Radical media, politics and culture.

"Festival of Dissent" Prepares for G8 Summit

FoD writes:


"Festival of Dissent" Prepares for G8 Summit


From Wednesday the 6th to 10th of April, over three hundred people from across Scotland and beyond met in rural Lanarkshire at the “Festival of Dissent!” They met to plan resistance to the G8 summit, to further educate themselves, and to build and discuss better ways of living and working together with their local communities. The public gathering made its decisions collectively and consensually.Meanwhile, the police prepared for violence at a nearby “boot camp” in Carluke and spent public money to deploy a helicopter to hover over the festival. In contrast the gathering focused on creatively challenging the problems caused by the G8.

The final plenary of the Festival of Dissent declared: “The Iraq war has further demonstrated the deceit of world leaders. The purpose of the G8 is to preserve the plunder of the world's most powerful. It is ridiculous to expect the G8 to 'make poverty history' or tackle climate change; it's like putting the fox in charge of the hen house.”

The gathering worked on plans for a convergence in Scotland. “We invite others from across Scotland and the world to join us in preparation for the convergence, and to gather with us during the G8 summit. We invite people to help us oppose the G8 and its policies, and most importantly, to
contribute to the daily struggle to create new worlds.”

The gathering discussed the practicalities of accommodating, feeding and providing support for thousands of protesters in a sustainable and
environmentally friendly way. A number of action plans were further developed, reflecting the diversity of those attending. This includes

● a public day of blockades on July 6th which aims to isolate the G8.

● a Peoples Golfing Tournament on July 7th

● a day of action on July 8th against the real causes of climate change

● a creative family and community festival and the construction of community gardens and social space

It was also decided that refugees and asylum seekers attending future events would be financially supported to reflect the struggle of self-organized refugees against forms of persecution in the U.K. and in their homelands.