEE
> countries. But in number of countries participating CEE is not as weak,
> 10
> out of 25 European countries were CEE countries, Caucasus included.
> 
> What may be seen as more interesting was that the CEE actions generally
> were
> more political, and sometimes like in Romania under immediate threat
> from
> right-wing forces and the police. In Czech Republic there was a protest
> against the NATO military base project, in Budapest a demonstration
> against
> privatisation of energy and all over Russia from Kalingrad at the Baltic
> Sea
> to Astrachan at the Caspians sea and Sachalin at the Pacific and in
> Ukraine
> to Sevastopol at the Black Sea protests to protect the right of housing
> and
> the freedom of speach. Compared to the actions in the Nordic countries
> were
> almost all actions were not actions but seminars CEE countries have
> mobilised better. The fact that actions on the 26th of January were it
> took
> place in the CEE countries addressed pressing issues of concern for
> common
> people in their daily lifes proves that the Global Day of action is a
> success. This brings hope for the future.
> 
> The challenge is to spread the mobilisation to all CEE and Western
> European
> countries. A complete list of actions that took place in Europe on the
> Global day of action 26.12 2008 and the Climate Action Day 8.12 2007 has
> been presented by the NOC European Contact group and sent out on the
> FSE-ESF
> mailing list. You can also send for it from the editor of this
> newsletter:
> tord.bjork at mjv.se
> 
> WORLD SOCIAL FORUM:  Post-Socialist Europe Unconcerned, Zoltán Dujisin
> http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=40925
> 
> "As another crucial civil society event approaches, questions are once
> more
> raised over the almost non-existent participation of civic actors from
> post-socialist Europe.
> 
> In line with the World Social Forum's new approach of holding several
> simultaneous events around the world, many European countries have
> announced
> a myriad of actions for Jan. 26, but east of Germany only Romania and
> the
> Czech Republic are shyly participating in the WSF's Global Action Day.
> 
> There is seemingly no simple explanation for this notable absence:
> outsiders, authorities, the media and civic actors all seem to be
> contributing to the sad state of affairs in central-eastern Europe's
> activist scene.
> 
> Although the WSF charter of principles has set as one of its goals the
> multiplication of social forums around the world, there are voices in
> central-eastern Europe that claim this has been discouraged by elements
> of
> the forum itself.
> 
> A short-lived attempt at organising a Central and Eastern European
> Social
> Forum (CEESF), which was meant to counter the low representation of the
> region in the European Social Forum (ESF) and to bring social movements
> closer to the realities of the region, ended abruptly in 2005. As its
> raison
> d'être the CEESF cited specific regional concerns caused by what it calls
> a
> badly managed systemic adaptation to globalisation: the spread of
> extreme-right ideas, elite-driven nationalism, the rise in poverty and
> unemployment and lack of food security.
> 
> "To organise a CEESF you need some financial and moral support, but the
> hidden leadership of the ESF blocked our initiative for political
> reasons,"
> Matyas Benyik, head of ATTAC-Hungary and one of the founders of the
> CEESF
> initiative told TerraViva/IPS.
> ...
> The failure of similar events in the region could be attributed to a
> highly
> fragmented scene that lacks a collective identity. This is certainly the
> case for the Czechs, according to Marta Kolarova, a researcher at the
> Institute of Sociology of the Academy of Sciences in Prague who recently
> studied the phenomenon.
> ...
> The actions of many members of the civil society are also being limited
> by
> an excessive dependency on donor-driven programmes, often at the expense
> of
> complying with grassroots demands. These accusations are accentuated in
> the
> post-Soviet regions where NGOs have been entangled in a geo-political
> struggle between Russia and the West over the control of Russia's
> immediate
> neighbourhood.
> 
> Benyik's assessment of the region's civic movements was harsh: "I would
> call
> them fakes, as a lot of them are part of the old regime and have only
> reorganised themselves, while others are just too dependent on donors
> and
> lack any independence."
