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ESF 2003 : Overview of the situation, by IMC-Paris-Idf
Sum up
Given our criticisms of the French organisation of the ESF, of the
opaque decision-making process and the general lack of cooperation, and
given that the ESF's sites will only be open to people having paid the
entrance fee, indymedia paris has decided not to participate in the
organisation of alternative ESF press rooms.
The ESF's organisers will likely accord accreditation passes allowing
access to debates and press rooms to those alternative media who request
them (procedures to follow are listed below)>
As regards indymedia-paris, we have requested and should obtain
approximately 50 'accreditations' (possibly more) which will be
available for the indymedia websites and independent media who need
them.
Alongside the ESF, several 'external' events are foreseen in which
indymedia paris will be involved in various ways.
These concern:
- the Libertarian Social Forum
- EGL Call for Disobedience
- the Medialab
- the House of Free Mediq - AG45
Indymedia-Paris' HQ will be at the 'House of Free Media' situated close
to the Villette and the Medialab. Several computers connected to
internet will be freely available. There should also be a streaming
radio.
Summary of contents.
A/ESF
- A-1/ Reminder and criticisms of the French organisation of the ESF
- A-2/ What we think of the French organisation of the FSE
- A-3/ The role of alternative media in the ESF
- A-4/ Links and contacts
B/ The Medialab of the 'Maison des Metallos'
- B-1/ Organisation
- B-2/ Situation
- B-3/ Indymedia Paris and the Medialab
- B-3.1/ Open Publishing
- B-3.2/ Simputer, computers for those with limited means
- B-4/ Miscellaneous
- B-5/Calendar
- B-6/Links
C/ EGLAD
D/ Libertarian Social Forum
E/ AG45
- E-1/ A permanent centre for free media in Paris
A/ European Social Forum
- A-1/ Reminder and criticisms of the French organisation of the ESF
The Paris/St-Denis ESF organisations is structured around three bodies
Theoretically, the Secretariat oversees the execution of decisions of
the CIF (see below).
In reality, it is composed of auto-proclaimed persons and structures
(particularly union-based).
It is the central body in which decisions are made.
Negotiations for funding, accounting, providers, the choice of bank etc
were all made by the Secretariat's members, without calls for tender,
without the selection criteria having been discussed (eg ethics,
sustainable development). For example, the ESF's bank is a private
multinational company.
-
- A-1.2/ The French initiative committee (CIF)
Each member state of the ESF has an initiative committee which organises
their country's participation.
The CIF is a general assembly of all the ESF's signatories.
This should be the place in which the ESF is organised. In France,
however, it represents rather the space in which the Secretariat's
decisions are recorded.
-
- A-1.3/ Organising committees
These are comprised of theme-based workshops which prepare propositions
for the CIF. Each group works on a file, manages accounts, evaluates
quotes etc.
- A-2/ What we think of the French organisation of the ESF
Since the beginning, the organisation of the ESF has been managed by
several organisations (particularly ATTAC and the group of 10 made up of
independent unions and part of the CGT).
There is no willingness to share information or the decision-making
process. The organisation is almost completely Parisian: there was no
discussion with the regions. No tool for decentralisation and
cooperation in the decision-making process was put into place.
The conclusion is that the Paris/St-Denis ESF's organisation follows a
hierarchical, centralised and closed model of organisation prevalent in
the very organisations and companies against which the ESF is supposed
to be reacting in its search for alternatives.
The big advances made in the opening up, or the improvement of the
facade, have been made thanks to the European meetings which have widely
criticised this organisation.
As a result, several decisions of the Secretariat have been absurd (the
hiring of the Zenith, a large concert hall costing several hundreds of
thousands of euros to hire was envisaged, a cinema belonging to VIVENDI
was hired to hold seminars despite the fact that alternative sites and
sites belonging to associations would have been preferable) and to
maintain the massive budget (at least 5 million euros for the three
days) funding was requested from the State, local collectives, entrance
fees etc.
Several hundreds of meetings, seminars and workshops are announced but
no objective has been defined. Like the previous ESFs or the previous
World Social Fora (Porto Allegre 2002, 2001), no archive, text, trace,
no call to mobilise seems to be envisaged. A question has to be asked:
what purpose does the ESF serve?
Given its organisation, its composition and its archaic structure, the
ESF is a European Forum which has forgotten its social dimension.
- A-3/ The role of alternative media in the ESF
The ESF's organisation has decided to ignore debates on the media and
the development of alternatives to commercial press and publications.
