Corporate CEOs and state leaders, including President Joe Biden, planned to meet to discuss so called “free trade” deals designed to further enrich the world’s financial elite at the expense of oppressed nations and workers around the world. In response, the No 2 APEC Coalition called for a week of demonstrations to once again shut down the summit, just as it had been shut down in Chile in 2019.

Anti-imperialist, women’s, migrant, LGBTQ, student, youth, labor and other social justice groups answered the call under the banner of “People and Planet over Profit and Plunder.” The protest began at Embarcadero Plaza with a land acknowledgment. San Francisco sits on the ancestral and unceded land of the Ramaytush Ohlone peoples, from whom organizers had been given permission and support to host the anti-APEC demonstrations. There were cultural performances, including poetry and song, followed by speakers from different organizations.

A member of the International Women’s Alliance condemned APEC for proposing false economic solutions that only exacerbate the super-exploitation of women workers. An organizer with the Palestinian Youth Movement denounced the U.S. imperialist leaders participating in APEC for also profiting off the ongoing genocide and oppression of the Palestinian people. They affirmed the fearless and unwavering struggle of the Palestinian resistance, asserting that through international solidarity in the anti-imperialist movement, liberation for Palestine in our lifetimes is possible. An organizer with Nodutdol exposed APEC as a vehicle for the further militarization of the Asia-Pacific region, including the Korean peninsula, which contributes to the obstruction of the Korean movement for reunification and national liberation.

Protesters marched from the plaza down Market Street, shutting down one of the largest main streets in downtown San Francisco. Multilingual chants filled the air, including “From Palestine to the Philippines, shut down the U.S. war machine!” “Up, up with liberation, down, down with militarization!” and “We are unstoppable! Another world is possible!” The march was rerouted due to a heavy police and FBI presence, but protesters stayed strong and gathered at the end for a final rally.

Rhonda Ramiro, chair of BAYAN-USA, reminded the crowd what they had gathered to fight for: “We are fighting for a world where all workers have pay and workplace protections, where all working people have the right to unionize and organize, for collective and community control of the land, consistent and unconditional access to food, livable housing and shelter for all, for a stabilized climate, and protection of biodiversity and the natural world.”

Kobi Guillory, co-chair of the Chicago chapter of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, emphasized that all our movements are connected through the common enemy of U.S. imperialism, stating, “We are here protesting against APEC because imperialism always violates the right of self-determination of oppressed people.” He reminded the people that we have power in our numbers, and that through solidarity in our struggles, we will one day overthrow the entire global system of capitalist exploitation and oppression.

#SanFranciscoCA #CapitalismAndEconomy #APEC #ILPS #BAYANUSA #NAARPR

Milwaukee, WI – On Saturday, November 11, the Milwaukee Anti-war Committee (MAC) held a banner drop over a Milwaukee freeway to say “No to APEC!” The bannering was held in solidarity with the People’s Summit counter-protest on the same date in San Francisco, where the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) summit is being held.

The Milwaukee Anti-war Committee is a member organization of the No To APEC Coalition, a coalition fighting against the neoliberal, anti-worker framework being pushed through the summit.

APEC is an intergovernmental forum of 21 member countries who meet annually to discuss how better to push for privatization, deregulation and profit-maximizing legislation in the Asia-Pacific region. The United States utilizes APEC as an arena to assert its agenda, using the free trade region as a tool of reinforcement of trade imbalances that keep smaller nations in the region underdeveloped, in debt, and reliant on foreign powers like the U.S. APEC is also used to attack political rivals, particularly China, for the United States. The U.S.-led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework is meant to block China and seize control of less powerful countries, pushing us ever closer to war through economic coercion.

The Milwaukee Anti-war Committee was joined by the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression as well as the Young Workers Committee to pass out information on the harmful effects of APEC, chant, and hold the banner, where cars below honked in support.

“Deregulation and privatization are inherently anti-worker, and the legislation is often enforced through violent means, both economically and militarily,” said Sam Charnon of the Milwaukee Anti-war Committee.

MAC is one of 160 endorsing organizations of the No To APEC Coalition, a coalition of working class people who are calling out APEC for what it is – a tool of the ruling class to further accumulate profit at the expense of the planet and people. The APEC summit begins on November 15.

#MilwaukeeWI #PeoplesStruggles #CapitalismAndEconomy #APEC #MAC

San Francisco, CA – On November 11, close to 900 people gathered at San Francisco State University for a counter-summit against the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit later that week.

The day was convened by the “No To APEC Coalition,” which had 160 endorsing organizations. The counter-summit was the first action leading up to a week of activity against APEC.

APEC is an inter-governmental forum for 21 member economies in the Pacific Rim that promotes free trade throughout the Asia-Pacific region. While the rhetoric that APEC pushes seem to benefit the member economies, the No to APEC Coalition states that it’s a forum for corporations and institutions to push so-called “free trade” to exploit their workers and put the benefits of corporations over the rights of nations and peoples.

