LIFE OF BRITAINWe were looking for new articles for our Socialist Wanker column but events have slightly overtaken us. Many , many , many , people were reporting on the ESF organizational process being overtaken by our friends at the SWP.Now. we really only called our site SOCIALIST WANKER as a joke. We don't really give two shits about the SWP and didn't take any of it seriously but it seems some people did. Indymedia seem to be hosting quite a fair debate between both sides, but if you can't be arsed to read through the comments heres a Socialist Wanker (totally biased) summary:17.10.04an article goes up on Indymedia saying the official ESF at Ally Pally had been stormed by the Beyond-ESF group, escorted to and from the venue by Police.(We heard rumours these guys were going to do this earlier in the day and thought it pretty pointless. Seeing the result I was gutted we weren't there.) In the ensuing debate below the mind set of the two sides starts to crystallize. The SWP organize quickly into one voice focusing thus: WHITE, MIDDLE CLASS, ANARCHISTS, Break up anti-fascist meeting “Assaulting and robbing the black deputy chairperson of Unite!” Perfect. Immediately the class obsessed SWP (who probably wish they had more “working class” members) go into frenzied counter-attack mode and play the race card. The opposition, which seems to include a lot of autonomous groups and most Indymedia ground troops focus thus: The demo was planned to coincide with Red Ken's advertised speaking time. The SWP are an old and weak dinosaur and couldn't stop the invasion of young spirited unwashed squatting anarchists from all over europe. They protested the organizational structure of the ESF which was contrary to ESF principles, Red Ken's Police force harassing autonomous groups, the cooperate sponsorship by the Guardian, and the fact that the Guardian had not reported the seizure of Indymedia servers. People point out that the protest was fairly well received and notably an Italian union called COBAS breaks ranks slightly with the official ESF organizers line in that they couldn't support Police involvement in stopping the protest. Both sides seem to agree that a table went over and independents report a scuffle. Eventually someone comes up with a personal memory of how the black man in question (Weymann Bennet) “was (a) young student member of the SWP talking about how in a revolutionary situation it might be necessary to shoot anarchists” Apparently its an in joke amongst these people who refer to some shit which happened in a place called Krondstadt where leninists famously shot anarchists and was a highlight in the "History" of their "movement" like they know the firing end of a gun forFUCKSAKE JESUS GET A LIFE!!! GOT FOUR LETTERS FOR YOU GUYS-M.D.M.Athe debate also includes helpful contributions from foreigners, possibly naive about the organizational difficulties wondering “Why like this?” in the UK.(Good fucking question) The debate later boiled over into the Guardian with Weymann Bennet confirming his mobile and wallet were “snatched” 18.10.04The next day more anarchist storms were brewing. When anarchists were arrested in Kings Cross their friends apparently wanted to announce the fact from the stage of the official ESF demo. The official ESF having been stormed by anarchists once, possibly misunderstood the intentions of this invasion saying things like " We don't come and storm your stages! Go and organise your own " etc... One of the "autonomatons" actually got to the stage and was arrested straight afterwards, apparently with the cooperation of the ESF stewards. Again the comments below show the arguments and mindset of both sides, also unearthing ancient Scottish tales of how the SWP dominated leadership of Stop the War Coalition events did a similar thing at a protest in Edinburgh; Refusing to encourage solidarity with those arrested and trying to stifle any protest not previously choreographed by themselves. 19.10.04Lee Jasper, Red Ken's man sticks his boots in with the Guardian condemning both stage stormings “They entered the building, stormed the platform of black and Jewish speakers, punched the black chair of the session and stole his mobile phone. The next day the same group tried to storm the stage of the demonstration, tearing down the crash barriers and assaulting ESF stewards.” At this point COBAS, now back in Italy, break ranks totally: “The closing rally for the European Social Forum in London has been deeply marred by the intolerable behaviour of the British Organising Committee, and in particular by the forces that dominate it: the Socialist Workers Party, Socialist Action (the group behind London's Mayor Ken Livingstone), and some trade unions.” “Several hundred young people…were coming to the demonstration when the Police attacked them making four arrests. Despite the insistent requests from the Italian delegation at the head of the march to demand their liberation, the British Committee did not say a word.” “From COBAS we denounce the grave responsibility of the British Committee and the organisations involved,who have managed the rally as if it was their own, and have used the Police to "solve" the conflicts in the movement.” Unfortunately for Weymann Bennet and Lee Jasper other anti racists speak against them in the guardian saying that: “Attempting to paint the 200 or so protesters as racially motivated white thugs when they actually included many black, Hispanic and Arabic activists is disgraceful.” someone else helpfully adds a note from the esf e-list stating: "I was told yesterday by an informant, who attended the ESF as an unaffiliated Londoner, that the assault on Weyman Bennett, and the theft of his wallet and mobile phone, happened separately and shortly before the arrival of the Wombles to deliver their statement on Ken Livingstone and the ESF London organising process. At the time it occurred, the attack was reported to the seminar that my informant was attending, in the Unison Panorama Hall, Alexandra Palace, as having been carried out by members of the British Movement, a neo-Nazi outfit particularly active in Britain during the 1980s, who had presumably infiltrated the event by abiding by the impeccable commercial principles of the GLA and wearing red wristbands. " The Guardian also helpfully print a letter from Bruce Kent saying trouble??? What trouble??? I didn't see any trouble??? As the excitement around all this dies, and thoughts turn to the coming G8 conference we can only draw your attention to the solitary capitalist commenting on all this, sounding a bit like the Romans who disturb the Judean peoples front and the Peoples front of Judea killing each other in the film Life of Brian (socialist wanker Bible) “I wish I'd bet money on it. All the Marxists and anarchists in Europe gather in one place, what's going to happen? Guaranteed, they all attack each other, of course!” A lone capitalist noticing a slight disturbance in the British sea of Capitalism which despite the apparent theft of a mobile phone, lives to fight another day. or in other words, from a capitalists perspective: " British groups who oppose Capitalism squabble. Mobile phone goes. No one notices."
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