Latin America and the ecosocialist alternative

Many thanks to Liam for posting this: 

Green Left and Socialist Resistance are organising a national tour of Britain with Hugo Blanco, a historic leader of the Peruvian peasant movement, during September and October 2010. Details of events in a dozen towns and cities will be posted shortly.

There are two chances to hear Hugo in London this week.

‘The Rise of The Green Left: Derek Wall Book Launch’

14 September · 19:30 – 22:00
Bolivar Hall,

54 Grafton Way, London

Speakers To include Derek Wall, Jeremy Corbyn and Hugo Blanco. For more info please email events@plutobooks.com

‘Latin America and the ecosocialist alternative’

18 September · 10:30 – 17:30
University of London Union
Malet Street, London WC1H

Buy you ticket online in advance and save £3

Workshops:

• The struggle of indigenous peoples.
• The significance of Cochabamba
• Food sovereignty
• Water resources in Latin
• America
• The struggle of Latin American migrants
• Women’s struggles in Latin America
• Marxism, ecology and
• Latin America
• Latin America — the politics of oil

 

Hugo Blanco is a historic leader of the Peruvian peasant movement, who has been active for more than fifty years. In the 1960s he played a central part in the ‘Land or Death’ peasant uprising in the southern highlands of Peru. He was captured, and sentenced to 25 years in prison.

The consistent struggles of the indigenous peoples of Latin America against neoliberalism and in defence of the environment are an inspiration to many ecosocialists across the world and this event, and other parts of the tour will give us an opportunity to find out more – including about the struggles in Peru which are less well known.

Today Hugo Blanco is the editor of the Cusco based newspaper Lucha Indigena, and part of the purpose of the tour is to raise funds for that publication

http://www.luchaindigena.com

Saturday September 18th

University of London Union,

Malet Street, London WC1. Nearest tube Goodge Street

Doors open (registration) 10.00

Seminar — 11.00 until 5.30.

Speakers to include: Hugo Blanco, Caroline Lucas MP (invited), Diana Raby, Derek Wall, Stuart Piper, Grace Livingstone, Amanda Latimer.

Entrance: In advance £12.00 (£4.00 unwaged). At the door £15.00

(£6.00 unwaged). Send a cheque made out to Lucha Indigena to

PO Box 62732, London SW2 9GQ.

The Green Left and Socialist Resistance are organising the  seminar as a part of a national tour of Britain with Hugo Blanco during September and October.

Go to http://socialistresistance.org/987 for booking and further information.

People are not pollution

Interesting and sharp article about how dangerous the so-called ‘lifeboat ethics’ of anti-immigration environmentalists are in these turbulent times.  

The following is from the introduction:

“Ian Angus and Simon Butler ask if climate activists should support limits on immigration. This article which was written for the Canadian site Socialist Voice takes issues with those environmentalists who link migration and ecological degradation.

 Immigrants to the developed world have frequently been blamed for unemployment, crime and other social ills. Attempts to reduce or block immigration have been justified as necessary measures to protect “our way of life” from alien influences.

Today, some environmentalists go farther, arguing that sharp cuts in immigration are needed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and slow climate change. However sincere and well-meaning such activists may be, their arguments are wrong and dangerous, and should be rejected by the climate emergency movement.”

You can read more of the article on the Socialist Resistance website – http://socialistresistance.org/?p=828.