PGA Milan Special Report

Peoples’ Global Action (PGA) is a worldwide network for communication and co-ordination between grassroots social movements and all those fighting the destruction of humanity and planet by capitalism and the present social order. Emerging from the catalyst of the zapatista-inspired ‘encuentros’ in 1996/97, there have been two PGA global conferences since its’ conception: Geneva Feb ’98, preceding the G8 and WTO meetings; and in Bangolore, India Aug ’99 before the Seattle WTO meeting. The PGA network has been a key force behind the Global Days of Action and ‘antiglobalisation’ events of recent years.

PGA is a co-ordination tool not an organisation, it has no members or constituted legal identity, no central funds or spokespeople; and relies on the grassroots movements and group themselves for its’ continued existence. Conferences are organised by a rotating group of movement ‘convenors’. Convenors are appointed at each global conference and drawn from all continents and social sectors. The next global conference in Bolivia, Sept 2001, will be hosted by peasant and domestic worker unions and will follow a number of regionally organised PGA meetings in Europe, Latin America, Asia and N. America. While originally focussed on opposing ‘free trade’ and the WTO, the PGA ‘hallmarks’ and political approach - a dynamic evolving process - have expanded to oppose all forms of domination including capital and state forms while continuing to propose local alternatives and autonomy, direct action and selforganisation against the present system.

The PGA euro-meet on the 24/25 March, brought together over 300 activists from around 80 social and ecological action groups from across europe and the world, for discussion and to plan future co-ordination. The conference was called for by Ya Basta! and Reclaim the Streets, the current and past euro-convenors of the PGA network and hosted by YB in the Leoncavello social centre in Milan, Italy. Leoncavello itself is an impressive place - a gigantic ex-industrial complex squatted and run by its’ users and just one of around 10 in Milan alone. Across Italy there are over 100 social centres of different shapes, sizes and affiliations - an inspiring legacy of a vibrant political grassroots. Not that there aren’t problems - there seems to be distinct antagonisms between Italian radical groups and very few from Italy other than Ya Basta! activists attended the meeting. There weren’t many groups present from the east of europe either, which showed the extend to which such gatherings are often limited to those who can afford them, and so the importance of economic solidarity in the organising of such ‘global’ meetings.

The composition of the ‘anti-capitalist/ globalisation movement’ was highlighted in various ways throughout the weekend. One of the most important and intense discussions during the main assemblies for instance, was on gender. This erupted after incidents of harassment took place during a huge party at the centre on Saturday night, but reflected deep concerns about gender relations within the ‘anti-capitalist’ movement and PGA specifically. Proposals to integrate gender equality into PGA structures and to take the ‘issue’ back to our localities were well received, but it’s a moot point for all european radical groups that our ‘networks’ are predominantly it seems male, white, and young. Another ‘issue’ was the attendance of authoritarian groups like the uk’s Workers Power and SWP. Their participation was opposed by nearly all of the other groups present, still the problems around similar groups’ involvement in PGA were never really explored or resolved. The processes of PGA ‘decisions’ and the relations between ‘north and south’ were also put under further scrutiny in trying to decide european participation in the global PGA conference in Bolivia.

More positively, as well as approaching such important and difficult discussions, the meeting offered the space generally and in innumerable ‘working groups’ where the various radical networks in europe could cross paths, without tear gas and water cannons, and explore commonalities on which to build future understanding and action. Organisers in Scandinavia planning action against the EU meetings were able to share ideas with anti-G8 organisers in Italy; Spanish NoBorder networkers with activists fighting repression in Columbia; climate change campaigners in Germany with EF!ers from the Czech republic. A number of ‘days of action’ around europe and ways of tying them thematically together were discussed with plans for ‘caravans’ linking the various events. One of the themes suggested - a call for ‘global citizen rights’ was misheard as ‘..citizen riots’ and arguably received total consensus: everyone waving their hands and laughing. While the next WTO meeting in impossible-to-get-to Qatar in November raised the prospect of a truly decentralised day of action (tho’ interestingly a survey of the meeting showed ‘summit-hopping’ to be largely a media invention. Most people present had been to only one reasonably local ‘global action’). Ongoing communications structure work, a european network focussed on countering movement repression, and a myriad of other plans and proposals all found expression over a few days and a drink or two in Milan.

While the meeting was on the whole too loosely structured and too short, and accentuated most of the obvious failings of global networking, still the attempt to connect and co-ordinate across cultures, languages, boundaries and borders was and is of crucial importance. Paradoxically, within this growing global network, it’s often in the smaller settings and incidental moments that the most fruitful connections are made. In this very real human sense, beyond any written declarations and decisions, the PGA european meeting can only be seen as a stunning success. With similar regional PGA meetings planned for North American and Aotearoa (down-under) and a worldwide conference in Bolivia in September, as well as related mobilisations and events, Peoples’ Global Action may yet realise the possibilities of its name.

www.apg.org