Anti-WEF actions in Davos [1] EXORCISING THE SPIRIT OF DAVOS [2] Davos protest, 2000 [3] Observer: Seattle rattles Davos Man [1]----------------------------------------- Subject: (en) EXORCISING THE SPIRIT OF DAVOS Date sent: Mon, 31 Jan 2000 10:57:13 PST EXORCISING THE SPIRIT OF DAVOS It came true! Under MEDIA spotlights in Davos, the revolt, after smouldering, exploded. It happened that many people showed how they don't agree anymore with a world that is made of WEF, WTO, WB and NATO. It happened that many people said NO to the barbarism of neoliberal thought and to its "human face". In the "little big global city" the strength of Seattle revolt was logically carried on, a process that was invoked in Seattle by the direct action of thousands of activists in the streets. It is possible to rebel, the volcanic magma of those who undergo the effects of globalization is more and more resembling a real movement, which is able not only to unveil the barbarism of capital, but also to show and practice rebellion against it, generalizing a clear message for everyone: there is no more space for reforming barbarism, the only answer to property is to put back humanity in the first place. And it is the necessity to put back humanity in the first place that gave the real capacity, in Davos like in Seattle, to unite different groups (from Bove's Confederation Paysanne to activists from social centres) who share a common goal, the battle against globalization, and who, reasserting their difference as a richness, can generalize and spread the battle against neoliberalism. We believe that the process of globalizing fights is a reality that no one can ignore: "world leaders" who have to pay for it, and especially movements and subjects who must play a major role. We believe that here in Italy as well we must assume/adopt/follow this method and that in building our small or big battle everyday against neoliberal powers, being them D'Alema or Berlusconi, we must be able not to look at what divides us, but to focus clear and simple goals that can unite us, uniting the knots of ambiguity that often entangle us, as is the case of the "chameleon-wise" behaviour of those who think they can fight while at the same time managing the governments of neoliberalism. This clear method must take us, starting from our partiality and local community work, to a leading role in a process that can impact and be credible in all the mobilizations that await us, from Genoa against biotechnology exhibition to Florence against NATO, to Mayday 2000 for humanity, so that these experiences will not be self-representative, but become protagonists of the building of a global movement which is able to destroy the barbarism of globalization to globalize humanity. On our way back from Davos Confederazione Nazionale COBAS Movemento Antagonista Toscano Officina 99 - SKA Realtà antagoniste romane ______________________________________________________ [2]----------------------------------------- Subject: Davos protest, 2000 Date: 29 Jan 2000 "Seattle in Davos" As in past years, there was an action against the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 29th, 2000. All the world's obedient "opinion-leaders and decision-makers" were present. The local government passed a ban on demos that day, which together with the remote location probably contributed to less than the usual number of demonstrators. The 2000 that turned out included anti- WTO activists from around Europe; members of Confederation Paysanne (France); the Italian Green Party and New Communist Party, and other members of parliament; Swiss, French, and German environmentalists; many young activists with red or red&black flags; and representatives of the Kurdish Workers' Party. Most demonstrations occurred while Clinton was present. Tony Blair blathered "Seattle must never happen again." There were several injuries in the police crackdown with rubber bullets and tear gas, including French farmer and anti-free trade activist Jose Bove, who sought medical treatment. The McDonalds in Davos had several windows broken because of its perversion of the slogan "think globally, act locally" into "think globally, eat locally" to sell hamburgers. MORE INFO: Bern antiWTO/ Davos action: www.reitschule.ch/reitschule/anti-wto/index2.shtml Sherwood Communications (Padua) www.sherwood.it CNN coverage: cgi.cnnfn.com/output/pfv/2000/01/29/europe/davos_protests/ "two, three, many Seattles" andrew [3]----------------------------------------- Subject: Seattle rattles Davos Man Date: Sun, 6 Feb 2000 OBSERVER (London) Sunday February 6, 2000 Seattle rattles Davos Man William Keegan The point of the European Union was to prevent the rise of another Hitler. The principal goal of the postwar economic settlement was to avert a recurrence of the protectionism associated with economic depression and the rise of, well, Hitler. Austrians enjoy a standard of living people