[asia-apec 1370] No to WTO Victory Draws 100

[by way of tpl at cheerful.com]

From: KARAPATAN - Bay Area, USA
December 11, 1999

NO TO WTO VICTORY DRAWS 100

San Jose, California. Labor leaders, environmentalists, Filipino immigrant
and 
other youth activists of color joined hands to celebrate the peoples' victory 
against the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Seattle on the eve of December 
10, International Human Rights Day.

More than 100 people filled the Teamsters Local 2853 Union Hall to capacity 
to listen to the report back of delegates to the Seattle International 
Peoples' Assembly, the account of the big November 30 rally in downtown 
Seattle, the subsequent police assaults and roundups of peaceful protesters 
as well as the three days of picketing which took place locally while the 
week-long "Battle of Seattle" was raging.  

Shiloh Ballard of the South Bay Network Opposed to the WTO! gave a brief 
overview on the WTO.

Mario Santos of KARAPATAN-Filipino Center for Human Rights, and a member of 
the Peoples' Assembly Organizing Committee, spoke of how the two-day 
conference and march/rally which followed brought together workers and 
oppressed peoples of the Third and First Worlds in solidarity against the WTO 
and against imperialist globalization.  

Raj Jayader of the International Youth and Student Caucus recounted how his 
group of 45 Bay Area youth identified with and joined the Peoples' Assembly.  
He said that they were delighted to come across folks with whom they could 
relate on the sharp analysis on imperialism and the WTO and they were only 
too happy to join the rallyists to whom the Seattle Mayor and Police Chief 
had denied a permit.  

Rachel Redondiez of the Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines 
(CHRP-SF) shared her groups' plans to organize an integration/exposure trip 
to the Cordilleras in the Philippines this coming April 2000, and called on 
the audience to join them in the effort so that they can actually feel what 
it's like to be at the forefront of a Third World peoples' movement 
confronting imperialism. 

She also introduced "The Golf War" video teaser of the film slated to be 
premiered in the Bay Area this coming February 2000.  The documentary, which 
portrays how globalization is disastrously converting farm lands into golf 
courses in countries like the Philippines and why agriculture must be taken 
out of the WTO, was also shown at the Peoples' Assembly on the night before 
the big rally.

Teamster union representative and activist Miguel Acosta gave a brief rundown 
of labor's participation in the November 30 rally.  Communication Workers of 
America (CWA) Local 9423 President Louie Rocha noted that, "it mattered 
little that Sweeney and the top AFL-CIO leadership wafted in its stance on 
the WTO.  What's more significant is that the widespread labor rank-and-file 
participation in the November 30 rally made a strong anti-WTO mark."

"Out of the experience of having marched together, labor learned a whole lot 
more from environmentalists, and vice versa," Rocha added.  "I was 
particularly proud of the fact that my 12 year-old son marched with me.  It 
is for the youth and the future that we do these things.  We sure as hell 
won't allow the WTO to mess it up!  Hell No WTO!"

Footage of the Peoples' Assembly march and rally was also shown to sustained 
applause from the audience. The short clip captured some of the finest 
moments of how the Peoples' Assembly march and rally, with the help of Direct 
Action Network folks, adroitly maneuvered its way around tear gas and a 
police blockade to find its way at the head of the big march on Pine Street 
in downtown Seattle.

Bill Ferguson of 50 Years is Enough! and Jubilee 2000 shared his experience 
of being arrested and incarcerated for several days.  The police just 
encircled about 150 of them and picked them all up.  But all throughout this 
time the demeanor of the protesters was peaceful and non-violent and the 
morale of the protesters was extremely high.

Roz Dean of LACES recounted how those who stayed behind in San Jose conducted 
three consecutive days of picketing when hundreds were being arrested in 
Seattle.

"The people have definitely won this round against the WTO.  However, 
imperialism and the WTO are still standing. We have only succeeded in 
preventing the imperialists from gaining further inroads. The destructive 
effects are very much in place. Much remains to be done.  There's a need to 
do more organizing and a need to close our ranks even more.  So when the WTO 
returns to meet, the peoples' movement can respond with a force ten or even a 
hundred times mightier than before," Santos noted. 

There was unanimity among the audience about the need to continue the 
activities in opposition to the WTO.  The next coalition meeting was set for 
January 13th 7:00 p.m. . . .

The entire program elicited thunderous applause and spirited anti-WTO 
chanting throughout the evening.  "Hell No WTO! Se puede? Si se puede! Long 
live international solidarity!" roared the crowd.

Copies of the Seattle International Peoples' Assembly Unity Statement, the 
papers presented during the Peoples' Assembly, as well as the proposal for
the 
International League of Peoples' Struggle, were distributed during the event.

The audience sang along with Mark Wallace and danced to the Latin rhythms of 
the "Kool Katz." A modest amount of canned goods and several hundreds of 
dollars were also raised for the Teamsters strike support food drive.#


KARAPATAN Filipino Center for Human Rights
PO Box 7091
Fremont CA 94537-7091
USA
Phone:  (510) 739-3596
E-mail: <karapatan at usa.net> or <KarapatanBayArea at aol.com>