That mass response of a few thousand included leaders of protests previously held in Manila where APEC had held a summit in 1996, when tens of thousands of labor, peasant and social justice groups had marched to oppose free trade. President Clinton arrived and attended the conference. It did not involve a black bloc, but appears to have included local residents, although it is known that many local residents were treated as protesters, even being teargassed, despite having no part in the protests. Mass protests, throughout history have come at a time when enough of the population has been affected by policies of the rulers and elite. : U.S. progressive political movements in the 21st century, Rowman & Littlefield, Seattle Police Department, After-Action Report, pp. "It seems to have a relentless drive to extend its power. [24], Protests continued the following days. "People's Global Action "November 30th, 1999-A Global Day of Action, Resistance, and Carnival Against the Capitalist System, "Local unrest followed cycle of social movements", "Who were those masked anarchists in Seattle? Through a variety of tactics, such as street theatre, sit-ins, chaining themselves together, and locking themselves to metal pipes in strategic locations, the protesters prevented the opening ceremony from taking place. Many of the NGOs represented at the protests came with credentials to participate in the official meetings, while also planning various educational and press events. (2002). At the same time, the permitted AFL-CIO People’s Rally and March of more than 25,000 activists began at Memorial Stadium. His regime has been able to withstand the protests for three main reasons. [37], Controversy over the city's response to the protests resulted in the resignation of the police chief of Seattle, Norm Stamper,[38] and arguably played a role in Schell's loss to Greg Nickels in the 2001 mayoral primary election. Disputes in the WTO are essentially about broken promises. [35] Prior to the "Battle of Seattle", almost no mention was made of "antiglobalization" in the US media, while the protests were seen as having forced the media to report on 'why' anybody would oppose the WTO. In addition, the damage to commercial businesses from vandalism and lost sales has been estimated at $20 million. Seattle was left with millions of dollars in property damage and lawsuits by protesters arguing civil rights violations. By: Anonymous Date: December 3, 1999 Source: "WTO Protests Escalate. Finally, December 3 ended with U.S. Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky and WTO Director-General Mike Moore announcing the suspension of the conference in response to both the street actions and disagreements between the various delegations. Seattle mayor Paul Schell declared a state of emergency, imposed a curfew, and a 50-block "no-protest zone". [13] Next day, the London Independent newspaper savaged the WTO and appeared to side with the organizers of the rapidly developing storm of protest: The way it has used [its] powers is leading to a growing suspicion that its initials should really stand for World Take Over. More mass dissension and acts of civil disobedience, some vandalism, and curfew violations resulted in reprisals by the police forces and the eventual arrest of more than 500 people on December 1 alone. [33] Though these numbers alone are telling, the media coverage of subsequent demonstrations that did not include violence by protesters shows even more the effect of violence on coverage. [18] It took police much of the afternoon and evening to clear the streets. The police were eventually overwhelmed by the mass of protesters downtown, including many who had chained themselves together and were blocking intersections. There has been a lot of hard the past few days, as people in dozens of cities have released pent-up anger against discriminatory police tactics. "The WTO seems to be on a crusade to increase private profit at the expense of all other considerations, including the well-being and quality of life of the mass of the world's people," says Ronnie Hall, trade campaigner at Friends of the Earth International. [5], Of the different coalitions that aligned in protest were the "teamsters and turtles" – a blue-green alliance consisting of the teamsters (trade unions) and environmentalists. However, others were more interested in taking direct action, including both civil disobedience and acts of vandalism and property destruction to disrupt the meeting. The event was organized by WERK for Peace and attracted several hundred participants. Throughout the day, police used tear gas to disperse crowds downtown, although a permitted demonstration organized by the Steelworkers Union was held along the waterfront. This article argues that, in the short term, the protesters played a role in encouraging representatives from poor countries to pull out of the negotiations. Police surrounded and arrested several groups of would-be protesters (and more than one bystander). United States citizens were protesting the WTO’s ministerial conference because they claimed that the WTO was breaking down nation states’ sovereignty. That means abiding by the agreed procedures, and respecting judgements. The report itself argued, "An essential aspect of global governance is responsibility to people—to equity, to justice, to enlarging the choices of all".[12]. "[14], On November 16, two weeks before the conference, President Bill Clinton issued Executive Order 13141—Environmental Review of Trade Agreements,[15] which committed the United States to a policy of "assessment and consideration of the environmental impacts of trade agreements" and stated, "Trade agreements should contribute to the broader goal of sustainable development.". "Seattle Post-Intelligencer (December 3, 1999).. About the Author: This article was contributed by a staff writer for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, a newspaper based in Seattle, Washington. [33] DeLuca believes the violence served as a dense surface that opened viewers' and readers' minds to a whole new way of thinking about globalization and corporations' operations. Anti-globalization protests were hastily organized for the ... more folks are organizing local protests and direct actions. From public sphere to public screen: democracy, activism, and the "violence" of Seattle. The first major protest against the WTO occurred in 1999 in Seattle, Washington. The Conference was to be the launch of a new millennial round of trade negotiations. The coalition was loose, with some opponent groups focused on opposition to WTO policies (especially those related to free trade), with others motivated by prolabor, anticapitalist, or environmental agendas. Beginning at 21:00, a major clash took place on Broadway in the vicinity of Denny Way, involving rocks, bottles, and police concussion grenades. Activists staged a spoof of Seattle's daily paper, the Post-Intelligencer, on Wednesday November 24, inserting thousands of hoax editions of a four-page front-page wrap-around into piles of newspapers awaiting distribution to hundreds of street boxes and retail outlets. There’s 50 years of research on violence at protests, dating back to the three federal commissions formed between 1967 and 1970. ARC investigators found the rumors of "Molotov cocktails" and sale of flammables from a supermarket had no basis in fact. Critical Studies in Media Communication, 19 (2), 125–151. They have often been met with brutal, efficient crackdown by the guardians of the elite, be they local police, militias, national militaries, or even another nation’s military forces. Omissions? Many participants and theorists instead trace the lineage of the movement through a 500-year history of resistance against European colonialism and U.S. imperialism. Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership, https://www.britannica.com/event/Seattle-WTO-protests-of-1999, Historylink.Org - WTO Meeting and Protests in Seattle (1999), American Federation of Labor–Congress of Industrial Organizations.
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