LET OUR RESISTANCE BE AS TRANSNATIONAL AS CAPITAL!
November 30th, 1999
A Global Day of Action, Resistance, and Carnival Against the Global Capitalist System
Activists from diverse groups and movements around the world are discussing, networking and organising for
an INTERNATIONAL DAY OF ACTION on November 30th. On this day, officials of 150 governments will meet
in Seattle for the 3rd conference of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), at which they will decide on new
policies that will further escalate the exploitation of our planet and its people by the global capitalist system.
Thus, there will be attempts to push through a new version of the Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI),
strengthen intellectual property rights, and further neoliberalization through a new round of free trade talks.
A coalition of radical ACTIVISTS has been formed in Seattle to stage actions against the conference, and
activist groups around the world are planning to converge on the city. Also, the international Peoples Global
Action (PGA) network and the IWW(International Workers of the World) are planning ACTIONS AGAINST THE
WTO around the world. Meanwhile, various grassroots groups prepare to take action in their own parts of the
world in recognition that the CAPITALIST SYSTEM, based on the exploitation of people, societies and the
environment for the profit of a few, is the PRIME CAUSE of present SOCIAL AND ECOLOGICAL TROUBLES.
In view of these developments, we now call for SYMPATHETIC COMMUNITIES, GRASSROOTS GROUPS,
AND INDIVIDUALS around the world to organise their OWN AUTONOMOUS ACTIONS, protests, and carnivals
against the capitalist system on November 30th. Our simultaneous TRANSFORMATION OF THE CAPITALIST
SOCIAL ORDER around the world - in the streets, neighbourhoods, fields, factories, offices, commercial
centres, financial districts, and so on- would contribute to the process of bringing separate struggles together
and BUILDING ALTERNATIVE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC STRUCTURES based on co-operation, ecological
sustainability, and grassroots democracy.
This call is made in the spirit of continuing the process of building a strong, bold, and CREATIVE
GRASSROOTS MOVEMENT against the economic and political institutions of capitalism. For as we realise
that no issue is isolated, be it exploitation of workers, the peasant farmers going bankrupt, the indigenous
peoples getting displaced by "development"programmes or our environment being destroyed, we also realise
that we must act together and UNITE OUR STRUGGLES AGAINST the social, political, and economic
institutions of THE CAPITALIST SYSTEM. Only a strong and united movement of grassroots groups who
struggle independent of these institutions and seek to effect change directly through their own autonomous
action can dissolve their power and BUILD A BETTER SOCIAL ORDER based on grassroots organisation.
Our simultaneous occupation and transformation of economic centres around the globe on November 30th, and
our preparations leading up to this, would be an essential contribution to the process of making local, national,
and international connections. The day would BRING DIFFERENT MOVEMENTS TOGETHER in solidarity with
one another and strengthen the mutual bonds of otherwise disparate groups - workers, the unemployed,
students, trade unionists, peasants, the landless, fishers, women groups, ethnic minorities, indigenous peoples,
peace activists, environmental activists, ecologists, and so on. This process could be continued through
FURTHER GLOBAL DAYS OF ACTION IN THE FUTURE - MAYDAY 2000, for instance, has been pointed out
as a perfect symbolic and real opportunity to escalate our resistance.
The PRESENT PROPOSAL of a November 30th global day of action FOLLOWS from the success of the
co-ordinated global day of action on JUNE 18TH this year, and is intended to expand on it in the same spirit.
