Thanks sister Ylva for the update Habib Ylva Hernlund wrote: > Greetings, > I just came from downtown Seattle which is currently considered a > "restricted access" zone. that means that no protests are allowed within > certain streets, but also regular citizens are being stopped, asked for > ID, searched and in many cases denied access to their city. The National > Guard is marching down the streets and police in riot gear are arresting > peaceful protesters by the busload. Many people have been teargassed and > shot with rubber bullets--this morning I photographed a young man whose > entire body was covered in bruises from rubber bullets. There is no > denying that a small number of people went nuts last night and engaged in > mindless stupid violence, looting and rioting (most do not appear to be > part of any organized protest whatsoever and some were apparently local > teenagers looking for an adrenaline high). As these images go out into > the global media, however, I hope that people will remember that this is > not all that is happening in our city. Wednesday, thousands of people > gathered for an interfaith service, organized by Jubilee 2000, calling for > debt relief and later formed a peaceful human chain around the opening WTO > reception, then symbolically breaking the chain of debt. Likewise, > yesterday something in the neighbourhood of 20,000 > activists--environmental, human rights, labor--marched in peace and > dignity and focused on issues rather than media attention. > If anyone is interested in more information from "the front" e-mail me in > private, Ylva > On Wed, 1 Dec 1999, Tony Cisse wrote: > > > Jaajef wa G-L > > > > Some account of what is happening at the World Trade > > Organisation in Seattle. I wonder what the Gambia > > Government position is regarding these trade negotiations? > > Could anyone enlighten us? > > > > > > Yeenduleen ak jaama > > > > Tony > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > Salam folks, here's a taste of what's up in Seattle ...I will > > post more information,and eye wittness reports by the > > demonstrators themselves later tonight. > > > > power to the people! > > > > shut down world corporatization! > > > > Altaf > > > > > > ------- Forwarded Message Follows ------- > > > > Date sent: Tue,30 Nov 1999 17:42:25 > > > > < > > > > > > The people rise... the bosses PANIC! > > > > > > This just in... (Nov.30) THE NATIONAL GUARD TO BE > > DEPLOYED IN SEATTLE! > > > > > > SEATTLE (Reuters) - Washington state Gov. Gary Locke > > agreed > > on Tuesday to send in the National Guard to remove > > anti-trade > > protesters as darkness fell on a day of violent > > demonstrations in > > the city, local television reported. The governor was > > responding to a > > request by Seattle Mayor Paul > > > > Schell, who said earlier that he was declaring a 7 p.m. > > curfew after > > > > protesters threw the first day of a World Trade Organization > > meeting into > > > > confusion, KIRO Channel 7 television said. > > > > > > ------------------- > > > > Earlier... > > > > > > (Nov.30) The Independent Media Center is reporting that the > > Mayor > > of > > > > Seattle has declared downtown Seattle to be a CIVIL > > EMERGENCY. Seattle > > > > police have attacked demonstrators with tear gas and have > > fired > > rubber > > > > bullets into the crowds. Armored Personnel Carriers are on > > the > > streets. A > > > > curfew has been declared! > > > > > > Meanwhile, 75,000 thousand march in France to show their > > opposition to the > > > > WTO's meeting in Seattle, and several thousand protestors > > attempt > > to shut > > > > down London with their own anti-capitalist protests. > > > > > > The corporate media is under-reporting and distorting events > > as they > > > > continue to build in intensity. Don't listen to the lap dog > > press... > > > > bookmark the Media Center's Web site for full, accurate, > > details on > > what's > > > > happening on the streets of Seattle; > > > > > > http://www.indymedia.org/ > > > > > > ------------------- > > > > Tuesday November 30 > > > > Protests Force WTO to Relocate, Delay Opening > > > > > > SEATTLE (Reuters) - Protests forced the World Trade > > Organization > > (WTO) on > > > > Tuesday to delay its opening ceremony for several hours and > > > > relocate to a > > > > more secure building. > > > > > > Thousands of protesters took up position in key places > > around > > downtown > > > > Seattle early on Tuesday, preventing delegates from leaving > > their > > hotels > > > > and from entering the Paramount Theater, where the opening > > ceremony was to > > > > have started at 10 a.m. > > > > > > Police firing canisters of tear gas, spraying pepper spray and > > firing > > > > small rubber pellets skirmished with protesters as they tried > > to > > clear the > > > > streets to allow the meeting to get underway. WTO Director- > > General Mike > > > > Moore told a half-empty theater that the decision to postpone > > the > > ceremony > > > > was taken by the U.S. government as host of the meeting. > > U.S. > > Trade > > > > Representative Charlene Barshefsky was among those kept > > in her > > room by the > > > > protests, U.S. and WTO officials said. [MY NOTE: clinton is > > expected to > > > > arrive in Seattle on Wednesday! The ONLY World "leader" to > > come > > to the WTO > > > > meeting!}------------------- > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > <nofill> > > Islam and Social Justice Page: > > http://www.wco.com/~altaf/altaf.html > > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > > To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L > > Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html > > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L > Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------------