Ecuadorans Call For Solidarity with US/Canadian Organizations

A REQUEST FROM ECUADOR, FOR U.S. & CANADIAN ACTIVISTS:
JOIN AN INNOVATIVE PROJECT LINKING GRASSROOTS GROUPS HERE AND IN NORTH AMERICA
IN THE FIGHT FOR GLOBAL JUSTICE


Hyderabad...Seattle...Washington, D.C....Gothenburg...Prague...Quebec
City...Genoa...QUITO


On October 31, the 7th summit of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (the FTAA,
or ALCA in Spanish) will take place in Ecuador. As the Youth of North America
don witch, and cowboy costumes, a far scarier bunch of middle-aged men, dressed
up like corporate executives, will be converging on the capital city of Quito.
34 foreign ministers and secretaries of state from across the Americas are
coming to Quito to negotiate the FTAA.

As you probably know, the FTAA will give unprecedented power to major
corporations and investors, exacerbating poverty and insecurity, and causing
widespread environmental disaster. The meeting in Quito is critical, because the
FTAA4s backers are hoping that major portions of the agreement will be finalized
here.

But people here in Ecuador have other ideas. Tens of thousands of campesinos
(small farmers), indigenous people, trade unionists, students, and other groups
are mobilizing to non-violently surround the summit, reject the FTAA, and, if
possible, stop the negotiations. And thousands of people from Colombia, Peru,
Bolivia, Brazil, and other countries, are coming to join in.

The CONFEUNASSC-CNC, a powerful national campesino federation, views October as
an opportunity to create new mechanisms of solidarity and build networks of
resistance that span the continent. We are looking for global justice networks,
student groups, community organizations, union locals, collectives,
environmentalists, environmental justice activists, small and/or organic
farmers, food coops, and anyone else who would like to join ALCA-NUNCA (Americas
Linked, Cooperating Against Neoliberalism and for Unity, Community, and
Autonomy).


THE PROJECT:

ALCA-NUNCA will link up grassroots groups in the U.S. with (sister groups( in
Ecuador, local and provincial campesino organizations. The idea is to learn
from each other, strengthen the mobilization in October, and build a foundation
for future coordinated action.

Sister groups will begin by exchanging messages/photos/posters/videos describing
what4s at stake for their community in the struggle against the FTAA, and how
they are fighting back. Groups in Ecuador and North America will coordinate
during the continental days of action planned during the FTAA summit. North
American groups will help get the word out about the mobilization, and will be
ready to apply pressure if we are met by severe repression.

U.S. and Canadian groups will also, if possible, provide resources that are
critically needed to strengthen the mobilization in Ecuador. Funds will help
pay for transportation to the Quito protest, and to support four caravans that
will visit hundreds communities in September and October. These caravans will
reach thousands of people with popular education workshops on the FTAA, Plan
Colombia, art and resistance, and nonviolent direct action. (We are also
inviting participating North American groups to send volunteers to join the
caravans).

This is a critical moment for people of the Americas. If the protests fail, the
FTAA process will likely take a great leap forward, accelerating what amounts
to a death sentence for communities from Anchorage to Argentina. If the
protests succeed, not only will we disrupt the FTAA process, but it will be
impossible for the architects of corporate globalization to continue claiming
that the only thing standing between prosperity and the global south is a bunch
of anarchists, misguided students, and selfish trade unionists.

It has become increasingly clear that the only way to stop corporate
globalization, (or neoliberalism is it is called pretty much everywhere
outside of the U.S.) is through concerted international action. There is no
doubt that resistance to free trade, and neoliberalism exists in literally
every corner of the world. Our goal is to build relationships that will allow
for the coordination of that resistance. Please join us in working to realize a
vision of another America, another Abya Yala, one based on principles of
solidarity, reciprocity, justice, and respect for natural and human diversity.


HOW YOU CAN JOIN ALCA-NUNCA: If you think your group might be interested, or if
you have any questions, please contact grito [at] andinanet.net,
ssc-cnc [at] campesinos-fmlgt.org.ec or dosomething [at] eudoramail.com .

For more info about the FTAA, check out http://www.stopftaa.org



P.S. the new ecuador.indymedia.org is up and running