WTO Protests Will Return Next Week To the Pacific Northwest

Protesters against the further expansion of the World Trade Organization are planning a march and rally next week through downtown Portland.

Ten years ago, the streets of Seattle were heavy with nearly 50,000 protesters hoping to disrupt meetings there of the WTO, whose representatives gathered to discuss and negotiate global trade regulations. This month, on the 10-year anniversary of the so-called “Battle in Seattle,” the WTO will meet again, this time in Geneva.

And the Portland demonstration on Saturday. Dec. 5 will be one of many across the globe in what is being called the Days of Action, according to Arthur Stamoulis, director of the Oregon Fair Trade Campaign. A march is planned to begin at noon under the Hawthorne Bridge.

“We are calling on our elected officials to say no to expanding the WTO and to embrace more positive alternatives for trade regulations,” says Stamoulis of the demonstration, which he has deemed a "family-friendly event."

For more details on theupcoming event, visit the December 5 web site.