daily accounts- | by Saugat Datta - revised January 29, 2004 |

Day five: was marred by graphically detailed newspapers accounts of a South African judge’s molestation of a fellow delegate in a hotel room. Right outside the media center, one fellow filmmaker got sprayed in his eyes and robbed of his passport, money, equipment and his entire WSF footage (sucks). A few traveling French students recognized their local minister in WSF, who was to give a lecture on positive effects of Globalization, contradicting their belief that he was responsible for several negative Globalization decisions in France. They decided to face him and question him while he speaks but I guess the French embassy’s invitation to every French national for a champagne party in the consulate before the discussion lured them away.

I too goofed up, losing a MiniDV tape of an interview with Gitanjali Devi of Madhya Pradesh, an activist / a rape victim who, for past four years, has been fighting against few government officials for her justice. Now her family faces 30 criminal charges and continued threats from the free culprits, a senior government and a senior police official, to compromise into a settlement.

A one page newspaper was released by the Indy media with articles while their website had rest of the news. Linux OS was freely distributed all around. Same chanting, same protesters, same streets, more shopping bags and now WSF was actually looking like any flea market- exploited.