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The Road to Seattle activism on tour! 13th Oct 1999 International Activists Tour U.S. to Counter the World Trade Organization Farmers, Environmentalists, Fisherfolk, Labor Organizers Will Expose the Horrors of Corporate Globalization (READING, PA)-- A caravan of about two dozen international activists will be crossing the United States to spread the message that "free trade," or corporate globalization, is at the heart of many of the world's ills. Representing every continent, the activists contend that the upcoming meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Seattle could sow the seeds for further erosion of human rights, environmental protections and health and safety standards. The caravan, dubbed "The Road to Seattle: An Educational Road Show on Corporate Globalization," includes men and women from Bangladesh, Bolivia, Canada, Germany, India, Israel, Mexico, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Panama, the United States and West Papua. The participants are people who have been directly impacted by corporate globalization, and represent environmental, human rights, workers, fishing and farming movements. They represent movements fighting sweatshops in New York, corporate takeover of family farming in India, the destruction of indigenous communities in West Papua and the rape of the land by oil companies in Nigeria. 
The caravan will be stopping in about 20 communities, including large cities, small towns, and Native American reservations. It will start in New York on October 28 and arrive in Seattle on November 24 (see attachment for complete itinerary). In each community the activists will participate in community education activities, including teach-ins at colleges, houses of worship and union halls. They will also hold local news conferences and appear on radio and television talk shows. The international activists will join local activists in direct action demonstrations at sites where there are examples of egregious corporate misbehavior. Caravan organizers hope that the activists will have direct contact with thousands of Americans along the route. "We want people in the United States to hear about the horrors of globalization from the people who are on the front lines," said Michael Morrill, of the Pennsylvania Consumer Education Project (PCEP), the caravan's organizer. "People are dying, land is being confiscated and destroyed, and democracy is being trampled in countries across the globe. All in the name of profit."
"Most Americans are unaware of the havoc being wreaked by globalization," added Joy Marcotte, Caravan Coordinator. "The purpose of the caravan is to help Americans understand that the corporations destroying the economy and environment in our communities are doing the same thing to Asians, Africans, Europeans and Latin Americans." The focus of the caravan, and its ultimate destination, is the meeting of the World Trade Organization in Seattle. Trade ministers and heads of state from the 134 members of the WTO will be meeting from November 29 until December 3. Among the plans which the caravan participants oppose include new rules which will limit the scope of government in areas such as food safety, workers' rights, health standards and environmental laws. Caravan participants and organizers unanimously oppose these measures. They agree that the WTO is fundamentally flawed, is beyond reform and must be abolished. The caravan is being organized by the Pennsylvania Consumer Education Project (PCEP) and the Pennsylvania Consumer Action Network. (PCAN). Together, these grassroots organizations work to educate and mobilize people to take back our democracy from the moneyed special interests. The caravan is a project of Peoples' Global Action (PGA), a gathering of peoples' movements fighting corporate globalization. For more information, or to schedule interviews with participants or organizers, please contact PCAN at 1-610-478-7888 or pgacaravan@pcan.org
Caravan Itinerary (Subject to change) October 28 New York City October 29-30 Boston October 31 Western Massachusetts November 1 Ithaca November 3 Pittsburgh November 4 Oberlin November 5 Columbus November 6 Indianapolis November 7 St. Louis November 10 Oklahoma City November 12 Albuquerque November 14 Phoenix November 17 San Diego November 18 Los Angeles November 19 San Francisco November 22 Eugene November 23 Portland November 24 Arrive Seattle For more information: contact PGA Caravan at: 1-610-478-7888-tel pgacaravan@aol.com, pgacaravan@pcan.org |
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