Understanding
      Seattie
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      Kent
      Bruyneel
     
     
      EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Aaron
      Koleszar
      went
      to
     
     
      Seattle
      and
      left
      with
      a
     
     
      criminal
      charge
      and
      a
     
     
      place
      on
      the
      cover
      of
     
     
      Time
      Magazine.
      Leo
     
     
      Cheverie
      saw
      Aaron
      and
     
     
      the
      others
      who
      left
      from
     
     
      PEL,
      off
      to
      the
      protest.
     
     
      Leo
      could
      not
      go
      be-
     
     
      cause
      in
      addition
      to
     
     
      being
      a
      library
     
     
      technician,
      and
      a
      Cadre
     
     
      contributing
      Editor,
      he
      is
     
     
      the
      newly
      elected
      Presi-
     
     
      dent
      of
      the
      PEI
      Federa-
     
     
      tion
      of
      Labour
      and
      with
     
     
      that
      comes
      even
      more
     
     
      responsibility
      to
      one
      who
     
     
      already
      wears
      several
     
     
      hats.
      Leo
      and
      Aaron
      are
     
     
      two
      of
      the
      most
      active
     
     
      protestors
      in
      an
      ongoing
     
     
      battle
      for
      humanitarian
     
     
      issues
      that
      were
      brought
     
     
      to
      the
      forefront
      with
      the
     
     
      media
      coverage
      in
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Seattle.
      The
      three
      of
      us
     
    
   
   
    
     
      are
      sitting
      in
      Aaron’s
     
     
      kitchen
      in
      tiny
      Melville,
     
     
      Prince
      Edward
      Island,
     
     
      sipping
      Raspberry
      Tea.
     
     
      While
      the
      snow
      paints
      a
     
     
      Robert
      Harris
      like
      pic-
     
     
      ture
      outside
      I
      am
      trying
     
     
      to
      understand
      the
      rea-
     
     
      sons
      for
      activism,
      who
      is
     
     
      wearing
      the
      horns
      in
     
     
      this
      debate,
      and
      just
     
     
      exactly
      what
      happened
     
     
      in
      Washington
      State.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      KB:
      Why
      did
      you
      go
      to
     
     
      Seattle?
     
    
   
   
    
     
      AK:
      I
      went
      to
      Seattle
      to
     
     
      protest
      the
      World
      Trade
     
     
      Organization
      (WTO)
      and
     
     
      this
      corporate
      agenda,
      this
     
     
      corporate
      rule
      that
      is
     
     
      taking
      over
      our
      planet.
     
     
      Profit
      is
      being
      put
      in
      front
     
     
      of
      people
      and
      the
      environ-
     
     
      ment.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      WF
      pial
      ee
      ecen
      elit
     
     
      Freie
      ty
      ese
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Islander
      Aaron
      Koleszar
      on
      the
      cover
      of
      Time
      Magazine
     
    
   
   
    
     
      being
      arrested/assaulted
      during
      the
      WTO
      protest
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      KB:
      Barriers
      being
     
     
      knocked
      down,
      things
     
     
      called
      trade
      barriers,
      like
     
     
      child
      labor,
      things
      that
      are
     
     
      not
      really
      trade
      barriers,
     
     
      but
      humanitarian
      issues,
     
     
      would
      seem
      to
      be
      the
      best
     
     
      reasons
      to
      fight
      the
      WTO.
     
     
      Was
      that
      why
      most
      people
     
     
      were
      there,
      for
      those
      kinds
     
     
      of
      reasons?
      Were
      there
     
     
      any
      of
      the
      so-called
     
     
      “professional
      protesters?’
     
    
   
   
    
     
      AK:
      Some
      people
      were
     
     
      there
      for
      specific
      reasons
     
     
      but
      it
      was
      so
      much
      more
      .
     
     
      than
      that
      because
      the
     
     
      people
      knew
      their
      issue
     
     
      but
      they
      also
      knew
      that
     
     
      what
      we
      were
      doing
     
     
      related
      to
      everyone
      else
     
     
      and
      all
      these
      different
     
     
      issues.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      LC:
      The
      mainstream
     
     
      media
      seemed
      to
      portray
      it
     
     
      as
      some
      sort
      of
      group
      that
     
     
      came
      together
      for
      all
     
     
      these
      various
      reasons,
     
     
      and
      that
      they
      were
      not
     
     
      really
      organized
      in
     
     
      terms
      of
      reasons
      why
     
     
      people
      were
      there,
      but
     
     
      (the
      coverage)
      missed
     
     
      the
      point
      completely
     
     
      that
      in
      fact
      the
      WTO
     
     
      was
      trying
      to
      make
     
     
      these
      laws
      that
      would
     
     
      be
      binding
      on
      demo-
     
     
      cratic
      countries.
      So
     
     
      that,
      for
      example,
      we
     
     
      could
      not
      have
      sanc-
     
     
      tions
      against
      places
     
     
      like
      South
      Africa,
     
     
      which
      we
      did
      during
     
     
      Apartheid.
      That
      could
     
     
      not
      be
      done
      again,
     
     
      because
      of
      the
      WTO.
     
