Call for A Day of Action Against Capitalism Across North America on September 26, 2000 in Solidarity with the Mass Action during the IMF/World Bank Meeting in Prague

From September 26th to 28th 2000, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank are holding their 55th annual summit in Prague. PGA calls on the peoples movements internationally to make the 55th meeting the LAST! On September 26,peoples of the world will express their opposition to the World Bank and the IMF and their policies. Peoples of the world will join together in an expression of solidarity with the demonstrators in Prague in recognition that the capitalist system, based on the exploitation of people, societies, and the environment for
the profit of a few, is the prime cause of our social and ecological troubles.

Peoples Global Action has put out a call for communities throughout North America to organize actions for September 26th, 2000, in solidarity with the global day of action worldwide.

We live in a time where progress is defined by the powerful. Instruments are used to achieve these ends under a system that was founded on the maniacal destruction of native cultures. Value has been defined as that which benefits investors. After five hundred years of colonialism in the Americas the beast continues to evolve. Where bombs and military force are not required other instruments of control have been invented.

Canada and the U.S were built on the racist foundations of occupation and lying to the first people of this land. From the residential schools and reservation system the occupiers attempted to eliminate the many nations of peoples that existed in these Americas. A terrible holocaust has not silenced their stories.

Beneath the tinsel and the smiles lay centuries of killing and destruction in these Americas. This tragic chapter of history has not ended but has entered a new phase. The new colonialists leave no stone unturned. The patenting of blood, destruction of culture and adoption of policies that lead inevitably to hunger are the result of this religion.

The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank are part of the growing arsenal of weapons used in the new economic colonialism disguised as development. This 'development' is based on a system of values more in tune with the whims of large economic powers and market forces than local needs. We are tired of bandits that proudly promote and enforce devastating IMF policies and then skip town with the loot.

Capitalism has become a religion. One is not to question this religion, but accept that only money and profit are things of value. Everything is to be driven by competition as if life were a game with a select few winners and many losers. Elections are nothing more than theatre and meaningful alternatives are obscured by the bright lights of Disneyland.

Under the guise of "consultation" they choose with whom and under what circumstances they will meet. Public relations take on many forms. Co-option is the name of the game. But no amount of pretense will answer the question: How can the IMF begin to serve the interests of humanity when it maintains and promotes a system based on the most selfish of values?

The values the IMF espouses are based on a system that measures human beings as product or units. In the United States and Canada private prisons for profit are a perverse example of the trade in human units". Jails are a growth industry while trafficking in human raw materials has become the norm.

IMF policies have been applied resulting in massive cuts to health care funding, education, and seniors programs. Farmers are facing a crisis with massive subsidy cuts.

We are not fooled. These systems of division, competition and greed are
represented in many forms. We live in a consumer driven culture that promotes self-interest. But all is not well in this Disneyland. No amount of shiny trinkets can obscure the scars on these lands.

In September, adding to a growing list of international actions, people from many places will converge in Prague in another round of confrontation against the devastating practices of the IMF and what it represents. We call on people everywhere to commit to the call by Peoples Global Action for decentralized autonomous actions around the world on September 26. Join with people around the world in solidarity with actions directed against the IMF/World Bank and global capitalism.

The day will be organized as a decentralized and informal network of grassroots groups that employ non-authoritarian, democratic forms of organization, and seek to effect change directly through their own action. Each event or action will be organized autonomously by each group, reflecting local priorities and needs, while coalitions of various movements and groups can be formed on the local, regional or national levels. For more info see PGA at www.agp.org.

If you or your group plans to join this day of action, please let others know as soon as possible, to facilitate networking and communication. There are several international mailing lists available for open discussions and co-ordination. A public international contact list is regularly posted to these lists in order to facilitate decentralized networking. To have your contact information added to
it, please contact resistance@x21.org indicating (a) the country and location in which you plan to take action, plus any other information you see fit, for instance (b) the name of your group, coalition or yourself, (c) the events or actions being planned, (d) your land address, (e) your email address, (f) your telephone number,(g) fax number or (h) website.

The struggle continues,

Tampa Bay Action Group
co-convenor/ Peoples Global Action-North America oneworldnow@att.net