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Street Vendors Protest in S. Korea
Por KCTU/ETU-MB -
Tuesday, Mar. 08, 2005 at 1:56 PM
Now since 38 days street vendors in the S. Korean capital are fighting for their right to survive/save their existence.
TODAY’S REPORT (Seoul, 3.08)
First of all: powerful greetings, even it is a little to late, to the struggling women here in S. Korea and everywhere!Like it was planned for today, the National Federation of Street Vendors NFSV staged the protest against the expulsion and oppression of street vendors, nowadays from the area around LOTTE Department Store (LDS), downtown Seoul. Today the activists there are since 39 days in sit-in strike (more about it you can read here).
The event started with a powerful rally several hundred street vendor activists joined. In strong speeches, for example representatives of solidarity groups for the poor, people who defend their homes, but also Democratic Labor Party expressed their solidarity with the struggle of the activists there.
Interesting to see: last week Tuesday, even several representatives of KCTU showed up their solidarity (?) today no KCTU (except ETU-MB), no student solidarity group, no “NG”O… - just the “poorest of the poor” gathered there.
Anyway, after the opening rally, the struggle demonstration started, but after few meters the front-line of the demonstration got attacked by large units of the infamous riot cops. After some scuffling with the cops to defend the right of demonstrating, the activists decided to block the road until the cops stops the attacks and after a short while it succeeded. From that point until the final destination just back on the struggle place in front of LDS the cops stopped the attacks.
But finally the demonstration ended how it begun: with a clash between the protestors and large units of the riot cops in front of LDS, but no arrests and no serious injuries were happen.
After the short clash with the cops the event was ended by a powerful final rally next to the sit-in strike place of the activists.
After all, today’s protest, as a part of continuing struggle, is showing us the way to get a kind of victory. Continuing public disorder is mobilizing at least the bourgeois media and today a lot of reporters were on the spot and it makes the struggle of “minorities” to an issue of public interest.
Last but not least: short before the last clashes the reporter’s camera went off and finally the most impressive pictures are lost…
Here just some of the remaining pictures from today’s struggle demonstration:
LET’S FIGHT TOGETHER FOR A WORLD
WITHOUT EXPLOITATION AND OPPRESSION!
ANOTHER WORLD IS POSSIBLE, ONLY
IF YOU WANT AND FIGHT FOR IT!