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Anti-capitalist protesters wonder where to go next
The anti-globalisation movement, a regular if uninvited guest at world economic conferences, is wondering which way to go after its disappointing show at the Group of Eight summit in Evian. Breaking camp after a weekend of violent protests in France and neighbouring Switzerland, activists were unsure about the effect their efforts were having on the tight circle of world leaders they denounce as heartless Masters of the Universe. A defiant "We're still winning!" motto scrawled on the side of a Sniff, longing for the good old days "It's problematic, disappointing, because we've done other counter-summits, in Genoa for example, where there were a lot more people," said Christal, a protester who said she was a teacher from the French city of Grenoble. "We thought (people) would turn out in huge numbers to protest this globalisation, but in fact you get the impression there are divisions everywhere," she said. "There were maybe fewer people than in Genoa... partly because the strikes against pension reforms in France limited the presence of the trade unions," said Helene Ballande of Friends of the Earth, who was in Annemasse, south of Geneva at another protest camp. Yeh, that's the ticket The next big date on the protest calendar is June 21, when organisers say several hundred thousand demonstrators should descend on a European Union summit in northern Greece. Mark your calendar, boys and girls. Greece, the outgoing EU president, has shifted the summit on security grounds from the city of Thessaloniki to the nearby Halkidiki peninsula, which can be sealed off easily. Lessons learned after each protest, hold it in remote areas, seal it off, etc. When they can't riot in front of TV cameras in a major city, they'll lose interest. Posted by: Steve 2003-06-02 |
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