All kinds of protesters “gather together” near the San Francisco event venue.
Focusing global attention even if we cannot meet face-to-face with the leaders of 21 countries
The 2023 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting will open in San Francisco, USA on the 11th (local time) and run for 7 days until the 17th.
At this event, where tens of thousands of people, including the heads of state of 21 member countries, economic ministers, corporate CEOs, and scholars, gathered to discuss the economy, trade, and infrastructure, all kinds of protesters from global activists and organizations gathered in downtown San Francisco.
In addition to various demonstrators protesting corporate monopoly, environmental pollution, and poor working conditions, demonstrators protesting the war between Israel and Hamas continued to march in the city center on the 12th.
This was also a march to express opposition to this summit to the leaders of nearly 20 countries who attended the meeting, including U.S. President Joe Biden.
The protests were organized by the “No to APEC” alliance to continue throughout the APEC meeting and make their case to over 20,000 participants and hundreds of reporters from around the world.
They argue that trade agreements reached at summits such as APEC ultimately exploit and harm workers and their families.
The protesters are under tight security and outside the police cordon, making it difficult for world leaders to even see them in person outside the restricted area.
However, Susan Ali, head of the Palestinian youth movement, was insisting that the U.S. government must provide an explanation for supplying weapons to Israel’s war on Hamas.
“Even if they can’t see us in person, there’s no way they wouldn’t know we’re here when we mobilize and march together,” he said.
On this day, thousands of protesters marched toward the center of the city after listening to speeches by representatives of various organizations and activists.
The flag they held bore the slogan, “The earth and people come before profit and exploitation!” During the march, everyone encouraged the uprising by shouting “Rise UP!”
Nick Evasco, organizer of the Alliance Against APEC, said, “We oppose economic policies labeled as clean or green because we know full well that in reality they only serve to expand corporate profits.”
“Every time they reach a so-called free trade agreement, we have historically seen that it opens up a new world of maximizing profits for companies,” he explained.
They announced that they plan to continue large-scale protests near the conference venue on the 15th, when the leaders of the 21 countries of APEC, established in 1989, will hold a meeting of superpowers such as China and the United States, as well as corporate CEOs from Mexico, Brazil, and the Philippines.
Dr. Laurie McVay, professor of sociology and director of the Social Movement Research Center at the University of Notre Dame, said, “These protests may not significantly change the outcome, but some politicians may use these protests to determine the direction of public opinion, or if the media pays attention, the movement may be affected.” “The effect can be greater,” he said.
Those who took part in the protest expressed disappointment and anger at the fact that such a general meeting of business leaders and world leaders was held in San Francisco, which has a long history of worker uprisings and labor movements.
“It is so pathetic that everyone from mayors to governors to presidents thought it was a great idea to hold a meeting like this here during a global crisis,” said Evasco, head of the opposition movement.
[샌프란시스코( 미 캘리포니아주)= AP/뉴시스]
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.