[Peace-discuss] Fwd: [StopWTORound] The importance of the Barcelona demonstration

[Al Kagan]

>Delivered-To: akagan at alexia.lis.uiuc.edu
>Date: Wed, 27 Mar 2002 09:51:31 +0400
>From: Fiona Hunt <Fiona.Hunt at zu.ac.ae>
>Subject: [StopWTORound] The importance of the Barcelona demonstration
>To: "<" <mai-list at moon.bcpl.gov.bc.ca>
>Sender: owner-mai-list at moon.bcpl.gov.bc.ca
>Status:  
>
>   ----- Forwarded message: -----
>Organization: Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO)
>To: stopWTORound at yahoogroups.com
>From: "Olivier Hoedeman" <paxaran at antenna.nl>
>Date: Tue, 26 Mar 2002 13:40:33 +0100
>Subject: [StopWTORound] The importance of the Barcelona demonstration
>
>Dear friends,
>
>I just wanted to make sure you are all aware of the fantastic
>demonstration that took place in Barcelona on Saturday 16th of March
>(parallel to the EU summit). It was without comparison the most
>impressive demonstration I have been part of  (both in terms of size,
>message and atmosphere). Catalan and Spanish newspapers estimated the
>number of participants to be over 300.000, the organisers say 500,000,
>in any case it was the biggest demonstration ever against neoliberal
>globalisation. The days before there had been many smaller but very
>creative protests against corporate power, for instance groups of
>"lobby busters" visiting the Barcelona offices of major TNCs.
>
>I noticed that there was very little international media coverage of
>the demonstration (no violence = not news?), but I did find a report
>in the Financial Times (see end of this message). The "Campaign
>against Corporate Europe" plans many other events during the Spanish
>EU Presidency, including another major demonstration at the occasion
>of the EU summit in Sevilla in June.
>
>Olivier Hoedeman
>Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO)
>
>For more information (and images) see http://www.barcelona.indymedia.org/
>http://www.pangea.org/campanyaUE
>
>----------
>
>Huge protest march passes off peacefully 
>
>CITY RALLY: 
>
>Financial Times; Mar 18, 2002 
>
>By LESLIE CRAWFORD 
>
>Hundreds of thousands of people staged a peaceful demonstration
>against global capitalism in Barcelona on Saturday, underlining
>that their movement did not die with the September 11 attacks
>against the US and that their protests need not be marred by
>violence. 
>
>Organisers said the turnout, which they put at more than 500,000,
>surpassed their expectations. The march was the largest staged
>in "Red Barcelona", a city that was collectivised by anarchists
>during the Spanish civil war and which retains strong leftwing
>sympathies. 
>
>The protest would have been much larger were it not for the fact
>that dozens of buses carrying anti-globalisation protesters were
>detained at the French border. Spain suspended the Schengen treaty,
>which guarantees the free movement of European Union citizens,
>during the duration of the EU summit. 
>
>To lessen the potential for conflict, organisers agreed to stage
>their main demonstration on Saturday evening, after the EU summit
>was over. The route of the march was also away from the the summit
>venue. Barcelona's city authorities agreed that riot police would
>keep a low profile during the march. 
>
>"One of our main aims was to remove the stigma of violence that
>had become attached to our anti-globalisation movement," said Luis
>Edo, a member of Attac, a group that advocates a worldwide tax on
>speculative capital movements and the forgiveness of third world
>debt. "We convinced police that we were capable of keeping the
>peace." 
>
>The march was organised in three blocs, like samba schools in a
>carnival parade. The first was led by the Movement against a
>Capitalist Europe, with more than 100 organisations. A middle
>group was led by European "nations without a state" - Catalans,
>Basques, Corsicans and Scots who want to be independent nations
>within Europe. The third group of Socialist party and trade union
>activists did not even get a chance to parade, such was the human
>logjam on the streets. 
>
>Police later reported isolated clashes with radical youths which
>ended with some smashed shop fronts and 50 arrests. 
>
>Mr Edo believed the Barcelona protest set a milestone for the
>anti-globalisation movement. "Our challenge now is to convince the
>public that our proposals are not Utopian," he said. 
>
>Copyright: The Financial Times Limited 1995-2002 
>
>
>**********************************
>
>In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is
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>in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. 
>
>
>
>
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-- 


Al Kagan
African Studies Bibliographer and Professor of Library Administration
Africana Unit, Room 328
University of Illinois Library
1408 W. Gregory Drive
Urbana, IL 61801, USA

tel. 217-333-6519
fax. 217-333-2214
e-mail. akagan at uiuc.edu