On that day, separate grassroots movements in over 30 countries on all continents worked together and
JOINED FORCES AGAINST THE GLOBAL CAPITALIST SYSTEM. The day saw for instance marches by
workers in Bangladesh and Pakistan; a fake trade fair by Uruguayan activists; thousands of people in a carnival
in London's financial district; occupations and street parties in Spain, Italy, USA, and Canada; ten thousand
people in Nigeria protesting the oil industry and imperialism; and, in Melbourne, a prominent politician hit with a
cream pie and a logging multinational blockaded with dead wombats. (For more information, see:
http://www.infoshop.org/june18.html and http://www.j18.org
The November 30th global day of action would be organised in a non-hierarchical way, as a DECENTRALISED
AND INFORMAL NETWORK of autonomous groups that struggle for solidarity and co-operation while
employing non-authoritarian, grassroots democratic forms of organisation. Each event or ACTION would be
ORGANISED AUTONOMOUSLY BY EACH GROUP, while coalitions of various movements and groups could
be formed at the local, regional, and national levels. A strategy that may be useful at the local level is that
various groups co-operate in creating a surrounding ATMOSPHERE OF CARNIVAL and festivity as a setting
for their various actions. Examples of conceivable actions are:
street parties strikes handing out flyers street theatre pickets demonstrations occupations of
offices blockades and shutdowns building gardens speeches appropriation and disposal of luxury
consumer goods critical mass bike rides banner hangings sabotaging, wrecking, or interfering with
capitalist infrastructure carnivals appropriating capitalist wealth and returning it to the working people
handing out free food mock trade fairs marches music dancing solidarity actions declaring
oneself independent from global capitalism and authoritarian governments setting up grassroots' community
councils and holding meetings outside city halls setting up economic alternatives, like workers' co-operatives
offering no interest loans outside major banks reclaiming space (streets, government land, office buildings,
etc.) for living, playing, etc. free distribution of community controlled newspapers
Your INITIATIVE AND PARTICIPATION, no matter how small, are crucial to the success of the November 30th
day of action in your location. This proposal needs to be spread and discussed, perhaps translated; meetings
need to be organised; EVENTS PLANNED; leaflets printed and distributed; funds raised; laughter and
conversation shared.
If you, or your group, plan actions on November 30th, please let others know as soon as possible, to
FACILITATE NETWORKING and communication, as well as International media efforts. Please send your
contact information to: n30contacts@angelfire.com
Your contact information may be included in an international contacts list. The more detailed information you
send (land address, phone number, fax number, email address), the better it is, but, for your own security,
please do not include any contact information that you prefer not to be made public.
We expect to COMMUNICATE INTERNATIONALLY PRIMARILY BY EMAIL, and so encourage all groups and
individuals who plan to take action to subscribe to suitable mailing lists, and in general make efforts to STAY IN
TOUCH through this and other means. There is a list of available mailing lists in the appendix below. Please
join one, and SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS and plans with the rest of us.
This proposal must be translated into as MANY LANGUAGES as possible, and as soon as possible, since the
availability of translations will very much affect our chances of spreading it at a truly global level. If you wish to
translate it into some language, please start as soon as possible, and let the rest of us know that you are doing
it. Write N30contacts@angelfire.com with offers or requests for translations.
Please FORWARD THIS PROPOSAL to appropriate lists and to people who will be interested, reproduce it
and circulate, put it on a web site, and most importantly, ACT.
NOVEMBER 30 GLOBAL DAY OF ACTION COLLECTIVE
N30 c/o IWW
5215 Ballard NW
Seattle, WA. 98107
(206)706-6250
http://go.to/n30
APPENDIX:
I. Mailing lists
II. References
I. Mailing lists
THE NOVEMBER 30 DISCUSSION LIST: This list allows for participants around the globe to co-ordinate and
discuss the November 30th global day of action. Subscribers will receive information and updates about the
N30 preparations around the world. To subscribe, go to: http://n30.listbot.com
THE NO2WTO DISCUSSION LIST: This discussion list has been set up to generate and co-ordinate
networking among people interested in radical mobilisation in Seattle for WTO (as in contrast to the generally
reformist tendencies of the general Seattle coalition).
Subscribe and unsubscribe directly from:
http://no2wto.listbot.com/
II. References
NOVEMBER 30 DAY OF ACTION WEB SITE The November 30th website will contain information and updates
about the November 30th preparations around the world, a regularly updated list of participating groups around
the world, announcements of language specific mailing lists, WTO info, etc:
http://go.to/n30
GENERAL SEATTLE anti-WTO Activities:
http://www.seattle99.org
JUNE 18th global day of action:
http://www.j18.org/
http://www.infoshop.org/june18.html
Peoples Global Action against 'Free' Trade and the WTO (PGA):
mailto:pga@agp.org
http://www.agp.org/agp/index.html
The World Trade Organisation:
http://www.wto.org/
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