30,000 activists attend World Social Forum in Brazil: Ends with vows to fight unfettered capitalism

[Better Believe It]

Social forum ends with vows to fight capitalism
By ALAN CLENDENNING
The Associated Press
January 29, 2010

PORTO ALEGRE, Brazil -- Leftists who converged in Brazil to protest what they view as uncontrolled capitalism ended the World Social Forum on Friday with vows to take advantage of the financial crisis to promote a global socialist agenda.

About 30,000 people attended the 10th annual social forum over the last five days in this city near the border with Uruguay, some 500 of whom braved a sweltering conference room to close the event Friday.

They railed against unfettered capitalism they claimed is responsible for corporate greed that saps natural resources and destroys the environment while virtually enslaving the poor in developing nations.

The social forum "projects another vision of the world, not the Washington consensus or the Davos view that free markets are the solution," said Leonardo Dahmer, a member of Brazil's governing Workers Party and a city councilman in the city of Esteio near Porto Alegre. "Even Davos didn't predict the crisis, but we have to be careful because the capitalist system can reorganize itself quickly."

Leftists also said the failure of world leaders to forge a plan to prevent global warming in Copenhagen last month shows they are unable to come up with a solution to save the environment and protect the poor from climate swings that some experts fear could devastate the planet and subsistence farmers.

The forum's highlight came Tuesday, when Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva told an elated crowd of 10,000 that he would head to Davos and again reproach rich nations and bankers for causing the crisis.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/29/AR2010012902614.html

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What the World Social Forum is

The World Social Forum is an open meeting place where social movements, networks, NGOs and other civil society organizations opposed to neo-liberalism and a world dominated by capital or by any form of imperialism come together to pursue their thinking, to debate ideas democratically, for formulate proposals, share their experiences freely and network for effective action. Since the first world encounter in 2001, it has taken the form of a permanent world process seeking and building alternatives to neo-liberal policies. This definition is in its Charter of Principles, the WSF’s guiding document.

The World Social Forum is also characterized by plurality and diversity, is non-confessional, non-governmental and non-party. It proposes to facilitate decentralized coordination and networking among organizations engaged in concrete action towards building another world, at any level from the local to the international, but it does not intend to be a body representing world civil society. The World Social Forum is not a group nor an organization.

http://www.forumsocialmundial.org.br/main.php?id_menu=19&cd_language=2

[PDJane]

1. I tend to agree........

capitalism needs to be contained. It's a short-sighted approach everything that matters.

[Better Believe It]

2. 30,000 attended the conference. That's rather amazing.

A World Social Forum will be held in the United States this summer.

Here's the rather impressive list of activities they are organizing around the world this year. Detroit, Michigan is the location event #20 to be held in June.

List of WSF actions and events for 2010:
To correct information or include any event or action in the list, send email to: fsmsite @ forumsocialmundial.org.br


1.Event: I Solidarity Economy Social Forum and I Solidarity Economy World Fair
Location: Santa Maria and Canoas (Greater Porto Alegre), Brazil.
Date: January 22-24th (Santa Maria), 25-29th (Canoas)
Contact info: [e-mail]
Website: http://www.fsmecosol.org.br

2. Event: 6th World Forum of Judges
Location: Porto Alegre - RS
Date: 22 a 24 de janeiro
Contact info: [e-mail]
Website: http://www.marprom.com.br

3. Event: Serra Gaúcha World Social Forum
Location: Bento Gonçalves - RS - Brasil
Date: January 22-24
Contact info: [e-mail]

4. Event: Intercontinental Youth Camp 10 years - Movements in movement
Location: Lomba Grande - Novo Hamburgo, RS
Date: January 23-29
Contact info: [e-mail]
Website: www.acampamentofsm.org.br

5. Event: Tokyo Social Forum - "Get together, Talk, and Go! - Another World is Possible!"
Location: Tokyo Korean YMCA
Date: January, 24.
Contact info: [e-mail], [e-mail],
[e-mail], [e-mail]
Website: http://tokyo.socialforum.jp/

6. Event: Greater Porto Alegre 10 Years Social Forum / 10 Years World Social Forum Seminar
Location: Greater Porto Alegre, Brazil
Date: January 25-29
Contact info: [e-mail]
Webite: www.fsm10.org

7. Event: Right and Justice - World Forum Theology and Liberation / Preparatory Seminar towards Dakar (Greater Porto Alegre 10 Years Social Forum)
Location: São Leopoldo, RS (Brazil)
Date: January, 26th-28th
Contact: [e-mail] (FMTL Permanent Secretariat)

8. Event: II Atlantic Local Social Forum
Location: Kpomassé, Benin
Date: January 28-31
Contact info: Yoro Bi Ta Raymond: [e-mail] / [e-mail]

9. Event: Madrid World Social Forum 2010
Location: Madrid, Spain
Date: January 28-31
Contact info: [e-mail]
Website: http://www.fsmmadrid.org

10. Event: Czech Social Forum
Location: Prague, Brno, Usti nad Labem - Czech Republic
Date: Januray 29-30
Contact info: Marek Hrubec - [e-mail]

11. Event: Bahia Thematic Social Forum
Location: Salvador, Brazil
Date: January 29-31
Contact info: [e-mail]
Website: http://www.fsmtbahia.com.br

12. Event: 5th Stuttgart-Open-Fair, large Civil Society Festival/Platform
Location: Stuttgart, Germany
Date: January 29 - 31st
Contact info: [e-mail]
Website: http://www.stuttgart-open-fair.de

