Date: Sun, 10 Mar 2002 15:28:30 +1100
From: "-AT-ndy" <andy-AT-xchange.anarki.net>
Subject: Re: AUT: Porto Alegre - sectarianism and the left


Thiago Oppermann wrote:

> I also cannot see what alternative you are proposing. Let's see Scott and Andy
> organise a forum for 60,000 people and not have someone say they were left out
> - this is not to say that the FAG or whoever it is that is complaining should
> put up and shut up, I just want to point out the colossal logistic and
> political realities involved.

Huh? I've said nothing either for, against or a little to the side about the
WSF. I thought your question was 'why did Jornadas Anarquistas take place in
Porto Alegre at the same time as the WSF'? Well, according to one of the
participants, this was because "the local organizing committee was dominated by
the Workers Party and had refused local anarchists participation in
its planning and execution". Was he wrong? I don't know, but I've no reason to
think so.

In any case, as you yourself wrote, it's not "cut-and-dried". Further in the
same article, Adams, adds that (based on an interview with the International
Secretary of the FAG):

"One thing that has really helped to build the anarchist movement in Brazil is
the political space that has been opened up by the World Social Forum. This
massive event has shifted the center of debate in the country much farther to
the left than it had been, and thus some of those who were already on the "left"
have moved on to become anarchists. However, this process has not been easy; at
WSF2001 there was a good deal of trouble that arose between the anarchists and
the WSF. The FAG thought that it was going to be an open forum, in which they
could directly participate, but it turned out that it wasn’t like that at all.
When they arrived at the opening meetings, everything had already been decided
by people high in the ranks of ATTAC and the Workers Party. They then tried to
give the FAG merely administrative jobs with no decision-making power. So during
the opening march of the forum this year, the FAG decided to break off with
other anarchists since the official march was going specifically where there
were no banks, no multinational corporations or anything like that. At first the
CUT parade marshals tried to stop them from leaving by pushing them and keeping
them in. So the FAG members went under their legs and broke through. Some of the
MST members had met with them previously, planning to break off as well, but
were unfortunately thwarted by MST parade marshals. However, when they finally
did break off, they all threw eggs and stones at the banks and at McDonalds.
Despite all the problems however, the FAG in general feels that it is better to
come to the WSF, take part, and attempt to change it, and make it more radical
than it is to simply not come at all. Also, it is a good way to get to know
other social movements from all over the world, to meet each other face to face.
But they also think that it is time to make a new kind of World Social Forum
that is based directly on the grassroots movements and is not controlled by the
political parties. Such is the tradition of anarchospecifismo."

'Jornadas Anarquistas: Anarchist Convergence in Porto Alegre, Brazil' by Jason
Adams (February 12, 2002):

http://www.infoshop.org/news6/porto_alegre_adams.php

Adams goes on to advocate that anarchists from the 'North' also take part in
further WSFs.

I agree that a skeptical attitude towards the WSF is warranted, but how is
taking note of an anarchist account of this meeting "lazy" or otherwise
irresponsible on my part? And while I (obviously) haven't personally organised a
forum for 60,000 people (!), I have helped organise much smaller conferences
from which - to the best of my knowledge - nobody was excluded.

-AT-ndy.



     --- from list aut-op-sy-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---