ESF Mobilising meeting, Galway

galway | miscellaneous | event notice Tuesday September 28, 2004 00:34 by Orla Ni Chomhrai nichomhrai at eircom dot net

Public meeting to mobilise for European Social Forum

Meeting Friday 1st October 8pm, Richardson's Pub, Eyre Square, Galway

A major European conference, which is expected to be attended by about 50,000 people is to take place in London this October between the 14th and 17th. The European Social Forum will have meetings, film viewings, exhibitions and music on the themes of promoting social justice and opposing war, racism, privatisation and environmental destruction.

There will be a meeting this Friday in Richardson's pub, Eyre Square at 8pm to give more information on this conference and to organise a contingent to go to London from Galway. This meeting will be addressed by Rory Hearne, committee member of the Irish Anti-War Movement, and national convenor of Another Europe is Possible, and Brian Higgins, Mid-West Divisional Organiser of the Mandate Trade Union.

The London conference will be addressed by a wide range of speakers including journalists John Pilger and George Monbiot, Meena Menon, leading activist with India's mill workers' unions, and London Mayor Ken Livingstone, who also chairs Unite Against Fascism. London cleaners who are currently campaigning to improve their working conditions will introduce a Ken Loach film about low paid US cleaners and their fight for justice. Irish speakers at the conference include Richard Boyd Barrett, Chairperson of the Irish Anti-War movement, who will address a session alongside Che Guevara's daughter Aleida Guevara. Other Irish speakers include Patricia McKenna, Irish journalist Eamonn McCann, and feminist Ailbhe Smyth. The Irish Anti War Movement and the Another Europe is Possible alliance are also hosting seminars at the ESF.

About 400 delegates are expected to attend from Ireland, including people from Galway. These conferences give people who work for social justice from accross Europe a chance to meet and learn from one another's experiences. Over 1,000 groups have been involved in proposing the 900 events of this conference. The first European Social Forum meeting in Florence in 2002 attracted over 50,000 participants and was critical in mobilising for the massive global anti-war demonstration of February 2003.