La seminar at the European Social Forum called jointly by youth organisations across Europe. 300 gathered to debate how young people can play an important role in mass movements. Here is a transcript of our speaker's contribution.
The anti-war movement in Britain since September 11 2001 has been the biggest anti-capitalist radicalisation in living memory. Blair's relationship with Bush has meant that Britain has been in the forefront of the global anti-war movement.
There has been a huge radicalisation of young people who have not been politically active before and of young, radicalising people from muslim communities
There are vital political points to be made about this movement.
Firstly, this has been a clearly anti-imperialist movement. This is not a movement for "peace" but a movement in which the war drive is clearly linked in the minds and actions of participants with the drive for oil and the US's drive for world domination. The move ment calls for an end to imperialist wars
Secondly, the British antime close to stopping blair going
d has seriously undermined his ability wage war
Blair's leadership is currently in crisis. He finds himself in a huge political crisis that goes
20 ans de politiques libéralee way beyond war and imperialism. The prediction is that Blair will not survive in power for more than another year. Blair has, of course, been involved in a number of wars as Prime Minister - in Kosovo, in Afghanistan and now in Iraq. He has taken Britain to war on more occasions than Thatcher.
Linked to Blair's crisis is the crisis of political representation in Britain. We currently have a situation where the majority of the British people have not supported the war in Iraq or the occupation of Iraq and the three main political parties are out of tune with this mood.
The Liberal Democrats opposed war before it started and spoke at the huge antiwar demonstrations, for example on 15 February 2003. However, once war started they came behind the war effort - saying that we must 'support' British troops in Iraq.
Salma Yaqoob, chair of the Birmingham SeWC, recendy described the current politi cal choice for English voters as a choice between, "the party of bombing and big business, the other party of bombing and big
..... • e, Racisme, Misereceite OL RE E COl NEST EMME PAS UNE MARCHANDISE business and the party of reluctant bombing and big business."
In this context and where it has recently been reported in Britain that it is likely that 40 per cent of those who vote in the next General Election will be over the age of 55, there is much debate about political realignment and forming an alternative in terms of political representation on the left.
The STW movement has been central in moving political debate in England forward to this point. There is an understanding amongst revolutionary socialists, who have been central to building the STW movement, that we have a responsibility to shape the new radicalisation into political realignment.
The Socialist Alliance has been a key force in the realigiment "plocess! George the Labour Party. The anti-war movement has been supported by many trade unions. There is a questioning of support for the Labour Party on the Labour left
There have been crucial points in the development of the British anti-war movement - both at its inception and when war started.
It is useful to consider how the movement formed, the political culture that influenced it and how it has developed
The anti-war movement was able to learn from the anti-capitalist movement. From the J18 carnival against capitalism in 1999 and the May Day demonstration in 2001. Also, September || 200l came just after Genoa, where those who had taken to the streets had been called terrorists by Berlusconi. The anti-capitalist movement was welldeveloped in terms of its critique of the state's role in protection multi-nationals and the rulers of the world.
It was thought that one effect of September II would be to demobilise the anti-capitalist movement. In fact, the oppo site happened. In the week war broke out ism means war there was an angry meeting of 2,000 people in central London and out of this the StWC was formed. Local structures were set up and the first big demonstration of 60,000 people was held in October 2001.
Larger and larger demonstrations have followed, culminating in 2 million people on the streets of London on 15 February 2003 However, the STW movement has not just been about huge demonstrations. It has worked best when there has been organic development at grass-roots level - street stalls, teach-ins and cultural events have all been an important part of the movement
Disappointment at not stopping the war was a crisis point for the movement - people believed this was possible in a way they didn't during the Kosovo conflict. The move. ment's response was the largest anti-war demonstration to be held in Britain while a war is being waged. On the day war broke out 1000s of college and school students 2 Waiked out in protest all over the country. Galloway has recently been expelled from ® • The Biggest issue for us currently in the StWC is George W Bush's visit to London next week. This visit intensifies Blair's political crisis. He is caught between the anti-war movement and American imperialism.
A planned state procession for the Queen and Bush has been cancelled out of fear of ism and war over the next 12 months
... .. protests. Blair is in a situation of pleading with anti-war protestors to put the arguments about the war behind them and focus on Iraq's future.
Next week we plan to bring London to a standstill. Every college has direct action planned. Some central London colleges will have occupations. There will also be road blockades, teach-ins and banner drops.
Our task now in the anti-war movement is to ensure that the movement maintains its momentum and prevents Blair from waging more wars. We demand that British and American troops get out of rag and Afghanistan.
We must demand that the Iraqi people be free to decide their own future. Whilst doing this we must deepen the understanding of imperialism in the movement - that capitalPeople will inevitably ask why wars happen - and whether they are inevitable. We must make the argument that wars are not inevitable but an intrinsic part of class society, particularly of capitalism and imperialism -that capitalism means war because it is driven, in the last analysis, by economic forces, which require ever-expanding markets and opportunities for investments.
We must deepen the understanding in the movement of the forces of international capitalism and how we can oppose them most effectively
People will increasingly be asking why there's money for war but not for education, health and public services. We have the opportunity to deepen the understanding of anti-privatisation struggles as anti-capitalist.
Anti-war struggles have increased the confidence of workers and of trade union activists - many of whom have been radicalised by the anti-war movement. We have recently seen a victory for postal workers taking unofficial strike action and there are currently disputes in public sector unions, including the RMT and FBU.
The anti-war movement has changed the face of British politics, and we look forward to deepening our movement against capital.....