ESF: Bitter taste of SWP arrogance sours day

Friday November 22, 2002 14:29

by Weekly Worker

In Florence, the SWP certainly did make an impression. There is no doubt that the 500 or so comrades the International Socialist Tendency mobilised were noticed by every single person in the Fortezza. Where the thousands of Rifondazione members modestly tried to camouflage their organisation, the SWP was promoting itself unashamedly.

While there was no SWP stall, its front organisations, the Anti-Nazi League and especially Globalise Resistance, were very visible with their posters, banners and stalls. A daily rally in the court of the Fortezza was followed by mini-demonstrations, in which the IST comrades walked round and round, displaying 'F**k capitalism' placards and shouting "People, not profit", "SWP, SWP" and other such catchy slogans. When selling Socialist Worker or its international equivalents, the comrades seem to have been to told to shout: "Socialist Worker: one solution, revolution".

While the SWP was undoubtedly able to impress some of the younger, politically inexperienced people in the Fortezza, most people followed the daily spectacle with mild amusement.

But things turned sour on the Saturday, the day of the demonstration. First, Globalise Resistance managed to persuade the organisers that it should be down to GR to front the contingent from Britain, not the representatives of the trade unions or the Socialist Alliance banner. Then they ignored the pre-arranged order of the demonstration and led the British section to the front of the march - bypassing not only the huge contingent of Rifondazione Comunista, but also the hundreds of Fiat workers.

A number of non-SWP members in the British contingent unsuccessfully argued against this move and quite a few went their own way at this point. It was the Fiat workers and the stewards who physically 'convinced' the comrades to go back to their earlier arranged position - but not without a few moments of pushing and shoving. Other contingents looked on in sheer astonishment.

Rather than admitting that this clumsy attempt at self-promotion was a mistake, the comrades from the SWP have resorted to all kinds of stories in an attempt to justify their aborted attempt to place themselves at the head of the march. According to one SWP member, the organisers "feared an attack by the police". Seeing so many young people would hopefully deter them. Another SWPer told a CPGB comrade: "We earned the right to lead the march - we organised the biggest anti-war demo in Europe."

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Comments (14 of 14)

Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck

by Ray

Fri Nov 22, 2002 14:46

fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck

Okay, now that I've frightened the SWP members away, is anyone actually surprised by the fact that they ignored the agreement they'd made when the march was being organised? They did exactly the same thing in Prague, with far more serious consequences.

Sickening

by Rose

Fri Nov 22, 2002 14:51

"Then they ignored the pre-arranged order of the demonstration and led the British section to the front of the march - bypassing not only the huge contingent of Rifondazione Comunista, but also the hundreds of Fiat workers.

Well done Fiat workers!

you guys are nuts

by anti-capitalist

Fri Nov 22, 2002 15:14

you hang draw and quarter the swp on the evidence of the newspaper of a rival organisation- the cpgb worshippers of stalin. (all 5 of them)
There are as many accounts of florence as there are organisations there.
According to the official organisers of the esf the international contingents were invited to go to the front.
But i guess the people who organised an anti -capitalist conference of 60000 and an anti war march of 1million are liars and ray and rose are the bearers of teh shining white flame of anarchist truth.

By their friends shall you know em...

by bored

Fri Nov 22, 2002 15:18

Rather fun that the report of the Florence march the od so friendly anarchists choose to believe is from the Weekly Worker, the rather bizarre paper of a group formely called the Lenninst, who left the Comunist Party in Britain because they weren't Stalinist enough!

As it happens the report simply isn't true the organisers of the ESf decided to put the International contigents at the front. The march was led by Jose Bove and the Globalise Resistance we asked go next.

Don't believe me if you don't want to, but you would be a bit of a fool to believe the weekly worker about anything without backup evidence.

