On the global protest movement

Author(s): Kees Biekart
Publication date: Wednesday 20 October 2004

As the dust settled after the G8 summit in Genoa 2001, governments, the media and protesters licked their wounds and the global protest caravan moved on to Washington DC in September for the annual meeting of the World Bank and the IMF. Perhaps it is time to consider what has been learned, what has been achieved and where the future lies for global protest.

1. Global protesters have achieved at least one major victory: they have shaken the ivory towers of neoliberalism.
2. Global protest existed long before the 'battle of Seattle'. What is new are the growing linkages between highly diverse campaigns.
3. However, it would be incorrect to speak of an 'anti-globalisation movement' or even an 'anti-capitalist movement'.
4. The main weakness of the 'movement' is its apparent inability to articulate alternative proposals.
5. The emergent 'global protest movement' includes more people and initiatives than just the thousands that have gathered at global summits.
6. The potential of the 'global protest movement' lies in its enormous diversity of participants.
7. The movement has no leaders and questions the role of political parties; this is enabling the emergence of a 'global citizenship'.
8. Street marches during global summits have been an important tool, but new, creative means of expression need to be found.
9. The 'movement' itself will have to show the capacity to develop new and more transparent, inclusive methods of decision-making as an alternative to 'representative democracy'.
10. Change must happen at millions of different locations. Don't hesitate to become a global citizen yourself!

Source:

Related links:

http://www.tni.org/archives/biekart/ecologist.htm