These debates will be held alongside the ESF and will be organised by
the alternative media themselves.
On the ESF sites, alternative media will have access to media rooms.
-
- A-3.1/ Alternative press rooms in the ESF
For the moment it seems that 3 scenarios are possible regarding these
rooms:
1 - It seems that these centres will be closed to the public. It will be necessary to have an accreditation pass to accede to them.
2. These rooms could be freely accessible to participants (the public
and conference speakers), that is to say those who will have access (by payment or invitation) to the ESF's conference sites.
3. Other source indicates that these centres will be freely accessible.
For the moment we have no further information.
The following sites are accessible:
La Villette
In the Southern part of La Villette: six to eight freely
accessible
computers, each connected to the internet.
Bobigny
In the Bergere park, several computers with access to internet
made
available by the Council.
St Denis
At the Town Hall, network plugs will allow the public to connect
to the
internet if they wish.
Ivry
In the Salle Gerard Philippe, network plugs will allow the
public to
connect to the internet if they wish.
A quick summary of parts of the La Villette site which considers itself
the media site etc...
Studio 5
Reserved for alternative media
Salle Charlie Parker
Interview cabins.
Studio 7
The ESF's HQ.
The Indymedia Paris-Ile de France collective has decided to request 50
non-nominative accreditations.
Currently, this has been accepted but several will have to be
nominative. It is possible to increase the number of accreditations.
Final date: 1 week before the beginning of the events.
Official website :
http://www.fse-esf.org/francais/index3.html
European list messages
- First email on the ESF:
http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-europe/2003-August/001419.html
- Minutes of the first meeting on the ESF:
http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-europe/2003-September/001473.html
- Minutes of the ESF and the Metallo meeting :
http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-europe/2003-September/001501.html
- Further information :
http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-europe/2003-September/001504.html
B/ Medialab of the Maison des Metallos
A house managed by an assocation is providing a space for projects on
new information technologies.
These projects will include workshops on alternative media, training and
experimentation on new technologies.
The medialab is not an official site of the ESF. It will be open to
local partnerships and inhabitants.
Its programme will be announced in the ESF's programme.
Decisions concerning the organisation of the Medialab are taken in
meetings with all the project's participants.
The Media Lab will take place during the ESF.
A large number of the Medialab's participants also participate in the
organisation of the media spaces in/with the ESF.
Others refuse to be involved, considering the ESF as an advertising and
media-driven event.
- B-3/ Indymedia Paris and the Medialab
Indymedia Paris will organise 2 seminars in the Medialab on open
publishing and the simputer.
This will involve outlining the advantages, inconveniences and solutions applied.
We need the largest number of personal accounts possible.
Contact Romain (
romain@mezimailSTOPSPAM.com)
-
- B-3.2/ Simputer, computers for those with limited means
(explain)
We need the largest amount of information possible on their use.
On Free licencing software.
Contact Jjmeric (
jjmeric@freeSTOPSPAM.fr)
There will also be debates on tactical media, cyberfeminism, Global
Project etc...
There is also a problem with Indymedia Italy as on the programme their
presentation is listed as being organised by the collective as a whole,
while in fact it will be only one member of the collective speaking in
their name...To be followed...
The calendar is completely booked out, but it is possible to go to other
areas and thus involved local participants<
The only problem is that people will have to walk...
Official website :
http://metallosmedialab.fse-paris.org/
European list messages
- Minutes on the Maison des Metallos meeting :
http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-europe/2003-September/001510.html
C/ EGLADE
L'EGLADE. Alongside the principal site of the ESF (La Villette),
an independent site for the coordination of information on direct
actions taking place during
the ESF should be opened.
Indymedia-Paris will participate in the opening of a centre for open
publishing if there is an internet connection.
D/ Libertarian Social Forum
More information to come
E/ AG45 : A permanent centre for free media in Paris
The House of Free Media ('La maison des médias libres') is a permanent
group of alternative media in Paris.
It is at
47 rue d'Aubervilliers, 'Stalingrad' subway station, à Paris.
The alternative television production association Zalea, the alternative radio Fréquence Paris Pluriels, a cooperative for the alternative broadcasting of documentaries, reviews, newspapers, etc. And... Indymedia Paris.
--
During the ESF, AG45 will be the coordination site for Indymedia Paris
in order to organise coverage of the ESF and the different side events.
Several computers linked to internet will be freely accessible as well
as scanners, video editing software etc
A large tent will allow the organisation of a day of debates on free
media if necessary and parties at night.
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