Since the riots in Gothenburg and Genova, many people seemed to think the air had, so to speak gone out of the activist-balloon. This weeks G8-meeting has proved them wrong.
A mix of several factors have made huge demonstrations absent in the mainstream media since they climaxed with the millions who took to the streets to protest the war on Iraq. The large financial institutions have for years now been protecting their meetings by holding them in states like Qatar, which have a slightly more limited freedom of speech an demonstration, to put it mildly, or by completely blocking the city where the meeting is held (WEF, Davos). Another (external) factor may of cause be that the mainstream media has lost some interest in a movement which is no longer brand new.

At the same time there has also been an internal (and external) debate about the forms the protests have taken. Black block-activists claim that nothing can be accomplished within the system, while others have a very anti-violent stance. The strength of the large protests have been to unite all these, and other forces. The police has often made this a difficult task, using aggressive tactics against demonstrators, as we have seen also this week.

The G8-meeting in Scotland however, shows that the reasons for lack of demonstrations has been external. Boosted by the large Live8-concert the protests have gotten a wide mainstream appeal without having to weaken their message, which has always originated through a multitude of voices.

Already before the meeting started over 200.000 demonstrators were on the streets of Edinburgh, and thousands of activists also went to Gleneagles, where the meetings were held. Unfortunately it seems the police has learned little from Gothenburg and Genova. The World Bank demonstrations in Oslo in 2002, where the police had a very discrete presence, went by in contrast, extremely peacefully.

In conclusion - activism has never been gone. Activism is a constant presence, and it takes an immense physical form whenever appropriate conditions present themselves. Unless G8, WB, WTO, IMF and so on continue to hide themselves and their meetings in hard-accessible and/or oppressive countries and cities, the activists will return and protest again, and again and again, until another world is not only possible, but a reality.

For more on the G8-meeting, see Indymedia UK:
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/actions/2005/g8/