WFDY: 17thWorld Festival of Youth and Students in South Africa

[Honggweilo]

since no one has posted anything about it yet

http://www.wfdy.org/17wfys

http://www.voorwaarts.net/cjblog/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/wereldjeugdfestival_button_zr.png (http://www.worldfestival2010.be/sites/default/files/WFYS%20Poster.pdf)




Calling

To Youth and Students of the World for the 17th WFYS, South Africa

Youth has always been a vital force in the development of societies. With natural creativity, will of change, transformation and strength, the struggle of youth for freedom, peace and social transformation, for the right to education, employment, democratic rights and peace has always had a significant role in the general struggle for a fair and peaceful world. This is demonstrated by the past, but also by the present where big demonstrations of students, of young workers and of youngsters in general are a vanguard of resistance against exploitation, withdraw of rights, imperialist plunder of resources, racism, sexual discrimination, colonialism, fascism, military interventions and war, and for the survival of the Human being. We call upon the youth to continue these struggles.

In the same time when imperialism dominates the World, in the framework of one of the deepest structural crisis of the capitalist system, the situation of the youth is worsening. This is very clear in the increasing number of young people unemployed or working under precarious working relations as the profits of the big economic groups keep increasing, the number of people resisting increases every day, in all countries, where the youth and people are victims of the imperialism and bravely resist, as well as in many countries under sanctions, blockades and occupation. This crisis shows the historical limits of this system and that there is more potential for stronger struggles against it and changes in the balance of the different forces in the world. We call all the youth to line up in our struggle of resistance against the exploitation of the peoples and environment, for the true satisfaction of peoples’ needs.

In times when imperialist forces increase militarization of the World, by implementing more military bases, by competing each other for markets and natural resources, increasing the fire power of armies and their budgets, developing high technology weapons, and devastate the environment and natural resources, proving the eco-predatory character of imperialism, Earth has become a more danger place for youth to live. Alongside with the empowerment of imperialist structures, like NATO, EU, AFRICOM and other organizations, imperialism is everyday more aggressive towards progressive, democratic and communist organizations, which demands from us to reinforce the struggle for peace. The increase of the military offensives and provocations against all progressive government and people in Latin America and Caribbean, the persecution of the youth and students’ movement in Colombia, and the progressive and anti-imperialist forces and youth organizations in Eastern European countries, the equalizing of communism and Nazism, the attacks against UJSario Western Sahara and youth and people, the crimes against the youth and people of Palestine by the Zionist Israeli occupation sponsored by imperialism, the occupation in Iraq and Afghanistan, the continuation of the occupation of Cyprus, the oppression of indigenous people, among many other examples, demonstrate that the attempt of imperialism to destroy democratic rights is not only an isolated event in one country, but is indeed one of the key elements of the imperialist offense and strategy.

Youth struggled, struggles and will keep struggling for public, free, quality and democratic education, for right to employment with full labour rights, for democratic rights, for the right to exclusively free access to health, sport and culture, for the protection of environment, for sovereignty, for a decent life, for friendship, solidarity and peace among all peoples of the world. There is no imperialist campaign, no anti-scientific school book, no industry of culture, no nationalist feeling, racial prejudice, imperialist promoted secessionist movement, ethnic or religious conflict promoted by imperialism that can ever stop the struggle of the youth and all the workers against exploitation of man by man from happening and being victorious.

The 17th World Festival of Youth and Students will be held having before it a rich past of WFYS experience, particularly the experience from the 16th WFYS, held in Caracas – Venezuela, in August 2005, which success represents a big responsibility and a big hope for the 17th WFYS, that will happen in Pretoria – South Africa, in December, 2010.

The 17th WFYS in South Africa states and underlines the anti-imperialist character of the World Festivals of Youth Students. The firm confrontation with imperialism was the key element for WFYS resistance, with an important contribution from the progressive and socialist countries. The international, mass participation of the youth and students and political-cultural characteristics are elements that we should reinforce, alongside with the solidarity with South Africa resistance to any type of imperialist intervention, building a multicultural and multinational country of peace, sovereignty and social justice, now that the brave struggle of the South African people and youth have broken the grids of apartheid.