> 
> "NGOs are project-oriented and get funding from big institutions like
> the
> European Union and cannot really protest against them," Kolarova said.
> "They
> are mostly working on projects of a very practical nature and not on
> larger
> issues such as war and globalisation."
> (This report was published Jan. 15 by TerraViva, an IPS group
> publication)
> 
> From CEE 26.1 reports:
> 
> Hungary:
> 
> "On 25th January 2008 between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. representatives of
> thirty
> CSOs grouping in the Left-wing Hungarian Social Forum held a successful
> demonstration against the privatization of the energy sector in the
> defense
> of the consumers, in the heart of Budapest near the Underground (Metro)
> Station Batthyany Square. The delegation of the HSF went into the Office
> of
> the Energy Provider at Batthyany square and handed over the demands for
> the
> protection of the energy consumers in Hungary. We distributed flyers
> explaining the aim of our action and drawing the attention of passers-by
> to
> the WSF Global Day of Action.
>  
> Later we have faxed our Petition to the Headquaters of the Energy
> Provider
> (ELMU) claiming not to exclude several hundreds of thousands of our
> fellow
> countrymen from the energy supply. Majority of the big families with
> small
> children, unemployed and pensioners are now unable to pay the high
> energy
> bill, so in the middle of winter season they are cut from the energy.
>  
> The energy providers in Hungary are seriously violating their obligations
> to
> guarantee the minimum level of supply for the most needy groups of the
> society, i.e. abt. 3 millions poor people living under the poverty line
> (30% of the Hungarian population)."
>  
> Matyas Benyik, Left-wing Hungarian Social Forum, President of ATTAC
> Hungary
> 
> Romania:
> 
> "the Romanian Social Forum process ­ AER Foundation and AD FSR ­
> organized
> the European Symposium ŒAnother World is Possible!¹ in Rimnicu-Vilcea as
> part of the global chain of actions of the civil society worldwide.
> 
> Amongst the participants there were besides the participants already in
> the
> Romanian Social Forum process, a number of Romanian and Bulgarian NGOs,
> people involved in the field of sustainable development, teachers and
> students, representatives of some local institutions related to
> environment,
> culture, education, and administration, some politicians in personal
> capacity, as well as some representatives of the local Media. ...
> 
> Nevertheless, the Global Action Day in Romania did not unfold without
> encountering obstacles. ...  Different components of the
> System-Machinery
> (the Police, the Secret Services, the neoliberal parties which hold the
> Power both locally and nationally, and a nationalistic-xenophobic
> extremist
> political actor) made their move ­ intimidating telephone calls were
> received, apparently from the Police, at the school secretariat calling
> for
> the cancellation of the event labeled as a Œdangerous anti-globalization
> meeting¹; as if Œby chance¹, similar phone calls were made by elements
> of
> neoliberal parties; infiltrated paid agents of these neoliberal parties
> tried spreading rumours at the venue about an imminent arrival of the
> Special Forces in black (nicknamed Œthe Masked¹) to storm the building
> and
> evacuate the rooms; some important politicians and representatives of
> local
> administration were Œadvised¹ either not to come to the event or even to
> withdraw in the last minute from the venue; the main organizers were
> constantly kept under pressure by Œgood-will¹ people who, as if by
> chance,
> were coming around from time to time to Œinform¹ them about such new
> anonymous telephone calls and about the necessity of not speaking about
> politics, against neoliberalism, or against the government; some
> participants were approached and frightened; Petre Damo was repeatedly
> and
> aggressively interrupted during his introductory intervention while
> speaking about the WSF process by such an infiltrated agent under the
> mask
> of an environmentalist ....
> 
> In spite of the aforementioned obstructions, and others not mentioned
> here,
> the Global Day of Action went on and ended in Rimnicu-Vilcea, Romania,
> without open incidents. The participants continued by the program, each
> of
> the two thematic axes coming to an end.
