ESF: Bitter taste of SWP arrogance sours day

Friday November 22, 2002 14:29

by Weekly Worker

In Florence, the SWP certainly did make an impression. There is no doubt that the 500 or so comrades the International Socialist Tendency mobilised were noticed by every single person in the Fortezza. Where the thousands of Rifondazione members modestly tried to camouflage their organisation, the SWP was promoting itself unashamedly.

While there was no SWP stall, its front organisations, the Anti-Nazi League and especially Globalise Resistance, were very visible with their posters, banners and stalls. A daily rally in the court of the Fortezza was followed by mini-demonstrations, in which the IST comrades walked round and round, displaying 'F**k capitalism' placards and shouting "People, not profit", "SWP, SWP" and other such catchy slogans. When selling Socialist Worker or its international equivalents, the comrades seem to have been to told to shout: "Socialist Worker: one solution, revolution".

While the SWP was undoubtedly able to impress some of the younger, politically inexperienced people in the Fortezza, most people followed the daily spectacle with mild amusement.

But things turned sour on the Saturday, the day of the demonstration. First, Globalise Resistance managed to persuade the organisers that it should be down to GR to front the contingent from Britain, not the representatives of the trade unions or the Socialist Alliance banner. Then they ignored the pre-arranged order of the demonstration and led the British section to the front of the march - bypassing not only the huge contingent of Rifondazione Comunista, but also the hundreds of Fiat workers.

A number of non-SWP members in the British contingent unsuccessfully argued against this move and quite a few went their own way at this point. It was the Fiat workers and the stewards who physically 'convinced' the comrades to go back to their earlier arranged position - but not without a few moments of pushing and shoving. Other contingents looked on in sheer astonishment.

Rather than admitting that this clumsy attempt at self-promotion was a mistake, the comrades from the SWP have resorted to all kinds of stories in an attempt to justify their aborted attempt to place themselves at the head of the march. According to one SWP member, the organisers "feared an attack by the police". Seeing so many young people would hopefully deter them. Another SWPer told a CPGB comrade: "We earned the right to lead the march - we organised the biggest anti-war demo in Europe."