Furthermore, organizing the 17th WFYS in the African continent is a sign of support to the African youth, who so bravely struggles against the new waves of imperialism, whether it is on its military expression, by implementing military bases all over the continent (particularly the dangerous US project of AFRICOM) and the growing military presence in Somalia; or on its political and economic expression by attempting to force all countries to bend to the imperialist wills, punishing with sanctions all those who refuse to accept this new sort of neo-colonialist offense against their countries and peoples.

The World Festival of Youth and Students is collectively organized and represents the millions of youngsters who struggle for peaceful future without imperialism and its structures. Its democratic process, since the first preparatory moment until the closing ceremony, is unique and should be preserved and deepened, in order to be even more connected with the concrete everyday struggles in the countries of all the world of the youth and students.

We call upon all progressive youth and students to join the struggle for peace and against imperialism, and work actively from now to strengthen the 17th WFYS in their countries and participate in the Festival in South Africa.

Let’s defeat imperialism, for a world of peace, solidarity and social transformation!

Let us work for a successful 17th World Festival of Youth and Students in South Africa.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRZThXpf9IA&feature=player_embedded

^ im in here somewhere :rolleyes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Q5AGFSBE3A&feature=player_embedded

[RED DAVE]

WFDY, World Federation of Democratic Youth, used to be, in the distant past when I was a youth, the stalinist world youth group. Who runs it now?

RED DAVE

[bricolage]

WFDY, World Federation of Democratic Youth, used to be, in the distant past when I was a youth, the stalinist world youth group. Who runs it now?
Seems to be a mixture of Stalinists and social democrats.
http://www.wfdy.org/structure/

[Honggweilo]

Seems to be a mixture of Stalinists and social democrats.
http://www.wfdy.org/structure/

sigh... its astonishing how ignorant of IRL politics people can be here in this forum, which isnt that suprising...

The WFDY is a world federation of anti-imperialist, anti-capitalist youth, which yes stems mostly from marxist-leninist youth organisations, but it is highly non-sectarian.

- There are leftwing social-democrats in it with an anti-imperialist/national liberation history or program (ANC youth in south africa, Sandinista youth, MLPA youth Angola, POLSARIO front youth from the southern sahara, ect)

-There are cooperative and broad trotskyist organisations in it, supportive of cuba and venezuela, like the SWPUSA Youth, Resistance Australia, ect

- There are non ultra-left and cooperative maoists in it, or parties with such a background (AKABAYAAN - linked to the CPP - in the Philippines, COMAC - youth of the Workers Party of Belgium, RKU - Sweden, DLFP youth - palestine, UJC - with a hoxhaist past - Brazil)

And besides that, National Prepatory Commities are extremely broad, which invites Trade-union activists, Neighbourghood organisers, Cultural groups, Studentunions, ect, to the festival. without any requirement for political allignment (other then being progressive and anti-imperialist)

The last Festival was in Venezuela, hosted by Communist Youth of Venezuela and the PSUV (then called the 5th republic movement) in 2004. about 27000 people attended. This year the prospect is over 30000, with loth of youth from all over africa.

[bricolage]

So you are having an 'anti-capitalist' festival in South Africa attended by the ANC... who have been responsible for the continued dominance of capital in post-apartheid South Africa? When workers have been out on the street *against* this very party do you not think you might be on the wrong side of the divide?

[Honggweilo]

So you are having an 'anti-capitalist' festival in South Africa attended by the ANC... who have been responsible for the continued dominance of capital in post-apartheid South Africa? When workers have been out on the street *against* this very party do you not think you might be on the wrong side of the divide?

strikes led by COSATU, the SACP, the CYLSA, and the ANCYL (which is conciderd to be the radical left wing of the party). The festival is organized by the ANCYL and CYLSA ( the latter works within the former), not by the ANC. And then again, the WFDY is an anti-imperialist organisation, working with progressive organisations which are not exclusively communist (see last festival in venezuela). I thought that this non-sectarian course would be a change from being called a stalinist front, but some people are just hard to please. the central theme of the festival is also social transformation, and is actually being pushed by the ANCYL to steer away support of the neo-liberal mbeki clique and presure the left of the party for socialist transformation (and not just empty populist rethoric).

