REPORT FROM 2nd EUROPEAN GATHERING FOR HUMANITY AGAINST
NEOLIBERALISM, 28-30 MARCH 1997,
PRAGUE, CENTRAL EUROPE, PLANET EARTH
by Patrick Cuninghame (fHUMAN, London)
Despite some serious organisational problems which effectively
negated the purpose of holding the 2nd European Encuentro in an
Eastern European country, this was a far more constructive
preparatory meeting than the Zurich one had been. Two German comrades
made a huge effort to set up things at the Black Hand Anarchist
Centre (unfortunately about to be demolished and turned into a
parking lot) in the centre of Prague, but their efforts don't seem to
have been matched in Prague itself, resulting in only a few
participants from the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. For other
Eastern Europeans, especially Russians, the $100 visa fee (equivalent
to a month's salary) was a major turn off - something we should have
anticipated. The European movement thus still remains firmly Western
in its composition, but the German groups have taken the
responsibility for inviting more Eastern European movements against
neoliberalism to the 2nd Intercontinental Encuentro in the Spanish
state, to be held from Friday, July 25 to Sunday, 3 August. However,
the lack of a significant Eastern European input did not dampen the
much-improved spirit of co-operation and understanding, greatly
helped by excellent translating (Spanish & English were the main
languages used), unrecognisably better moderation, and the good work
put in by those who arrived a few days early which helped to speed up
the decision-making process. The result was that almost all the major
organisational/technical decisions have been tortuously agreed upon
through the process of consensus building rather than the imposition
of "majorities" on "minorities" by mechanical voting. However, the
organisation and contents of the Women's Table has still to be
finalised at the Women's Meeting in Vienna in early May (if you wish
to attend contact: Gita or Christiana, Mexico Gruppe,
Gneisenaustrasse 2a, 10961 Berlin, tel: 49-30-6934029, fax: 6926590).
Some loose ends may have to be tied up at a further preparatory
meeting by any of the 5 organisational commissions who feel the need.
Overall, for the first time I had the feeling of an international
movement beginning to work together against neoliberalism, rather
than a disparate collection of solidarity activists and politicos
talking about it.
After an opening plenary where those who had arrived early and had
already started to work on the 5 organisational commissions
(contents, contacts, finance, documentation, press & propaganda)
reported back and the (provisional) results of the Consulta on the
Second Declaration of La Realidad and the organisation of the next
Encuentro1 were discussed, we split up into our respective
commissions before reporting back our discussions in turn to the
final plenary, which was the ultimate decision-making body where
everything had to be thrashed out (fortunately, the centre closed at
10 o'clock otherwise we would have been in for some all-nighters!).
There was also a talk by a group from the Ladronka squatted social
centre in Prague about the anarchist/autonome scene in the Czech
Republic which sounds as fractured and ghettoised as the English one!
Anyone wanting a copy of a document on the effects of neoliberalism
on ex-Czechoslovakia and details on the European-wide demo on July 12
against the projected nuclear power station at Temelin, contact me.
Finally, a letter of protest was sent from the meeting to the Mexican
government in protest at its rejection of the San Andrés
Accords and the intensification of repression throughput Mexico. This
was the only reference to the Zapatistas in the whole meeting, which
was otherwise exclusively dedicated to the construction of a global
movement against capitalism in its neoliberal form.
Contents:
For a full description of this commission's work and the decisions
taken, see Massimo's report. This is a provisional outline of the
main themes & sub-themes of the 6 Tables.
The 3 main cross-table themes are:
- A meeting of Struggles
- What kind of network do we want?
- Forum to identify new forms of struggles and politics
All the 6 themes / tables to be discussed at each of the 5 venues
in Spain, July 25 - August 3 1997.
TABLE 1: DAILY STRUGGLES AGAINST NEOLIBERALISM
- Economy
- work & means of production
- struggle for dignified lives
- alternative forms of life and economics
TABLE 2: OUR WORLDS & THEIR WORLDS
- solidarity & co-operation
- peoples & identities
- self-determination & nationalism
- immigrant struggles & racism
TABLE 3: STRUGGLES FOR CULTURE, EDUCATION & ACCESS TO
INFORMATION
- subthemes to be based on Consulta results
TABLE 4: WOMEN & STRUGGLE AGAINST PATRIARCHY
2 alternatives (to be at Vienna meeting on 1-2 May):
either: 1 table only for women in 1 site and mixed in other sites,
themes to be decided by women-only table or: mixed tables, but
guarantee separate space for women if they want it and again they
decide the themes to be discussed.
