European Social forum

The European Social forum is one of the continental variations of the Worldwide social forum, beside the Forum of Americas, Asian Social forum etc the first organization of the FSE took place in 2002 with Florence.

A Social forum consists of a space of meetings and exchanges conceived to allow basic reflections, ideological debates, the update of proposals and alternatives, the experience sharing and projects of actions, between the various entities and movements of the civil society saying itself “engaged in the construction of another possible world centered around the human person, and not on the economic profit”.

Chronology

• the 1st European Social forum (FSE) was held with the Forteresse of Basso of Florence in Italy from November 7th to 10th 2002.

• the 2nd Social forum European was held with Paris, Saint-Denis, Bobigny and Ivry-sur-Seine from November 12th to 15th 2003.
• the 3rd European Social forum was held with London from October 14th to 17th 2004.
• the 4th Social forum European was held the 4, May 5th, 6th and 7th 2006, with Athens.

Organization and animation

The Worldwide social forum was created on the initiative of 8 organizations (MST, CUT, ABONG, I-Bases, etc) which always assume the role of international secretariat in bond, after the 4eFSM of Mumbai in 2004, with the Indian organizing committee. As of 2001 the Brazilian organizers took the initiative to constitute the International committee of the FSM which widens by co-optation with various organizations and ONG (more than 100 in 2006).

The European Social forum is animated differently. As of the first meeting of preparation of the FSE of Florence, in Brussels in spring 2002, the various European movements decided the installation of a " European Assembly of Préparation" who would ensure the organization of the various FSE. This AEP is opened in all association, trade union, ONG or organization which souhaient to invest there and meets at least 3 times per annum, each time in a different city in the concern of allowing the broadest participation of the movements exits of different the part of Europe. This choice of an open AEP is explained by practical reasons: the Brazilian organizations which have " inventé" the concept of Forum social could decide which was to assume the responsibility for it what was impossible for European organizations which would have had large difficulties in determine the criteria of participation in a closed structure. But this decision also returns to the will to implement in way practices the principle of horizontality.

First FSE (Florence 2002)

The slogan of this forum was " against the war, racism and the néo-libéralisme" , in reference specific to the plan of George W. Bush for Iraq.

Before even its beginning, the FSE of Florence awoke polemics, especially from the point of view that do not reproduce events as at the time of the top of G8 in Genoa the previous year.

Finally the FSE, with its 60.000 déléguésqui which occupied the Forteresse of Basso (place historical) and other centers of conferences, did not cause any incident and ended in a great demonstration against the war, of 1 million people according to the organizers. Among the topics approached: immigration, constitution of the European Union, the Tobin tax and especially debates on peace and pacifism. This topic counted among its speakers Gino Strada, leader of the pacifist movement in Italy and president of Emergency , an Italian association which helps the civilian victims of the armed conflicts. Large ONG such as Amnesty International united the FSE as well as organizations of citizens like ATTAC.

At the end of the meeting even Romano Prodi, at the time president of the European commission, sympathy to the moderation of the movement and its pacifist topics showed.

Second FSE Paris 2003

More than 40.000 registered voters to the forum 2003 of which ONG, organizations trade-union, anti-capitalists. Some personalities also arised to the forum, of which Jose Bove, Laurent Fabius, François Holland. The political groups most visible were the Communist revolutionary league (LCR) and the French Communist party (PCF). The socialist party was present (see controversy) Beside the official participants there also were many not registered participants. 150.000 demonstrators at the time of the walk of closing. Also let us announce that a forum of the women took place the previous days the FSE, to react to the female under-representativeness at the time of the first FSE. This forum of the women counted 3000 participating.

Polyglot forum

The working languages to the FSE 2003 were French, English, German, Italian and Spanish. The speakers can express themselves in the language of their choice and interpretation is ensured by Babels , global area network of interpreters and translators voluntary whose object is to meet the requirements in interpretation for the Social forums and other international events. The voluntary ones receive only the refunding of their transport costs. This management babélienne of the plurilingualism has a cost which was estimated at 300  000 Euros with the Forum of Paris. The organizers of this forum considered this solution with the multilingualism so relevant that they decided to make ravel the interpreters of Babels at the head procession of their demonstration on November 15th, 2003 in Paris.

Discusses

Always in Paris, there were many critics on the participation of the French Socialist party, who, affirm certain altermondialists, took part of the “capitalist globalisation” during the previous years. Some anarchistic groups had organized an event " concurrent" in the city, the libertarian Social forum . During the manifestation of November 15th, violent ones confrontations took place between the militants of the Socialist party and the Autonomes.

Third FSE (London 2004)

More than 20,000 people of 70 different countries attended the meetings, the majority organized with the Alexandra Palace. Among the participants, political parties like the Green Party , (left green), of the anarchists, the Socialists, ONGs. The members of the Socialist Workers Party (the U.K.) (Socialist party of the workmen) and the Globalize Resistance formed the organizing core, like Socialist Action (the U.K.) (socialist action) with the nuclear disarmament campaign. For the organization of the FSE two visions clashed: the English organizers privileged the centralization of the event (with a demonstration against the war) while arguing that would give him more impact, other components of the movement altermondialist (for example the local Forum of London) defended that the FSE was not to be regarded an event but rather as part of process, reproached an approach and a too hierarchical organization and proposed consequently, " horizontalement" , of the events in margin of the FSE, more spontaneous in their approach

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