i mean

http://www.ancyl.org.za/images/pic_mines.gif

[bricolage]

How can you say the ANCYL is separate from the ANC, the same youth league that promised it was 'prepared to take up arms and kill for Zuma', the same youth league that will probably propel Malema into the leadership of the ANC?


the central theme of the festival is also social transformation, and is actually being pushed by the ANCYL to steer away support of the neo-liberal mbeki clique and presure the left of the party for socialist transformation (and not just empty populist rethoric).
If the ANC could ever have been said to be more than a bourgeois vessel, it is surely an empty shell now. It is fully integrated into the state system, into transnational capital and there is nothing worth saving in it. The nationalisation of mines proposal is nothing new, it has been around for years and I can see nothing positive that would come from it.

Oh and COSATU were pretty much sabotaging a lot of the strikes.

[Honggweilo]

How can you say the ANCYL is separate from the ANC, the same youth league that promised it was 'prepared to take up arms and kill for Zuma', the same youth league that will probably propel Malema into the leadership of the ANC?


If the ANC could ever have been said to be more than a bourgeois vessel, it is surely an empty shell now. It is fully integrated into the state system, into transnational capital and there is nothing worth saving in it. The nationalisation of mines proposal is nothing new, it has been around for years and I can see nothing positive that would come from it.


Think what you may about the integration into capital by the bureaucratic clique of the ANC, which is partly true, but the festival is considerd an attempt to regain ground for the SACP among the ANC membership, in a time when the triparty alliance is being shaken at its fundations. But hey, thats our opinion.

The main reason why we organise the festival in south africa is because we have state support (and not the dubious kind like we had when we tried organising it in Belarus), which is neccesary for a festival of this magnitude, harbouring people from clandestine organisations worldwide. Also the logistics and accomodations have been made really cheap per person, something we couldnt have achieved without their help. Its the first time such a festival is hosted on sub saharan african soil, and is supposed to be a tool for revitalising anti-imperialism and marxism on african soil. The festivals switch between continent every 4 years since the collapse of the socialist block, so that every country gets an equal chance to participate.

like mandela said, the ANC and the communists both use each other for their own gains


Oh and COSATU were pretty much sabotaging a lot of the strikes.

sauce?

[Communist Pear]

Wish I could go. :(

I think nobody posted it, because they were afraid that it would probably turn into a sectarian shitfest and they were probably right.

[bricolage]

the festival is considerd an attempt to regain ground for the SACP among the ANC membership
I have no more hope for the SACP as a vehicle for social change than I do the ANC. Both are integrated into each other and this is the same SACP that has spent the post-apartheid years backing GEAR, backing Zuma etc etc


The main reason why we organise the festival in south africa is because we have state support
I think this is an obvious draw and also will although it to attract large numbers. I think you also have to accept though that this will be used by the ANC as a populist attempt to emphasise its 'radical' roots at the same time it is further pushing down the workers of the country and sub-region.


like mandela said, the ANC and the communists both use each other for their own gains
Didn't he just say the ANC had used the SACP?


sauce?


Union leaders were chased out of a meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa, when they told striking public service workers that their three-week strike was over. This event was an important expression of the sharpening conflict internationally between the working class and the trade union apparatuses.
http://wsws.org/articles/2010/sep2010/pers-s13.shtml

[Honggweilo]

wsws...

anyway i agree with Communist Pear that this was bound for ending up as a shitstorm, ill just keep it here as an informative piece for interested people (aiming mostly at the PSL/New Zealand WP crowd i guess. Since the rest of the comrades are already informed)

