'Masters of the Universe' coming to Ireland

Friday January 24, 2003 11:52

by CavanMan

Protesters gearing up to oppose economic terrorism

Irish activists working in the areas of social and environmental justice will be paying close attention to events in Brazil and Austria over the next few days. The World Economic Forum (WEF), widely acknowledged as the 'think tank' behind modern capitalism, will meet in the Swiss ski resort of Davos. The WEF is made up of a select invitation only group of the world's most powerful businesspeople and politicians. Each year they are met with protests and direct actions by those who claim their economic agenda amounts to terrorism and it will be no different this year.

The Global Justice movement has been often criticised for being 'anti' everything, for protesting at the drop of a hat, and for not proposing realistic alternatives to the current economic and political order.

Well that criticism has been blown out the window as over 100,000 activists have decended upon the Brazilian town of Porte Algre for the 3rd World Social Forum, designed to cooincide with and provide alternatives to the ideas presented by the WEF.

The Social Forum will be opened by Brazilian president 'Lula' who has just commenced his reign as the popular socialist president of Brazil, which is the world's 4th largest economy. Activists will spend 6 days in debates, workshops, discussions and working groups as they seek to draw attention to their own economic, social, environmental and political agenda.

In stark contrast the the WEF, the Social Forum will also feature colourful and creative festivities and celebrations in a carnival like disply of resistance and hope.

This movement which started out as 'anti-globalisation' has turned out to be the most global of them all as networks and alliances for justice have sprung up from South Africa to West Cork. Everywhere the 'decision making summits' of selected 'leaders' have met, they have been greeted by protests, direct actions, alternative media creations and the cries of the dispossessed.

The protesters claim that 20 years of economic neo-liberalism and so called free trade has left much of the world in poverty, created the seeds of conflict and scarred the world's rainforests and oceans.

The protest movement has grown and matured and the economists know that their days of unquestioned reign is coming to an end. The World Trade Organisation, fearing another Seattle, fled to Doha in the middle East for its last summit but the WEF hasn't been quite as imaginative.

They have received a committment from Mary Harney that the Irish Government is more than willing to host their summit in October 2003. While it is no surprise that the Irish government would welcome the 'men behind the wire', it is amazing that they should seek to host them just as our own bubble of economic illusion is popping.

Around the country, everyone from farmers and fishermen to students and conservations are taking the the streets and will only be more than happy to do so again come October.

Irish activists have already begun preparations to oppose what they see as 'an undemocratic and dangerous summit meeting to discuss the fate of the world'. Veterans of the huge anti-capitalist protests in Prague, Gothenburg, Genoa and Barcelona will join grassroots environmental, student, union and community groups as they seek to send out their message that not only is another possible, another world is necessary.

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See Today's report from the Guardian:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/globalisation/story/0,7369,881134,00.html

Ongoing Indymedia Ireland debate:
http://www.indymedia.ie/cgi-bin/newswire.cgi?id=25085

World Social Forum:
http://www.portoalegre2003.org/publique/index02Ib.htm

Global Indymedia site: http://www.indymedia.org

The World Economic Forum:
http://www.weforum.org/

Austria's anti WEF site:
http://www.antiwef.org/

Read about Melbourne's 'wecome' to the WEF
http://www.s11.org/s14/s11.html