SF Says No to APEC in Massive Action

When it comes to calling out APEC, the global conspiracy of corporate elites, for the scam that it is, San Francisco came through. What's more, there will be an another march in two days, on the 15th.

Photos: Leon Kunstenaar / Pro Bono Photo

Twenty thousand rallied and marched down Market Street. Participating groups included. No to OPEC Coalition, Native American, Palestinian Youth Movement, Myanmar people, Labor Rise, 1000 Grandmothers, Palestinian American Committee, Party for Socialism and Liberation, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, International Migrants Alliance, and Revcoms. In summary, those who, along with the planet, are being devastated by APEC, the system of global corporate elites,meeting this week in San Francisco.

The protest march was organized with spaces between groups making it look like a series of successive marches.

The march turned left on 5th Street and marched to Howard Street. And then it stopped. Twenty thousand people at 5th and Howard not knowing where to go. A sort of on-the-spot rally was held.

The police did not know what to do either. Many on motorcycles went every which way, about 50 on foot came and went, then about five vans full arrived, addressed the issue of a stopped driver less car with Palestinian slogans spontaneously spray-painted on it. Most people then went home.

Organizers spoke and drew clear links between the ongoing genocide in Gaza, corporate plunder of land and violation of labor rights, heightening militarization, and the neglect of people’s basic needs like food, housing, and healthcare. Violette Mansour from the Palestinian Youth Movement said of APEC ministers and corporate representatives, “They are conspiring to figure out how they can make a profit off of the death of our people, how to make a profit off the plunder of our land.”

Speakers condemned “Genocide Joe” for his unconditional support for Israel’s all out war against the Palestinian people, which has resulted in the deaths of over 4,000 children. Participants chanted, “from Palestine to the Philippines, stop the US war machine!”

Criticism was not only reserved for Biden. “The leaders meeting this week are some of the most egregious perpetrators of violence against women,” said Katie Comfort of the International Women’s Alliance, who cited the example of Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea. Yoon recently rolled back the demands of justice for "comfort women" in order to sign a new military agreement with Japan and the US.

Kobi Guillory, a Chicago public school teacher and Board member of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression noted, “All of our movements are connected by a common enemy, which is US imperialism. We are here protesting against APEC because imperialism always violates the right of self determination of oppressed people.”

“We know this is not just a moment, this is a movement,” Mansour concluded. “Today is just the first day of shutting it down!” Despite being surrounded by swarms of police and secret service, the crowd dispersed peacefully chanting, “We'll be back!”

Organizers are planning another mobilization, which will meet at Powell Street Station on Wednesday at 7 AM, in an attempt to disrupt the APEC CEO Summit that will spotlight multinational corporations - Boeing, Chevron, Amazon, Meta, and Google, to highlight their roles in the heightening economic crisis, people’s suffering and destruction of the environment.

See all high resolution photos here.