[Honggweilo]

some sneak peaks before i make the documentary (and dont turn this into a discussion, im just sharing impressions, do that somewhere else)

fJZuM75KuGE

jGikT2a9wMQ

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs009.ash2/33829_1771414482775_1161656951_3917942_6649831_n.j pg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs887.snc4/72040_1771349601153_1161656951_3917816_6864002_n.j pg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs433.snc4/47588_1771357161342_1161656951_3917838_8056614_n.j pg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs771.snc4/67133_1771358161367_1161656951_3917840_545339_n.jp g
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs379.ash2/65752_1771358321371_1161656951_3917841_2380059_n.j pg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs753.ash1/164487_1771358521376_1161656951_3917842_4445339_n. jpg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1379.snc4/163161_1771370761682_1161656951_3917855_5782064_n. jpg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1220.snc4/155229_1771372241719_1161656951_3917858_1943583_n. jpg

[Honggweilo]

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs393.ash2/67145_1771379121891_1161656951_3917866_1032955_n.j pg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs356.ash2/63629_1771386122066_1161656951_3917875_3071823_n.j pg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs801.snc4/68115_1771406362572_1161656951_3917898_7015955_n.j pg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1231.snc4/156328_1771406442574_1161656951_3917899_3271578_n. jpg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1334.snc4/162607_1771406842584_1161656951_3917901_8240335_n. jpg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs447.ash2/72063_1771407962612_1161656951_3917904_3042493_n.j pg

[Honggweilo]

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs379.ash2/65770_1771409402648_1161656951_3917912_5049282_n.j pg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1392.snc4/164412_1771409762657_1161656951_3917914_2659981_n. jpg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1221.snc4/155315_1771410602678_1161656951_3917919_7633516_n. jpg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1216.snc4/156863_1771411162692_1161656951_3917922_1267162_n. jpg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1176.snc4/154843_1771414162767_1161656951_3917941_5565493_n. jpg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs009.ash2/33829_1771414482775_1161656951_3917942_6649831_n.j pg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs692.snc4/63196_1771415042789_1161656951_3917945_4140106_n.j pg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs695.snc4/63574_1771415202793_1161656951_3917946_6489539_n.j pg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs802.snc4/68197_1771417042839_1161656951_3917960_2869375_n.j pg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs616.ash2/156805_1771417482850_1161656951_3917962_3798445_n. jpg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs696.snc4/63626_1771418442874_1161656951_3917969_7016490_n.j pg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1338.snc4/163080_1771419162892_1161656951_3917975_1557162_n. jpg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs736.ash1/162940_1771420362922_1161656951_3917982_6482325_n. jpg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1389.snc4/164138_1771433003238_1161656951_3918010_2151502_n. jpg

[Honggweilo]

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1359.snc4/163161_1771434243269_1161656951_3918015_4520426_n. jpg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1336.snc4/162822_1771434723281_1161656951_3918018_3197647_n. jpg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs009.snc4/33805_1771435763307_1161656951_3918024_6332685_n.j pg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1391.snc4/164382_1771437003338_1161656951_3918030_6698732_n. jpg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs433.snc4/47645_1779936095810_1161656951_3937429_7882273_n.j pg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/hs014.snc6/166452_1779936775827_1161656951_3937433_3392610_n. jpg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs774.ash1/166472_1779937175837_1161656951_3937436_8232748_n. jpg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs694.snc4/63481_1779937655849_1161656951_3937440_6136007_n.j pg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs058.ash2/36264_1779939495895_1161656951_3937450_7906812_n.j pg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs352.ash2/63205_1779940415918_1161656951_3937456_5849466_n.j pg
http://l2.sphotos.l3.fbcdn.net/hphotos-l3-snc4/hs1231.snc4/156346_1779944336016_1161656951_3937475_6683343_n. jpg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1393.snc4/164535_1779947136086_1161656951_3937482_6947277_n. jpg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs393.ash2/67108_477219734261_760644261_5972927_1188495_n.jpg

[Honggweilo]

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1379.snc4/163149_474901979261_760644261_5934171_1209574_n.jp g
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs588.ash2/151058_474901759261_760644261_5934169_5326988_n.jp g
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs379.ash2/65740_474901904261_760644261_5934170_2176637_n.jpg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1188.snc4/151029_474902124261_760644261_5934173_7458863_n.jp g
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs692.snc4/63274_474902209261_760644261_5934174_4693502_n.jpg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs953.snc4/74670_476844624261_760644261_5964784_5690255_n.jpg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs242.snc4/39427_476845119261_760644261_5964790_3225496_n.jpg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1366.snc4/163833_476848574261_760644261_5964856_4020860_n.jp g
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs560.ash2/148204_477219464261_760644261_5972924_5204029_n.jp g
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs600.ash2/155287_474901594261_760644261_5934166_6864894_n.jp g

