The Heroic People's Resistance Against WTO

Ten years ago, more than 200 people from various movements (workers/labor, environment, peasants/farm workers, students/youth, faith-based), people's organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from Asia, Africa, Central America, Canada and the US attended the People's Assembly Seattle International People's Assembly (SIPA) conference.

In the keynote address read out at the assembly, Prof. Jose Maria Sison explained that,

“The imperialist states and client states act in the interest of the multinational firms and the big comprador firms (principal local trading and financial agents), respectively. A handful of imperialist states, headed by the US, and concentrated in the Group of Seven, control and use an array of the most powerful multilateral agencies, like the IMF, World Bank and WTO, to determine the pattern of investments and trade in the client states and thereby dominate the world, economically and consequently in all other respects.”

Prof. Pao Yu Ching emphasized,

“there's no such thing as 'free trade' or 'fair trade'.”

Ace Saturay explained

“The WTO is affecting communities I work with in very real ways. We have to make the faces of these communities, and the international delegates, visible to other protesters and to the WTO delegates and to give these communities a voice they rarely get.”

A television reporter stated that,

“There's a couple of thousand anti-WTO protesters with colored flags and banners marching along Fourth Avenue . It seems this is a group of 'freelancers' that is separate from the legal marchers from the Seattle Coliseum.”

As the People's Assembly approached Westlake Mall at Fourth and Pine, marchers jubilantly shouted “Victory to the People”, “Junk, Junk WTO” and “Imperialism, Down, Down, Down,” when they converged with the other groups of workers and students coming from the Seattle Coliseum.

“Because the People's Assembly was denied a permit to march, the Direct Action Network, saw our rally as high act of massive civil disobedience. They were willing to help us secure our route and help us make sure we were successful in reaching some of our targeted sites,”

The dramatic November 30 action and the subsequent people's actions contributed a significant part in bringing about the collapse of the Seattle Round of the WTO. The People's Assembly served, perhaps, as the sharpest counterpoint, exposing the WTO as an instrument of US imperialism that cannot be reformed, reviewed or repaired, because it is inherently flawed.

Similar to APEC, NAFTA, the WTO/IMF/WB are just tools used by imperialists. When those tools stop working, new ones are created to wreak wreck havoc around the world planet. More people need to be aroused, organized and mobilized. In the new millennium, there is a need to prepare for greater battles and even a greater need to build international solidarity and mutual support for the peoples fighting imperialism and reaction. There is a need to go back to our communities, build unity and solidarity and continue the important work begun in Seattle .

November 30th Events

5:45 pm – 7:45pm

N30: 10 years anniversary

The BATTLE in SEATTLE

Commemorate the 10 years anniversary of the “Battle in Seattle”

Through International Solidarity, Foods, Arts, Multi-media and being involved in the struggle…

After 10 years…Now What?

Beacon Hill Library 2821 Beacon Ave, Seattle , WA 98144

Sponsored by: Philippine US-Solidarity, No to WTO / People’s Assembly, International League of Peoples’ Struggle (ILPS), Bailout the People Movement-Seattleand BAYAN-USA
For info: email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
or call: Ace Saturay 206.763.9611 / 206.228.0999

For more information:

This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

O to WTO/People's Assembly
4501 15th Ave. South #101
Seattle , WA 98108

For more information about the Seattle+10 Week of Action visit www.seattleplus10.org
Or email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or call (206) 405-4600
Read and contribute to WTO people's history! www.realbattleinseattle.org

6 p.m. “Today We Have the Power” produced by Christopher Timm, at University of Washington, Johnson Hall. For more information: http://www.todaywehavethepower.com

7pm Nov 30, 2009: Ten Years to the Day that Seattle Shut Down the WTO. Eric Holtz-Gimenez, Executive Director of Food First-Institute Food and Development Policy, Author of ‘Food Rebellions: Crisis and the Hunger for Justice’-at the University of WA, Gould Hall, on the corner of NE 40th St. and 15th Ave NE-Admission free of charge

8 p.m. “The Whole World Was Watching,” a new half hour program on KCTS 9 Seattle produced by John de Graaf.