Thank you to the European United Left/Nordic Green
Left Group (GUE/NGL) of the European Parliament for
inviting us to be part of the delegation to the
important Hong Kong WTO events.

I believe the inspiring people’s movement in Hong
Kong this week may be a turning point in the
development of the struggle against neo-liberal
globalisation. The enormous campaign carried out by a
broad range of Asian organisations representing
farmers, workers, and migrants puts the potential for
building a people’s struggle coalition in this region
on a new basis.

While the trade ministers and bureaucrats met in
smoke-filled rooms inside the World Trade Centre here,
and came up with very little in the end, the people’s
movement in the streets brought the significance of
the views of the disenfranchised masses of Asia,
Africa and Latin America to the attention of millions
of people around the world through their TV screens.

Led by the militant example of the Korean farmers,
thousands of activists have put the issue of the
rights of the poor majority of the earth to the
forefront. This impact may have the effect of reviving
the international mass movement against neo-liberal
globalisation, which has been somewhat de-emphasised
after 9/11, the so-called war on terror'' and the Iraq war.  The most impressive aspect of this people's movement in HK was the wide variety of organisations from Asia represented here. What arises from this is the potentiality for an ongoing alliance of popular organisations and parties in this region, to continue the struggle against the WTO, but also against the other neo-liberal organisations such as the World Bank, IMF, etc.  The initiative of the GUE/NGL in calling forums at the beginning and end of the week is to be applauded. At the forum on Sunday Dec 18, entitled:Evaluation
of Hong Kong and prospects for common action,’’
allowed representatives of a number of social
movements and parties to exchange views of the
possibilities for future collaboration, and to
strengthen links with the European left
parliamentarians for further campaigns.

(This is an initial comment only, and I will follow
up with some further thoughts in the near future.)

In solidarity,

Jim McIlroy.