Seattle, WA – On Wednesday, March 8, 40 people rallied in front of the Henry M. Jackson Federal Building in downtown Seattle to celebrate International Women’s Day and to defend women’s and reproductive rights. The event was called by Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) Seattle.

Despite near freezing temperatures, people came to hear speeches from women leaders in the labor movement, anti-imperialist organizers with the International Women’s Alliance, and reproductive rights organizers. Attendees united under the rallying call to “Defend women’s and reproductive rights!”

Opening and emceeing the event, FRSO organizer Clio Jensen spoke about the history of International Women’s Day, which was first called for by German Socialist Clara Zetkin in 1910. Zetkin was inspired by immigrant women garment workers in New York City, who embarked on a historic struggle for better working conditions.

In this spirit, opening speeches called for women to become active in their labor unions and to fight for women’s and LGBTQ rights at the workplace.

“We will build a labor movement strong enough to smash this system and break the chains of oppression, including women’s oppression,” said FRSO member and Teamster Rose Guigler. She ended her speech by calling on listeners to stand in solidarity with Teamsters at UPS as they enter their fight for a new contract with the company this summer.

“This contract is going to be a big fight between the company and the union. A lot of eyes are on the whole of UPS right now, as this could determine the trajectory of the class struggle movement,” Guigler declared.

Lucía Yvette Moliné-Gonzolez, a postal worker and labor leader at USPS, said, “I’m glad to celebrate working women’s day because I believe that women should lead the labor movement. It is so nice to see other women fighting for change at their workplaces.”

Organizers with Seattle Greenwave and the University of Washington Progressive Students Union gave moving speeches condemning the attack on abortion rights in the U.S. It has been almost a year since the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, criminalizing abortion in many parts of the country. Sophia van Beek, an organizer with the Progressive Students Union, also spoke about the group’s campaign to force the 3W medical center on UW Seattle’s campus to be transparent about the fact that it does not provide abortion services.

Attendees chanted, “Sexism has got to die! Women hold up half the sky!” and “When abortion rights are under attack, what do we do? Stand up fight back!”

To finish off the night, several organizers with the International Women’s Alliance and Gabriela Seattle spoke out against U.S. imperialism, militarism and exploitation. Speakers had just returned from the IWA and Gabriela national conference in Washington DC, where they marched to the White House and led the call to place women over profit.

“Women must be part of the overall struggle for their liberation, confronting directly our oppressors and working together with all concerned people to create meaningful change. The International Women’s Alliance calls on all our members to unite for national and social liberation of all women, and recognizes the revolutionary role that the working class plays in those struggles,” said Selena Goodwin, an organizer with the International Women’s Alliance.

FRSO Seattle plans to continue fighting for women’s and reproductive rights, and to uphold the revolutionary legacy of International Women’s Day.

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At the WTO meeting, demonstrators focused their anger on the undemocratic rule of transnational corporations who run the WTO. They said no to its profits-before-people plans. They stood up to capitalist attacks by the WTO against poor and working people all around the world, pointing to how it has promoted sweatshops, child labor, and destruction of the environment.

In the weeks leading up to the WTO meeting, Seattle was filled with anti-WTO events and actions. There were workshops, teach-ins, tribunals, debates, assemblies, religious services, and many organizing meetings to educate and prepare tens of thousands of people to shut down the city. For many, the goal was to disrupt the WTO's business as much as possible. When the tear gas cleared, history had been made.

Battle for the Streets

Early the morning of Tuesday, November 30, parks and plazas filled with demonstrators. Beginning at 7 a.m. thousands of protesters walked into intersections and blocked all traffic.

It was a festival of people's struggle. Environmentalists dressed as turtles and butterflies, others walked on stilts, and people wore ponchos saying, “Seattle: The Protest of the Century.” Thousands carried signs, puppets and balloons, each with its own message about why the WTO must be stopped. Garbage cans were turned upside down and used as drums.

Protesters chanted and drummed all morning in the rain. Chants included, “Fight, fight back, the corporate attack!” and, “There ain't no power like the power of the people, 'cause the power of the people don't stop!” or, “Hell no WTO!” and, of course, “Shut, shut, shut it down!”

Protesters were cheered on by millions of people around the world. Large protests against the WTO were simultaneously held in London, Manila, Geneva and elsewhere. These protests were a massive show of international solidarity against corporate rule. This widespread opposition to the WTO fueled the militancy of the demonstration as the protesters faced off with police and challenged the right of the WTO to exist. Many corporate stores windows were broken out, sending a strong message that people are sick of corporate rule, corporate rip-offs and corporate culture.

Dockworkers shut down West Coast ports for 2 hours in support of a labor march that drew about 30,000 people. Most of the labor marchers passed the WTO convention center and did not demonstrate further. About 20,000 people remained downtown, surrounding the convention center. Every street and ally was blocked. The opening of the WTO conference was canceled.

Police Attack

As night fell, police started firing tear gas canisters into the crowds that occupied intersections around the convention hall. Police moved in one block at a time, and protesters moved back up to the police line after each attack. Many challenged the police for their attacks on unarmed people, and insisted on their right to protest. Dressed in riot control gear, the police used tear gas, clubs, plastic bullets and mace.

The mayor of Seattle declared a state of emergency, and at 7 p.m., police announced that martial law was in place and a curfew would be enforced. Anyone in the downtown area was immediately subject to arrest. Protesters got word that the National Guard would be coming in that night or the next day. Some protesters had radios so they could get news coverage of the events they were actually participating in.

In the days that followed, nearly 600 arrests were made as the police desperately tried to return Seattle to business as usual.

In the next week, the Chief of Police resigned. Large numbers of Seattle residents have held town meetings and attended city council meetings to demand a full investigation of the violent police actions.

Corporate Power Kicked in the Head

For U.S. corporations and the government, the WTO meeting was a disaster. The big powers could not agree among themselves, and Third World countries resisted measures that would have trampled on their rights. The demonstrations contributed to, and shined on light on a major defeat for the rich and powerful.

Kathy Kleckner is a member of the Philippines Solidarity Committee

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