G8 Anarchist Assembly

international | anarchist movement | news report Monday July 04, 2005 02:53 by sovietop - wsm/dissent sovietpop at hotmail dot com

Framed photographs of university men with 1950s hair surround the door to the debating chamber. Inside wood panelling stretches from floor to ceiling. It is a grand ninetieth century room and it is filled to the gills with anarchists

Anarchists sit on the floor, press against the wall, cram the stage and flow out the door. The meeting begins with a call out for translations and groups of Italians, German and Spanish cluster together. Then there are the introductions. We have come from Belgium, Poland, Newcastle, Aberdeen, Paris, Denmark, the United States, Ireland, Israel, Bristol, Sweden, Portugal, Switzerland, Quebec and elsewhere. Journalists and cops are asked to leave; we are warned that both are probably present. No precise details will be discussed. The role of the meetings is to agree in broad strokes what we plan to do to counter the G8 summit. The room becomes hot and stuffy as point follows point, some argue for blockades, others for marching on the Red Zone (Gleneagles itself), others for both. Twenty-four men, and 13 women speak (roughly). The debate at times meanders,, at times moves forward.
Someone from the back of the room announces that a journalist is present and has been asked to leave. Apparently it is Andrew Gilligan, former BBC, now with the evening standard (a right wing rag). For an irritating long time the meeting is halted as he refuses to leave.
Finally the meeting is able to continue and moves to questions of logistics, possibilities and options. It is agreed that the next step is to take the discussion to our affinity groups, that their the details will be ironed out in a de-centralised and local way.
Two hours after it began, we stream out of the room and the planning begins in earnest.