[Honggweilo]

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs403.ash2/68127_1661311247019_1064333716_31823226_911337_n.j pg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs598.ash2/155018_1659942892811_1064333716_31819782_5583806_n .jpg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs614.ash2/156610_1660059055715_1064333716_31820258_1595500_n .jpg

[Honggweilo]

funny how almost no one this forum even knows about the biggest anti-imperialist festival in the world :rolleyes:

[Red Future]

Thankfully i did

[Who?]

It's a shame that the US doesn't have a decent WFDY affiliate.

[Honggweilo]

hopefully the WWP or PSL will join the US NPC next time. everybody was pissing on the YCL at the festival, especially the sharp skin with the american flag. An irish comrade hold his lighter to it for shits and giggles and he went all like "thats the flag man, you cant disrespect the flag!"... when asked about the obama tailgaiting he went "give him time man, he's only been in office for 2 years man.. it needs time.."

the SWP was just trying to sell fucking books everywhere, even during conferences and parades!

[Who?]

Well I'm not surprised by the SWP, they're essentially a political cult. However I am surprised by the YCL, I was under the impression that they were primarily associated with the left-wing of the party. I've actually heard that there is a considerable number of legitimate Marxist-Leninists within the YCL.

Indeed, if FIST (http://fistyouth.wordpress.com/) affiliated I'd definitely consider joining.

[Wanted Man]

funny how almost no one this forum even knows about the biggest anti-imperialist festival in the world :rolleyes:

Not much to do about that. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink.

Anyway, thanks for the great pictures. What were your overall impressions?

[theAnarch]

whats wrong with books?

[Wanted Man]

Well it gets kind of annoying when preachers try to whack you over the head with them, even if they are socialists.

[Honggweilo]

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/hs047.snc6/167755_484827787085_668882085_5676173_3501825_n.jp g
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/hs025.snc6/165535_10150142149452586_800847585_8240261_274606_ n.jpg

[Soseloshvili]

hey, has anyone seen any pictures yet of the Canadians over there? My organization, the Young Communist League of Canada, sent a group of 40 people over but sadly, I've yet to see any pictures of my comrades in Johannesburg!

[Honggweilo]

hey, has anyone seen any pictures yet of the Canadians over there? My organization, the Young Communist League of Canada, sent a group of 40 people over but sadly, I've yet to see any pictures of my comrades in Johannesburg!

yeah, the YCL of canada was quite.. present :D

btw look in one of my videos, i was walking by there booth, with the sign saying "stop touching our fucking women" :p (first vid, 1:34, aimed at the "touchy" indians :rolleyes:)

[Honggweilo]

beter yet, here's a picture :laugh:

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1380.snc4/163262_173879475985961_100000917297380_359399_4367 302_n.jpg

[Tavarisch_Mike]

When i was in Cuba they showed this on the news the whole time. Thanks for sharing youre photos.

[Lyev]

I was invited to go to this by a friend who knows someone who is part of the CPB-ML in England, but it was quite short notice and I guess quite expensive for only a few short days. The 'anti-imperialist' kind of Marxist-Leninist organisations that exist in the UK are rather small/divided, so I'm assuming that the attendance from the UK wasn't massive.

[Honggweilo]

I was invited to go to this by a friend who knows someone who is part of the CPB-ML in England, but it was quite short notice and I guess quite expensive for only a few short days. The 'anti-imperialist' kind of Marxist-Leninist organisations that exist in the UK are rather small/divided, so I'm assuming that the attendance from the UK wasn't massive.
well there were about 20 people from the YCL of britain, a few from the CPGB-ml, and a very annoying delegation from the young socialists (pathfinder)

[jake williams]

DR: I totally agree with you about SA. There's a right wing within the tripartite alliance, but a lot of them are leaving. There's still a fight for control, but increasingly it's focused within what used to be the left wing of the leadership - a left wing that has become the right wing because the party(ies) have moved to the left. The festival was totally amazing in the context of how far South Africa has had to come, and how weak the international anti-imperialist movement is right now.

