Our goal is that the 4th ESF in spring 2006 in Athens becomes a major political event and a process for the Greek and European movement against neoliberal capitalist globalization. We will attempt to widen the already open space of Forums for all social movements, campaigns, acts of resistance, organizations and collectives in Greece , the Balkan area and Europe . We aim to connect this process with mobilizations on specific matters those days on which the 4rth ESF will take place, so in this way we can have a strong grassroots emphasis to the Forum.
We believe that its success depends on our capability to bring forward and debate in the European and Greek societies Resistance to war, neoliberalism, racism, the attack against political and social rights, environmental disaster and at the same time focusing on our governments that apply these politics of fear and poverty. We can see fragments of this world “that is possible” through denying neoliberal world and debating in our Forum.
Additionally to this we believe that bringing together and helping to express the Movements of the Balkans, Mediterranean and East Europe is of special importance for this ESF.
To achieve all these goals we must start today moving towards this direction and work collectively through the European Prepatory Assemblies this way too. On the same occasions we discuss the matters of organizing the ESF we must give time and space to discuss mobilizations and networking (like this of the so called EuroConstittution).
Very soon we will meet with all anti-global campaigns in Greece to organize together the 4th ESF. We would like the ESF to become a cause for every collective and organization, of workers, unemployed and precarious workers, a common goal for every Trade Union, NGO, Immigrant and Refugee Organization, Ecological and Environmental group, for the Feminist and LGBT movement, for the youth and for everybody who fights against neoliberalism, war and racism.
PRIORITIES
1. Building a good relation with the Trade Unions. In Greece all the major Trade Unions have already accepted participation in the Organizing Committee of the ESF, except for only a few of the small ones that are based only in working places. We believe that this strong Trade Union involvement can alter the ambivalent attitude of CES
2. Contacting again political spaces that do not participate today in the European Movement against Globalization; like antiauthotarian collectives and the left that has harsh relations with the Forum process. Of course we must bring back to normal our relation with the activists and groups that work together with us through “Autonomous Spaces”
3. We must offer very heavy support to the European Networks and integrate them in to the process.
4. Making stronger the cooperating collectives like BABELS, NOMAD, Memory Project, Map of Networks and the FSE-ESF Website and putting them in the centre of the Organization; taking power away from “national” organizers.
5. An ESF non-commercial and accessible to everyone. An ESF for intellectuals and activists that is really social.
6. Expanding to the East and the Balkans. We think that except having Prepatory Assemblies in this area, we must build an East and Balkan Organization Committee for the 4th ESF.
7.More radical, more close to praxis.
Organizing
We will form Working Groups on specific maters, always public and open, that take decisions on the base of consensus (but not using by anyway veto), trying not to have them Athens-based (meaning that they will assembly all through the country) and will be accountable to a National Organizing Committee (N.O.C) to solve differences and political issues. The NOC must function in the same open and democratic way and without reproducing the division between manpower labour and intellectual activity.
To form this body we will ask NGOs, Trade Unions, Parties, all kind of Collectives and activists. We will ask Municipalities and Universities to support but not participate.
Our NOC must be democratic enough so anybody or any group can find a way to access the process even if in the beginning they feel reluctant. These groups can participate as observers but with the right to speak and propose or they can have special roles. But we must start almost at once our work because of the February European Assembly in Athens .
The Working Groups are :
1. Logistics (including networks like BABELS and NOMAD)
2. Programme (with a special task on mobilizing greek intellectuals)
3. Expanding the Network , working in two ways: a national campaign to involve the Greek movement and a specific group on Balkans-East Europe networking.
4.Last but not least Finance Group.
By the Greek Social Forum.