Seattle: When World Trade Organization negotiators from more than 130 countries arrive in Seattle in November, they will be greeted by giant puppets, street dancers, anarchists, activists dangling from skyscrapers and a mass of protesting steelworkers and Teamsters. Thousands of demonstrators (some say 100,000) are expected to take to the streets around the Washington State Convention and Trade Center on Nov. 30 in perhaps the biggest protest in America against the globalization of commerce.
Organizers wish to "shut down the WTO with mass nonviolent direct action," said John Sellers, director of the Berkeley-based Ruckus Society. Several activist groups see the Seattle meeting as the best opportunity to turn the tide of public sentiment against global free trade.
Opposition has grown as WTO has become more powerful. The group is the international supreme court for trade rules. Critics say the WTO and other international trade agreements such as NAFTA can essentially trump national, state and local laws, particularly on environmental and labor issues.
Contact People for Fair Trade at 1-877-STOP-WTO.
