L5I members present at the Istanbul Preparatory Assembly of the 2004 European Social Forum during the weekend 16-18 April proposed a number of measures to try and ensure the ESF in London in October is a success. Read more...

More than 100 representatives of various organisations met in the City Hall, London on 13-14 December for the first preparatory assembly for the 2004 European Social Forum. A wide variety of trade unions from Britain and the continent, NGOs, local and national social forums, and political organisations participated in a lively - indeed at times stormy - debate. The presence of militants and representatives from the RMT, Unison, the T&G etc. was a big step forward and their contributions added a note of practicality into the proceedings. Read more...

From 13-15 November, according to the organisers’ own figures, 51,000 activists from around Europe and beyond participated in the second European Social Forum. They listened to speeches, debated alternative strategies for resistance to war and globalising capitalism, they made international and even intercontinental contact with one another. This huge international gathering is and remains an enormous step forward over the narrow national isolation of the last twenty years and more. Read more...

During 13-15 November Paris and the surrounding towns of Bobigny, Ivry-sur-seine and St Denis, were hosts to 50,000 activists from around Europe as they debated and networked at the second European Social Forum. Read more...

The European Social Forum meets in Paris this week (12-16 November) after a year of remarkable successes for in expanding the movement against global capitalism and imperialist war. Read more...

The European Social Forum, gathers in Florence this week. From 6-9 November a series of debates and forums will take place, followed by the assembly of the European Social Movements on Sunday 10 November. Read more...

In the run in to the European Social Forum rumours are rife that the organisers will use their enormous material clout to ensure that the forum does not lead to any radical actions. The leaders of ATTAC France, their close allies in the CGT union bureaucracy and the reformist Parti Communiste Français (PCF) dominate the organising committee. Sharp conflicts with the Ligue Communiste Revolutionnaire (LCR) are widely reported. Read more...

The governments and central institutions of the European Union have launched a concerted offensive against our social and public services, jobs, and pensions. This is dictated by globalising capital-- the giant industrial financial and trading corporations. They demand that public transport, health, social welfare, pension and education systems be privatized or subordinated to the “laws of the market". Read more...

The second European Social Forum in Paris next month meets at a crucial time for the anti-capitalist movement. Read more...

About 250 activists - from Russia to Portugal, and from Ireland to Greece - attended the preparatory assembly for the European Social Forum at the end of last month. It is clear from the reports at the meeting that the European Social Forum will be big and diverse, if nothing else. Thanks to the tireless work of the activist translators of Babel in the conference room, and the goodwill of bilingual go-betweens in the corridors we were able to meet activists from all over Europe. Read more...

Our movement now plays a central role in the opposition against capitalist globalisation and imperialist war. We proved on February 15 that the forces gathered here can mobilise many millions of people on the streets. The challenges are getting bigger. The rulers of this world are hell-bent on carrying through their war against the workers, peasants and oppressed peoples of the worlds. Read more...

The gathering of tens of thousands of people in Florence last November and in Paris from 12 - 15 November this year marks a big step forward for the struggles against corporate globalisation and imperialist war. This year to the war-mongering of Bush has been added an all out offensive launched by the governments of the EU against our social gains and civil rights. The increasing involvement of working class militants from the trade unions, the Communist parties and even oppositional wings of the socialist parties should be welcomed. So too should leaders of these parties when they are actually fighting neoliberalism and war. Those participating in governments that are carrying out these policies or waging these wars should not be welcomed. Read more...

On 25.-26. April, the preparatory meeting of the European Social Forum (ESF) met in Berlin. About 250 delegates from all over the continent and some observers from African and Asian initiatives discussed three major items:

• the programme of the coming ESF, which will take place in Paris in November this year.
• the anti-war work of the ESF
• the character and future orientation of the ESF Read more...

In Florence on 8 November at a packed European Social Forum meeting in a huge hall in the Fortezza da Basso more than 5,000 people listened to speakers on the theme of “parties and the movement". This was certainly the most interesting of the large scale “conferences” of the forum. Read more...

Sometimes facts do speak for themselves. The biggest ever demonstration in Florence, the largest anti-war protest to date. At least half a million from all over Italy - possibly many more – poured out of trains and coaches into the city centre on Saturday afternoon to join the 35,000 who had been locked in the embrace of the Fortezza de Basso for three days at the European Social Forum – itself a unique political dialogue of the European anti-capitalist and anti-globalisation left. Read more...

The socialist youth movement, Revolution, agreed this declaration at a meeting in London in October. It asking that the conference of social movements in Florence discuss and adopt it. We appeal to all those people who agree with it to sign it. Read more...