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HOW YOU CAN GET INVOLVED
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There are any number of ways you can participate in the continental days of action, including:
- Plan a solidarity action in your community.
- Organize public education efforts, and spread the word about the Quito meeting and the continental days
of action.
- Help provide desperately needed resources for the mobilization in Quito.
- Prepare for an emergency response if there is repression
against the protests in Quito (this might include sending faxes, phone
calls, e-mails, vigils/actions at appropriate targets, media and
publicity work, etc.).
- Come to Quito as early as you can, to help with the mobilization.
ALCA-NUNCACONFEUNASSC-CNC, the largest campesino federation in
Ecuador, is launching ALCA-NUNCA, a program that is designed to link up
grassroots groups in Ecuador and North America, and provide a mechanism
to coordinate all of the elements listed above. We encourage North
American groups that want to participate in the continental days of
action to join in ALCA-NUNCA, (see below for ways of plugging in outside
of this program).
CONFEUNASSC-CNC views October as a key opportunity to create new
mechanisms of solidarity and build networks of resistance that span the
continent. They are looking for global justice networks, student groups,
community organizations, union locals, collectives, environmentalists,
environmental justice activists, small and/or organic farmers, food
coops, and anyone else who would like to join ALCA-NUNCA (which means
FTAA-Never in Spanish, and stands for Americas Linked, Cooperating
Against Neoliberalism and for Unity, Community, and Autonomy).
Each North American group participating in ALCA-NUNCA will be linked up
with an Ecuadorian “sister group,” a local campesino organization that
is mobilizing around the FTAA. The idea is to learn from each other,
strengthen the mobilization in October, and build a foundation for
future coordinated action.
Sister groups will begin by exchanging messages/photos/posters/videos
describing what’s at stake for their community in the struggle against
the FTAA, and how they are fighting back.
The next element is coordinated action. North American groups are
encouraged to organize solidarity actions in their community. Sister
groups will swap statements of solidarity to be read during actions,
and, later, video or photo journals of the actions themselves. North
American groups should also be ready to apply pressure if the
mobilization in Quito is met by severe repression, and the ALCA-NUNCA
network will help to facilitate a rapid and coordinated response.
U.S. and Canadian groups will also, if possible, provide resources that
are critically needed to strengthen the mobilization in Ecuador. Funds
will help pay for transportation to the Quito protest, and to support
four caravans that will visit hundreds communities in September and
October. These caravans will reach thousands of people with popular
education workshops on the FTAA, Plan Colombia, art and resistance, and
nonviolent direct action. Participating North American groups are
invited to send volunteers to join the caravans and help with the
mobilization.
Finally, the struggle against neoliberalism and for a just world is not
likely to be won in October. The kind of concerted international mass
action that will be necessary to stop “corporate globalization” and
neoliberalism remains a long way off. CONFEUNASSC-CNC4s goal is to build
relationships that will allow for the coordinated resistance. For this
reason, sister groups will continue exchanging experiences and
information, and building connections. CONFEUNASSC-CNC hopes to use the
ALCA-NUNCA network as a basis for coordinated continental campaigns
after the October mobilization.
HOW ELSE YOU CAN PLUG IN
Whether or not you decide to participate in ALCA-NUNCA, if you
are planning (or think you will plan) solidarity actions during the
continental days of resistance, please email.
One way to come to Ecuador: Global Exchange is hosting a 12 day
Reality Tour to Ecuador to investigate how the FTAA would impact the
country as well as participate in the days of action in Quito.
Individuals, or groups not participating in ALCA-NUNCA, who
want to donate money to help with transportation to Quito and other
basic costs of the mobilization can send a check to Global Exchange, who
will transfer it to groups organizing protests in Quito. Checks should
be sent to Global Exchange, FTAA Ecuador donation, 2017 Mission St,
Suite 303, San Francisco, CA, USA 94110. Write “donation for Ecuador” on
the memo line Donations are very much needed and will be split among
several of the groups that are mobilizing for the summit in October.
For future for updates on the mobilization, including information for people planning on coming to Quito: http://ecuador.indymedia.org
For more information, you can also contact the Campaqa Nacional En Contra del ALCA (contralca@ecuanex.net.ec), the CONFEUNASSC-CNC (ssc-cnc@campesinos-fmlgt.org.ec) or the Campamento Permanente Por la Justicia Social Y La Dignidad de los Pueblos (campamento@ecuanex.net.ec).
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