Get ready - the next International Day of Action!

Get ready - the next International Day of Action!

a20: Quebec, April 20 2001 - Get ready for the next International Day
of Action! http://www.a20.org

This is an update from the Direct Action Network and the Mobilization
for Global Justice, via IMC-Updates.

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April 18-22 The global corporate elite are headed to Quebec to discuss
the FTAA, the Free Trade Area of the Americas: "think NAFTA on
steroids." This trade pact extends the impact of NAFTA to the rest of
Central and South America, in a hemispheric "race to the bottom."
Working families, students, farmers, environmentalists, people of faith,
animal rights activists and many others are mobilizing around the world
to fight this encroachment of corporate control. http://www.a20.org

Info on the FTAA:

Ten Reasons to Oppose the FTAA -

http://www.globalexchange.org/ftaa/topten.html
The FTAA and AIDS - http://www.a20.org/feature.cfm?ID=45
FTAA Factsheet - http://www.tradewatch.org/FTAA/factsheet.htm

Citing the case of US-based waste disposal company Metalclad, which used
NAFTA to sue a small Mexican town for prohibiting construction of a
toxic waste processing plant, the city of Vancouver has unanimously
passed a resolution requesting the Canadian government not sign the
FTAA. http://www.canadianliberty.bc.ca

The northern border:

The Vermont Mobilization for Global Justice plans to coordinate crucial
support on the Vermont side of the US-Canadian border for the FTAA
mobilization. The coalition includes the Native Forest Network (NFN),
Action for Community and Ecology in the Regions of Central America
(ACERCA), the Vermont Action Network (VAN), UVM Student Political
Awareness and Responsibility Coalition (SPARC), American Friends Service
Committee - Vermont (AFSC), and others.
Info: Robert Dorman redorman@theofficenet.com

Community activists in Kingston ON are inviting all FTAA opponents to
take part in a border action caravan to "fight against international
capital every inch of the way." Contact Smash FTAA
http://www.tao.ca/~kdawg/smashftaa.html , ON/NY regional listserve: send
an email with "Smash FTAA' in the subject line to msilburn@kingston.net

The southern border:

The Mexico-US Mass Mobilization to Liberate the Border is planning an
April 21 multinational day of protest in the San Diego/Tijuana region in
support of worker's rights, immigrant rights, indigenous rights and the
environment. 626-403-2530 borderactions@aol.com List Serve: send e-mail
to border01-subscribe@yahoogroups.com http://www.actionla.org/border.htm

How to get involved?

o Schedule a roadshow stop in your town! (see below)
o Have a benefit show http://www.davidrovics.com,
http://www.roberthoyt.com
o Show a Seattle Video http://www.thisisdemocracy.org
o Blockade a Citibank http://www.ran.org/

See http://www.a20.org and http://www.stopftaa.org for local organizing
contacts

Call To Action (CtA) Spring 2001 tour - Skills and issues workshops
focusing on the FTAA and its poster-child: Citigroup. If your group is
interested in tackling the prison industrial complex, third world debt,
forest destruction and predatory lending as well as expanding your
organizing skills, then bring us to your town. Contact:
campaigns@calltoaction.org 503-804-9378 http://www.calltoaction.org

News you may have missed
----------------------------------------
In a moving victory, the Charas Community Center in New York City won
its court battle against eviction as the steady gentrification pressures
continue. The jury decided unanimously that the developer did not plan
to comply with the community use restriction. Supporters packed the
courtroom throughout the high profile trial.

Ecuadoran indigenous, labor and other organizations have launched a
massive campaign to reject the IMF-imposed adjustment program in that
country, encountering repression and mass arrests. Two people have died
in confrontations with the police. About 4,000 Indians occupied the
university in Quito for more than a week. The coalition has won many of
their demands, including lower fuel prices and cheaper public transport
fares, after threatening a national strike for February 7. Info: Soren
Ambrose 202-544-9355 soren@igc.org http://www.indymedia.org/

On Thanksgiving day, Washington DC housing activists with a homeless
family occupied a house in Northeast Washington DC to fix it up and make
it permanent housing for the family. Two months later, the family has
been provided housing, the activists are "invited guests" of the house
owner, and they're looking for more run-down buildings to rescue.
http://www.homesnotjails.org Realaudio interview:
http://dc.indymedia.org/display.php3?article_id=4348
http://dc.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=5475

Northern California / Situation Critical - In an inconceivable mission
to defend 3,000 acres of magnificent old-growth douglas fir, Mattole
Forest Defenders have conducted numerous lock downs and constructed
blockades on logging roads. Since November 28 Maxxam/Pacific Lumber (PL)
has been clearcutting what is the second largest intact stand of lowland
old-growth Douglas Fir in California http://sf.indymedia.org/#mattole

More News and Events:
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2/15 Woburn Massachusettes FTAA Planning Meeting cassiefw@aol.com
617-524-8996

2/18 Hartford Connecticut FTAA all day workshop, sponsered by the
Mexican Solidarity Network. Info: gianninik@hotmail.com 860-768-6380

3/1 Connecticut Shut Down Bradley International Airport in solidarity
with HERE 217 local union members and cafeteria workers.
joehill@riseup.net 860-246-2561

3/9-3/11 Kansas Global Justics Conference
http://www.kcactivism.org/calltoaction/

3/11-3/18 Florida RAN/Ruckus Alternative Spring Break
http://www.ruckus.org

3/13 Washington DC Commemorating the 13th anniversary of the massacre of
student activists in
Burma, there will be a rally at the Burmese embassy in Washington DC to
pressure the military regime to end all human rights abuses. 2300 S
Street NW 7pm. Info: Jeremy Woodrum 202-547-5985
jeremy@freeburmacoalition.org Sign the on-line petition to ban the
Burmese regime's membership in the United Nations -
www.freeburmacoalition.org

International Calendar http://www.a20.org/calendar.cfm
International Contact List http://www.a20.org/network.cfm

http://www.indymedia.org
http://www.directactionnetwork.org
http://www.earthfirstjournal.org
http://www.protest.net

ENDS

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