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ESF2008: Another World is Possible
Over 15,000 people from Malmo, Sweden and all over the world gathered at the central event of the European Social Forum 2008, the protest walk and mass demonstrations, that took place on Saturday in Malmo. Some groups appeared on the designated starting point early in the morning, in spite of the fact that official start was scheduled for 13:00 hours.
Before the actual start of the protests, the final sessions of workshops and seminars were round up, as well as a number of debates and discussions. Among others, workshops were held on self-sustainable communities, permaculture, listening as tool to fight racism, migration, food crisis and militarisation of space. The seminars on economic democracy, women migrants, empowering poor communities, antinuclear movements, free education and global civil society also attracted huge interest among the participants of the ESF2008.
Prior to the protests, the European urban social movements, migration networks, European students and antiwar, militarisation, military bases and industry movements all held their annual assemblies.
The demonstrations started a 13:00 hours, with opening addresses by guest from South America and Asia and a music programme. The big procession through the streets of Malmo started at 15:00 hours, Consisting of four greater columns – activist, anarchist, socialist and global. The huge amounts of banners, flags, slogans just contributed to the carnival-like appearance of the procession.
There were anarchists, anarsho-feminists, socialists, anti-capitalists, anti-fascists, liberals, Palestinians, Kurds, Mexicans, Bolivians, Venezuelans, Colombians, environmentalists, leftists, music groups, drummers, dancers, citizens and peasants, immigrants, nudists, proletarians, communists, marginalized minorities, anti-militarists and peace-keepers... They all joined the long procession that walked through the streets of Malmo for three and a half hours. With increased, but not too large police security, the procession passed through the downtown and ended in the big municipal park where the main event was held.
Apart from minor sporadic incidents caused by radical factions of anarchist groups, no major problems were noted during the protest walk.
Darko Brkan, an activists from Bosnia and Herzegovina used the opportunity, as the organizer and representatives of the SEE group at the ESF, to talk. Instead of a appropriate address, he appealed to the people present to help and assist the Sarajevo Queer Festival which, in its final days of preparation, faces the wrath of the xenophobia and fascism of BiH society. The speech by Darko Brka is available on YouTube (with apologies for the low quality of the recording).
In spite of the cold weather, the participants stayed in the park until late in the night, partying with concerts from bands from all over Europe.
On Sunday, the last day of the forum, a number of seminars and workshops were held, including a seminar on the Schengen Wall, political prisoners, young workers and working conditions in Europe. Seminars on city takeover, resistance actions, privatisation and speculation were held, as well as workshops on strategies to fight racism, the NATO`s influence on rising militarisation in Europe, unemployment. Finally, there was a workshop on the life we choose to live: neoliberal metropolis or solidarity and common living space?!!?.
The last day`s central events were reserves for the continued assemblies of European Social Movements and the unitied European platform for fight of all forms of racism, as well as the annual assembly of environmentalist and alternative movements. The official closing ceremony was held late Sunday afternoon.
The ESF 2008 provided a unique opportunity to activists from Europe and the world to get to know each other, share experience, learn new things and, most importantly, to work and act together. Hopefully, the participants from SEE used the opportunity offered by the Forum and will take their newly acquired knowledge and experiences back home and improve their activities.
Also, we hope that the activists from the Balkans will manage to apply the message of the forum to their local communities, that diversity should not divide us, but we should work united in our diversity. Another Balkans, another Europe, another world is possible!!!
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