The Youth Assembly of the 2004 European Social Forum declares opposition to the world of war, racism, poverty, and the system that causes it – global capitalism.
The youth have been at the forefront of this movement. We have besieged the meetings and summits of the rich and powerful. We have marched in our millions against the war. We continue this struggle today. We call for the immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq and for solidarity with the Iraqi resistance. We call for solidarity with groups involved with national liberation struggles such as the Basque people and Palestinians. We call for strikes and a campaign of civil disobedience and direct action to halt the European Union’s attacks on welfare and workers, and to stop the neoliberal European Constitution.
We resist the racism of fortress Europe and demand equal rights for immigrants, freedom of movement and an end to the border controls of racist EU states. We demand action to be taken against the destruction of the environment. We demand equal rights for young people and control over our education, our work, our sexuality, our leisure and our lives.
We call on the Assembly of Social Movements to make a bold call to mass action:
• Shut down the European Summit in Brussels in March 2005.
• Shut down the G8 in Scotland in July 2005.
• Build local social forums in schools, colleges and workplaces.
• Call an international day of action against the war.
• Call a day of action on February 1st against the neoliberal constitution.
• Youth are under-represented on the platforms at the ESF. Establish a youth space and youth assembly at all future ESFs and WSFs.
• Establish a permanent co-ordination and meet in March 2005.
Young people are at the forefront of this struggle on the streets but on the platforms of the ESF and WSF we are almost absent. We young people are being marginalised because they fear out militancy. At this year’s ESF we have been denied the right to a fully translated Youth Assembly. This must not happen again. At the ESF and WSF too there must be a Youth Assembly. This can be a step towards a revolutionary youth international that can unite young people across Europe and the world in a fight against global capitalism and for a world free of poverty oppression and war. As a step towards this we call on all anti-capitalist youth organisations who fight to give a political voice to youth in the movement to come together in a delegate meeting to plan common action and develop a structure of discussion and debate around our political differences.