Skip to content or view mobile version

Home | Mobile | Editorial | Mission | Privacy | About | Contact | Help | Security | Support

A network of individuals, independent and alternative media activists and organisations, offering grassroots, non-corporate, non-commercial coverage of important social and political issues.

NO-WTO! REPORT OF READING SOLIDARITY DEMO:

NO-WTO | 18.12.2005 16:54 | WTO Hong Kong 2005 | Globalisation | Oxford | World

In Reading last night, around 20-30 anti-capitalists, environmentalists, students and others marched from the Reading International Solidarity Centre, to make a free cafe and anti-World Trade Organisation demonstration outside Starbucks in the town centre. Protesters moved quickly into the Oracle Riverside - busy private land on both sides of the canal which is lined with posh restaurants, bars and the cinema between the huge Oracle shopping center and it's multi-story carpark.

A stall was quickly set up serving free hot soup and coffee, bread and crepes, as well as various leaflets such as Zapatista Solidarity stuff, Rising Tide leaflets, Columbia Solidarity materials, anti-WTO leaflets, Schnews and Anarchist Federation newsletters. The soup, served up by local anti-authoritarians RAGE, was made from locally grown, organic produce from the True Food Coop, while the Zapatista Solidarity Group gave out 'Cafe Rebelda' coffee, imported from Chiapas, Southeast Mexico as direct solidarity and publicity for the Zapatista's indigenous rebellion there - and a big thanks to whoever brought the crepes down from RISC!!!!

Of course security turned up pretty sharpish, and unfortunately prevented a Rising Tide banner being hung from the bridge, but a 30ft banner reading 'WTO - Derail, Dismantle, Destroy' was successfully displayed, along with a couple of the obligatory red 'n' black flags. The 10-15 security guards clearly weren't sure what to do and quickly called a couple of plod down who also weren't too sure what to do; "We need to speak with a leader, a representative", "There isnt one, talk to all of us or none of us", "Erm, we cant, erm..."

The reaction from the public was pretty good, there were a few odd folks who don't seem to want stuff for free (WTF!?), but the coffee and food went down pretty quick and with much gratitude! Various people stopped to chat and hear why we were there, and expressed much support when we explained. Personally, I had a good chat with a young worker at Starbucks who came out for a chat (and agreed that we "need to get rid of the bosses"), a girl from Hong Kong who was well chuffed and one lady who excitedly exclaimed after a minute or two when she realised "Ooooo, you're anti-capitalists arent you!?!"

Of course, the cops wanted any excuse and took their opportunity after half an hour or so, when some bloke (after a few too many beers I think) managed to trip over some bags. They immediately imposed Section 14 and demanded we leave within 15 minutes. Though a couple did, most of us stayed untill all the coffee was gone and then got a yellow-jacketed escort back to the pub (including the allways hilarious Police panic when they realise we are close to the Shopping Centre entrence and order security to rush over and protect it! - Anyone remember their moment of panic at McDonalds on the 2003 DSEi RTS?! lol).

Anyway, the overall feeling was positive (despite the bloody cold weather!), not just due to the public support etc, but also due to the co-operation between different group in Reading, the fact of some folks coming along who havn't been on local demo's or been involved in 'radical' politics before and also the contingent of students from a nearby college who held the banner all evening (thanks folks)!!! This is a build on communication and co-operation between different activists and local people which has been increasing since the G8 Summit mobilisation earlier this year, so all good stuff!

The 6th WTO ministerial has taken place this week in Hong Kong, aiming to further liberalise global trade in agriculture, goods and services, to the detriment of all of us, but particularly those farmers, peasants, workers, women, children and others struggling to survive in the Global South. Unfortunately, a deal has been signed in Hong Kong, though it is largely seen as a face-saver and the Doha round of trade talks are still pretty much dead in the water. But huge protests have taken place this week on Hong Kongs streets, including major clashes between riot police and demonstrators (mostly Korean farmers), who yesterday braved tear gas, pepper spray and rubber bullets to break police lines and allmost get into the Convention Center. Good luck and best wishes to them!

For more info and links to anti-WTO and relevent local websites please see:

 http://www.no-wto.co.nr

If you want to contact any of the local groups and individuals involved (such as people from RAGE, Reading Rising Tide, Gay Bishop radical newsletter, Reading Peace Group, Friends of the Earth, RISC, Zapatista Soldiarity Group, Columbia Solidarity and Anarchist Federation ) please email RAGE at ragecollective(AT)hotmail.co.uk and we will put you in touch.

Love, Fury & Solidarity.