The day began at 9 a.m. with opening remarks that reviewed what APEC and IPEF (Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity) were, and why it’s important to mobilize against them.

The keynote speaker was Brandon Lee, who came out to a standing ovation and chants of “Justice for Brandon Lee!” Lee is an indigenous rights activist who in 2019 was shot in four places by the 54th Infantry Battalion of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, rendering him paralyzed. Lee continues to organize for human rights and is a member of the San Francisco Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines.

During his keynote speech, he spoke about how he became an organizer, and the current fight against Chevron. He also joined the chorus to mobilize against APEC and IPEF, “I will continue to fight as long as I breathe. My story is one of many. There are 1000 people here today, diverse and multi-generational, each with their own journey, all united against APEC. And we will not go gently into the night. We will rage!”

After Lee’s speech there was a plenary with speakers from different movements, including organizers from Palestine, Starbucks Workers United, Myanmar, and others.

The afternoon saw two sets of dozens of workshops for people to choose from.

The evening ended with a call to action for November 12 and the march against APEC. It closed out with agitating speeches, that fired people up!

#SanFranciscoCA #NoToAPEC #APEC #Capitalism #Economy #ILPS

The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum will be meeting in San Francisco and progressives need to be there on Saturday, November 11 and Sunday, November 12.

Freedom Road Socialist Organization opposes APEC as a tool of imperialist exploitation, and stands in solidarity with those planning to protest this meeting, such as the People's Counter-Summit being organized by the No to APEC Coalition.

APEC is a forum in which governments and big corporations collude and contend with each other to exploit the workers and oppressed peoples of the Asia-Pacific region. It is a part of the imperialist strategy of neoliberalism, which seeks to deregulate trade, privatize services, increase the exploitation of the oppressed nations, and advance the agenda of big corporations.

APEC exists for the same reasons as the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), and the United States-Mexico-Canda Agreement (USMCA, known informally as “NAFTA 2.0”): to maximize profits at the expense of working and oppressed peoples.

Freedom Road Socialist Organization stands for a world free of capitalist domination. Institutions like APEC are notorious for meddling in the internal affairs of nations, offering economic ties or “development” loans on the condition of doing away with labor regulations, privatizing public services, or getting rid of tariffs. The U.S. has the most influence within APEC, and its chairperson is Joe Biden. In addition, the U.S. has launched the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), which excludes People’s China, and seeks to limit Beijing’s growing influence.

Wherever the big corporations and their political representatives gather to plot and scheme how to better exploit the workers and oppressed peoples of the world, the people's movements should be in the streets to denounce and expose them. Let’s make them feel our strength in San Francisco November 11 and 12.

No to APEC!

#FRSO #Statement #APEC #Capitalism #Economy

Seattle, WA – On July 29 and 30, Pacific Northwest People Over Profit (PNW POP), along with other organizations, rallied hundreds of people to protest the ministerial meetings taking place in Seattle for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).

APEC is a forum in which governments and big business executives collude to negotiate free trade agreements and frameworks that impose the harsh consequences of neoliberalism on workers within the Asia-Pacific region. The act of protesting neoliberal policies is not unfamiliar to Seattle or the global community, as evidenced by the successful ousting of the WTO in 1999 and APEC in 2019 by the people of Seattle and Chile, respectively.

On Saturday, July 29, the community rallied together at the People’s Summit, a counter-summit to APEC. Eni Lestari, chairperson of International Migrants Alliance and the keynote speaker opened the counter-summit by saying, “Workers and migrants must stand side by side. We must understand global capitalism because it is the root cause of our suffering.”

After the keynote speaker, a panel of organizers spoke on the effects these disastrous trade deals would have on workers in the Philippines, Adidas workers, and logistics workers in the U.S.

“APEC’s claim of building a resilient and sustainable future for all is a lie!” said Clio Jensen, an organizer with UNITE HERE Local 8 who spoke on the panel. “What these deals really aim to do is build the resiliency of a deeply exploitative capitalist system.”

After the panel, 15 different organizations held workshops to build solidarity and further analyze how free trade deals harm workers, migrants, women and the environment. To quote Gemini Gnull, an organizer with Climate Alliance of the South Sound, “From the Philippines to the Navajo nation, rip and ship extraction devastates ecologies and economies for the benefit of the ruling class. This is environmental racism, plain and simple.”

On Sunday, July 30,a passionate crowd of over 600 people took to the streets in protest against APEC, commencing their march at Cal Anderson Park and culminating in a powerful rally that included the strategic blocking of the convention center's doors.

At the park, Hanna Giugler, a rank-and-file Teamster at Local 174 spoke about the gains Teamsters achieved in their recent tentative agreement with UPS. “We Teamsters have learned from past contracts that we need to fight and show the company that we are the ones that make UPS billions of dollars every year! Every gain in this contract is because of militant teamsters pushing and upholding class-struggle unionism.” The neoliberal agenda of APEC aims to build “supply chain resiliency” that would threaten the ability of logistics workers to organize, and ship jobs overseas as NAFTA did in 1994.

