Thousands gather in HK for protest march before WTO summit

HONG KONG--Thousands of anti-globalization activists--some dressed like chickens and others carrying a big spider--held Sunday their first protest march ahead of the World Trade Organization summit in Hong Kong.

The march from Hong Kong's downtown Victoria Park to the government's main office began with more than 3,000 protesters from around the world, but organizers said they expected more people to join later in the day.

Overseas activists have been flooding into Hong Kong ahead of the WTO's meeting on Dec. 13-18. Police have been busy securing neighborhoods around the meeting venue and blocking off streets to prevent the violence that has marred past WTO summits.

Members of the militant Korean Peasants League held up a banner that said, "This hamburger is made of people's meat. Can you enjoy it?" The sign showed a hamburger made of hands and feet. The group opposes further opening South Korea's market to agricultural imports.

A Filipino migrant group held signs saying, "Resist Imperialist Plunder and War," while other demonstrators pounded on drums and clanged cymbals.
British activist Tom Grundy was dressed like a chicken and held a sign that said, "WTO: more dangerous than chicken flu."

He said, "We need to raise awareness of the true intention of the WTO. It's undemocratically elected. It undermines and overrides any law a country wants to bring to protect workers and the environment."

Activists with the Indonesian Migrants' Workers Union were carrying a giant spider with a monster's head, which they said symbolized the WTO. They chanted "Sink WTO now."

Members of the Indian farmers' group Tamil Nadu Dalit Women's Movement chanted, "WTO out of agriculture." The group's spokeswoman, Fatima Bernad, said that opening India's market to imports would be devastating for farmers.

"We don't want the WTO to reach any agreement on agriculture. It's spoiling our industry," she said.

The 149-member WTO sets rules for global commerce and serves as a forum to resolve trade disputes. One of the group's goals is creating a more open global trading system.

Two months ago, WTO chief Pascal Lamy acknowledged in a speech in Hong Kong that free trade hurts some people--particularly those in poorer nations. But he said those who benefit are in the majority.

"The evidence is overwhelming that nations which are open enjoy higher economic growth and levels of development than those which are closed," Lamy said. "And it is an irrefutable truth that no poor nation has ever become rich without trade."