NO-WTO
- e-mail: ragecollective(AT)hotmail.co.uk
- Homepage: http://www.no-wto.co.nr

Upcoming Coverage
View and post events
Upcoming Events UK
24th October, London: 2015 London Anarchist Bookfair
2nd - 8th November: Wrexham, Wales, UK & Everywhere: Week of Action Against the North Wales Prison & the Prison Industrial Complex. Cymraeg: Wythnos o Weithredu yn Erbyn Carchar Gogledd Cymru

Ongoing UK
Every Tuesday 6pm-8pm, Yorkshire: Demo/vigil at NSA/NRO Menwith Hill US Spy Base More info: CAAB.

Every Tuesday, UK & worldwide: Counter Terror Tuesdays. Call the US Embassy nearest to you to protest Obama's Terror Tuesdays. More info here

Every day, London: Vigil for Julian Assange outside Ecuadorian Embassy

Parliament Sq Protest: see topic page
Ongoing Global
Rossport, Ireland: see topic page
Israel-Palestine: Israel Indymedia | Palestine Indymedia
Oaxaca: Chiapas Indymedia
Regions
All Regions
Birmingham
Cambridge
Liverpool
London
Oxford
Sheffield
South Coast
Wales
World
Other Local IMCs
Bristol/South West
Nottingham
Scotland
Social Media
You can follow @ukindymedia on indy.im and Twitter. We are working on a Twitter policy. We do not use Facebook, and advise you not to either.
Support Us
We need help paying the bills for hosting this site, please consider supporting us financially.
Other Media Projects
Schnews
Dissident Island Radio
Corporate Watch
Media Lens
VisionOnTV
Earth First! Action Update
Earth First! Action Reports
Topics
All Topics
Afghanistan
Analysis
Animal Liberation
Anti-Nuclear
Anti-militarism
Anti-racism
Bio-technology
Climate Chaos
Culture
Ecology
Education
Energy Crisis
Fracking
Free Spaces
Gender
Globalisation
Health
History
Indymedia
Iraq
Migration
Ocean Defence
Other Press
Palestine
Policing
Public sector cuts
Repression
Social Struggles
Technology
Terror War
Workers' Movements
Zapatista
Major Reports
NATO 2014
G8 2013
Workfare
2011 Census Resistance
Occupy Everywhere
August Riots
Dale Farm
J30 Strike
Flotilla to Gaza
Mayday 2010
Tar Sands
G20 London Summit
University Occupations for Gaza
Guantanamo
Indymedia Server Seizure
COP15 Climate Summit 2009
Carmel Agrexco
G8 Japan 2008
SHAC
Stop Sequani
Stop RWB
Climate Camp 2008
Oaxaca Uprising
Rossport Solidarity
Smash EDO
SOCPA
Past Major Reports
Encrypted Page
You are viewing this page using an encrypted connection. If you bookmark this page or send its address in an email you might want to use the un-encrypted address of this page.
If you recieved a warning about an untrusted root certificate please install the CAcert root certificate, for more information see the security page.

Global IMC Network


www.indymedia.org

Projects
print
radio
satellite tv
video

Africa

Europe
antwerpen
armenia
athens
austria
barcelona
belarus
belgium
belgrade
brussels
bulgaria
calabria
croatia
cyprus
emilia-romagna
estrecho / madiaq
galiza
germany
grenoble
hungary
ireland
istanbul
italy
la plana
liege
liguria
lille
linksunten
lombardia
madrid
malta
marseille
nantes
napoli
netherlands
northern england
nottingham imc
paris/île-de-france
patras
piemonte
poland
portugal
roma
romania
russia
sardegna
scotland
sverige
switzerland
torun
toscana
ukraine
united kingdom
valencia

Latin America
argentina
bolivia
chiapas
chile
chile sur
cmi brasil
cmi sucre
colombia
ecuador
mexico
peru
puerto rico
qollasuyu
rosario
santiago
tijuana
uruguay
valparaiso
venezuela

Oceania
aotearoa
brisbane
burma
darwin
jakarta
manila
melbourne
perth
qc
sydney

South Asia
india


United States
arizona
arkansas
asheville
atlanta
Austin
binghamton
boston
buffalo
chicago
cleveland
colorado
columbus
dc
hawaii
houston
hudson mohawk
kansas city
la
madison
maine
miami
michigan
milwaukee
minneapolis/st. paul
new hampshire
new jersey
new mexico
new orleans
north carolina
north texas
nyc
oklahoma
philadelphia
pittsburgh
portland
richmond
rochester
rogue valley
saint louis
san diego
san francisco
san francisco bay area
santa barbara
santa cruz, ca
sarasota
seattle
tampa bay
united states
urbana-champaign
vermont
western mass
worcester

West Asia
Armenia
Beirut
Israel
Palestine

Topics
biotech

Process
fbi/legal updates
mailing lists
process & imc docs
tech