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Thousands protest WTO in Geneva - Property Damage and Tear Gas

update | 28.11.2009 21:17 | COP15 Climate Summit 2009 | Climate Chaos | Globalisation | Social Struggles | World

Up to 4-5000 people today marched in Geneva protesting ahead of the WTO meeting in an International Demonstration (see  http://www.anti-omc2009.org/?lang=en) as part of a week of action and debate around the WTO Ministerial which runs from 30th November to 2nd December(see  http://www.anti-omc2009.org/spip.php?article14).

The mobilisation is seen very much in relation to the COP15 UN climate conference taking place in Copenhagen 7th - 18th December (see  http://www.anti-omc2009.org/spip.php?article8).

This afternoon clashes broke out as parts of the crowd attacked property smashing windows of banks and shops and setting a number of cars on fire. Police used tear gas, concussion greandes and water cannon. Further protests are scheduled with the WTO meeting starting on Monday 30th November, ten years exactly since the famous Seattle WTO protests.

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INDYMEDIA FEATURE REPORTS:
 http://ch.indymedia.org/fr/2009/11/72164.shtml French
 http://ch.indymedia.org/it/2009/11/72315.shtml Italian
 http://ch.indymedia.org/de/2009/10/71860.shtml German

IMC PICS + REPORTS
 http://ch.indymedia.org/it/2009/11/72458.shtml
 http://ch.indymedia.org/de/2009/11/72446.shtml

VIDEO
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h20hh54CBrQ
 http://rossocontroinfo.blogspot.com/2009/11/ginevra-28112009-scontri-e-arresti-alla.html
 http://www.bernerzeitung.ch/schweiz/standard/Genf-Schwarzer-Block-zuendet-Autos-an/story/23809339

TSR focussing on violence:
 http://www.tsr.ch/tsr/index.html?siteSect=500000&channel=info#program=15;vid=11551945
 http://www.tsr.ch/tsr/index.html?siteSect=500000&channel=info#program=15;vid=11551932
 http://www.tsr.ch/tsr/index.html?siteSect=500000&channel=info#program=15;vid=11551944
 http://www.tsr.ch/tsr/index.html?siteSect=500000&channel=info#program=15;vid=11551946
 http://www.euronews.net/2009/11/28/geneva-ravaged-by-anti-capitalism-protestors/

See also:
 http://www.anti-wto.ch
 http://www.revolutionnaire.ch/fr
 http://www.autonome.ch


update

Additions

More Pics + Report in German

30.11.2009 11:51

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Reporting in German:
 http://linksunten.indymedia.org/en/node/13970

Pics taken from this displayed in article.

more


Original call for demo

30.11.2009 11:52


Economic Crisis, Climate Crisis, Social Crisis: It’s Time to Change Course!

From 30th November through 2nd December, a WTO ministerial conference will be held in Geneva, a week before the climate summit in Copenhagen. Concerning both trade and the climate, policies that have been pursued in the past have failed catastrophically. Yet our leaders have not questioned them!

The WTO and “free” trade: two big failures

Thirty years of neoliberal globalisation policies and fifteen years of the WTO have done nothing but increase poverty in the South and inequality, unemployment and job instability in the North. In the end, these policies have plunged us into the worst capitalist crisis since 1929. The WTO promises to get us out of it… by beating the same drum: “liberalise” trade. This would benefit no one except transnational capital; it would impose fierce competition that would further accentuate pressure on jobs, working conditions, social security and public services.

Trade versus the environment

Those same policies have also had disastrous consequences on the climate. They have bankrupted millions of small farmers by promoting industrialised agriculture, even though the latter – highly dependent upon fossil fuels – is a major source of greenhouse gases. They have caused disastrous deforestation in the largest rainforests, the planet’s lungs and the habitat of indigenous communities. They have created a globalised production network with high energy-consuming means of transportation, simply in order to exploit labour to the highest degree. Unfortunately, in Copenhagen the players will be the same, and the same interests and false “market solutions” will be on the agenda, though their failure is patently obvious. Twelve years after Kyoto, the CO2 emissions of developed countries have risen to higher levels than ever before.

Tempted by the Titanic?

Neither the socioeconomic crisis nor the environmental crisis will be resolved by the same logic that created them. The current economic system has brought about poverty, inequalities and wars; it has thrust us into the worst crisis since World War II. Today we are confronted with the ever more pressing need to give up on the absurd idea of infinite growth on a finite planet. But our leaders, whether in thrall to the well-to-do or debilitated by tunnel vision, are not looking for a way out. For the sake of our children and grandchildren, the interests of society and the environment must trump blind profit. We can live well – and actually live better – if we do away with the unsustainable waste of a system in which the pursuit of profit forces us to either seek unlimited growth or go bust trying.

Hundreds of representatives of grassroots movements from all over the world will be in Geneva and then in Copenhagen to demand a radical change of direction. Let’s all meet in Geneva and…

Mobilise against the WTO, because building a better world is an urgent issue! Demonstration: Place Neuve, Saturday 28th November, 2p.m.

