[g8-sheffield] Minutes

[Chris Malins]

These are somewhat incomplete, minute taking definitely not my forte, sorry!

Meeting of Thursday 30th March

Apologies: Dan, Alison

Facilitator: Anne

Present: Moses, Julie, Chris, Josh of Worker's Power, Gavin, Mark, Fabian

Derby, report from: Attendance at Derby was not that impressive, ~150
people or so. Critical Mass demonstration subjected to strong police
tactics, 12 people arrested. Having said which, noted that it had been
going for some time by this point. Section 14 was invoked to criminalise
any protest taking place outside of a metal pen in Derby centre. Seems
likely that this will be used for Sheffield also. Many protesters likely
to be adverse to being penned in by police. Police presence in Derby was
impressivelt OTT, however this may have been the result of an
overreaction by local constabulary rather than general policy. Suspect
that Sheffield policing would not be so extreme.

Will contact Gillian from the Green Party to ask for information about
the police effort for the Sheffield event.


Leeds: notification of the Festival of Dissent, 6th-8th April in
Lannarkshire, all invited to attend. Want to get some sort of specific
call to action with a description of the type of events we have planned
ready for the festival of dissent. Use it as opportunity to publicise
the convergence centre etc.

Moses has a Make Capitalism History website based on the MAke Poverty
History idea which could be launched if desired. Trapese have offered
their services giving training at some point during the end of May. Will
contact New Roots to find a date and a space for this event.


Convergence Centre: Various options, maybe Broomspring centre? Could
talk to Danny at the Corporation about using it during the day. New
Roots or Pittsmore church also liekly to be amenable.

Dan arrives! Sleepy bastard.

New Roots and the Plaza have signalled that they would be happy to host
the convergence centre, and should be able to give us all the facilities
we need. Will be contacted about Trapese and Circa events in run up to
summit.

Public Meeting:

Try to get gillian creasy from the Green's to come and speak. Should
attempt to engage Islamic groups, as many measures of The War against
Terror (TWAT) disproportionately target Muslims. Contact MAB, Liberty,
NOrthern Refugee Centre.

Suggested format, 3 or 4 speakers in half hour opening session, then
move people into various specific workshops. Josh would like to include
a full group discussion between these two phases. some concern that full
group discussions of large groups can be boring and unproductive.

Try to use event to bring people to Trapese, Circa, PitP and the G*
summit days themselves.

Meeting can be held in three weeks, at 7.30pm, hopefully using space at
  Adrenaline studios. Need leaflet, posters and to confirm speakers.

Moses isn't on alcohol, or any other intoxicating products. Huzzah.
Guarantees to do leaflets, a design for which has indeed been sent out
this morning!

Julie to follow up with Schnews about holding a Have I Got Schnews for
You? event. If Schews are unable to come through, no particular reason
why we could not do such a thing ourselves anyway.

During the summit:

Would like to hold a Street Party on the day of the meeting, format
still not entirely clear. 15th June.

Suggested that we could do a protest in advance, in case the police do
invoke section 14. Should arrange a central meeting point for protesters
to come to. Seems likely that police may allocate a Derby style box
regardless of what we ask for.

We should ensure that our actions are always positive, and that we are
constantly talking about alternatives. Stage a counter-conference, run
talks, do lectures.

Make the demo big and colourful. Work with the aim of getting media
cooverage for what we do, to spread message as widely as possible, but
don't make any assumptions about how positive the media are likely to be.

a moment's refllection is better than a moment's anger

Moses is concerned about future use of city zoning, interprets this
operation as a way to allow police to practise crowd control manouvres.
Also worried that Street Theatre etc canm be a turn off to working class
people. Need to have an emphasis on publicity about what the G8 is about.

We could run press conferences about specific issues on the day itself,
to counter any output on issues from the conference. Exploit the
capitalist pig-dog media. Monitoring Group North have a press room on
the Wicker which might be available.

More constructive might be to try to build a relationship with local
journalists by inviting them to everything we do. Write letters to
papers, invite press to our public meeting. Maybe get a featured article
in the Sheffield Telegraph.

Should get posters up with information about what the g8 actually is,
why they are coming to Sheffield in particular.

We need to start desiging flyers, posters. May consider producing T-shirts.

Should any arrests occur, we could try to use them as a media
opportunity, make sure that the legal support teams have journalistic
contacts to give the other side fo the story to.

Next meetings will be Weds 6th, downstairs in Rutland, 7.30pm, Weds
13th, upstairs in Rutland, 7.30pm.

Chris apologises for next two meetings.

Thankyou and goodnight.