TABLE 5: STRUGGLES FOR LAND & ECOLOGY
TABLE 6 : AGAINST ALL FORMS OF MARGINALISATION
( see attached sheet for details)
- against order of "power" and domination
- utopias & aspirations
Contacts:
The main issues discussed were:
1. the letter of invitation to the Encuentro and
special invitations
2. the inscription (no longer called "accreditation" as felt to be
too selective sounding) form and process
3. dividing up which non-European countries to contact
4. criteria for aid from the Solidarity Fund
what to do from now until the Encuentro
The following is a translation of the official minutes received
from the Zaragoza node (cgt_almeria@cgt.es), responsible for the
overall co-ordination of the Contacts Commission:
1. MEMBERS OF CONTACTS COMMISSION (see attached list )
2. AGENDA & MEETINGS AT PRAGUE (not translated)
3. CONCLUSIONS - DOCUMENTATION
The following documents are attached to the minutes:
- Document on the political and organisational criteria for the
organisation of the Second Encuentro, referring to contacts
- List of nodes of the European Contacts Commission for the
Organisation of the 2nd Encuentro
- List of areas of contacts for the 2nd Encuentro assigned to
different committees of national states
- Model of the Open Invitation to Encuentro 2
- Model of the inscription form
SECOND INTERNATIONAL GATHERING FOR HUMANITY AND AGAINST NEOLIBERALISM
- POLITICAL AND TECHNICAL ORGANISATIONAL CRITERIA.
A - REQUESTS FOR PARTICIPATION
1. There will be inscriptions. The following will register for the
2nd Encuentro: Organisational Commissions (OC) (or preparatory
assemblies) of each country, state, region, city, or geographical
zone.
2. In April and May, each Organisational Commission will receive
preinscriptions from participants from their particular area (see
attached preinscription form). these commissions will then send the
list of preinscriptions, together with a list of translators, before
31 May to the European Contacts Node (ECN) in Zaragoza.
3. From 1 to 15 June the ECN will process the preinscriptions
(limit of places, distribution of tables etc.) and will send a report
with the definitive lists to the other Organisational commissions
(stating distribution by table, fixed fee, and identity cards for
participants) so that the inscriptions can be ratified by 30 June.
Keeping to these deadlines is essential to guarantee the organisation
of the Encuentro, although there will still be some flexibility,
especially towards non-European countries.
4. The OC will accept the preinscriptions of all those people who
express an interest. In extreme cases ( danger of a boycott, or
violence, security problems etc.) the OC will mention it on the
preinscription form and call on the ECN to evaluate it. Appeals
against exclusion are to be sent to the ECN in Zaragoza.
5. If at the time of processing the preinscriptions (1-15 June)
these are considerably more than the number of available places, the
latter will be limited according to the following criteria, in order
of importance:
a) preference will be given to applicants from outside Western
Europe
b)among W.European countries, a balance of representation
according to population size and the special case of Spain because of
its key role in organisation.
c) Assure the participation of socially excluded groups.
6. If at the time of processing the preinscriptions (1-15 June),
these are less than the number of places, preinscription will
continue.
7. The "participation card" to be worn by every participant at the
Encuentro, will be sent to each OC at the time of carrying out
inscriptions and charging the minimum fee (approx. £100, but not
yet fixed). The card will contain the following information: name or
pseudonym, country of origin and photo. The ECN will decide between
1-15 June whether a number and table will be added.
8. The stewarding and organisation of the Encuentro will be
self-managed, maintaining the autonomy of each venue.
9. Apart from as participants enrolled at the Encuentro, other
forms of participation will be as press or as neighbours of the
venues.
B - INVITATIONS
1. There will be no formal invitations , so that the OC will not
be those who choose who participates in the Encuentro. There will be
an open invitation (model enclosed) to all people and collectives in
struggle against neoliberalism who agree with the Second Declaration
of La Realidad and with the Manifesto and objectives of Encuentro 2.
The invitation must be publicised as far as possible , but these
organisations must express an interest in going and initiate the
enrollment procedure.
2. Even though the wording of the invitation is the same
throughout the world, each OC will be able to carry out its own
specific invitations, which will in anycase be added to the official
invitation. the translation of the official invitation will be
adapted by each OC according to the political language and culture of
every region.
3. As an exception, the OC will be able to invite participants at
other Gatherings of Struggle against neoliberalism, e.g. the World
Indigenous Congress in Geneva, the World Youth Festival in Cuba, or
to "great movements in struggle" e.g. the Zapatistas. A special
invitation was sent by the Prague meeting to the World Indigenous
Congress in Geneva which shares the same dates as the Encuentro.
4. Once a preinscription has been solicited, a formal invitation
can be given to those who need it for visa applications etc.
C - CONTACTS
1. Contacts with different persons and organisations, such as the
distribution of open invitations and inscription forms, will take
place simultaneously along two channels of equal importance:
a) The European Contacts Commission (Zaragoza) shares
responsibility in the contacting and diffusion of the Encuentro among
the OCs, on the basis of the attached list of different geographic
areas of the planet. This responsibility includes its own local area.
b) On the other hand, any OC which could contact or has relations
with any collective outside its designated geographic area, is free
to contact them as well. It would be convenient if they could then
inform the OC responsible for that particular geographic area and/or
the ECN(Zaragoza).
2. The European OCs will make the greatest effort to create OCs
throughout the world which in turn would then be responsible for the
inscription process of the participants from their country. (SEE
IRISH MEXICO GROUP WEBSITE FOR THIS DOCUMENT & OTHERS IN ENGLISH
ON ENCUENTRO 2: mark_c@oocities.com). If it is not possible to
create these OCs in certain geographic areas, the European OC which
made contact will be responsible for the registration and
distribution of participation cards in that area.
