The Third European Social Forum, held in London on 15th -17th October 2004 and attended by 20,000 delegates, saw the participation of an important Saharawi delegation from the POLISARIO Front and a large presence of solidarity campaigners from across Europe, on the eve of UN Security Council debate on the future of the UN mission for the last chance for the current plan.

A seminar, "Western Sahara: the last colony in Africa" was held on Saturday 16th October and attended by over than 150 participants. Speaking under the banner "Free Western Sahara, Another Western Sahara is Possible", were Mohamed Sidati, POLISARIO Front, Minister Councillor for EU, and Fatima Mahfud, member of National Union of Saharawi; POLISARIO Front Representative to the UK, Mohamed Limam Ali, was also a participant in the seminar.

The platform also featured a strong presence from Saharawi solidarity organisations from across Europe, including Jeremy Corbyn MP (UK), Pierre Galand &endash; President of EUCOCO& forum Nord-Sud (Belgium), Antonio Lopez &endash;FEDISSAH (Spain) and Felipe Briones -I.A.J.U.W.S (Spain). The speakers talked on the history of the Saharawi people's struggle to implement their right to self-determination and the current situation with regard to the UN peace plans.

The participants in the seminar heard notable contributions from the floor and essentially from two Moroccans, Who separately spoke to declare their belief in the justice of Saharawi struggle for self-determination, their solidarity with the Saharawi people, and to remind the participants in the seminar of the dangers from the Moroccan security forces facing Saharawis and Moroccans living under the Moroccan rule who speak out on the issue of Western Sahara. These contributions visibly moved the Saharawi delegation, who emphasised their desire for peace between the Saharawi and the Moroccan people, and that is the Moroccan government that the Saharawi struggle against not the Moroccan people.

The discussion focussed particularly on the current role of the EU and the Europe countries, notably France and Spain, in supporting Morocco's illegal occupation of Western Sahara, and the potential of these positions to be improved. Mohamed Sidati drew the attention of those present to the devastating effects of Morocco's illegal occupation of the Western Sahara, quoting the paradigmatic example of the wall building by Morocco. "The Wall of Shame is outdated, in the sense that the ceasefire came into effect and has been respected since 1991, it undermines the confidence building measures proposed by the UN to the parties and does not contribute to healing the wounds caused by the conflict" he said. The egalitarian values of Saharawi society, and the great efforts made by the Saharawi in the field of women rights and the universal education and health provision in their society, were also emphasised by the participants from the floor.

Mohamed Sidati also participated in an official plenary session of the ESF, "For a Europe of Solidarity between peoples", also on Saturday 16th October. He and other speakers from the floor emphasised the value of solidarity between the peoples of Europe and the Saharawi people, and received a new pledge of support from the Hungarian Social Forum delegation.

The Forum finished with a peace march of 70,000 people through central London, participated in by a group of 8 Saharawis and supporters. Dressed in traditional Saharawi clothes and carrying flags and banners saying "Another Western Sahara is Possible, Free Western Sahara and Victory to the POLISARIO Front", they made an impressive spectacle.

The forum was successful as we can prove in the quote of some of the participants. Tom Marchbanks, Co-ordinator of the Western Sahara Campaign UK, said "I think (apart from EUCOCO) this must have been the biggest audience for over 20 years". And for Tim Braunholtz, former Co-ordinator of Western Sahara Campaign, "we were delighted to welcome our Saharawis friends to UK, and are very happy with the response from delegates to the Saharawis at the ESF, and many contacts and offers of help we have had. This has been a major step forward for the Campaign in the UK".

Mohamed Sidati said, "The enthusiastic reception of Saharawi cause by delegates to the Forum confirms that European solidarity is set to grow, and the visibility of the Saharawi struggle to increase, over the next few years. We leave London strengthened by the support we have received from our European friends, and knowing that through international solidarity, a just and democratic future for Western Sahara is possible".