Humboldt Arcata solidarity

Arcata solidarity protest!!

Boycott WTO, genetic engineered food giant Monsanto and timber baron MAXXAM in Arcata, Humboldt county on Thursday 11th and Friday 12th!!

Saturday 13th Forest Defense rally at Freshwater Grange in Freshwater!!

Events planned include a speak-in on the quad at HSU from 12 noon to 1pm on Thursday the 11th, and on Friday the 12th a protest march starting on the HSU quad at 3:30 pm heading to the plaza in downtown Arcata..

MAXXAM/Pacific Lumber is supported by WTO and continues clearcutting the old growth redwoods of the Northcoast region. This causes severe soil erosion and landslides, also destroys thousand year old trees in seconds..

Under WTO "fair trade" exemptions local environmental protections are ignored in favor of corporate profit. Jobs and sustainibility take a back seat to Hurwitz and the MAXXAM profits. Just ask the steelworkers union who is still protesting MAXXAM after their takeover of Kaiser aluminum. After Kaiser's bankruptcy after the MAXXAM takeover, many people were laid off. MAXXAM's hostile takeover of locally owned Pacific Lumber is no different. After Maxxam is finished with using the Pacific Lumber workers, they will be laid off with no pension plan (Maxxam ate that also)..

Oil corporations like Chevron and Shell are also allowed to freely pollute the rivers and air worldwide. In Nigeria the Niger river delta is still polluted from Shell's numerous oil spills, and added on by Chevron's current spills. The fish have died and the Ogoni people that reside there are struggling to protect their land. The WTO and World Bank influence corrupt governments there as they do here. In 1995 on November 10th Ken Saro-Wiwa was hung by the Nigerian government. his only crime was being an outspoken and effective Ogoni activist against the alliance of Shell, the Nigerian government and the WTO/World Bank..

http://archive.greenpeace.org/comms/ken/

Today on september 10th we are also with Ken in solidarity spirit as we stand against multinational corporations and WTO..

"The flares of Shell are flames of hell
We bake beneath their light
Nought for us save the blight
Of cursed neglect and cursed Shell."
--Ken Saro-Wiwa

Please come out and support the people as we stand against the WTO..