     
      We
      couldn’t
      have
      laws
     
     
      against
      importing
      things
     
     
      made
      with
      child
      labor,
     
     
      you
      couldn’t
      have
      laws
     
     
      protecting
      dolphins
     
     
      from
      nets
      that
      are
     
     
      killing
      them,
      so
      these
     
     
      things
      were
      consid-
     
     
      ered,
      not
      for
      what
      they
     
     
      were,
      but
      rather
     
     
      euphemistically
      called
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
         
     
    
   
   
    
     
      KB:
      Aaron
      you
      must
      —
      ing.
      Some
      people
      like
      to
     
     
      have
      spent
      much
      time
      think
      that
      Seattle
      was
      just
     
     
      talking,
      spending
      75
      hours
      _
      atest
      run.
     
    

    
     
      in
      custody
      and
      being
      at
     
    
   
   
    
     
      such
      well-attended
      pro-
     
     
      tests?
     
    
   
   
    
     
      AK:
      Actually
      most
     
     
      people,
      like
      myself,
      were
     
     
      jailed
      alone,
      intentionally
     
     
      to
      break
      us.
      But
      we
      had
     
     
      strong
      solidarity,
      we
      were
     
     
      together
      on
      the
      bus
      and
     
     
      we
      had
      numbers,
      and
     
     
      they.
      ..
      without
      getting
      into
     
     
      my
      own...well
      they
      were
     
     
      systematically
      trying
      to
     
     
      break
      our
      wills.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      KB:
      Did
      they
      succeed
      on
     
     
      any
      significant
      level?
     
    
   
   
    
     
      AK:
      Notreally.
      You
     
     
      know,
      maybe
      to
      some
     
     
      extent,
      they
      did
      succeed.
     
     
      They
      did
      succeed,
      by
     
     
      splitting
      us
      up
      to
      make
      it
     
     
      less
      comfortable,
      less
     
     
      enjoyable,
      you
      know
      I
     
     
      would
      have
      been
      much
     
     
      happier
      if
      I
      been
      able
      to
     
     
      talk
      to
      the
      other
      people
     
     
      because
      mostly
      I
      just
      sat
     
     
      by
      myself,
      or
      slept,
      or
     
     
      whatever.
      So
      it
      did
      have
     
     
      an
      impact
      in
      that
      way
      but
     
     
      we
      still
      held
      to
      our
      solidar-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Ity.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      KB:
      Where
      will
      the
      next
     
     
      big
      battle
      be,
      is
      there
     
     
      another
      significant
      one
      on
     
     
      the
      horizon?
     
    
   
   
    
     
      AK:
      There
      is
      the
      Interna-
     
     
      tional
      Monetary
      Fund
     
     
      (IMF)
      meeting
      on
      the
      18"
     
     
      of
      April
      in
      Washington,
     
     
      DC.
      There
      will
      bea
      lot
      of
     
     
      people
      there
      because
      the
     
     
      IMF
      is
      another
      of
      the
     
     
      pillars
      of
      the
      global
     
     
      economy
      interested
      in
     
     
      keeping
      the
      rich
      rich
      and
     
     
      the
      poor
      poor.
      So
      there
     
     
      will
      be
      a
      lot
      of
      people
     
     
      there,
      same
      as
      at
      the
     
     
      WTO
      conference,
      basi-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      KB:
      How
      do
      you
      mani-
     
     
      fest
      change
      after
      this?
      I
     
     
      think
      that
      being
      there,
     
     
      being
      arrested
      does
      very
     
     
      little
      in
      terms
      of
      real
      .
     
     
      change
      and
      I
      am
      just
     
     
      wondering
      how
      you
      get
     
     
      from
      the
      concepts
      to
      real
     
     
      markable
      change?
     
    
   
   
    
     
      AK:
      Well,
      I
      don’t
      see
      it
     
     
      quite
      that
      way.
      I
      see
      us
     
     
      being
      there,
      and
      doing
      that
     
     
      as
      making
      amazing
     
     
      change.
      In
      Seattle
      we
     
     
      physically
      stopped
      their
     
     
      conference
      from
      happen-
     
     
      ing
      the
      first
      day
      and
      that
     
     
      set
      the
      stage.
      The
      confer-
     
     
      ence
      didn’t
      accomplish
     
     
      what
      the
      conference
      was
     
     
      for.
      So
      we
      physically
     
     
      stopped
      them
      from
      their
     
     
      goals,
      which
      was
      really
     
     
      important.
      Besides
      that,
     
     
      there’s
      the
      people
      that
     
     
      were
      at
      the
      protest
      who
     
     
      were
      much
      more
     
     
      radicalized
      and
      empow-
     
     
      ered.
      There
      were
      the
     
     
      people
      in
      Seattle
      watching,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ~
      all
      the
      millions
      of
      people
     
    
   
   
    
     
      on
      the
      news
      watching
      this
     
     
      all
      go
      down
      that
      under-
     
     
      stand
      a
      little
      bit
      more
     
     
      about
      the
      WTO
      andI
      am
     
     
      sure
      that
      lots
      more
      people
     
     
      realize
      that
      this
      is
      an
      urgent
     
     
      issue.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      LC:
      Even
      while
      this
      was
     
     
      happening,
      while
      it
      was
      on
     
     
      the
      news,
      people
      stopped
     
     
      me
      on
      the
      street
      and
     
     
      asked
      me
      ‘“what’s
      happen-
     
     
      ing
      with
      the
      WTO?’,
     
     
      people
      who
      had
      maybe
     
     
      heard
      of
      it
      (the
      WTO)
      but
     
     
      had
      no
      concept
      of
      what
      it
     
     
      meant,
      so
      basically
      it
     
     
      raised
      the
      profile
      of
      this
     
     
      organization
      and
      the
      real
     
     
      issues
      that
      are
      behind
      it.
     
     
      So
      that
      whenever
      they