in prewar Germany only dreamt of. Indeed, one factor behind the rise of the Nazi apologist, Jorg Haider, is the political paralysis resulting from the Austrian economic miracle. So this EU member-state's economic conditions are very different from those which led Hitler, in Haider's words, to introduce 'an orderly employment policy'. It is nevertheless chilling to recall that Hitler, too, was democratically elected, and to note that many of the 'reassuring' statements about Haider are uncannily reminiscent of the reassuring statements of the early Thirties. Oddly, there wasn't much talk about Haider at the recent World Economic Forum in Davos. There was, however, concern about protectionism. Indeed, the theme of Davos was : How to react to Seattle? One union leader told me: 'I did not cause the failure of Seattle, but I contributed to it.' 'Seattle' is now the code word for protest against the seemingly inexorable march of 'globalisation' and extreme free market economics. 'What this conference is about,' said a senior participant in Davos, 'is that nobody knows how to respond to Seattle.' About 500 protesters knew how to respond. They arrived in the Alpine ski resort and carried on protesting. Your correspondent can report that the efficient Swiss were repairing the damage to McDonald's within hours. The protesters I bumped into described themselves as anarchists, and one gave me a leaflet repeating some of US Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers's rasher statements on pollution and the Third World. It was a small demonstration but it caused a stir. The ill-prepared Seattle meeting would probably have failed in the absence of protesters. One reason it was not sewn up in advance is that the protesters' concerns were also bogging down negotiations between advanced and developing countries. The latter, for instance, are not too keen on advanced economies' labour standards, and regard attempts to impose them as protectionist in themselves. Before Davos, Pascal Lamy, the EU Trade Commissioner, had urged that another attempt should be made to launch a trade round this year. I am told he did this because he is concerned that Vice-President Al Gore is in hock to the American unions, and that under a Gore presidency traditional US tendencies towards protectionism might resurface. The American unions had certainly been active in Seattle. Tony Blair told the 1,000 well-heeled chief executives in Davos that Lamy was right about a new attempt at trade talks. 'I believe we can and should try to launch the new trade round this year. We cannot afford another Seattle, but nor can we afford to postpone the massive gains that a successful new round would deliver.' Blair called for 'the early establishment of an Eminent Persons Group to provide advice on how to improve the WTO's working methods'. Hear, hear, and eminent unionists and environmentalists, as well as eminent economists who are experts on the Third World's grievances ought to be considered for this task. The position of President Bill Clinton in all this is interesting. In Seattle he showed sympathy towards the protesters (including the unions) and was evidently aiming to help Gore. His speech in Davos, however, was seen by some of the businessmen as designed to redress the balance. While emphasising that the protesters must be heard, and the excluded 'included', Clinton told the Davos audience what they wanted to hear about the wonders of free trade and globalisation. The paradox is that we were in the 107th month of the greatest and longest economic expansion the US has ever known, yet Clinton conceded: 'Protectionist sentiment in Congress is greater now than seven years ago' (when he assumed office). In referring to the protesters' concerns about helping the victims of globalisation, or those excluded from the US boom, the President stated: 'If we can't help our people now we'll never get around to it.' No indeed. And there is a terrible feeling that the bubble is going to burst. The view in Davos was that most Internet stocks were grossly overvalued; on the other hand, breakthroughs in information technology have reduced costs, and are raising productivity throughout the economy. Summers, called this 'a reverse oil shock'. Nevertheless, as the Treasury Secretary reminded his rather complacent audience: 'The laws of economics have not been repealed, much less those of human psychology.' Between the lines of recent remarks by Summers and his predecessor, Robert Rubin, one detects serious concern about the US stock market, the ballooning US trade deficit and the dependence of the US economy on 'other people's money'. Just imagine what could happen to those protectionist US tendencies if the bubble does burst, and Alan Greenspan starts regretting his decision not to get out while the going was good. ================================= *** NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. ***