Monday, February 12, 2007

DC 7th Round Day One

The seventh round of FTA negotiations in Washington DC has officially begun. A delegation of activists from South Korea (ncluding members of the Korean Alliance Against the KorUS FTA, Korea Peasants League, Korean Advanced Farmers Federation, Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, Korean Cattle Ranchers Association, Korean Metal Workers Union, Korean Women Against US Occupation, and others) and the US (members of KAWAN, Justice Committee, Audre Lorde Project, International Action Center, ANSWER Coalition, Queer People of Color Liberation Project, and others) have arrived in Washington DC in conjunction with the negotiations have arrived and begun this struggle for this 7th and final round of negotiations.

Summary of the day's events:
At 9:30 AM, we held an opening press conference in front of the Washington Court Hotel with Korean and US major media outlets.
At 1 PM, we kicked off the week formally with an opening rally and march beginning at Malcom X Park and ending at Lafayette Park in front of the White House. Speakers and performers at the rally included representatives from an array of grassroots organizations resisting the KorUS FTA from South Korea and around the country. After the rally, the delegation moved to the Washington Court Hotel, the site of the negotiations, to pitch two tents where activists against the FTA will maintain a continuous symbolic and strategic presence throughout the week of negotiations in a show of opposition to the undemocratic nature of the official talks.

Throughout the week, we will be engaging in a mix of advocacy efforts, direct action, and other tactics to demonstrate our resistance to the KorUS FTA. DOWN DOWN FTA!

Tomorrow's agenda (all and sundry are invited to participate):
9 AM: Rally in front of the Washington Court Hotel
!2 PM: Joint rally with Change to Win, AFL-CIO, KAWAN (Korean Americans Against War and Neoliberalism), KoA (Korean Alliance Against the KorUS FTA), and KCTU (Korean Confederation of Trade Unions)
Afternoon and evening: Creative actions.

Stay tuned for the rest of the week!

Toojeng,
Yumi

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