Backup evidence

Fri Nov 22, 2002 15:28

At the demonstrations in Prague, the SWP took part in an organising meeting that divided the march into three groups, pink, yellow, and blue. The SWP said they'd march with the pink group.
The next morning, the SWP changed their mind, and (without telling anyone) decided they'd rather march with the yellow block. This lead to them being stuck behind Ya Basta all day, doing absolutely nothing, while the rest of the Pink Block were finding holes in the police cordon around the conference centre.

Anyone who's ever been on a march in Ireland will also be familiar with the behaviour of the SWP.

The Weekly Worker have some bizarre political opinions, and their interpretation of events is frequently weird, but they're generally okay at reporting the bare facts.

Evidence

by Anticapitalist

Fri Nov 22, 2002 15:34

True. I was there.

hate to break it to you swp

by hate to

Fri Nov 22, 2002 17:14

but you didn't organise the esf,

Irony is dead

by SWP and Stalin

Fri Nov 22, 2002 18:31

Yes, now they are in the SWP front Socialist Alliance.

weekly wanker

by hunter - plfn

Fri Nov 22, 2002 22:01

ah yes, the weekly wanker, scandal sheet of the left. great for a laugh, even better to wipe yer arse with. i wouldnt go believing that auld rag, i'd sooner believe me horoscope. but then again that is not to say that there is no grain of truth to this rumor. the esf organised by the swimmers? i think not, maybe in the offical party history but not "in the real world".

Why fabricate lies?

by Kevin Wingfield - SWP

Sat Nov 23, 2002 00:27

The SWP has never claimed it organised the ESF. But posts here claim we did. They are transparent lies. They didn't leave their names but I assume they believe themselves to be socialists of some stripe or more likely anarchists.

For them politics is sitting in front of a computer screen attacking the real enemy -- their oponents on the Left. Rational discussion you will not find just innuendo and lies.

This week alone the SWP was accused of

"Condemning direct action" -- lie;

Forbidding its members to use this site -- lie

Claiming to have organised the ESF -- lie

Trying to upstage other contingents on the Florence demo -- lie

I have posted to this site in the past reasoned arguments in support of SWP positions in response to what I took were genuine questions. Of course it is possible to disgree and argue with these postions but instead respondents have prefered to accuse me and the SWP of bad faith, and to lie about us.

I don't complain for myself or my party, I think most people see through these things but I genuinely think this mentality is destroying the possibility this site might once have had.

Those with no axe to grind should look over the threads and ee for themselves if I am lying or not.

This 'Newswire' Is So Fuckin Shit

by Intransigent

Sat Nov 23, 2002 01:47

You guys are all fuckin idiots. All ya ever do is complain to each other about fuck all. The SWP did this, the SP did that, what did the Shinners say? Ya see a fucking pattern here? Would ya wake the fuck up and realise that there is a potential movement emerging but all you guys do is fucking argue with each other all day long. And you idiots posting from the government WHY? The people who engage in political "debate" on this newswire are not gonna make a difference. They don't give a fuck. Can ya not see that it's obvious from the hatred they spew at anyone who actually does wanna make a difference. Oh but I'm sorry, those organisations are authoritarian blah blah blah. Would you lazy bastards wake up for a second and do something fucking worthwhile with your misreable little lives. This has been Intransigent with the last comment that he's ever gonna make on one of these bullshit threads. The Newswire is there it's great but there's fucking people out there who actually do shit. But wait you guys don't really give a fuck do ya? Fuck you, I'm done with this site. I give up on you idiots.

Question

Sat Nov 23, 2002 12:50

If Mr Kevin Wingfield dislikes this website so much, why does he spend so much time reading it?

to intransigent

by hs sp

Sat Nov 23, 2002 21:00

well thats really what this website is isn't it, its been like this from pretty much the beginning.
it hasn't changed. Shame but not so suprising really, This is why I prefer the old printed type with editors and all.

to hs

by IMC reader

Sun Nov 24, 2002 10:17

Fine, then don't waste your time writing to indymedia.

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ESF: Bitter taste of SWP arrogance sours day

Comments (14 of 14)