D - PARTICIPATION - ORGANISATION
1. Registration and participation in Encuentro 2 will always be on
an individual basis even if papers and the further development of the
Encuentro can be representative of a collective struggle.
2. In all matters to do with the organisation and functioning of
the Encuentro the OCs are to present themselves as such and not as
individuals or as determined collectives.
E - RELATIONS WITH OTHER GATHERINGS AND ACTIVITIES
1. Before, during and after Encuentro2, there will be various
events related to the struggle against neoliberalism, such as the
World Youth Festival in Cuba, the Indigenous Congress in Geneva, the
"Boat for Chiapas" from Marseilles, the Gathering in Brittany, The
anti-Maastricht March, the "Sans Papiers" ("illegal" immigrants)
march, The Mexican Indigenous Theatre Tour, the Caravan leaving from
Italy, and a possible Zapatista tour. The overlapping of dates of
these events need not be seen as a problem but as a wealth of events
which will strengthen our common struggle and as a political
challenge to relate all these initiatives as fronts of broad and
distinct struggles. Encuentro 2 in the Spanish State can be seen as
part of a global gathering which includes all these activities.
2. For this reason it is proposed that both the World Youth
Festival in Cuba and the Indigenous Congress in Geneva be linked up
with the Encuentro through the Internet, guaranteeing the maximum
exchange of information and communication. The contacts commission
will draw up a technical proposal to make these links real before and
during the events themselves.
3. Each OC will spread awareness of Encuentro 2 wherever possible
and will try to participate itself as part of the union of struggles
wherever possible, keeping the ECN (Zaragoza) informed of all
initiatives In no case will any attempt be made to centralize nor
co-ordinate the different struggles and information.
F - PERSONALITIES-EXTRA ACTIVITIES
1. In each of the 5 venues of the Encuentro, specific space will
be dedicated to persons or groups who request its use (intellectuals,
artists, writers), who can communicate their experiences, ideas or
artistic relations (conferences, theatre, exhibitions, dynamic,
poetry.
G-PARTICIPANTS WITH ECONOMIC PROBLEMS
1. So that people with economic problems who want to take part in
the Encuentro can do so, and to guarantee that Encuentro 2 is open
and inclusive for the whole world and not just Western Europe, the
following points of order are proposed:
a) Each OC will contact those local organisations or support
groups for particular peoples (e.g. Palestinians, Kurds) and will
request that they meet the financial costs in order to guarantee the
participation of these peoples.
b) Each OC will promote the establishment of support funds in
different countries and areas (USA, Canada, Australia) to guarantee
the participation of people from their countries and from others with
greater problems, for example Africa.
c) Given that the above measures will probably not be sufficient
to guarantee participation from all over the world, the organisers of
Encuentro 2 will create a Solidarity Fund (made up of at least 20% of
the total budget, including registration fees).
2. The organisers of Encuentro 2 do not promise to pay for travel
to the Spanish state, but on the basis of the petitions received will
study the possibility of financing travel or part of their cost,
and/or the registration fee, according to the following criteria:
a) Preference for requests from outside Western Europe.
b) Among those countries or peoples, seek a balance of
representation.
c) Assure the representation of "socially excluded groups".
The different OC will define more exactly what is understood by
this term and send it to Zaragoza before 31 May in order to reach a
common consensus on this criteria.
3. Children (those under 16) who participate in the Encuentro will
not have to pay the registration fee.
H - NETWORK
Although the discussion issue of the Network belongs to the
Contents Commission and will be dealt with in all the Tables, the
Contacts Commission assumes responsibility for the technical aspects
which will guarantee the functioning of the network, and proposes the
following activities:
a) To draw up a directory of the various collectives in struggle
against neoliberalism which participate in the organisation of the
Encuentro or in the Encuentro itself. Permission will be asked before
including details. Each OC will send a directory of its own zone
before 30 June to the ECN (Zaragoza)
b) Each OC will send any proposals about the technical functioning
of the Network by 30 June.
c) During Encuentro 2 each venue will have a working group
dedicated to the discussion of these technical proposals for the
functioning of the Network. These groups will caucus during the
closing plenary session in El Indiano to make a common proposal.
d) The Contacts commission will meet after the Encuentro to define
the proposals worked on, spread them and any other work necessary for
the proper functioning of the network.
I - FUNCTIONING OF THE CONTACTS COMMISSION
1. There is an attached list of nodes
2. We will have to guarantee the free flow of all information and
proposals between the ECN (Zaragoza) and the OC
3. If necessary the Contacts Commission will meet again in the
Spanish state before the Encuentro (one delegate per OC).
J - PROPOSAL FOR THE THIRD ENCUENTRO 1998
A proposal from the Association of the Friends of the Sahara,
Madrid, is that the third Encuentro take place in the camps of
POLISARIO in Western Sahara.
1. LIST OF THE NODES OF THE EUROPEAN CONTACTS COMMISSION