Strike back against global capitalism Seattle activist speaks
[Workers Power Australia, May-July 2000]
Doyle is an activist from the United States who was involved in building the N30 protests in Seattle last year. Now she’s in Melbourne and involved with the S11 campaign against the World Economic Forum.
We interviewed Doyle to get her insight into the events of Seattle and the lessons Melbourne activists can take forward to S11.
WP: Can you explain what the Seattle demonstrations were about?
D: Many different groups from around the US and Canada, and from around the world, came to Seattle to protest the World Trade Organisation's free trade policies, which effect human rights, trade unions, and the environment. People specifically targeted Genetic Engineering, and the global free logging agreement, the privatisation of water, and sweatshop issues. The WTO’s Seattle ministerial was called the ‘millennium round’, and people wanted to make sure it never got off the ground.
WP: Who were the main groups involved and how widespread was the movement?
D: The Direct Action Network consisted of hundreds of groups. It was an umbrella organisation set up for Seattle. Some of the main groups in it were the Ruckus Society, Art & Revolution, Earth-First!-Seattle, People's Global Action, Rainforest Action Network, and heaps more.
In addition to DAN, there was also the IFG (International Forum on Globalization) who did teach-ins and work shops all week. They’re like, Jerry Mander, Vandana Shiva, David Korton, Then there were the Unions, the AFL-CIO, the Steelworkers, and heaps of others; farmers, teamsters, firefighters. Jubilee 2000 was also there, and there were lots of people who didn’t necessarily belong to a specific group, they just got involved.
WP: What were the main demands of the rally?
D: Well, I was doing independent media for RAN and Global Exchange because they were walking at the head of the march on N30, and were representing the ‘people’s delegation’. DAN had agreed on some folks who were educated on specific issues, sweat-shops, forests, etc. and they would march at the front and demand to be taken inside the conference to be a part of the negotiations.
Of course, that didn’t really pan out. But as a whole, the crowds in the streets were unified in opposition. Some people were calling for reform of the institution; some were calling for the abolition of it.
WP: What type of organisation was used?
D: Massive publicity. Thousands of flyers, posters and stickers, and word of mouth. The website was an essential tool, as well as email lists. The DAN was organised using a directly democratic model, where small affinity groups work on consensus and send spokes people to the ‘spokescouncil’ meeting. Then the spokescouncil decides by consensus about actions and stuff. But each affinity group is autonomous. Each affinity group can do what they like as long as it is within the guiding principles of DAN, which were ‘no weapons, no drugs, no violence, no property destruction’.
WP: Was this the first time you’ve been involved in anything like this?
D: Something of this size and scale-yes! Nothing this big had ever happened in my whole lifetime! Seattle was the biggest, mass direct action ever attempted, at least in my lifetime. It was taking tactics used by forest activists, and RTS, to shut down a meeting. It wasn’t just a rally or a picket- it was a mass direct action, and no one had ever seen anything like it!
WP: What lessons do think those involved in S11 could learn from N30 and A16?
D: Be prepared for everything. All worst-case scenarios should be run over a thousand times. In Seattle we were all prepared for arrest, but no body got arrested on N30, they just opened fire on us.
WP: What do you think is the potential for this type of movement to spread further in the US and around the world?
D: I think there is heaps of potential. I am very optimistic. I think there are seeds of revolution in this movement, because we are united in opposition to these giant, formidable, economic institutions, which are so powerful, and we are winning.. We are not just protesting the symptoms, but trying to draw attention to the CAUSE by trying to stop the meetings of the people in power, who are making decisions about our food, water, culture, what we will red in the media. This is really something that is growing and is very powerful because it is organised.