> 
> In the ŒCharter¹ section there was a very good, lively, open, and
> non-formal
> debate on the WSF, ESF, and RSF processes, on what neoliberalism really
> is,
> what its tenets are, and how it affects the people worldwide including
> in
> Romania, on what the Charter of Principles for Another Europe is and why
> the
> European Constitutional Treaty ­ both in its rejected form in France and
> the
> Netherlands in 2005 and in its Merkel reloaded variant ­ is not
> acceptable.
> Critical remarks about the globalization process (for example: the
> neoliberal move made by the Finish transnational corporation Nokia from
> Bochum, Germany to Cluj-Napoca, Romania; the financial hackering
> attack conducted against the Romanian national currency beginning with
> early
> January which lead to a sudden and tremendous depreciation of the ŒLeu¹
> in
> comparison to the ŒEuro¹; etc) and about the economic and political
> situation in Romania were made. Participants in the RSF delegations at
> the
> London ESF and Athens ESF informed newcomers about how to get involved,
> how
> to participate, and about seminars. There were discussions about the
> ESF-5
> in Malmö and about how to prepare the RSF participation there.
> Challenging
> questions were raised about how to enlarge the RSF process."
> 
> Petre Damo,
> President of the Association for the Development of
> the Romanian Social Forum ­ AD FSR,
> Romanian Social Forum Coordination
> 
> Russian Federation:
> 
> Actions from Baltic Sea to the Pacific.
> Newspapers were distributed with the call for the action by: - Union of
> Co-ordinating Councils with information about the antisocial policy of
> the
> Government and about how to protect the ones rights and struggle for
> social
> justice; Social movement «Alternatives» (Alternativy) - «Long live
> another
> world». Actions took place presented frpm West to east:
> 
> Kalingrad.
> For a real housing self-management! gathering inhabitants of the
> Condominium
> "Soglasie -2" (city block of Sel'ma) against the illegal attempts of the
> local authorities to take control of their building.
> 
> Saint Petersburg.
> Mass meeting at the Finland station, concert, and  theatricalized
> presentation. "what can strengthen solidarity and collaboration between
> human rights associations, social, trade-unions, housing inhabitants
> committees, and other public organizations that are active in Saint
> Petersburg, is basic of the ideas of conducting action in the city. At
> the
> present time about the following organizations are members of the St.
> Petersburg organization committee for the action on 26 January: Advance
> guard of red young people (AKM), "Alternative", the association of
> libertarian initiatives, the movement of civil initiatives, DSPA, OO
> "living
> city", the committee of united actions in defense of the social-working
> rights of citizens, OO "reliable house", ROO "okhtinskaya arc", council
> of
> the initiative-taking groups of duped co-investors of Saint Petersburg,
> OD
> "Education for all", Russian social-democratic union of young people,
> the
> federation of socialist young people ".
> ----
> Press report: Civil Rights Groups Unite at Protest Event
> http://www.times.spb.ru/index.php?action_id=2&story_id=24840
> Sergey Chernov / The St. Petersburg Times
> 
> "Twenty five political and social organizations gathered peacefully on
> Saturday to protest against Kremlin policies, and those of its ally City
> Hall, as well as to ³demonstrate both the autonomy and cooperation of
> the
> members of social movements,² as the Movement for Civil Initiatives
> (DGI),
> the local NGO that coordinated the rally, put it in a statement.
> 
> With the motto ³For Civil Rights and Social Justice,² the rally¹s
> slogans
> were ³Rights Are Not Given, Rights Are Taken² and ³Stop the Bear Reforms²
> (a
> bear is the symbol of the Kremlin-backed United Russia party).
> 
> Sanctioned by the local authorities, the rally, which drew an estimated
> 400
> participants, was part of the World Social Forum¹s Global Day of Action
> campaign, in which many movements around the world took part. The date
> was
> chosen to coincide with the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in
> Davos,
> Switzerland, which closed on Sunday. Such rallies were held in 24
> Russian
> cities.
> 
> Several activists were detained by the police. But although the site of
> the
> protest near the Finland Station was tightly surrounded by OMON special
> forces police officers and trucks, detentions were made covertly, before
> and
> after the rally ‹ without the aggressive crowd-control measures taken at
> an
> anti-Gazprom Tower protest earlier this month.
