World Social Forum in Tunisia: anti-globalisation event, the first to take place in an Arab country

[pampango]

Protesters chanted pro-Palestinian and Syrian slogans while marking the World Social Forum in Tunis

Thousands of people marking the opening of the World Social Forum in Tunis, an alternative to the elite annual event held in Davos, have marched through the streets chanting pro-democracy and womens rights slogans. Anarchists, ecologists, pacifists and trade unionists joined Sahrawi independence activists, veiled women and Arabs in traditional jellabas as they marched through the heart of the Tunisian capital at the start of the anti-globalisation event being held in an Arab country for the first time.

"The revolutionary processes, rebellions, uprisings, civil wars and protests" will be at the heart of the discussions, say the organisers, as will the social and economic problems behind the Arab Spring and the crisis in Europe. About 30,000 individuals and 4,500 organisations are due to attend the five-day event, which casts itself as an alternative to the World Economic Forum in Switzerland and will address a range of subjects from the environment to democratic governance and women's rights.

Before the revolution of January 2011, a meeting of the anti-globalisation event in Tunisia would have been "unthinkable", said Mohamed Jmour, a leader of Belaid's left-wing Democratic Patriots' Movement party. "Thanks to the sacrifice of our people, we have made it happen."

Slogans were chanted in a medly of languages and by people from a wide range of nationalities on Tuesday, with one group of Japanese, dressed in yellow, calling for an end to armed conflict, as others demanded "Freedom for Palestine and Syria." "Down with dictatorship, down with capital!" and "solidarity with women around the world!" rang the shouts of some protesters.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2013/03/2013326201330415265.html

Quite something that this is being held in Tunisia - perhaps as a form of "Thank You" from the event organizers for the role that Tunisia played in the Arab Spring. I imagine that the religious fundamentalists there might not know what to think about the 30,000 folks attending the World Social Forum.

[HiPointDem]

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