Who should speak at the ESF?
My basic contention is that it is wrong for the ESF a forum devoted to the theme that another and better world is possible, and which obviously chooses its main plenary speakers as a tight selection from a vast range of people who would like to get to the top tables there to invite Tariq Ramadan as a top-billed speaker representing “the Muslim point of view”. It is wrong because the ESF should not be put together with speakers representing religious constituencies, and because Tariq Ramadan represents a very particular strand in Muslim thought, one that seeks to promote the reactionary ideology of Islamism in Europe by constructing a version of it tailored to blur all clashes with democratic values. To object to Tariq Ramadan being a top-billed speaker at the ESF is not saying that he is a “demon”, or a fascist, or anything like that; I also object, for example, to Ken Livingstone being top-billed at the ESF. The amendment did not say that Tariq Ramadan could not speak anywhere, or tha
