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Cancun Radio update

gdm | 12.09.2003 22:48 | Culture | Indymedia | Social Struggles | World

Transcript from Cancun indymedia radio

This morning in the early morning around 2-3 a.m, in the lightening and thunder storms that have racked the area, 3 activists occupied a huge tall crane. They are still occupying the crane now [transcribed approx 22:30 BST].

The activists' banner says, "please get out of there" - to the WTO representatives camped out in Cancun. There is also a large ear of corn to remind us of the people's right to food and clean water; alongside this is a giant red fist to remind us of people's dignity and the right of indiginous peoples in the world. The people doing the banner drop from the crane want to let the media - and everyone - know we are not 'globophobics,' we are for people.

The activists have said they will not come down until the WTO meeting is cancelled; their second demand is that agreement for an open forum for all the people of the world to come and attend [the forum] and make their points of view known; they also want to make it clear it is not just them [the protestors who have occupied the crane and done the banner drop] who are against OMC/WTO, but also many other people who are actually inside the WTO who think this way as well: they cannot sit at home while the rich wage war against the earth.

This action is to align itself with the thousands of screams of portest from around the world and with the Korean who lost his life - and we must say that this cannot continue.

4 activists have just now started a hunger strike which they will continue until the Mexican delegation withdraws from the WTO conference and the seven students [that have been arrested] are released: the hunger strikers are in front of the old main gates.

The Koreans are also camped out waiting for the body of their dead comrade to be returned to them - or until they are deported. Meanwhile, there are protests around the world...in San Francisco, in Mauritius; in Venezuela prople chained themselves to the anchor of a shipping frigate; all around Europe...

Here, there will be an extremely intense march tomorrow - "Here comes the Hurricane!" We say, solidarity to the 3 crane protestors, to the Koreans, the Campesinos from the Mexican countryside who are on the verge of starvation because of the WTO and solidarity to all those who can't make it, who are in their own little corners and wishing they could be out on the streets...

gdm
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