Video of PU participation in London ESF march

Indymedia Seizure Signals Clampdown on Dissent

[The picture to the right is from the PU procession during the London EFS]

Jyotirmaya Hull, the coordinator for PU in Great Britain, stated, "Prout promotes co-operatives, economic self-reliance of every region, environmental protection and universal spiritual values. Our organisation works for the welfare and rights of all people regardless of race, caste, creed, sex or religious background. Since we support the entire World Social Forum Charter of Principles, there is no valid reason for this unjust and undemocratic exclusion."

He points out that PU has participated in the WSF since its inception in 2001 and in every European Social Forum. In fact, Prout has been endorsed by many noted WSF keynote speakers, including Noam Chomsky, Johan Galtung, Leonardo Boff, Hazel Henderson, Frei Betto, President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, Howard Zinn and Marcos Arruda.

Dada Maheshvarananda came to London from the PU global hqs in Copenhagen. A yoga monk, he is the author of After Capitalism: Prout's Vision for a New World with preface by Noam Chomsky. The author explained, "Given that Prout provides one of the very few practical alternatives to global capitalism, it is of fundamental importance that it is given a voice in such a significant forum. Protesting and raising awareness about injustice are important, but considering alternative constructive models and positive visions are essential to making a better world possible."

Hull only came to learn about the exclusion when he discovered that none of the eight workshop applications he had submitted were included in the directory of scheduled events. "When numerous voice messages, letters and email enquiries were ignored, I personally visited the ESF London office. Only then was I told that the ESF Program Committee in Brussels had decided to ban Proutist Universal on the false perception that it does not follow WSF principles. However, they never informed us in writing of their decision, nor did they clarify what the presumed conflict was. They've given us no opportunity to reply," said Hull.

"The ESF purports to be an open forum that adheres to democratic principles and transparent decision-making. We call on the ESF to follow the justice dictum of innocent until proven guilty. If a decision to exclude an organisation is made, a written statement should be issued and a proper system of appeal needs to be followed."

Prout was first proposed by the Indian philosopher Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar (1921-1990) as a positive alternative to the excessive material inequalities of capitalism and the forced artificial equality of communism. It insists that the minimum necessities of life (food, clothing, shelter, education and medical care) must be guaranteed to all. Another fundamental right is honest employment with adequate purchasing power.

Noam Chomsky wrote, “Prout’s cooperative model, sharing the resources of the planet for the welfare of everyone, deserves our serious consideration.”

Prout has been appreciated by President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela. The national petroleum company of Venezuela (PDVSA) contracted Dada Maheshvarananda and others of PU for training in the new socio-economic model.

Copyright Proutist Universal 2004