[ssf] G8 - openness and planning thoughts...

Fri Feb 25 02:36:55 GMT 2005

>  4. On to the streets: we should be working to make a creative,
>  wonderful
> > street event. We do not want any more godawful lines of trot-led
> > chants. Sure, they'll turn up - but can we start getting creative
> > on this? (The ESF had a 'European Creative Forum' - which, as
> > you'd expect, relegated creativity to a stage for people to watch.
> > I think we can do better than that!)
>

Personally i want to demonstrate inside a legal demonstration, at the 
time of the event (as well as during the week before). Chants are 
important, and a way to be creative.

Certain permits are required for persons to do this (to demonstrate and 
sing any chants they wish). Any volunteers to follow these procedures to 
the end: contact councillors, constables, etc., in Sheffield?

Dan wrote:

>  What fantastic stuff!
>
>  Don't quite know where to start there.... except to say again, wow...
>
>
>  And: getting the workshops right is down to getting one, two, four,
>  eight people - young or old - to be able to carry on arguing and
>  discussing, without reaching that point of 'let's kick off.'
>
>  Ah... I'm off to Lancaster for the weekend. Too tired to say any
>  more...
>
>  Peace to you all,
>
>  I feel privileged to be in your company,
>
>  love Dan
>
>  Jase wrote:
>
> > 1. Openness I would agree with. Some peoples actions do not
> > converge with openness. I think if SSF takes an open stance then
> > that in a way solves the non-violence thing. People who want to go
> > down that route go elsewhere. I wouldn't say the paranoia is
> > entirely misplaced, look at the attack on the Genoa SSF centre in
> > that G8 meeting, but then Italy is not the UK, and thankfully in
> > this country there is less of an oppositional stance in the civil
> > authorities which would, and did in Italy, permit such an action.
> > Also being open means if anything did happen we could point out
> > just how stupid it was.
> >
> > 2. I'm betting the chamber of commerce:) It would be good to have
> > media stunts/public attractions to promote awareness of what is
> > happening. A main thing would not be to dumb down, explain the
> > facts, facts facts. Why are they here, what are they discussing,
> > and why we, a bunch of moderately disperate folks, are not happy
> > with a small group of 'representatives' deciding policy which will
> > be implemented whatever because democracy is such a distant and
> > complex matter. Exploring the issues is a must, there will be
> > plenty of soundbites about 'stopping terrorists' and enhancing the
> > 'security of the whole world', the challenge will be exploring the
> > issues in an accessible way which leads on to...
> >
> > 3. Really good stuff on the schools funding, and the workshop ideas
> > sound good, especially relevant will be: *What do you think is the
> > best way to deal with terrorism? That is the lead in to all of the
> > ideas about loyalties, community, nationhood, religion and so on.
> > Will need some good facilitators and materials tho' (he says
> > helpfully...) On the G8 I think it would be good to open up the
> > whole question of democracy, how it works from a street level of,
> > "we think that's not right so don't do it or we'll kick off", to an
> > international level of, "we think that's not right so don't do it
> > or we'll kick off". Similarity between gangs and groups in schools
> > and gangs and groups on an international level would work well I
> > think.Combine that with the problem of how you, the one, influences
> > people who 'represent', but who do they really represent, and so
> > on. Immigration is a toughie, facts are hugely important, but
> > preaching will just create distance and shut down communication. It
> > is important to divide between asylum seekers (who come here to
> > preserve their physical freedom) and immigrants (who come here for
> > economic freedom). The facts on benefits, housing, how immigrant
> > labourers are usually ripped off, how the whole economy relies on
> > immigrant labour and is that right? The case of the teenager who
> > was raped, traffiked to london, kept as a prostitute, then escaped,
> > only to be interrogated and imprisoned by the authorities, will
> > highlight the injustices of a paranoid system which does not
> > appreciate the horrors people face. And now I'm going on so...
> >
> > 4. Creativity is a must. Sure people from Sheffield Samba band,
> > (and Rhythms of Resistance?) will be interested in taking part. The
> > lantern people, peace in the park people, there's loads of creative
> > stuff going on. Would be good if there could be a focus type
> > meeting, maybe along CAN lines. Cartoons are great informing tools,