After the initial speeches at Cal Anderson Park, the crowd marched towards the Washington State Convention Center where APEC meetings were currently being held, chanting: “Hey hey, ho ho, corporate trade has got to go,” “No to APEC! No to war!” “APEC, let’s stop it, put people over profit” and “APEC, APEC, spewing lies, they don’t care if people die!”

At the convention center, organizers rallied and parked a truck in front of the entrance, blocking off those inside and forcing them to listen to the people’s demands. On top of this truck, an impromptu stage was created where organizers gave speeches.

Daniel Felde, a member of the ILPS US's steering committee, stated, “Institutions like APEC, and free trade deals like the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, don’t exist to solve our problems, they exist to make a profit – always at the expense of the people!” The PNW People Over Profit coalition plans to continue coordinating actions throughout August as ministerial meetings continue.

To stay connected and up to date on mobilizations, text PNWPOP to 833-576-2920.

#SeattleWA #WorkersAndGlobalization #apec

Detroit, MI – The International League of Peoples' Struggle (ILPS), Public Citizen, and local organizers united in a day of resistance to APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation). The senior officials of APEC stopped in Detroit for some of their U.S. meetings to solidify the IPEF (Indo-Pacific Economic Framework) deal.

The IPEF represents more of the same failed policy the U.S. attempts to push on workers both here and abroad – hyper exploitation and investment abroad, deindustrialization and unemployment at home. Much like the embattled TPP (Trans Pacific Partnership) which was pushed by the U.S. until 2017, and failed due to a combination of popular pressure and divisions in the ruling class. Organizers are putting the spotlight on the IPEF so it can be defeated in the same way.

Detroit stands as an example of the outcomes of such trade deals, one of the first and hardest hit by NAFTA deindustrialization and the financial fraud of the banks, so it was a natural choice for the APEC tour of the U.S. Detroiters, labor leaders from the East Coast and Midwest, and organizers from a wide variety of struggles spent the first half of the day learning and teaching each other about this trade deal, its likely outcomes, the interests and governments behind it, and what it means for the working class in the U.S. and abroad.

Bayan USA gave a presentation about the negative impact these trade deals have had on the people and the land in the Philippines: rainforests destroyed by reckless, deregulated nickel mining, labor leaders assassinated atrocious working conditions for those who can find a job, 6000 Filipinos being shipped off every day to every corner of the globe in search of work, and the list goes on.

This was only one aspect of the story, however, with the rich history of solidarity within the international working class being another. Many of the nurses who cared for AIDS patients during the crisis in the 1980s were Filipina nurses who left their homes in search of a living. When the CWA (Communications Workers of America) Verizon workers went on strike in 2016, workers in the Philippines chose to strike in solidarity rather than scab, leading to a victory for both groups and a close relationship since then between the CWA and BIEN (BPO Industry Employees Network).

When asked what we in the U.S. can do to show that same solidarity, Anakbayan USA member Diana Balitaan emphasized, “We must continue to uplift and connect the struggles in the Philippines to our struggles locally. Four of our members were arrested two weeks ago for rightfully disrupting and protesting Marcos Jr. and his crimes at a lavish dinner he held for his cabinet members and billionaire friends in Washington DC. Our members were calling out Marcos for selling out the Philippines to U.S. imperialism. We call on all comrades and allies to join our week of action to boost the call to drop the charges and that activism is not a crime!”

One UAW member in attendance pointed out that Michigan and Detroit in particular are in the crosshairs of these trade deals, saying, “Detroit is at the center of investment for electric vehicles, but trade deals like this ensure a race to the bottom,” referring to the fact that time and again, investment in and subsidies for regionally manufactured green infrastructure is overturned in trade deal lawsuits due to the subsidies “causing losses in revenue to companies not covered by the subsidy,” for example, when India sued the U.S. for subsidizing domestic solar technology in 2019.

To close out the presentations Ryan Harvey of Public Citizen summarized the spirit and policy of these trade deals, saying “Imagine if a leader of a major multinational corporation said, ‘Let’s just create a court, which operates in secret, is operated by our agents, can sue other countries for an unlimited amount of money, and there are no appeals for those decisions.’ That’s what we actually have today.”

The teach-in was followed by a rally in the heart of Detroit and a short march to the Westin hotel, where APEC officials were meeting. Demonstrators lined the hotel entrance with banners and chants, scaring off one APEC bus which opted to drop off the delegates elsewhere. The APEC tour next heads to Seattle in July and holding its final summit in San Francisco in November. Organizers are hoping to build the “No to APEC Coalition,” put APEC in the spotlight and let popular resistance put the IPEF in the dustbin of history.

More information on the DC4 can be found here: bit.ly/nomarcosvisit

#DetroitMI #Philippines #apec #Asia