This week in Italy the first European Social Forum, a chapter of the World Social Forum, will take place. Its roots lie in the demonstrations that took place during the Seattle World Trade Organization meeting in 1999. The Forum's platform is against the growing power of multinational corporations, the widening divide between the rich and the poor, and war. Their anti-war stance is especially notable, as this is the first time that the international peace movement and anti-globalization forces have formally combined their respective agendas. The forum participants will be exploring options to replace the WTO's current model of 'development'. Tens of thousands of anti-globalization activists have arrived in Florence from all over Europe. Organizers predict that at least 100,000 people will demonstrate throughout the course of the meetings. To prevent human rights abuses, arrests and identification processes will be videotaped.