> > G8 art workshops, etc etc
> >
> > Generally the focus could be the JHA meeting in Shef but also
> > should look at the wider G8 issues. And yes shouting slogans at
> > each other does not heal the world, then again neither do ideas,
> > actions being the thing that changes stuff, so I'll shut up:)
> > Cheers,
> >
> > Jason
> >
> > p.s. I would say for the call-out it's not the 'the people of
> > Sheffield' but 'people in Sheffield', 'people of' kind of implies
> > all of them, and that certainly ain't the case, well yet anyways.
> >
> > ----- Original Message ----- From: "Dan" <dan at aktivix.org> To:
> > "Chris Malins" <chrismalins at gmail.com> Cc: "SSF"
> > <ssf at lists.aktivix.org> Sent: Thursday, February 24, 2005 12:04 PM
> > Subject: [ssf] G8 - openness and planning thoughts...
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >> Hia,
> >>
> >> Just some thoughts: what do people think?
> >>
> >> 1. Openness 2. Convergence centre and counter-conference 3. Youth
> >> engagement 4. Street event
> >>
> >> 1. One of the most destructive aspects of radical politics, that
> >> I can ascertain, is paranoia.
> >>
> >> Now, we're planning to do something for the G8 coming to
> >> Sheffield, and there's going to be a lot to think about - but I
> >> want to make a start here.
> >>
> >> A. We should assume that all info *is* being monitored. (If the
> >> BBC are following, so are people trying to plan the weekend.)
> >>
> >> B. This is NOT A BIG DEAL! If it's some poor sap's job to trawl
> >> through this, so be it. It can't be much fun.
> >>
> >> We should be open about everything we're planning - that way,
> >> it's actually pointless to get paranoid, because everyone has
> >> free access to what's going on. Sadly, some muppets (almost
> >> always male, you'll notice) rather enjoy all the cloak and dagger
> >> stuff. It's actually bloody tedious.
> >>
> >> 2. But note: we have no idea where the ministers are meeting. We
> >> may or may not find out, and when we do find out, it may or may
> >> not be accurate or liable to change at the last minute.
> >>
> >> Given that this is the case, a 'counter-conference' and
> >> convergence centre (and some kind of street event) is going to be
> >> the best way forward - rather than hoping to 'shut down' the
> >> meeting.
> >>
> >> (And while we're at it, would anyone like to explain to me what
> >> would be so great about 'shutting down the meeting?' All that
> >> will happen is, as with the WTO, next time they'll go to a secure
> >> hotel complex in some despotic little Middle Eastern state.
> >> Shutting down meetings is a very Pot Noodle thing - seems like it
> >> tastes nice at the time, but later on bad things result...)
> >>
> >> If we do this, we should be able to attract media attention
> >> (well, we 've done that already) and get across alternative
> >> visions - as well as engage people locally.
> >>
> >> 3. Da yoof: I think we should have a go at asking the Council
> >> whether we can do what the J8 is doing locally - that is, work in
> >> schools to get kids to produce a statement(s) or something else
> >> to hand to the ministers when they arrive. We could work on the
> >> themes of:
> >>
> >> *What do you think is the best way to deal with terrorism? *Do
> >> you think Muslim and Christian can co-exist peacefully? If so,
> >> what do we need to do to make it happen? If not, why not? (Get
> >> mixed ethnic groups to address this and produce a joint
> >> statement.) *What are the G8 ministers doing wrong? What are
> >> they doing right? *What do you think about immigration? (Open
> >> that up a bit more.)
> >>
> >> On this: I'm meeting someone from the Burton Street youth project
> >> next week - need more youth workshop volunteers! Could do with
> >> meeting early next week
> >>
> >> 4. On to the streets: we should be working to make a creative,
> >> wonderful street event. We do not want any more godawful lines
> >> of trot-led chants. Sure, they'll turn up - but can we start
> >> getting creative on this? (The ESF had a 'European Creative
> >> Forum' - which, as you'd expect, relegated creativity to a stage
> >> for people to watch. I think we can do better than that!)
> >>
> >> Also, if I hear one person singing 'hey hey CIA how many kids did
> >> you kill today' I'll strangle them. No, really. I'll kill them
> >> dead, right there and then. (Joke! Won't really!) It's a chant
> >> that was heard in the 60s for God's sake! Time for a new one!
> >>
> >> Er... ranting slightly now,
> >>
> >> peace
> >>
> >> Dan ----
> >>
> >> Chris Malins wrote:
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>> The council have it as G8 from Charles Clark's announcement.