I should clarify about Canada that only about a third of the delegation was from the YCL. We brought quite a few people from the Canadian Federation of Students (the main English Canadian student union), and a number of trade union activists. A lot of the initiative on sexual harassment came from a delegate from the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, and a few others from the CFS. And it's a good thing, too, because some of what I heard is totally unacceptable at the Festival. What I actually found more disconcerting though was the lack of political will to really deal with women's issues, either within the Festival itself or within the broader political scope of the organizations' work.

[Soseloshvili]

If there's anyone else looking for the pictures of the Canadian contingent, a friend of mine just put up an album on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150348720180096&set=a.10150348479540096.604472.833400095#!/album.php?fbid=10150348479540096&id=833400095&aid=604472 (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150348720180096&set=a.10150348479540096.604472.833400095#%21/album.php?fbid=10150348479540096&id=833400095&aid=604472)

[theAnarch]

well there were about 20 people from the YCL of britain, a few from the CPGB-ml, and a very annoying delegation from the young socialists (pathfinder)

I used to be in the YS, so im intrested in why you say that.

[Honggweilo]

I used to be in the YS, so im intrested in why you say that.

an old fart going to a seminar on Yugoslavia, selling his book durring an intervention saying how we should support the Kosovo independece and pro-imperialist UCK, arrogantly telling people who are actually from the region how he knows the truth about everything going on in their country, and how they should run it (while he's never been in Yugoslavia at all)

The united yugoslavian delegation was made up of different youth movements; SKOJ -Serbia, SKOJ - Macedonia, Workers Communist Party of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Socialist Workers Party of Croatia, and the Socialist Workers Party of Slovenia. It was really gold, concidering the SKOJ's line on tito, when the "Young" Socialist guy started to say "Tito was a great peoples hero and partisan, and he had the guts to defy Stalin's imperialism... but sadly, tito was himself a closet stalinist, being educated in the Stalin school!".

[Honggweilo]

A lot of the initiative on sexual harassment came from a delegate from the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, and a few others from the CFS. And it's a good thing, too, because some of what I heard is totally unacceptable at the Festival. What I actually found more disconcerting though was the lack of political will to really deal with women's issues, either within the Festival itself or within the broader political scope of the organizations' work.

I can agree with that ( i witnessed some too) , but with all do respect, reading a 45 min intervention at the final draft (that already lasted for 6 hours, and was meant for short interventions about the content of the draft) when everybody was hungry and tired, really was a bit too much. The point doesnt come across that way :p

[jake williams]

I can agree with that ( i witnessed some too) , but with all do respect, reading a 45 min intervention and the final draft (that already lasted for 6 hours, and was meant for short interventions about the content of the draft) when everybody was hungry and tired, really was a bit too much. The point doesnt come across that way :p
I don't know who exactly did that, but certainly it's important to be conscious of how and where you're making arguments. I think a lot of people who came into the festival weren't totally familiar with the broader political context of the meeting, which is a challenge, but at the same time I'm really glad they were brought in.

[theAnarch]

an old fart going to a seminar on Yugoslavia, selling his book durring an intervention saying how we should support the Kosovo independece and pro-imperialist UCK, arrogantly telling people who are actually from the region how he knows the truth about everything going on in their country, and how they should run it (while he's never been in Yugoslavia at all)

The united yugoslavian delegation was made up of different youth movements; SKOJ -Serbia, SKOJ - Macedonia, Workers Communist Party of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Socialist Workers Party of Croatia, and the Socialist Workers Party of Slovenia. It was really gold, concidering the SKOJ's line on tito, when the "Young" Socialist guy started to say "Tito was a great peoples hero and partisan, and he had the guts to defy Stalin's imperialism... but sadly, tito was himself a closet stalinist, being educated in the Stalin school!".


Are you sure this is the Young socialist of the US

[Honggweilo]

Are you sure this is the Young socialist of the US

No the Young Socialists of the UK