> 
> To comply with the Russian Social Forum regulations, political parties
> could
> not act as the rally¹s co-organizers, but could take part via individual
> representatives and social organizations. Apart from the liberal party
> Yabloko and the Communists, it was mostly representatives of pressure
> groups
> such as the Living City (Zhivoi Gorod), Okhta Bend (Okhtinskaya Duga)
> and
> ZOV (Defend Vasilyevsky Island) who spoke at the rally. Labor was
> represented by trade unions from the local Ford Plant and dockers....
> 
> While speakers raised objections to Dmitry Medvedev, President Vladimir
> Putin¹s declared ³successor² in the upcoming presidential elections, and
> criticized the State Duma elections in December as rigged, most speeches
> were devoted to local problems, such as the planned Gazprom Tower, or
> Okhta
> Center as it is now officially known, and multiple violations of the
> city¹s
> planning code.
> 
> ³During the rule of [Governor] Valentina Matviyenko, there have been a
> lot
> of conflicts over in-fill construction; there have been protests,
> lawsuits
> and letters to the prosecutor¹s office,² said Tatyana Kuchurina of DGI.
> 
> ³It is the same situation with the chopping down of parks and public
> gardens: it looks like after a couple more years of the city mistress¹
> stormy behavior, there won¹t be a single living bush or tree left.
> ..
> Living City, a group that fights for the preservation of the cultural
> and
> architectural heritage of St. Petersburg, held a performance using
> papier-mache models of classical buildings that were attacked by an
> activist
> wearing an ³I Love $Pb² helmet. But his attempts to erect a skyscraper
> made
> of cardboard boxes and destroy the city¹s historical landscape were
> stopped
> by protesters.
> 
> Many speakers urged all the groups to unite in their struggle and
> coordinate
> their actions.
> ...
> At Saturday¹s protest event the police¹s attention was drawn to a group
> of
> anarchists and left-wing activists from the newly-formed Association of
> Libertarian Initiatives (ALI), who stood shoulder to shoulder wrapped
> with
> banners, some with their faces covered with scarves, and chanted
> slogans.
> Their banner ‹ reading ³The Only Way Is Resistance² ‹ was disapproved of
> by
> a police colonel, who, after an argument with the demonstrators, brought
> in
> a dozen police officers to form a line covering the slogan from public
> view
> with their backs.
> 
> ³They tried to detain the group of DSPA [the left-wing Pyotr Alekseyev
> Resistance Movement, part of ALI], who stood up for radicalism in their
> slogans and behavior, but as the organizers we interfered and managed to
> prevent the police¹s action against them,² said Yevgeny Kozlov, the
> chairman
> of DGI¹s coordinating board by phone on Monday.
> 
> However, an unidentified man was taken away by two policemen as
> protesters
> gathered at the site at about 12.20 p.m. More detentions took place
> after
> the event as protesters headed to the metro. Several activists from Food
> Not
> Bombs, who had been offering free warm boiled buckwheat to protesters at
> the
> rally, were detained in the metro.
> 
> ³We were carrying a pan with some food left in it, in a bag, and near
> the
> metro we were approached by three plain-clothed men who told us to go
> with
> them ‹ they didn¹t introduce themselves, but it was obvious that they
> were
> from the police,² said Dmitry, a Food Not Bombs activist who asked that
> his
> last name be withheld."
> ---
> 
> Moscow.
> Seminar on «Defence of civil and social rights: world experience» and
> Mass
> meeting. We oppose: sealing buildings, housing and utilities reform,
> squalid
> pensions and reduced social benefits. We are for: the preservation of
> green
> areas, residents participate in local governance, respect for labour and
> trade union rights.
> 
> Moscow Region (Moskovskaya oblast) (cities of Odintsovo, Pushkino,
> Lytkarino, Solnechnogorsk, Korolev).
