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Caravan Across Country Aims to Bolster

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By David Postman

Seattle Times
October 19, 1999

An international caravan of free-trade protesters begins a monthlong trek across the United States next week to build opposition to the World Trade Organization before the November WTO meeting in Seattle. Among the two dozen protesters expected are environmentalists from Bolivia and Israel, human-rights workers from Nepal, women's rights activists from Nigeria, youth-federation members from Swaziland and representatives of West Papau's indigenous-independence movement, said Michael Morrill, a U.S. representative of Peoples' Global Action, an international coalition of free-trade opponents. Morrill is executive director of the Pennsylvania Consumer Action Network, which is organizing the caravan.


While many organizers of WTO demonstrations are calling for the trade group to review its policies and change them to include labor, environmental and human-rights standards, Peoples' Global Action wants to eliminate the WTO and says global free trade is a failed policy. The group's manifesto calls for a "confrontational attitude" and a "call tononviolent civil disobedience and the construction of local alternatives by local people."

"We want people in the United States to hear about the horrors of globalization from the people who are on the front lines," Morrill said. "The purpose of the caravan is to show the links between the United States economy and the economy in other countries. Oftentimes, the problems we are facing here are the same people in other countries are facing and oftentimes they are caused by the same multinational corporations." The caravan leaves New York on Oct. 28 and is to arrive in Seattle during the WTO meeting that begins Nov. 30. Some of the participants are waiting for visas to enter the country and may join the group en route. There will be a series of events in each of the 18 cities on the caravan's schedule. "We want to have direct contact with everyday working folks," Morrill said. Fishermen from Bangladesh will meet with fishing industry representatives in Gloucester, Mass., and farmers from India and Pakistan will meet with farmers in the Midwest and South.

There will be demonstrations and protests in each city organized by local groups. Morrill said foreign caravan participants will not be directly involved to avoid arrest and possible deportation. In New York, a protest is being organized against a company involved in genetically modified food production. Organizers won't name it yet. "There will be many opportunities for civil disobedience," Morrill said. In Amherst, Mass., on Halloween night, there will be a Horrors of Globalization Masquerade Ball, said caravan coordinator Joy Marcotte. "Everyone can dress up as their favorite horror of globalization," Marcotte said.

When the caravan arrives in Seattle, it will join what is expected to be a massive protest against the WTO. Labor and environmental groups are organizing a major demonstration Nov. 30 and have said they want to stop the trade ministers from the 135 countries that make up the WTO from meeting. Demonstrators have attended training sessions where they practiced climbing buildings, hanging banners and nonviolent protest techniques.

Clinton administration officials, business groups and the WTO itself are working to influence public opinion before the meeting begins. This week and next, two top administration officials will be in Seattle: Environmental Protection Agency chief Carol Browner and Labor Secretary Alexis Herman. Business groups have formed a committee to counter the opposition. WTO Director General Mike Moore was in Seattle earlier this month for an appearance with opponents at the University of Washington. He argued that opponents assume the WTO has more power than it really does, and that criticism would be better leveled at member governments.


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More Information on the World Trade Organization Meeting in Seattle

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FAIR USE NOTICE: This page contains copyrighted material the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Global Policy Forum distributes this material without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. We believe this constitutes a fair use of any such copyrighted material as provided for in 17 U.S.C § 107. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.