SEARCH FoundationMany thousands of people in Sydney do not welcome the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in our city. Their alternative view will be expressed at a colourful festival to be held on Friday, September 7 in Hyde Park North from 11am to 2pm.
“The official APEC is treating Sydney citizens as suspects and evicting them from beautiful parts of their city,” said Peter Murphy from All People for Environment and Community.
“The official APEC is here to push nuclear power, free trade with all its privatisations and deregulation, and to assert that big business can run the world better than democratic citizens. That's also why APEC promotes repression in our region. That's why we are protesting and projecting an alternative people's agenda”.
All People for Environment and Community, a wide coalition of community groups who have come together to organise the Peoples Alternative Festival, is creating a venue for the views of every Sydney citizen who puts the rights of people and the environment before the interests of corporations.
Music, performance, speakers, and information and food stalls will combine to offer an inclusive peaceful people's vision for the future, in stark contrast with the secretive, repressive big business agenda of the 21 APEC leaders behind their concrete barricades.
“Our Festival will promote the people's alternative of fair trade, real action on global warming, genuine development to alleviate poverty, opposition to war, and respect for the labour rights and human rights of all the peoples of our vast Asia Pacific region,” said Peter Murphy from All People for Environment and Community.
“We oppose the presence in our city of Sydney of United States President George Bush. He is the architect of the brutal invasion and occupation of Iraq which has cost so many thousands of human lives and so much pain and misery,” said Peter Murphy.
“The Peoples Alternative Festival will promote the values of peace, security and harmony, and the use of diplomacy and dialogue to replace force as a means of resolving conflicts.”
All People for Environment and Community sponsors include: Australian Anti-Bases Campaign Coalition, Australian Services Union NSW, Australian Fair Trade & Investment Network, Bolivarian Circle Sydney, Socialist Party of Chile / Oceania, Communist Party of Australia, Construction Forestry Mining & Energy Union (NSW), Korean Resource Centre, Maritime Union of Australia (Sydney Branch), Migrante Philippines-Australia, SEARCH Foundation, Sydney Peace & Justice Coalition.
For further information please contact Peter Murphy 0418 312 301