> Mass-meetings. An organizer of the mass meetings is Co-ordinating
> Council of Committee of salvation.
> 
> Yaroslavl.
> «Chain of housing solidarity» will take place.
> 
> Nizhniy Novgorod.
> mass meeting.
> 
> Penza.
> meeting on the Ploshad Sovietskaya. Organizers are local Communists and
> human rights activists.
> 
> Saratov.
> First action was organized by the local section of the communist party
> over
> the area in front of the Circus. The second meeting took place at
> Chernishevsky's Ploshad, organized by the local coalition "people
> housing
> forum" with the possible participation of activists from party "Iabloko"
> and
> journalists, who fight for the freedom of word.
> 
> Astrakhan.
> January, 28 public conference of activists of Union of habitants.
> 
> Grozny
> The organization "will save generation" carried out the collection of
> signatures under a petition to Deputies of the State Duma RF about the
> adoption of law on the inhabitants of the Chechen republic, who became
> invalids at the childhood as a result of military actions.
> Such people in republic are thousands. Now they are in an extremely
> difficult situation. Children are deprived of the possibility to attend
> school because the schools don¹t provide conditions for this. Invalids
> cannot find work, they cannot independently make purchases, even visit
> of
> polyclinic is for them a serious problem. For many the mine-explosive or
> fragmentation injury, obtained in the childhood, deprived them from
> future.
> 
> Ul'yanovsk
> The problem of forced military service and the problem of the low quality
> of
> education. Organizer of the action: the "independent student trade union"
> of
> Ul'yanovsk state university.
> 
> Kazan
> Organizer of protest action - human rights agency "Karabin - Kazan'
> working
> inspection". Joined to the action by: Workers movement RT, Kazan' young
> communist organization SKM, duped co-investors (possibly), political
> organizations ³Working Russia² and AKM of Kazan, anarchists from
> "Autonomous
> action", the Tatar public center im. Mulyukova, some structures of
> Communist
> party and the committee of the protection of the earth of gardening
> comradeship "veteran".
> 
> Kirov
> Housing Rights Demonstration with difficult negotiations about the
> agreement
> for the meeting with the local authorities. Organizers: Coordination
> council
> of protest actions, the council of hostels inhabitants, communist
> workers¹
> party RKRP, the council of workers and peasants.
> 
> Izhevsk.
> 11.00 conference of protest activists and opposition parties.
> 
> Perm.
> Procession and mass meeting. Topic - the escalating prices. Organizer:
> Coordinating Council protest action.
> 
> Kurgan
> Massive picket on Ploshad Lenin. Organizer free trade union "Zachita
> truda"-
> Kurgan.
> 
> Tyumen.
> Meeting for Civil Liberties and Social Justice.
> 
> Ishime. 
> Meeting for Civil Liberties and Social Justice.
> 
> Surgut. 
> Organizers: Committee of solidarity actions, worker communist party RKRP
> and
> the free trade unions (against repressions in the oil companies).
> Committee of solidarity actions the free trade unions ( worker communist
> party RKRP Confirmed Russian Federation Tyumen' trade unions
> 
> Omsk.
> 13.00 mass meeting and procession.
> 
> Novosibirsk.
> Rally at the central square and a round table with the participation of
> social movements. 
>  
> Irkutsk. 
> Informative pickets on Global Day of Mobilisation
> and Action and mass meeting. For civil rights and social justice.
> 
> Yuzhno-Sahalinsk.
> United mass meeting of social movements and opposition parties.: Now the
> founders of the temporary Coalition Organizing Committee and its five
> organizations: public associations "Civil liability", a human rights
> center
> Sakhalin, the Movement of Pensioners "Conscience", the CPRF and
> motorists.
> Pickets held in the collection of signatures to a message to the
> President,
> the State Duma, the Government, the Federal Assembly and the
> parliamentary
> political parties. In addition, the signatures will be collected and
> addressed as motorists on curbing growth in prices of fuel.
