It’s been nearly two years since I attended the protests in Miami against the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). There was another ministerial meeting this weekend, this time in Argentina, this time with thousands more demonstrators opposed to this unjust free trade agenda. Media reports once again painted a skewed picture that focused only on the violent protesters, neglecting the real news that the vast majority of the hemisphere is opposed to an economic system that will perpetuate poverty, further erode environmental and labor protections, and concentrate even greater wealth into an even smaller minority.
In Miami trade ministers were only able to come to a minimal agreement, it was dubbed “FTAA-lite” for being a watered-down version of the sweeping free trade rules that were first proposed. Now it looks like the FTAA is on its last legs, and we’re getting closer to its complete rejection.
As always, the local Indymedia site will has on the ground media by and for activists, unfiltered by the mainstream corporate media.
For those of you who remember the police brutality against activists at the Miami FTAA, class action litigation still moving forward. A settlement was already reached in favor of the women subjected to unlawful strip searches in police custody, and more suits are working their way through the courts. You can go here to read about the suit that I’m involved in.
