Jim McIlroy, Hong Kong
Around 1000 militant protesters against the World Trade Organisation ministerial meeting were arrested on December 17 in a confrontation with police, dubbed "The Siege of Wan Chai" by the December 18 Hong Kong Sunday Morning Post. The demonstrators had occupied a number of streets in the downtown Hong Kong region of Wan Chai, and were preparing to surge toward the World Trade Centre, where the WTO was in session, when police attacked with pepper spray and tear gas.
The arrested demonstrators, mostly South Korean small farmers, were determined to make clear their complete opposition to the WTO process, which allows the wealthy countries to dump subsidised products — especially food — on the world market, and destroys the livelihoods of millions of poor workers and farmers in the Third World.
Following the December 17 mass arrests, an urgent appeal was launched by the main organisers of the anti-WTO actions, the Hong Kong People's Alliance on WTO (HKPA), the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions (HKCTU), and workers' and peasants organisations in Korea, for the release of a number of prisoners who were held in detention for weeks after the arrests. Among many other international progressive organisations, the Australian Democratic Socialist Perspective endorsed the appeal at its 22nd National Congress in Sydney, January 5-8.
Eleven of the 14 arrested protesters have been released, with charges against them being dismissed.
During December 12-18, thousands of protesters held rallies, marches, seminars and public meetings to highlight the economic and political injustice of the WTO and its operations internationally. The protesters came from all parts of the world, but especially from the Asian region, with large contingents from South Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, India, Cambodia and Japan.
Migrant workers living in Hong Kong and other parts of Asia played a prominent role in the protests. The color and vitality of the clothing, banners, placards and musical instruments (particularly drums) carried by the participants were an impressive display of people power against the domination of the rich and powerful rulers of the world.
A vanguard role was adopted by the large contingent of Korean farmers, who were exceptionally well-organised and militant. They seized the international publicity initiative from the WTO organisers early in the week with a mass "swim-in" from the wharf area, where rallies were held at the end of the various marches, toward the World Trade Centre in the Hong Kong bay area. Water police were forced to pluck the Korean farmers out of the icy water before they could reach the World Trade Centre.
Throughout the week, Victoria Park on Hong Kong Island was thronged with tents displaying the banners of popular organisations from around Asia. A prominent slogan was: "Junk WTO! No agreement is better than a bad agreement!"
Two significant marches, among many during the period, were a lively march by women under the theme: "Women unite! Say 'No to WTO!'", and another by Filipino "fisherfolk", condemning the destruction of their industry by international fishing corporations and the wealthy countries.
The week concluded with a mass march of around 10,000 people on December 18 through the streets of Wan Chai, with all the international contingents well represented. This march was swelled by many local Hong Kong citizens who had been won over to the anti-WTO cause during the week of protests.
A "Thank-you letter to our international friends" was distributed on the day by "A group of Hong Kong people", stating, "Thank you for your patience in explaining to us and our media the devastating effects of the WTO, although your voices have been distorted and submerged in the local media; Thank you for showing us, through the uniform footsteps the significance of solidarity; only through people's mutual solidarity, mutual support and long term struggle, can democracy be attained."
An important supporting role was played by the delegation from the European United Left/Nordic Green Left Group (GUE/NGL), which organised two seminars under the theme: "Reversing the trend: Parliamentarians and social movements for alternatives to neoliberalism." At the second seminar, titled, "After Hong Kong: prospects for common actions", participants decided to establish a network to seek opportunities for further collaboration in the ongoing struggle against the WTO and the existing unjust world economic system.
The unity and militancy displayed by the thousands of protesters against the WTO in Hong Kong bodes well for a revival of the mass people's movement against neoliberal globalisation on an international scale. The events of Hong Kong certainly significantly strengthened alliances among Asian popular organisations in the struggle for economic justice for the peoples of the Third World.
From Green Left Weekly, January 25, 2006.
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