IMC UK Gathering - G8 Notes 1
Intro
G8 is happening in Gleneagles, 6-9 July (weds-fri). UK also holds presidency of EU this year - things such as millenium poverty goals
different mobilisations:
- "make poverty history" the NGO coalition led by groups such as Oxfam - essential position is to support the UK govt: line is that G8 is good and we should be supporting the govt in establishing 'free' (and fair) trade. more radical/valuable thinking going on in terms of some of the policies and some of the smaller groups.
- big demo in Edinburgh the weekend before (2nd July) - supposedly will be big ~100-200 thousand
- G8 alternatives - essentially scottish organisation. different political situation in scotland, esp. wrt how they view the SWP etc. most of the organising is being done by small group of people; there are some problems with democracy/transparency. trying to organise:
- camping - 10,000 people
- cops unlikely to be very happy!
- convergence centre
- pop concert
- other stuff: counter-conference venues 500-1000 ppl capacity; releasing a book, which will be good; are promoting 'peaceful' demonstrations. will be organising a demo on the first day of the summit - they want it at Gleneagles train station - police are not happy; they are negotiating with police.
- Dissent network - lots of different demos as well as supporting planned demos
Demonstrations:
[ full timeline:
http://www.nadir.org/nadir/initiativ/agp/resistg8/timeline.htm ]
- sat before
- 'make poverty history' demo.
- sunday
- carnival/street parade in Edinburgh; another demo at Dunghavel (??) detention centre
- monday
- Trident Ploughshares Faslane Blockade (happens anyway, every year) - this one may be bigger
- tuesday
- another demo at the detention centre. also fire beacons demo around Gleneagles Hotel;
- wednesday
- mass blockades - currently very little coordination. midday - G8 alternatives demonstration at Gleneagles
- thursday
- ?? maybe some mass actions in Edinburhg (and ?jail solidarity). People's Golfing planned also
- friday
- climate change demo - probably away from Gleneagles
Glasgow events?
PGA = people's golfing association
there are also a lot of other ideas not mentioned above
Trident ploughshares often do stuff out of Glasgow
IMC involvement
base: Edinburgh - building secured
? camping site media centre
? mobile media centre
nb: scotland imc
needs help from the uk network
currently leaning towards using the scottish sub-section of uk site. this seems to be a more robust way of doing things, and more people have logins and could be involved easier
Discussions
- specific proposal about getting a sattelite equiped truck
- discussion about the purpose of imc organising - not to be about us doing it, but to get new people involved as well.
- need for indymedia to facilitate discussion about the issues as the governement has already been trying to appropriate the language
- people have seen the imc preparation wiki - lots of people are coming, but there's also lots of people who won't make it who want to be involved.
specific proposals:
- mobile media centre
- fixed media centre
- focus on the media we are gonna produce
- media plans - "what to do if..."
- disparate media coverage and how to get other people to plug in
also video, radio, media centre
useful link:
ImcATXConf05MassMobWorkshop
feedback from previous events - genoa, but even more relevant is Evian and how that was organised: this was a spread out thing and the media centre also got raided there.
And they had agreement with the police!
Media Spaces
still very fuzzy up in Scotland about what exactly will be available: currently one space in Edinburgh. We have the whole building with a big open space x 2. Not sure if there'll be 24 hour access. Will have to be paid for, although probably not too much.
- lots of logistical questions
if there's a campsite, will need a space there also.
question: what if the main convergence space ends up being in Glasgow?
maybe have a pre-convergence convergence in london about 6 weeks before
timeline:
| mid-april | uk network imc meeting in scotland |
| end-apriil | need to now about bandwidth |
| 14-15 May | imc pre-convergence convergence in london |
| end may | konw about computers available |
| 15-17 june | sheffield G8 meeting |
budget: 5-7,500 pounds (note probably spent 20,000 quid at Quebec convergence for FTAA)
Issues
- climate change
- sustainable dev
- migration
- spreading democracy
- apparatus of social control
- reappropriation of
links to other resources like corporate watch
database of good contacts:
- campaigners
- people who know their shit
- could be used by indymedia journalists and
- correction of mainstream media faux-pas
- audio/video/text feedback and making it locally relevant - i.e. involving local groups who may be doing this stuff already
sections on front page of imc
- different paragraphs
- jargon of the day - explanations
- todays actions
- latest time line events
outreach:
- Video box, where people can press record and give a report. Possibly include a balaclava on a string!
*Cheap video cameras eg 100 quid DVD cameras(poss funding?)- send people out with them, they come back and upload footage
- Training- video training and basic site training- how to post. workshops in days leading up to main events.
- Phone-in and texting- in facility- distribute the phone number on publicity and put it on the site.
- In days leading up to events, speak to local people/ businesses/ groups about what they are expecting, how they feel about the G8 and/or protesters. Make them aware of indymedia resource.
*Contact other groups who are planning actions prior to G8. Request articles on their group and why they are concerned- what they will be doing. If they are up for it each group can delegate a person to do a report on their actions/ what they have seen.
*IndymediA peeps to hand out flyers, stickers etc.
*Indymedia peeps to wear T-shirts/ stickers wherever possible. So people know to ask if they have questions about how to post, or a story to tell.
- daily news sheet to be published, telling about what has occurred/ what is planned for that day. Hopefully with contributions from other groups.
three different topics
- g8 actions
- critiques
- correcting the mainstream media!
ways of getting reports and info onto the site - loading equipment ?
daily news sheet
--
GarconDuMonde - 05 Mar 2005
to top
