Cops swamp environmental demo

December 1, 1999

[Cops follow demo]

Massive ranks of police swamped a small group of peaceful protesters as they took to the streets of Leeds on the day the World Trade Organisation met to make plans for the new millennium.

The demonstrators formed part of a global day of action against the activities of the WTO, arguing the organisation is a rich kids’ club putting the interests of multinational companies before workers’ rights and the environment.

But passers-by could have been forgiven for thinking it was a police day out as dozens of yellow jackets and a long line of vans trailed the demonstrators around Leeds amid fears of a June 18 style carnival.

The protesters marched from city square to BT Cellnet’s headquarters on where they camped outside the building in protest at the firm’s links with AT&T who donated more than $75,000 to the WTO’s Seattle conference.

Groups of demonstrators then set off around corporate Leeds, leafleting Asda, the Halifax, and Esso, before marching through the city to Starbucks Coffee House, a firm which donated at least $5,000 to the WTO.

Throughout the day they were accompanied by police on foot, with officers in riot gear following in vans.

[Outside BT]

The marchers were constantly videoed by a police team, one of whom astonishingly taunted a tiny group of protesters, calling out: "Is this as bad as it gets, then?"

One of the protesters, who gave her name as Jo, said: "I suppose the police were worried their might be a repeat of the June 18 action and that’s why there are so many of them.

"But today was always meant to be a peaceful protest and nobody here is out to get arrested. We just want to draw people’s attention to the activities of the WTO."

In a separate protest a group of demonstrators targeted Nestle in Halifax. Seventeen people were arrested and ten people are due to appear before Halifax Magistrates’ Court on conspiracy charges.

The WTO is meeting in Seattle in a bid to extend free trade in the next century. But it stands accused of using the economic power of multinational companies to hold national governments to ransom, holding down wages in Third World countries and riding roughshod over environmental concerns.

Hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets in Seattle, forcing conference organisers to cancel a gala-style opening day. They gained qualified backing from President Bill Clinton, who said the WTO should have opened its doors to their genuine concerns.

In London a peaceful day of protest ended in violence as riot police penned in a group of demonstrators outside Euston station after trouble had flared up.

Update: 16 people appeared at Halifax magistrates court on Tuesday charged with conspiracy to commit burglary. The case was adjourned for 11 weeks.