> >>> The callout currently reads thusly:
> >>>
> >>> "On 16th-17th June, 2005, the G8 justice ministers will meet in
> >>> Sheffield. They will be discussing how to prosecute Bush's
> >>> 'War on Terror'. They are the justice of indefinite detention
> >>> without judicial review, the type of justice that takes you
> >>> abroad if the local laws won't allow torture, that at
> >>> Guantanamo Bay treats American citizens one way and everyone
> >>> else (including British citizens) in another.
> >>>
> >>> They are the people who think that inspiring a lively sense of
> >>> terror in their subjects makes ID cards ok, and that keeping
> >>> out asylum seekers who are not quite oppressed enough is more
> >>> important than social justice for their own people. And this
> >>> will be the first round of our on going resistance to the G8 in
> >>> the UK that another, as we believe that a better world can,
> >>> should and will be possible if only they will let it.
> >>>
> >>> And so the people of Sheffield are calling on the movement for
> >>> action to be taken and alternatives to be presented to these
> >>> people. We are offering our support for any groups coming to
> >>> Sheffield, suggesting that the movement should run a week of
> >>> counter conference events leading up to the summit, and
> >>> offering the Sheffield Social Forum as a coordinating space for
> >>> action."
> >>>
> >>> Would someone like to volunteer to facilitate the 'organising
> >>> committee' which will be meeting next Wednesday? Do we think a
> >>> chair would even be appropriate?
> >>>
> >>> Chris
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> Dan wrote:
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>> Allo
> >>>>
> >>>> This is cool! It should get people in - and it's got stuff
> >>>> about alternatives.
> >>>>
> >>>> One thing that needs changing: Peace in the Park is no longer
> >>>> on June 11th. It's most likely now going to happen way after
> >>>> all the G8 stuff. So like I was saying - the onus is now on
> >>>> us to get something sorted for the weekend before, and
> >>>> leading up to, the G7.
> >>>>
> >>>> Oh, and I think it's G7 ministers coming here - dunno what we
> >>>> think about that.
> >>>>
> >>>> So lots to talk about next Wednesday.
> >>>>
> >>>> Cheers for all this Mr M,
> >>>>
> >>>> Dan ----
> >>>>
> >>>> "On 16th-17th June, 2005, the G8 justice ministers will meet
> >>>> in Sheffield. They will be discussing how to prosecute Bush's
> >>>> 'War on Terror'. They are the justice of indefinite detention
> >>>> without judicial review, the type of justice that takes you
> >>>> abroad if the local laws won't allow torture, that at
> >>>> Guantanamo Bay treats American citizens one way and everyone
> >>>> else (including British citizens) in another.
> >>>>
> >>>> They are the people who think that inspiring a lively sense
> >>>> of terror in their subjects makes ID cards ok, and that
> >>>> keeping out asylum seekers who are not quite oppressed enough
> >>>> is more important than social justice for their own people.
> >>>> And this will be the first round of our protestation to the
> >>>> G8 that another, better world can, should and will be
> >>>> possible if only they will let it.
> >>>>
> >>>> And so the people of Sheffield are calling on the movement
> >>>> for action to be taken and alternatives to be presented to
> >>>> these people. We are offering our support for any groups
> >>>> coming to Sheffield, suggesting the Sheffield Peace in the
> >>>> Park festival on 11th June as the start of a week of counter
> >>>> conference events, and offering the Sheffield Social Forum as
> >>>> a coordinating space for action."
> >>>>
> >>>> Any thoughts welcome, don't worry about hurting my feelings,
> >>>> just know that if you stand against me now my retribution
> >>>> will be swift and merciless. Ahem, I think Dan's megalomania
> >>>> is rubbing off. Seriously, please kick this around and start
> >>>> some discussion on what we want this statement to say, lets
> >>>> have a view to releasing it by this time next week.
> >>>>
> >>>> _______________________________________________ ssf mailing
> >>>> list ssf at lists.aktivix.org
> >>>> http://lists.aktivix.org/mailman/listinfo/ssf
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>
> >> _______________________________________________ ssf mailing list
> >> ssf at lists.aktivix.org
> >> http://lists.aktivix.org/mailman/listinfo/ssf
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________ ssf mailing list
> > ssf at lists.aktivix.org http://lists.aktivix.org/mailman/listinfo/ssf
> >
> >
> >
>
>  _______________________________________________ ssf mailing list
>  ssf at lists.aktivix.org http://lists.aktivix.org/mailman/listinfo/ssf
>