Irish folk in Evian

national | miscellaneous | news report Thursday May 29, 2003 19:05 by Peace Fairy

Personal observations and news from the VAAAG village near Evian

Yes, I admit, I came on "the good bus" which happily transmogrified into ferries, trains and even buses as the need arose, but there's no need for anyone to comment on that- there are enough rants on the other thread.
The set-up at VAAAG is fantastic- there are probably over 2000 people camping here at this stage and more arriving hourly. In the days since we arrived there has been huge activity in getting the camp together: setting up kitchens, making furniture, digging compost toilets etc etc.
The village is divided into "barrios", each with its own kitchen, and each barrio works together to provide facilities such as food, sanitation, security, recetion/welcoming to the whole village.
Today, a few hundred people went into the local town, Annemasse, to introduce ourselves to the local people and show them that we come in peace and mean them no harm. A Samba band, anarcho-jazz group and various drummers provided the sounds, accompanied by a very colourful crowd.They're not back yet, so updates on how they were received will come tomorrow.
The countersummit offically started today with workshops and discussions on the effects of neo-liberalism in France, anarchist perspectives on the current political situation in France, loads of ecology stuff and practical planning sessions for the actions over the coming days. Tomorrow most of the Irish contingent, which is now over 20 people, will travel to the Swiss/French border to participate in a no-borders demo, protesting the European immigration laws. Big demos and other actions are planned for Saturday and Sunday. There are 10s of thousands of activists in the area now, and they just keep coming!!
Thanks to all the people who helped us out with donations of food and money and equipment. More tomorrow