----- Original Message ----- From: SolidNet <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Friday, April 27, 2001 7:22 PM Subject: CP USA, Push back the FTAA attack http://www.soldinet.org News, documents and call for action from communist and workers’ parties. The items are the responsibility of the authors. Join the mailing list: info/subscribe/unsubscribe mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] . =================================================================== CP USA, Push back the FTAA attack ---------------------------------------------- From: RedNet, Thu, 26 Apr 2001 http://www.cpusa.org , mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] =================================================================== People's Weekly April 28, 2001 Edition. Push back the FTAA attack Theatens labor, nature By Jose Cruz QUEBEC CITY, Canada - They spoke French, English, Spanish and Portuguese but they all understood one another because they came to give their governments the same message: "No Free Trade Area of the Americas" and "Human Rights before Profits." Some 70,000 marched to protest corporate globalization at the close of the Second People's Summit of the Americas on Saturday, April 21 in this Canadian city. Dozens of other demonstrations took place in cities and towns along the U.S. borders with Canada and Mexico and in Latin America. President George Bush and Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chr&igr;tien, two of the prime movers behind the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), were especially singled out for criticism in the banners, posters and speeches in the march and rally. Canadian Trade Minister Pierre Pettigrew was also under heavy criticism. The People's Summit was organized by the Hemispheric Social Alliance (HSA) to coincide with the "official" Summit of the Americas of 34 heads of state and governments which is discussing turning the Western Hemisphere into a free-trade zone.The leader of every Western Hemisphere sovereign nation was present except for Cuba, which was excluded from the proceedings. The presence of Cuba, however, was felt in the People's Summit and the march following. Manuel Montero, a leader of the Cuban Federation of Labor, spoke at the People's Summit and received a standing ovation. The HSA is a coalition of 400 "unions, popular and environmental organizations, women's groups, human rights organizations, international solidarity groups, indigenous, peasant and student associations and church groups" from North, South, Central America and the Caribbean. It was organized to "develop strategies, exchange information, and plan joint actions in order to promote alternatives to current development models" such as NAFTA and the FTAA. The AFL-CIO, United Electrical Workers (UE), UNITE, American Friends Service Committee, and other U.S. organizations are involved in the HSA. The People's Summit issued a statement that characterized the FTAA as "a charter of investors' rights and freedoms, [that] sanctions the primacy of capital over labor, transforms life and the world into commodities, negates human rights, sabotages democracy and undermines state sovereignty." The heads of governments and their delegations met behind a 10-foot high, 2.3 long mile fence, which activists here called the "wall of shame." They were protected by another wall of 6,000 police officers in riot gear and backed up by 1,200 soldiers. This armed camp atmosphere, combined with a treaty that has been negotiated for years in secret, aroused anger in people who demanded input into the proceedings of the chiefs of state and the tearing down of the wall. The forces of the state responded with rubber bullets, pepper spray, tear gas, and water cannons. The tear gas was so bad that the heads of state had to stop meeting because the gas was getting into the ventilation system where the meeting was being held. Protestors marching a mile away had to cover their faces with wet handkerchiefs, bandanas and other pieces of clothing to protect themselves from the gas. The marchers traveled long distances to participate in the People's Summit and the protest march. Canadian immigration officers used every excuse that they could to try to stop people from entering the country. Jeff Crosby, president the North Shore Central Labor Congress in Massachusetts, was barred from entering Canada because of a misdemeanor arrest 25 years ago. Crosby, who is also president of IUE Local 201 at General Electric in Lynn, Mass., said that he has been to Canada on numerous occasions without having any problems. Viola Caceres, from San Antonio, Texas, told the World, "The FTAA is worse than NAFTA." She said that she was a victim of NAFTA because the Levi Strauss factory where she worked closed down, throwing over 1,000 workers in to the streets. She said "we suffer the consequences [of NAFTA], losing more jobs day after day." Karen Tomlinsen and her two sisters went to Quebec "to denounce globalization." They explained that they were there "representing our mother" who has worked at Ford Motor Company for 25 years. Tomlinsen said "they are going to shut down and she is going to lose her job in 18 months. She is really getting a raw deal." Tomlinsen, whose mother is from Jamaica, said she opposed the FTAA because it would hurt the poor countries of the world. Whenever large countries like the United States "make a free trade deal with third world nations," the "third world nations always lose." Tomlinson said that "the poor nations need to come up with their own economic structure so they can deal with the problems they have." Miguel Figueroa, leader of the Communist Party of Canada, told the World that "We already have experience with almost 13 years of a free trade agreement between Canada and the U.S. and NAFTA, since 1985," so we know very well the impact of these so-called trade agreements." He said that NAFTA and the FTAA were for "the protection of the interests of transnational capital" and encroached upon Canadian sovereignty. Althea Leach, vice-president of the New England Regional Joint Board of UNITE, called the FTAA "bad for the country and bad for us." She said that "it's going to hurt working people." Celia Ortiz, a Colombian living in Montreal, said that the FTAA would hurt workers both in Canada and in her native country. She said she saw the FTAA as part of a larger strategy to legalize U.S. intervention in other countries. She noted that Plan Colombia was part of the same process through which the U.S. would be "controlling other countries."Burt Wartell, secretary of the Greater Portland Central Labor Council in Maine, said the demonstration was "beautiful" because it showed "what democracy looks like" as opposed to the meeting of the heads of state. Wartell called the demonstration "the peoples of the Americas coming together for solidarity and not for exploitation." The march and rally had broad trade union support, as evidenced by the colorful flags and banners representing the different labor organizations. Large contingents of workers from the Canadian Union of Public Employees, SEIU, Teamsters, Canadian Auto Workers, UNITE, Steelworkers, UE, and numerous other Canadian and U.S. unions. Jobs with Justice had a large contingent there as well. *End* _______________________________________________ Marxist-Leninist-List mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.wwpublish.com/mailman/listinfo/marxist-leninist-list
