1999 Seatlle WTO riots.
On November 30th of 1999, Protesters began to fill the streets outside of the Washington State Convention and Trade Center. As liberals and others against economic globalization arrived- the number of protester rose to at least 40,000 people.
Planning for the demonstrations began months in advance and included local, national, and international organizations. Among the most notable participants were national and international NGOs -especially those concerned with labor issues, the environment, and consumer protection, labor unions -including the AFL-CIO, student groups, religiously-based groups (Jubilee 2000), and anarchists.
On the morning of November 30, 1999, the Direct Action Network's plan was put into action. Several hundred activists arrived in the deserted streets near the convention center and began to take control of key intersections. Over the next few hours, a number of marchers began to converge on the area from different directions. These included a student march from the north and a march of citizens of the developing world who marched in from the south. Some demonstrators held rallies, others held teach-ins and at least one group staged an early-morning street party. Meanwhile, a number of protesters still controlled the intersections using lockdown formations.- That morning, the King County Sheriff's Office and Seattle Police Department fired pepper spray, tear gas canisters, stun grenades, and eventually rubber bullets at protesters at several intersections in an attempt to reopen the blocked streets. This would spark a battle that would continue for 3 days
The police were eventually overwhelmed by the mass of protesters downtown, including many who had chained themselves together and were blocking intersections. Meanwhile, the late-morning labor-organized rally and march dreww tens of thousands,...
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