Family Farmers and Allies Converge on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) to Mark La Via Campesina's International Day of Peasant Struggle
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- Published on Wednesday, 17 April 2013 20:54
Press release of Family Farm Defenders
Call Upon the U.S. Congress to Reject the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), Demand the U.S. Dept of Justice (DoJ) Take Anti-Trust Action Against Corrupt Food Giants, and Reassert the Right of Food Sovereignty For ALL!
Fri. April 19th
12:00 Noon Protest & Leaflet, Chicago Mercantile Exchange, 141 W. Jackson
Fri. April 19th
5:30 pm Potluck & Forum, Jane Adams Hull House Museum, 800 S. Halsted
To mark Via Campesina’s International Day of Peasant Struggle, family farmers and their allies will once again converge on the doorstep of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) – 141 W. Jackson – at Noon on Fri. April 19th to expose the rampant price fixing by commodity speculators that is behind the ongoing global food crisis. Last year on May 23rd thousands of angry citizens turned up inside and outside the CME annual shareholders meeting to demand greater social responsibility from Chicago's most lucrative corporation, which posted $1.9 billion in profits in 2011 while receiving millions in local, state, and federal tax cuts.
India, Farmer's and Trade Unions Protest against the EU India FTA
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- Published on Tuesday, 05 March 2013 10:53
Bhartiya Kisan Union Farmers at protest against EU India FTA in Feb 2012
Farmers and trade unions of India have been protesting against the undemocratic EU India free trade agreement. Over the last couple of months, the alliance of organizations called the Anti FTA front has written 872 letters to important officials, organizations and political parties including the Prime Minister and the Members of Parliament about this unfair trade deal. “There are serious impacts on food security, livelihood security of millions of farmers and small retailers and we haven't even been informed or consulted about the EU India FTA,” said Rakesh Tikait of Bhartiya Kisan Union a member of La Via Campesina. In fact no impact studies have been made available even to the Indian parliament or state governments, let alone the ordinary people of India whose lives are at stake. Ironically, the Indian government has left no stone unturned to show its urgency and deep commitment to European business making media statements about its plans to swiftly conclude the EU India FTA by March this year.
Understanding Free Trade through the KORUS FTA and the Necessity of Regional Economic Cooperation
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- Published on Thursday, 06 September 2012 13:43
Under the guise of trade liberalization, the state becomes the advance guard for transnational corporations (TNCs) concluding FTAs that further increase the profits of TNCs by exploiting people’s lives. Yet, TNCs are still not satisfied. They now want to transform existing free trade agreements into a more comprehensive and stronger form that would further limit the ability of social movements to demand government policies that improve and safeguard the well-being of farmers, workers, and consumers...
South Korea, conclusions from regional strategic meeting against FTAs
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- Published on Monday, 30 July 2012 20:19
Sharing each country’s situation on FTA/TPP & Results of 2nd Strategy Meeting on FTA/TPP
Australia: Mr. Harvey Purse from AFTINET
Where we are in Australia in the moment?
60 unions, community groups, church groups are fighting for fair trade based on principles of human rights, labor rights, and environmental sustainability. We are raising awareness of this agreement in Australia slow building opposition against the TPP. When Australia negotiated with US there was 35% opposition, now there is 65% opposition. The goal is to achieve the same with the TPP. We have started campaigning with young people such as holding a concert with variety of artists. There was also a book written: No Ordinary Deal: Unmasking the TPP. The book was written by people from Australia, New Zealand, US, and a few of the Latin American countries that were involved. We are also creating a series of pamphlets to update every few months around worker’s rights and health in order to raise awareness in Australia and cut through all groups in Australia. We have managed some victories. We got the Catholic and United church to support us. We also have support from the National Unions for construction, mining, forestry and manufacturing and social services. We have gotten the current government (Worker’s government) to oppose any changes that impact people’s access to cheap medicine and to oppose the ISD. We have gotten them to protect worker’s rights from being impacted by free trade agreements or TPP and to agree that the environment must be protected. We are worried that we may lose next year’s election to a far more conservative administration. We are all working together and keep on educating.