10,000 PROTEST THE FTAA IN QUITO

ENLACE Press Release
Octobre 31, 2002 ˆ 1530

10,000 PROTEST THE FTAA IN QUITO

Campesino Leaders denounce repression as evidence of the absence of freedom as "Free Trade" advances

15,000 More Protest Against Neo-liberalism in Cuenca

10,000 indigenous peoples, campesinos, workers, and students protested in the streets of Quito to voice their rejection of the FTAA and the neo-liberal model. Ecuadorian security forces responded with repression. Human rights groups have confirmed that at least five people were injured by tear gas canisters, which were being shot directly at children, the elderly, and national leaders from CONEUNASSC-CNC and CONAIE.

„Once against, we see that ŒFree Trade‚ means repression and the violation of human rights. Sufficient freedom is not granted for the people to voice their rejection to initiatives being imposed by powerful countries,‰ affirmed Cesar Cabrera, President of the National Confederation of Campesino Security (CONFEUNASSC-CNC).

„However, our victory today has been important: millions of people have found out about the impacts of the FTAA. We have demonstrated to the world that the peoples of the hemisphere completely reject this proposal.‰

Among the injured was Luis Muñoz, President of the Nacional Federation of Judicial Workers, who was hit directly with a tear gas canister in the chest, according to a report from the Eugenio Espejo Hospital. His condition is stable.

In addition to the mobilization outside the Seventh Ministerial Meeting of the FTAA and the Seventh Business Forum of the Americas, mobilizations of over 1,000 people are also taking place in Bolivar and Machala. 15,000 campesinos and artisans came together to protest in the southern city of Cuenca in support of the events in Quito.

The directors of CONAIE and CONFEUNASSC-CNC have made a request to authorities to send a delegation to express the concerns of the people to the trade ministers, but the only response to this request was repression and the use of tear gas.

¨We condemn the actions of the police,‰ said José Encalada, director of CONFEUNASSC-CNC. „The FTAA will disrupt the culture and economy of the campesino; erode the productive capacity of our countries; and grant more rights to transnationals to privatize our water, and other strategic services. For these reasons, the people of the Americas are rejecting the proposal. Governments should not only respect out right to protest, but should listen to our peoples, who want an alternative form of integration, based in the principles of reciprocity, justice, and respect for cultural and environmental diversity.‰

FOR MORE ECUADOR INFO/PHOTOS:
international Ecuador Indymedia photos and articles mostly in Spanish:
http://ecuador.indymedia.org/en/antiALCAmobilization/

Photos:
http://search.news.yahoo.com/search/news?p=ecuador&c=news_photos

Mainstream Articles:
http://search.news.yahoo.com/search/news?c=&p=ecuador