Direct Action Used to Symbolically Dismantle the WTO
By Joe Rigney
September 14, 2003

On Saturday, September 13, the largest demonstration against the 5th Ministerial Meeting of the World Trade Organization occurred in Cancun, Mexico. About 10,000 demonstrators marched to the extremely fortified fence. A diverse group of women, farmers, anarchists, and other participants dismantled a section of the barrier and then held a peaceful rally.

The march started from La Casa de Cultura in the morning and passed through the streets of Cancun.  Led by farmers from around the world, they carried a banner that read in English, Spanish, and Korean, “WTO Kills Farmers. Down with WTO.”

Several chants and signs made it clear why so many of the world’s people oppose the WTO. One youth group chanted in Spanish, “We want schools, we want hospitals, we want rights, we don’t want militaries.” As the WTO continues to try to privatize public services, military spending remains the one government expenditure specifically exempted under international trade rules.

When demonstrators reached the site where protests had occurred on the previous Wednesday, many stopped to pay their respects to Lee Hyung-kae, the Korean farmer who had committed suicide to protest the WTO’s destruction of his livelihood. A memorial to Mr. Lee had been erected at this site, known as Kilometer Zero, and several street signs had been spray painted over, declaring that the area now was called “Plaza Lee.”

A new, fortified fence had been erected shortly past Kilometer Zero across the road to the Hotel Zone where the meetings were being held. The barrier was constructed from reinforced sections of chain link fencing that created boxes and at least three lines of fencing between the demonstrators and the rows of riot police on the other side.

As the morning progressed, more of the marchers began to gather at the fence. They hung banners, and some banged on the fence, which did nothing to break down the barrier that kept them out of the meetings.

Without announcement, several men began holding hands between the demonstrators and the fence, creating a line. Within this safe area moved several women, who began cutting through the fence with bolt cutters and dismantling it with wrenches. The women, indigenous and foreign, worked diligently until a cheer was called out. The fence had been breached.

Immediately, a line of Mexican riot police approached, holding up their shields. Seeing that they faced off with women may have given them a pause, and the work to break apart the fence continued. An announcement was made in English and Spanish, asking that people stay back and be patient in order to give the women time to complete their work.

About ten minutes later, the women moved back and members of the Korean delegation came forward with thick ropes. They climbed to the top of the fence and began tying the rope to the struts at the top that supported the chain link.

Once tied, the Koreans and other members of the crowd took positions and began pulling the ropes. The first attempt had no effect except to break one of the ropes. Undaunted, people moved in to resecure the ropes, while others continued to tear away at the chains and U-bolts that held the sections together.

Suddenly, as the force of dozens of arms pulled in unison at the ropes, the top of the fence began to bend. A rope snapped and another appeared that it would as well. The group stopped pulling and a jubilant cheer rang out from the crowd.

As the ropes were being retied by the Koreans, other demonstrators began to pull out the large cement blocks that were holding the barrier more securely to the ground.

As muscles strained for a third time on the rope, a large section of the fence tore and broke free. A wild yell rose from the crowd, who were seeing what many had taken to be an unbreakable obstruction torn apart. Piece by piece, the crowd was working together to dismantle the barrier that kept them away from the WTO meetings.

Two more pulls, and a majority of the fence had been removed. Only a single line of fence stood between the activists and the riot police. An announcement was made that, after removing the fence peacefully, the leaders of the direct action requested for everyone to move back and not provoke the police. The crowd began chanting “Lee, Lee, Lee, Lee,” and “Vive los Coreanos” (Long Live the Koreans!)

After another two pulls, the final line of fence had been removed, and the people stood face to face with the riot police who immediately moved in to block the breach. To keep the situation from escalating, a line of activists formed in front of the gap, creating a safe space and forestalling any attempts at provocation.

The organizers then requested that the crowd move back and sit down. After some shuffling, several thousand people at the front of the large crowd sat down and talked in hushed tones. An hour long rally then ensued, translated into Korean, English and Spanish.

One member of the Korean farmers union told the crowd that “We have done a very special thing; we have pulled down the fence with your help. We wanted to go to the convention center to disrupt the meetings, but we could only come here because the police blocked us.”

A member of a Korean trade union association then spoke, saying, “I am proud of you because you pulled this fence down. It was YOU that pulled it down. We have the power to destroy the WTO. The power of the people will destroy the WTO, which is the most evil thing in the world. We will continue struggling together.”

The crowd then took up a chant of “Internacionale solidaridad,” (International solidarity) followed by another mantra that had become very popular through the weekend, “Down, down, WTO.”

The Koreans were followed by a speaker from Via Campisino, a farmer’s organization based in Mexico. He said that “We have shown today that the laws and barriers that the WTO has established are breakable, that we are able to break them with our collective power…. They expected us to be violent, to break through with violence, and we have shown that we can organize and are able to keep working tomorrow against hunger and poverty.”

A Korean farmer then spoke, stating that “Mr. Lee was not only a friend of the Korean delegation; he was a friend of all of the people in the world. We will not make his death meaningless. Mr. Lee sacrificed his life to stop the WTO and to revive the power of the people. As we destroyed the barricade of the WTO, we will destroy the Ministry of the WTO.”

The last speaker was a woman from the African delegation, who told the crowd that “Comrades, we are from Africa and we say Africa is not for sale. Today, in Africa, people are in the streets with us.”

The rally then moved into the next phase, where effigies of the WTO were placed atop the fence and burned. Made out of sticks and grain bags filled with newspaper, the symbolic burning of the WTO was celebrated with cheers and clapping. A large flag from the United States was also brought out and set on fire. The crowd began chanting “Lee vive, la lucha sigue.” (Lee lives, the struggle continues).

After the burning, a final ceremony was held to celebrate the memory of Lee Hyung-kae. Flowers were handed out, and the crowd was asked to place their flowers in a pile in front of the riot police, within the area where the fence had been cleared. This ultimate act of non-violence was an appropriate end to the direct action that had successfully torn through the fence that kept the people away from the WTO.

The demonstration then took on a festive atmosphere as people played drums and danced in the streets. The police continued standing with their riot shields pointing out while the crowd slowly dispersed.

 

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