MeetingsG7

See also SheffieldG7| ID cards good

== Next things first ==

Peace
Next Meeting tbc: 16th March, 7.30 pm. Same venue as previous. Draft Agenda:



Please add your suggestions here too.

March 27th: International Networking meeting in Leeds contact: info-g82005(at)riseup.net

March 26th/27th: Other working groups and Dissent! folks meet in Leeds (Easter...)

As sent to ssf email list on 3rd-4th March 2005

Draft Minutes
for a meeting held on 2nd March 2005 at The R. Arms, Sheffield. Several hands were taking notes; this is just my version, not necessarily in strict chronological order of interventions. Names are fictional.

Attending: About 12-15. Absent: Some persons from BOM. Facilitator: Chris. Time: Two hours meeting. Following a brief personal introduction, brainstorming:

Chris on the meeting's structure: Do persons prefer that the meeting has a chairperson and a formal structure? This offer is declined by consensus. Meeting to have no chair, informal following round table structure.

James: Non-violence should be a priority or basic principle. Everybody agrees. Peter and James: Brief introduction about Sheffield g8 and its context: elections, Blunkett's return; counter-ideas: united against fascism vs. united against terrorism; serving ASBO's to masters, at least try first stage through solicitor(s). Venue unknown. M17 Derby venue made public about 17 days before their G8 event. Rose and James: Greenpeace presence.

James and Chris about a phone camcorder being used at meeting. Daniel is using laptop at some point. Openness to be a priority at this stage too. Email addresses of persons attending are written and passed round for email list to be created at aktivix.org moderated by other? Chris. Chris: Is g8-sheffield the list name everyone is happy with? Yes by consensus.

Chris: Call Out and Statement. Setting up special email list, moderator Chris. Mary and Adriana: let's top discussing violence vs. non-violence, since non violence basic established principle. Adriana distributes 6 +6 pages containing contact info for g8legal support and anti-G8 timelines outside Sheffield. Daniel, Chris, Peter: suggested actions along two time lines: 8th to 11th June: PiP arrangements, training tent(s). Clowns and action training. 11th June to end of g8: SSF and Indymedia. PiP moving date of their event. Convergence centre(s)required.

Daniel, Chris, Peter: Openness as agreed at this stage: attracts more people and accountable. Minutes etc. accessible for people learning. John: MEDIA. BBC look north proposals for interview(s)as rationalization for direct action. To be done about April. SSF has contact details. John & Chris: Previously recorded interviews and videos could be used as evidence of non-guilty if need arises at a later stage. Suggestion from Seeds for change: BBC could be directed to Indymedia coverage. Anyway, violent group's intervention expected to be negligible.

Mary: Accommodation needed. Question about this being provided at convergence centre(s). Adriana: Establishing a legal support group to coordinate legal support and prepare small legal guide. Demos and street events: Lots of creative brainstorming here: Barry and Critical Mass offered lots of ideas. On assumption that centre will be cordoned off, standard demos are out of the question. Seeds for Change: non violent reshaping and rearrangement of barriers. Toy guns being sold at any shop to be shown as damaging. Need for coordination: direct action. According to previous experience, intervention by "violent" groups would be minimal anyway. Daniel and others: a planned schedule: Going to schools, with kids preparing statements to be read for G8. Help to mobilise for Scotland in July. Local Dissent work. Similarly to Leeds and Manchester groups, Sheffield to use dissent site. Robert: Offer to create dedicated web site. Seeds for change suggested draft agenda for next meeting: To be discussed: Fluffy demo, Convergence centre(s), Street action, Accommodation, communication. Compiling legal support stuff, Critical mass ideas, Mary: Suggested an existing Pedal Pusher's Group could also help at street action level.

Final quarter of meeting: similar or same ideas second or third round. Seeds of change and Mary cannot do it to next meeting. Statement or Call Out(s) to include early support to other groups, since trouble expected at national borders for visitors coming from France &Netherlands. More brainstorming about ideal demo(s). James from Greenpeace: focal point?

Chris: Anybody attending interested to prepare to take Sheffield to Gleneagles July 5th-7th? Since negative answer, brainstorming on Sheffield continues:

Issues: immigration: http://noborder.org/ . No guns for children. No Id cards for children and artistic approach to protest. Contact Sheffield Women's Peace Group. Songs to be composed. Again: convergence centre. Access space (the more cameras, the better). Comic vs. violent approaches. Benefits of the former. Next meeting scheduled for same venue, same time, 16th Wednesday, to be widely announced as usual. Seeds for Change propose that facilitators are rotated at every meeting. No other names suggested so far. (Exchange of business cards and friendly conversation followed).

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For details of Dissent! working groups and how to get involved see: http://www.dissent.org.uk/content/view/17/28

For a copy of the People's Global Action hallmarks, Dissent's organising starting point, see: http://www.nadir.org/nadir/initiativ/agp/free/pga/hallm.htm