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News :: Protest Activity |
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September 10th, Cancun |
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by Meridith Kruse
Email: Meridithkruse (nospam) riseup.net (unverified!) |
10 Sep 2003
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September 10th, Cancun
This morning we got up early, ate as much of a nutritious
breakfast as we could (knowing it would be a long time until
we had time to eat again) and left our hotel for the center
of Cancun. I am in Canun with the Mexico Solidarity Network
and am participating in tons of alternative economic forums
and direct action marches against the WTO. While the rich
meet behind closed doors the poor suffering from their
oppressive decisions clamor for justice in the streets...
On our way to the bus station today we were all stopped by
the police to have our bags searched. This had not happened
before and I wondered if it was because my friend Carrie
was with us. She has the hardest time passing for a tourist
because of her many piercings, tattos, and black clothes...
she is unfairly targeted because of how she looks because of all
the hysteria that has been fanned in the local press here about violent
anarchists...We must be clear, the violence is already
present, WTO policies are another form of war, those opposing
the WTO are fighting for life, hope, and basic human dignity...
Coming into the center of town we head for the Convergence
Center, the Medical Post, and then the IMC site. All of these
locations have been created by volunteer activists, many of
whom arrived weeks before the WTO meetings began. On little
resources they have done amazing work. A bunch of us borrow
paint and duct tape to finish banners and volunteer to help
distribute water to protestors throughout the day. To
distribute the water we will manuver a three wheeled bike
attached to a cart through traffic and masses of people.
With some minor mishaps, it all goes well, and people are
definately glad to see us after hours in the hot hot deyhdrating
sun.
We arrive at the starting point for the march, the Casa de la Cultura.
Thousands of campesinos have come from all over the world and
have been camping out in the park here for several days. They come
not only Mexico, but from Korea, Africa, Canada, the US, and
many more places...small farmers come because they know their
lives are at stake. One of the biggest issues at the WTO is elminating
the subsidies rich countries, like the US, give to their farmers
to drop prices (this is how cheap US corn is "dumped" into
Mexico undercutting local famers prices and causing massive
poverty and desperation throughout the countryside.)
After a couple hours of speeches at the meeting point people
begin to line up for the march to the gates of the WTO. Many
many barriers (tall wire fences) have been put up in our path,
but we will try to get a close as we can. Protestors include
Zapatitas from Chiapas, small farmers from Korea, a marching
band from Seattle, students from Mexico City, members of the
FLMN, unions, indigenous groups, and more...
As we start, one group lays down a huge US flag for all the
marchers to walk over. Dirt, and more dirt, covers the US flag...
Soon after the march is underway a group of us are called to
help carry a huge chinese dragon...it has been made in honor
of the Mayan god of water who is upset about the privatization
of water. The huge 30 foot moving replica of this god goes in
front while the dragon snakes behind...it takes four people to
hold the head and then nine of us spread out below the body...
Our dragon stretches far, and we practice moving in slithering
motions, circles, and waves...
The beginning of the march is beautiful. Its so hard to describe
participating in one of these events. You are reclaiming the streets,
disrupting social space, speaking truth to power, and honoring
life, creativity, and hope...Several bands played, people literally
danced in the streets...some people came out to watch the very
festive procession of people from around the world...people with
so much experience and knowledge and truth to share about how
to create a globally just world...but who are excluded and
marginalized and pushed further and further down...yet rise again
resisting, resisting, resisting...
About an hour into the march the feeling began to change, tensions
rose as the crowd of thousands approached the first fence barrier...
The fence stretched for miles across the road leading to the WTO
conference center...but we really we no where close...many many
other barriers had been set up, we were kept so so far away...
So as the group gathered at the fence protestor began to call to
be let through, some started pulling at the fence, others started
throwing things into the line of police...There were tons and tons
of police in full riot gear with shields, sticks, tear gas, and
helmets...
I did not learn this until later, but very early, at this point
in the march, the leader of the small farmer group from Korea
climbed the fence and stabbed himself in the heart...
All we could see at the back of the march was the rushing in
of an ambulance with its sirens blaring, we did not know why
it was coming into the mass of protestors,
As of tonight we do not know the condition of this brave man,
he was taken to the hospital in critical condition, he may die...
He stabbed himself in the heart. He stabbed himself in the heart.
Others were injured as well, when a protestor was hurt people
would call for the volunteer medics and they would rush into
the crowd to pull out the wounded person and then treat them
on the street,
Our group continued to distribute water and make a return trip
to the medic station for more water and supplies,
Protestors continued chanting, singing, drumming, they held
a ceremony for the Korean farmer, the campesinos from Mexico
continued marching and gave their demands over a mega phone,
Suddenly a section of the fence was torn town...protestors had
been pulling and pulling for hours and a huge section finally fell,
Riot police were immediately at the opening, confrontations
between police and protestors was violent,
Unfortunately this was the focus of the newscoverage I just
say tonight...the moments of violence...not the hours of
marching or the messages for justice and against the WTO...
So, after a full day in the streets we regrouped under some
shade trees. We were all pretty stunned. We were all
speechless for a long time thinking about the Korean farmer.
How much to you have to suffer to do this to yourself? What
risks are you willing to take when there is nothing left to lose?
When will the world wake up about the desperate plight of
the majority of its citizens? When will the WTO be held
accountable? Hopefully its meetings are derailed this weekend,
I hope I hope
After a while we realized we had not eaten anything since
breakfast. We decided it was important to find food and
try to make it back into the hotel zone before it was too
late. Since the barriers were still up we took the long
hour long route through the hotel district...
I had not seen the full hotel district before. It was
disgusting. After all I had seen that today I just
sunk in my seat at the sights of opulence that wisked
by my window...towering Hilton hotels, shopping malls
five stories tall, US chain restaurants, bars to hold
all the spring breakers in their weeks of drunkeness,
fancy cars, more things than anyone needs...
And onto the bus came rich tourists, participants in
the WTO negotiations...and then local residents of Cancun
getting off their shifts as maids and security guards
at the hotels...and onto the bus came a father and
son who started to sing while playing the guitar...as
they ended the young boy took off his hat and walked
through the bus asking us for pesos...
We got back to the hotel and heard that inside the WTO
members of the NGOs had stood up and distrupted the
meeting by chanting "verguenza" or "shame" and then
walked out...
The TV on in the hotel carried scenes from the protests,
My head was still banging and my mind scattered, I do not
know how to make sense of anything anymore,
I wanted to write this to you all so you would know what
I saw on the streets of Cancun today. The contrats were
stark...they symbolize the contrast of the world, I guess
it is just too seldom we witness these contrats colliding,
but really they do everyday and we are all playing some part.
As I finish this message I hear the woman next to me talking
to her friend, suddenly she turns to me and says...
"We just got news that the Korean farmer has died."
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