OC protests WTO in Cleveland

While thousands demonstrated at the World Trade Organization conference in Seattle Tuesday afternoon, an estimated 35 Oberlin students took part in a sympathy protest in Cleveland.

The students joined forces with Oberlin faculty, residents and over 100 protesters from northern Ohio for a 40-block march to Cleveland's Federal Building.

With 134 member nations, the WTO is responsible for supervising international trade, solving trade disputes and promoting free trade. Critics charge the organization with promoting free trade at the expense of labor, health and environmental protections.

"Overall what it comes down to is that the WTO is completely undemocratic - nobody elected these people, but they're claiming they have the power to take away a lot of our environmental and health protections, and are not protecting workers' rights," said junior Sarah Bania-Dobyns.

"I have worked on environmental issues in the past, and worked on passing some of the clean air laws that [the WTO has] repealed - and that makes me pretty mad," said Bania-Dobyns.

Those involved in the march said that a November teach-in helped raise student awareness about the WTO. Two weeks ago, concerned students joined together in a group they call Oberlin Trade Watch. Among the other campus groups with members at the protest were the Ohio Public Interest Research Group, Student Labor Action Coalition, International Socialist Organization, Labor Militant and Amnesty International.

"We brought 6'x10' banners and about 20 signs that said everything from 'Corporate Power = Global Poverty,' to general messages about the WTO to more specific statements about labor and other causes," said senior Amy Gregor Wolf. Marchers also carried bullhorns and distributed pamphlets to the public.

Upon reaching the Federal Building, protesters held a rally and members of various organizations made short speeches. Among the area groups represented were Jobs with Justice, the American Federation of Labor - Congress of Industrial Organizations, Environmental Health Watch, Citizen Action and the Friends Committee.

"I think it's important that the protest brought all these groups together," said Wolf. "It was the first time I had protested where my kind of person - the liberal college student - was very much in the minority. Most of the people we were marching with had very different backgrounds, and it was a very diverse group of people."

Wolf said the diversity of interests fueling the movement might ultimately prove to be both an asset and a liability. "You can have a ton of people coming together and saying, 'Yes, I'm anti-WTO,' but for that matter you can all say, 'Yes, I'm against the devil.' That doesn't necessarily mean we have much else in common," she said.

Several students expressed specific concerns about sentiments voiced against the Chinese government. "I felt pretty awkward about some of the views being expressed," said senior Gina Robinson.""Some of them could come across as racist." Still, she said, "All of us in movements like this need to try to examine issues from more than just our own perspective."

Two Oberlin students, juniors Tyron Moore and Sarah Eastman, attended the demonstrations in Seattle. Oberlin Trade Watch plans to hold another forum on the WTO when the two return.