Long-time Indymedia volunteer, reporter and activist rabble writes: It's easy to talk about how indymedia and the visible anti-neoliberal globalization movement appeared out of nowhere in 1999. As if it sprung magically out of the tear gas as a fully developed living breathing movement. It's a romantic myth which has been useful in the spread of indymedia. But it's not true. The Seattle WTO protests grew out of years of struggle and a coalition building effort and a lot of luck. Many social movements grew and converged at the same time as having a tremendous tactical victory in the streets.

So first i will explain a bit of how the social movements made the seattle wto protests a success. There were many years of very reformist and conservative unions who have declining membership who took on the free trade fight. They had fought and lost against free trade agreements with Canada and Mexico. So they understood the importance. Then there were social justice groups and the normal leftists. These groups were aware of the WTO through organizing against APEC and NAFTA. Folks had been inspired by protests against the G8 and many other groups. There was an idea, that elsewhere anti-globalization protests had been successful and how it was 'our turn'. So this broad spectrum of leftist groups included many media activists who created indymedia.

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