ALAI, América Latina en Movimiento
2004-07-29
Huge march against ALCA/FTAA and other Free Trade
Eduardo Tamayo G.
Over ten thousand people from 44 countries participating in
the Americas Social Forum marched through the streets of
Quito, Ecuador, on Wednesday 28'TH July chanting slogans
against the United States' neocolonial policies and calling
for Latin American unity.
The march, called to protest against ALCA/FTAA and other
free trade agreements, turned into a huge demonstration in
which all the continent s demands and concerns were
expressed by indigenous peoples (who participated
massively), women, children, youth, GLBT communities,
trades unionists, peasants, human rights activists,
ecologists, left political parties, pensioners, solidarity
movements with Cuba and Venezuela, and so on. Prominent
were calls against the United States interventionist
military policies, "free trade" treaties and the
transnationals, while at the same time calling for Latin
American unity.
One of the most popular was "We don t want and have no wish
to be a North American colony. But we do want and wish to
be a free and sovereign Latin America." There was also "We
want /chochos/ (an Andean bean), we want corn –
transnationals out." Women cried "If they globalize misery,
we ll globalize resistance."
The march started with minor incidents with the police
which were resolved. People met in the Arbolito park, very
close to the US Embassy and when the head of the march led
by indigenous, trades union and other leaders from
different social movements tried to pass by the US Embassy
it was stopped by a police armored vehicle guarding the
Embassy. However, after a few minutes' wait and come
pushing and shoving, the marchers managed to pass the
police barrier and the march proceeded northwards, passing
by the Ministry of Foreign Trade before arriving back at
the Arbolito Park.
Half-way through the march masked youths threw stones at
the Ministry while a leaflet bomb was let off. Later the
Quito offices of the World Bank and other banks and of
transnationals were painted. There were some incidents with
the police who threw tear gas but couldn t weaken the
strength of the peaceful march which continued despite
these obstacles.
This was a day of unity which will be included among the
big mobilizations that the continent s social movements and
other grassroots and popular forces have held in the past
few years against neo-liberal policies and to reaffirm that
another world is possible.
http://alainet.org/active/6521
|
|
|
[Página de búsquedas]
[Página principal]
[Main Page]
[Regresar]
Quienes somos | Área Mujeres |
Minga Informativa de Movimientos
Sociales
|
|