Read

User menu

Search form

TPP Protesters Scale U.S. Trade Rep HQ

TPP Protesters Scale U.S. Trade Rep HQ
Mon, 9/30/2013 - by Al Kamen
This article originally appeared on Washington Post

As demonstrations go, the protest last Monday against the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a huge trade agreement being negotiated now at the U.S. Trade Rep’s office in Washington, was, in terms of size, no big deal.

The handful of demonstrators from ”Flush the TPP,” an assortment of enviro, veterans, Code Pink, and other activists chanting in front of the building against the 11-nation treaty, hardly merited media attention.

But as pure guerrilla theater, the noon-time demonstration could rank among the best.... ever.

Eight ”construction workers” in blue coveralls and yellow hard hats somehow made their way up an unsecured scaffolding — the building, the second-oldest still in use, was undergoing some exterior work — to the top, where they unfurled a huge, 10′ by 30′ banner condemning the proposed treaty as a corporate giveaway.

Then five of the eight ” workers” moved onto a lower balcony — we seem to recall that’s on the same floor at U.S. Trade Rep. Mike Froman’s office — and hung two more banners.

The police finally showed and briefly handcuffed one protester. But that was all.

The action had been planned for a month, said Kevin Zeese, an organizer at Popular Resistance.org, with the coveralls and hard hats ordered on line. The door to the scaffolding was always open, he noted, and the group did a final “scouting” mission the Friday before the event.

But when they arrived on Monday, wearing their “Stop the TPP” hats, he said, “we were shocked that there were no workers, no security. It was amazing.” ”We wanted to do something audacious,” Zeese said, “we wanted to be bold.” Indeed.

We’re told that for security reasons, USTR would not answer queries about how the protesters managed to scale the building, but said that the agency has a “security posture” that protects all employees.

Did we mention the U.S. Trade Representative’s office is just across the street from the White House complex, specifically the Eisenhower Executive Office Building?

Originally published by Washington Post

3 WAYS TO SHOW YOUR SUPPORT

ONE-TIME DONATION

Just use the simple form below to make a single direct donation.

DONATE NOW

MONTHLY DONATION

Be a sustaining sponsor. Give a reacurring monthly donation at any level.

GET SOME MERCH!

Now you can wear your support too! From T-Shirts to tote bags.

SHOP TODAY

Sign Up

Article Tabs

The recent decisions by two of the most influential national newspapers of record to not publish their endorsements of Vice President Kamala Harris says a lot about how seriously they take Trump’s threats to democracy and his promises of vengeance against his enemies.

On the eve of the historic November vote, it seems important to ask: What's wrong with men, how did we get here, and can we change this?

As Trump’s campaign grows increasingly bizarre, his team appears to be more tightly controlling his movements and carefully scripting his public appearances to minimize the negative impact his erratic behavior may have on undecided voters in swing states.

Throughout history, fascist governments have had a similar reliance on the use of lies as a weapon to take and retain power.

Former President Donald Trump is now openly fantasizing about deputizing death squads against Americans.

The recent decisions by two of the most influential national newspapers of record to not publish their endorsements of Vice President Kamala Harris says a lot about how seriously they take Trump’s threats to democracy and his promises of vengeance against his enemies.

On the eve of the historic November vote, it seems important to ask: What's wrong with men, how did we get here, and can we change this?

As Trump’s campaign grows increasingly bizarre, his team appears to be more tightly controlling his movements and carefully scripting his public appearances to minimize the negative impact his erratic behavior may have on undecided voters in swing states.

Throughout history, fascist governments have had a similar reliance on the use of lies as a weapon to take and retain power.

Former President Donald Trump is now openly fantasizing about deputizing death squads against Americans.

On the eve of the historic November vote, it seems important to ask: What's wrong with men, how did we get here, and can we change this?

Posted 6 days 22 hours ago

Former President Donald Trump is growing increasingly deranged, yet the media is asleep at the wheel.

Posted 1 month 3 weeks ago

Former President Donald Trump is now openly fantasizing about deputizing death squads against Americans.

Posted 3 weeks 2 days ago

The 2024 Republican ticket’s incitement of violence against Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, is revealing in more ways than one.

Posted 1 month 1 week ago

What Britain needs now is more politics, not more police.

Posted 1 month 1 week ago

Right wing organizations, tech bros, alt finance and big oil are all helping to promote a surge in far right politics that are destabilizing the global order, and could end democracies on both sides of the Atlantic.

Former President Donald Trump is now openly fantasizing about deputizing death squads against Americans.

Throughout history, fascist governments have had a similar reliance on the use of lies as a weapon to take and retain power.