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Protest against WTO in Iran

Pete | 09.11.2001 19:33

Iran: Workers take part in protest rally against WTO, globalization
Nov 9, 2001
Iranian news agency IRNA

Tehran, 9 November: About 500 Iranian workers rallied peacefully here Friday to protest against the world economic liberalization as world ministers readied to convene in Doha to forge a new agenda on the global trade.

The demonstrators, called by the Iranian labour unions, rallied to the venue of the weekly Friday prayers at the Tehran University campus from a central labour house in the city.

They chanted slogans against the World Trade Organization, with one labour leader describing it as "a drunkard bloodsucker devil".

"Globalization means the domination of the Western culture and the institutionalization of the despotic Western system," Hasan Sadeqi said.

"Global economy is the domination of the West. The cultural domination should be demolished. World workers, unite, unite and death to the Zionist capitalism," the demonstrators chanted.

Sadeqi blamed the "the loss of 200,000 jobs, closure of 3,000 small and large-scale labour units" in Iran on the country's privatization bids.

He said that the situation would even become worse as Iran is fighting its way into the WTO in the face of obstinate US opposition.

"This is still a breeze, triggered by globalization. With Iran's accession to the WTO a storm will rise and workers will be the first victims," Sadeqi said.

The demonstrators also issued a statement at the end of the rally, in which they blamed Iran's current economic ailments on globalization.

"An ailing economy and repeated crises are souvenirs, gifted by the advocates of globalization, who are not satiated yet and want to plunge the country further into a swamp in the name of accession into the WTO," part of the statement said.

"The accelerated pace of globalization is so high that the justice-seeking revolution of the Iranian people has fallen pray to this current as it has inflicted its first blows on the nation in the form of a structural reform plan and massive privatization," it further said.

Trade ministers from over 140 nations gathered amid tight security round of trade liberalization in a bid to revive the world's worsening economy.

In total, 2,641 delegates, 388 representatives of non-governmental organizations and 808 journalists are attending the conference.

Pete

Comments

Hide the following 6 comments

Iran slogans

10.11.2001 02:12

While it is inspiring to read about people demonstrating against the WTO in Iran, I am sure that in most places around the globe anti-WTO protesters are not protesting against "Zionist capitalism" but against capitalism - whatever its colour, religion or philosophy. I can only hope that in Iran the majority of anti-WTO protesters also see it that way. Anti-capitalism has nothing, really nothing to do with anti-semitism. It stands for life and for people, not against them.

concerned activist

Globalization...

10.11.2001 11:30

Perhaps it is still hard for some to understand that Globalization is nothing but unleashed imperialism without any cold war human rights pretense. Now should some poor uneducated third world folk refer to it as Capitalist instead of Capitalist-Zionist of it is a mather of semantic. Regardless of all my thousands of points I may refer to as weaknesses and shortcomings of the Soviet Union, I will always remember some basic facts of history that can never be changed. Many years after Germany's earlier agressions, still corporations like Ford were continuing to have their financial support for Nazis. However few hundreds of thousands of Americans died in the second world war, and not all of it Europe related, still over 20 millions of peoples of the soviets were victimized by such a war which boosted US economy to its best interst. Forevermore you may talk of Capitalism, but until you haven't built a great utopian socialsm that has no alergies to the world market that may make it suffocate, I am for small local businesses that are self sufficient and may help a nation to survive without relying on the multi national cartels.

a member of confederation of Iranians, S. CA
mail e-mail: avalon1949@yahoo.com

Still Imperialism at its worst

10.11.2001 11:36

Still Imperialism at its worst

Perhaps it is still hard for some to understand that Globalization is nothing but unleashed imperialism without any cold war human rights pretense. Now should some poor uneducated third world folk refer to it as Capitalist instead of Capitalist-Zionist of it is a mather of semantic. Regardless of all my thousands of points I may refer to as weaknesses and shortcomings of the Soviet Union, I will always remember some basic facts of history that can never be changed. Many years after Germany's earlier agressions, still corporations like Ford were continuing to have their financial support for Nazis. However few hundreds of thousands of Americans died in the second world war, and not all of it Europe related, still over 20 millions of peoples of the soviets were victimized by such a war which boosted US economy to its best interst. Forevermore you may talk of Capitalism, but until you haven't built a great utopian socialsm that has no alergies to the world market that may make it suffocate, I am for small local businesses that are self sufficient and may help a nation to survive without relying on the multi national cartels.

a member of confederation of Iranians, S. CA
mail e-mail: avalon1949@yahoo.com

anti-Zionism not anti-semitism

10.11.2001 14:18

just a quick reminder of the obvious: although i wouldn't use the same terms as the workers in iran have, fighting against zionism is not anti-semitism. period. the distinction is very very important.

min ahera

anti-WTO protest in Iran

12.11.2001 05:19

Anti-globalization news from Iran and the ME is still rare so this is very good news. Privatization fever is wrecking economies all over the world. Even in the land of its origin England we have the recent big time failure of Railtrack, the privatized version of British Rail.

Response to "Iran Slogans"

23.11.2001 10:27

Please correct me if I am wrong, but I understood that the author of "Iran Slogans" equated anti-Zionism to anti-semitism. I think this equation is inaccurate because Zionism is not equal to Judaism or Jewish culture. Anti-semitism is hateful conduct or speech toward people or entities BECAUSE they are Jewish and as such it is as reprehensible as any other form of discrimination and prejudice. However, criticizing wrong-doing by a Jewish person or entity is no more anti-semitic than criticism of wrong-doing by a muslim or christian is anti-islamic or anti-christianic.
Zionism is the idea of creating an exclusively Jewish state in the historical homeland of the Jews. Some people, among them Jews as well as Gentiles, have opposed this idea because it disregards the rights, and ignores the existence, of the non-Jewish people who have lived in this historical homeland. The practice of Zionism by the State of Israel has meant forced occupation of land in blatant disregard of repeated UN resolutions, condemning millions of Palestinians to life in refugee camps, massacre, torture and terrorization of the Palestinians remaining in occupied territories and creation of a state where non-Jewish residents are treated as second-class citizens. Zionism is opposed because it has provided the foundation for practice of apartheid, military occupation and ethnic cleansing by the state of Israel. All who commit these crimes are worthy of condemnation, whether they call themselves muslim, christian, Jewish or atheist. In fact, those who commit these atrocities in the name of the Jewish people do the Jewish people more injustice than anyone else.

Maryam

UK Indymedia