> 
> -----------------------------------------------------
> 
> 7. CEE perspectives in WSF strategy
> 
> The perspectives and experiences from CEE countries seldom is mentioned
> i
> general texts in World Social Forum. But when addressing the Global Day
> of
> Action Candido Grzymbowski from Ibase, one of the founding NGOs of WSF.
> The
> way the Global action day is described by him is very much confirmed by
> the
> way this day was organised in CEE countries and all over Russia, a
> country
> mentioned in this text. Strategically more interesting CEE perspwective
> is
> in the text by Gustave Messiah on the future of WSF. He states that the
> WSF
> process is building on three historic movments, the anticolonial, the
> working-calls and the democratic movement that renewed its democratic
> imperative after the implosion of socialist regimes and the emergence of
> security-based ideologies.
> 
> "THE WORLD COULD BE VERY DIFFERENT FROM HOW IT IS TODAY"
> Source: IPS @ http://www.ipsnews.net/columns.asp?idnews=40864external
> link
> 
> Cândido Grzybowski, director of Ibase (Brazil) and member of the WSF
> International Committee, in an interview with IPS's Alejandro Kirk.
> 
> What is the main political objective of the Global Day of Action
> (January
> 26), and how effective is it likely to be?
> 
> "The overall aim of this day of mobilisation is to facilitate a deeper
> penetration of the WSF at local level, providing each movement and
> organisation with the opportunity to focus on local dynamics and their
> relationship with the global process. The initiatives couldn¹t be more
> diverse, although they¹re all going to take place on the same date. Each
> place, each group and each event will have its particular style, whether
> it
> be a classical type of forum (such as in Barcelona), or a protest march
> (Belén in Brazil), a seminar (in Russia) or a cultural-political event
> (as
> in Rio de Janeiro). What¹s important is to show that we¹re united in a
> citizens¹ active network ­virtually connected by Internet- and extending
> to
> every part of the world. The effectiveness of the day of action will be
> judged from two perspectives. Firstly, as a mobilisation and local
> identity,
> and in this sense I think that the WSF can only be strengthened.
> Secondly,
> in terms of political impact on civil societies, governments and power
> structures such as corporations and the mass media, etc., although this
> last
> is more difficult to determine. What¹s important is that the 26 of
> January
> will act as a counterbalance to the World Economic Forum in Davos, which
> has
> already had its self-importance dented."
> 
> AFTER NAIROBI, A NEW ROUND OF WORLD SOCIAL FORUMS
> 
> Gustave Messiah
> 
> "Fifth hypothesis: the alter-globalization movement is a historic
> movement
> with long-term goals. It prolongs and renews the three preceding
> historic
> movements. The historic decolonization movement; from this perspective,
> alter-globalization has greatly modified the North-South? representations
> to
> the benefit of a common project. The historic movement encompassing the
> working-class struggles; from this perspective, the evolution towards a
> global, social and citizen-based movement. The movement encompassing the
> struggles for democracy, beginning in the 1960s and '70s; from this
> perspective, the renewal of the democratic imperative following the
> implosion of the Soviet Union in 1989 and the regressions engendered by
> security-based ideologies."
> 
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Yours
> 
> 
> Tord Björk
> 
> Coordinator, 
> Contact group for Europe and the World, Nordic Organizing Committee ESF
> 2008
> 
> Finlandsgatan 2
> 291 31 Kristianstad
> Sverige/Suede/Sweden
> Tel: +46 (0)44 12 32 94 (evenings, sometimes am Monday-Tuesday)
> E-mail: tord.bjork at mjv.se (best way for contacts)
> 
> Nordic Organizing Committee: esf2008 at gmail.com, www.esf2008.org
> 
> 
> 




%?#%?"$£&%?&?&#"?
Laura Tuominen
+358 40 730 9360
laura.m.tuominen at helsinki.fi
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http://lamatuo.vuodatus.net

"Seurakunta perustaa toisen lapsityön ohjaajan viran."         
    (Ylöjärven Uutiset, etusivun otsikko 22.12.2004)