arch/ive/ief (2000 - 2005)

Call for Autonomous Spaces During the ESF in London, 14-17th October 2004.

We are a loose network of individuals, groups, organisations and grass roots communities and who act, think and struggle for another world beyond capitalism.

We write this call to those in the UK, the rest of Europe and those further afield to participate in building alternative autonomous spaces around the European Social Forum, which will be held in London during October (14-17th) 2004.

We want to create open spaces for networking, exchanges, celebration,
thinking, and action. We believe our ways of organising and acting should reflect our political visions, and are united in standing for grassroots self-organisation, horizontality, for diversity and inclusion, for direct democracy, collective decision making based upon consensus, and against the false consensus in which power is used to silence others.

We do not have, nor represent, one single unified position on the ESF.

We are however, all united in the knowledge of the ESF UK organising
process as un-transparent, non-participatory, and exclusionary. The UK ESF organising process has essentially been controlled by the hierarchical and authoritarian Socialist Workers Party, Socialist Action, and through the central involvement of Mayor Ken Livingstone's Greater London Authority. Because the organising process and methodology both in the UK and at the European level has not reflected the values and charters which the ESF aspires to, the ESF process is politically bankrupt.

However we wish to state clearly that we recognise, value and support the energy, diversity, and experiences of those attending the ESF.

It is also important to say that some of us have tried to work inside the ESF process, fighting to "democritise" the ESF, and as such, much of our criticism is borne from experience and cannot be dismissed. Some of us believe that it is possible to rebuild the ESF to make it closer to the ideals it claims, and to build a truly participative process, others - after their experiences - believe this is simply not possible. Some of us wish to go further and say that the entire basis of the ESF is fundamentally illegitimate, that it only represents a space for the co-option of struggles, and that as such, it should be opposed. While others are aware of the problems within the ESF process but don't wish to be defined by them and are simply interested in working with organisational processes that are more authentic under the statement "another world is possible". We all however are united in our diversity and in our desire to act together in ways that respect these differences.

- we invite you to join us...


Following an international autonomous spaces meeting in Berlin in June, where 70 individuals from 45 groups and networks came together, discussions and planning has continued in London. There are now several self organised and autonomous spaces under construction - they range from legally hired venues to squatted social centres.
An alternative programme of events will cover areas such as precarious work(ers), asylum and migrant issues, community organising, anti-war campaigns, environment, gender issues, alternative media, and technologies of control - from copyright to biometric ID cards, the the G8 - which comes to the UK next year in 2005, and more... There will be film screenings, alternative media centres, street theatre, parties, creative actions and protests...

We invite you to participate in the autonomous spaces, to help shape them, to organise workshops, discussions, creative interventions, and practical alternatives.

website: http://www.altspaces.net
To get involved contact: autospace@yahoo.co.uk

See you in London!

Background Links:
Unofficial "open" esf website: http://esf2004.net (see "Parallel Projects")

Official ESF website: http://www.fse-esf.org