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EVENT

Anti-racism at the ESF

17 October 2004

The third European Social Forum (ESF) will take place from 15-17 October in London. Here we highlight seven events, among the hundreds organised, that might be of particular interest to IRR News readers.

The ESF is three days of debate, celebration and protest against war, racism and corporate power, to be held mainly at Alexandra Palace, north London. The aim is to bring together thousands of people from across the UK, Europe and the world to engage in debate, organise action and build networks to strengthen the movement. The ESF emerged as a spin-off from the World Social Forum, held in Porto Alegre, Brazil, in 2001. The first two European Social Forums - in Florence (2002) and Paris (2003) - attracted over 50,000 participants from across Europe and beyond.

The themes of this year's ESF are:

war and peace;
democracy and fundamental rights;
social justice and solidarity: against privatisation (deregulation), for workers, social and women's rights;
corporate globalisation and global justice;
against racism, discrimination and the far right: for equality and diversity;
environmental crisis and sustainable society.

The following seven events might be of particular interest to IRR News readers:

Living in fear: civil liberties and the 'war on terror'

Friday 15 October 2004, 9.00am-12.00pm
Cochabamba, Alexandra Palace, London N22

Community representatives, lawyers and civil liberties and human rights NGOs will examine the current abuses of the legal system across Europe. Speakers include Liz Fekete (Institute of Race Relations, UK), Thomas Mathiesen (academic, Norway), Gareth Peirce (UK civil rights lawyer), Anna Politkovska (journalist, Russia) and Dr Siddiqui (Muslim Parliament, UK).

Organising for migrant workers' rights - bringing trade unions and community organisations together

Friday 15 October 2004, 9.00am-12.00pm
Seminar Room 13, Alexandra Palace, London N22

Tauhid Pasha (Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants), Paul Kenny (London Regional Secretary, GMB), Fulvio Famoni (CGIL, Italty), Carmelita Barnes (Platform for International Co-operation on Undocumented Migrants) and a speaker from the French sans-papiers movement will lead a seminar on the current situation of migrant workers in Europe and ask how unions and community organisations can be brought together to support them.

Rap, guns and racism

Friday 15 October 2004, 5.45pm-9pm
ESF Music space, Alexandra Palace, London N22

Love Music Hate Racism (LMHR) presents a debate on racism in Britain, focusing on the demonisation of Black music by press and politicians, police racism, stop and search, Islamophobia, the scapegoating of asylum seekers, fascist parties and, above all, how we can fight back against these things. The debate will feature contributions from ASHER D, SKEME & BIG P, COREY JOHNSON, WEYMAN BENNETT (Unite Against Fascism), SKINNYMAN (tbc) and HARDKAUR. Following the debate, there will be a two-hour showcase of the best in British Black music, featuring RAS KWAME, FAITH SFX, KANO, 2MUCH, LADY FURY, DJ SAMURAI, BLADE, SO REAL, NAYDEAN and ASHER D (formerly of So Solid Crew). The debate is open to everyone and questions and points from the audience will be welcomed. LMHR is also organising an anti-fascist benefit concert to coincide with the ESF on Saturday 16 October. For more information, visit the LMHR website or phone 020 7924 0333.

Hijab: a woman's right to choose

Saturday 16 October 2004, 11.30am-1.30pm
Porto Alegre, Alexandra Palace, London N22

Raghad Altikriti (Muslim Association of Britain), Shami Chakrabarti (Liberty), Christine Delphy (Collectif Ecole Pour Toutes et Tous), Tariq Ramadan (Collectif des Musulmans de France), Arlene Rodrigues (Assembly for the Protection of Hijab) and Salma Yaqoob (Stop the War coalition) will discuss the ban on the hijab in French schools and elsewhere in Europe.

When the state kills: who listens and how do we fight for justice?

Saturday 16 October 2004, 11.30am-1.30pm
Malet Room, ULU, Malet Street, Bloomsbury, London

A meeting co-ordinated by Inquest, United Families and Friends Campaign, Newham Monitoring Project, Black Racial Attacks Independent Network and the Pat Finucane Centre to find new ways for the families of those killed in prison cells, police stations, detention centres and psychiatric hospitals to campaign for justice.

Stop immigration detention and deportations

Saturday 16 October 2004, 4.30-6.30pm
Room 3E, ULU, Malet Street, Bloomsbury, London

A meeting organised by Barbed Wire Britain and the National Coalition of Anti-Deportation Campaigns to discuss collaborative campaigning against detention and deportation across Europe.

The forgotten victims of the 'war on terror': racism, Islamophobia and the attack on civil liberties

Sunday 17 October 2004, 9am-12pm
Porto Alegre, Alexandra Palace, London N22

How do we resist the 'hidden war' against thousands of people of Asian, Arab and Muslim backgrounds that has come about since September 11? Speakers include Gareth Peirce (lawyer for Guantanamo and Belmarsh detainees), Tony Bunyan (Statewatch), Shami Chakrabarti (Liberty), Adnan Siddique (Stop Political Terror), Asad Rehman (NMP/East London Campaign Against Terrorism) and Antoine Boulange (Agir Contre la Guerre).

For more information, a full listing of events and registration details, visit the ESF website or call +44 (0)20 7833 8440.

Events listing is provided for information only. Inclusion in this listing should not be taken to imply that the Institute of Race Relations supports an event or is involved in organising it.

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