13. Event: Catalan Social Forum
Location: Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Date: January, 30-31
Contact info: [e-mail]
Website: http://www.forumsocialcatala.cat

14. Event: Expanded Social Forum of Peripheries
Date: February, 3rd-6th
Location: Loteamento Dunas, Pelotas - RS - Brazil.
Contacts: [e-mail] , [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail]

15. Osaka Social Forum
Date: March 21-22
Location: Osaka
Contact info: [e-mail]
Website: http://osaka.socialforum.jp/

16. Event: Actions for the Right to City, apart from the World Urban Forum (WUF 5)
Location: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Date: March 22-26
Contact info: [e-mail] / [e-mail] / [e-mail]

17. Event: 2nd Global Boycott, Divestment and Sanction Action Day during the Palestinian Land Day
Location: multiple countries
Date: March 30th
Contact info: Palestinian Boycott Divestment and Sanctions National Committee (BNC): [e-mail]

18. Event: World Forum of the Collective Rights of Peoples
Location: Girona, Catalonia, Spain
Date: April 22-25
Contact info: [e-mail]

19. Event: Thematic Forum on Alternatives to Financial Crisis
Location: Mexico City, Mexico
Date: May 2-4
Contact info: Rocío Lombera: [e-mail] / Hector de la Cueva: [e-mail]

20. Event: US Social Forum
Location: Detroit, Michigan, USA
Date: June 22-26
Contact info: Cindy: [e-mail] / Michael Leon Guerrero: [e-mail] / Jennifer Cox: [e-mail] / USSF 2010 Community list: [e-mail]

21. Event: European Social Forum
Location: Istanbul, Turkey
Date: Not scheduled yet
Contact info: [e-mail]
Website: http://www.sosyalforum.org

22. Event: 4th edition of the event “Étrange Rencontre”
Location: Guinea
Date: July
Contact info: Zoul: [e-mail] / [e-mail]
Website: http://www.etrangerencontre.org

23. Event: 1st World Forum for Culture and Education for Transformation
Location: Belém, Brazil
Date: July 21-26
Contact info: Dan Baron: [e-mail]

24. Event: 1st meeting “Hegemonic Civilization Crisis and Alternative Paradigms”
Location: Bolivia
Date: second semester
Contact info: Facilitation Group, Roberto Espinoza - [e-mail]

25. Event: 2010 Americas Social Forum
Location: Assuncion, Paraguay
Date: August 11-15
Contact info: Magdalena León: [e-mail] / José Miguel Hernandes: [e-mail]

26. Event: Thematic Forum on Environment, Migration, and Food Security
Location: Niamey, Niger
Date: October 15-19
Contact info: Moussa Tchangari: [e-mail] / [e-mail]

27. Event: World Education Forum
Location: Palestine
Date: October 28-31 (to be confirmed)
Contact info: Kathia Dudyk: [e-mail] / [e-mail]
Refaat Sabbah: [e-mail]
Marjon Goetinck: [e-mail]

28. Event: Thematic Forum on Labor issues
Location: Algeria
Date: November
Contact info: Hamouda: [e-mail] / Kamal: [e-mail]

29. Event: Community Radio Forum
Location: La Plata, Argentina
Date: November 08-13
Contact info:

30. Event: 5th Pan-amazonian Social Forum
Location: Santarem, Pará, Brasil
Date: Last week of November
Contact info: Aldalice Otterloo: [e-mail]

31. Event: Nigerian Social Forum
Location: Lagos, Niageria
Date: December
Contact info: Oluwole Oshota: [e-mail] / [e-mail]

32. Event: Thematic Forum on democracy
Location: Dacca, Bangladesh
Date: December
Contact info:

33. Event: World Education Forum, thematic on Education, Research and Culture of Peace
Location: Santiago de Compostela, Galicia.
Date: December 9-13
Contact info: Kathia Dudyk: [e-mail] / [e-mail]

34. Event: 9th Forum of the Peoples – theme: crisis and poverty
Location: Mali
Date: Not scheduled yet (it happens during the G8 meeting)
Contact info:

35. Event: Thematic Forum on Gender Issues
Location: Jordan
Date: Not scheduled yet
Contact info: Hamouda: [e-mail] / Kamal: [e-mail]

36. Event: Thematic Forum On Agricultural workers, Peasants and Health
Location: Egypt
Date: Not scheduled yet
Contact info: Hamouda: [e-mail] / Kamal: [e-mail]

37. Event: Thematic Forum on Social Movements
Location: Morocco
Date: Not scheduled yet
Contact info: Hamouda: [e-mail] / Kamal: [e-mail]

38. Event: Iraq Social Forum
Location: Iraq
Date :Not scheduled yet
Contact info: Salam Ali

39. Event: International Seminar on the Political Islam
Location: Not defined yet
Date: Not scheduled yet
Contact info: Alternatives International: [e-mail]

[Foo Fighter]

6. Detroit. How appropriate.

Granted, pretty much every city and everyone that isn't in the top 1% has felt the effects of unfettered capitalism run amok. But the citizens of Detroit are very probably the hardest hit and I can think of no better venue to host this. Here's hoping for a very successful and productive event for all involved!

[OHdem10]

3. I think we have seen first hand what "UNFETTERED CAPITALISM"

has done to the greatest country in the world.

Unfettered is the operative word. De-Regulation upon Deregulation
made this mess possible.

[leftstreet]

4. K&R

[Vidar]

5. K&R.

[Better Believe It]

7. Kick for Sunday morning DU'ers