Other action will be taken during the summit.

for reference


Polish report

30.11.2009 17:40

info


Geneva mobilisation : where is the real violence? La Via Campesina

03.12.2009 11:53

Geneva mobilisation : where is the real violence?
Sunday, 29 November 2009
Press Release

Via Campesina was present with an important delegation at the protest of Saturday 28 November against the World Trade Organization (WTO). The mobilization was strong with around 5000 people in the streets of Geneva. The objective of these people, as well as that of Via Campesina, was to demonstrate in a non-violent manner, but with a strong and radical message regarding the WTO.

Because of the dramatic consequences of liberalization on peasant agriculture around the world, we ask that the WTO get out of agriculture. We regret that material violence did not allow us to express this message in front of the WTO building in Geneva. Without minimizing yesterday's events, we remark nonetheless that another form of violence - social, political and economic - is directed on a daily basis towards a large part of the world population, including farmers. Let us not forget that one billion people do not have access to sufficient food. That violent political decisions criminalize certain unions on a daily basis: this was the case for our three Korean delegates who were not able to join us for the various mobilizations and who have been detained at the airport since Friday November 27th, 11 pm.

Our delegates traveled several thousand kilometers to come testify here in Geneva and propose alternatives. Since they were not able to do this during the demonstration, we invite journalists to take advantage of their presence in the coming days.

For any additional information, please contact:
Valentina Hemmeler Maïga, + 41 79 672 14 07
Solenne Piriou, La Via Campesina, +41 76 752 73 62

Complementary position of Uniterre on the Swiss aspects of the demonstration of 28 November:

* We wonder whether it is opportune to welcome international organizations of this scale if the only response to yesterday’s violent incidents is – for some people – the plain and simple prohibition to protest. This could lead to the impression that the authorities are not capable of dealing with events of this size while at the same time letting democracy express itself.
* We are also surprised that the Swiss authorities were able to obtain the names of three Korean delegates and detain them before a demonstration but that they are not able to identify 200 possible “rioters".

lvc


Comments

Hide the following 8 comments

i hope

28.11.2009 22:12

its the real blac bloc and not undercover cops and provocateurs doing the damage to capitalist targets. the hooded figures could be anybody,i just hope its the real thing. solidarity to those fighting the pigs and ducking the tear gas. also to those marching elsewhere and doing other demo's with other tactics.

marshall


More links

29.11.2009 07:55

What a lame comment, Marshall. Pull yourself together! Of course the hooded figures 'could be anybody' - that's the whole point, isn't it?
Meanwhile, more links to photos and video at  http://vastminority.blogspot.com/

Vast minority
- Homepage: http://vastminority.blogspot.com/


Well done

29.11.2009 14:34

Well done to those who smashed up the shops. The owner is insured, so the only people that will suffer are the minimum wage, unskilled working class staff who'll probably get made redundant, but fuck it, at least you got to pretend you weren't a privileged middle class student for a few seconds.

Also, those aren't exactly Porsche's and BMWs that are burning, are they?

Cunts.

Muppets


Actually muppet one of the cars is a MERC

29.11.2009 16:19

NOW FUCK OFF BACK TO WHAT EVER CAPITALIST SEWER YOU CRAWLED IN FROM

@narchist


actually,

29.11.2009 20:40

@vast minority: i said "hooded figures could be anybody" for the simple reason that often police will go undercover at big demo's and then start smashing stuff up to further cause sectarianism amongst the "movement" and also to allow police to oppress people quickly with gas and other methods.

The fact that the demo was a legal one and had a planned route, and then it was stopped after police started hurting people, could suggest police had something to do with the violence against property. They might not have had anything to do with it, and probably didn't...but i was just pointing out that you never know these days and i didn't want to applaud the work of provocateurs...that's all.

All it would take is say five or six under covers to start off a few hundred of us into an action against property. we must be vigilant against this police tactic, and for the most part, we are (except for when we want to destroy property, of course!).

There are varying reasons the police would do this:

1) to cause marshall law or suspension of other civil liberties, like the right to protest, assembly, speech, etc.
2) discredit organisers and attendees, make the arguments void after "crowd" breaks away and does "violence", etc
3) to criminalise dissent and protesting altogether in the city during the WTO
4) to justify police budget and military "lockdown" of geneva in the coming days
5) to continue the "battle" against alternative globalisation activists, which is happening everywhere all the time and costs hundreds of millions of dollars/euros/pounds ever year
6) to justify arrests and abuse of arrestees, detention and blocking people at the border
7) to further try to bridge the gap between black block and other activists and tactics

So, Vast Minority, my point about "hooded figures could be anybody" was actually valid and within context...


Marshall


I've seen police do this

30.11.2009 11:29

Yes it happens. Ive seen it a couple of times. Mostly times it's not police, but protestors.

Franc


looks pretty exciting

30.11.2009 19:28

i can see why people do it - beats doing all the boring things in life when you can dress up and play madmax.

onion


shape up

01.12.2009 13:27

There's such bollox being talked here.

Cops are more likely to be causing divisions by slagging of blac blocs on forums like this, than they are to be throwing molotovs.

The way to deal with the undercover little shits is to get behind actions like this. We are never going to beat the WTO by talking nicely at them - but large scale street disturbance causes them real problems.

Shape up, people, and learn some solidarity.

weh heh


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