File spoon-archives/aut-op-sy.archive/aut-op-sy_1997/97-04-23.075, message 83


Date: Fri, 18 Apr 1997 19:44:26 +0000
From: mark_c <mark_c-AT-geocities.com>
Subject: Report from Prague 2nd EUROPEAN GATHERING FOR HUMANITY AGAINST NEOLIBERALISM


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-AT-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. =A3100, 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-AT-geocities.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



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