Thousands of people took to the streets of San Francisco on Sunday to protest against the holding of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum in the city, as well as Washington’s stance on Israel’s offensive in Gaza and on migration.
The march went through the center of the city and near the well-known Union Square to the vicinity of the Moscone Convention Center, where the 30th edition of APEC is being held until Friday.
No to APEC coalition representative Nik Evasco, told EFE that APEC delegates talk about a sustainable economy, but they “really only think about the interests of large corporations.”
Since its founding in 1989, APEC has become one of the main international trade forums thanks to its 21 member economies.
Protests are expected throughout this week of high-level meetings, the highlight of which will be that between US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Wednesday.
As with Sunday, demonstrations against APEC could be joined by marches against Israel’s military offensive in Gaza and against Biden for his position on this conflict.
“Biden, Biden, you can’t hide, you’ve taken the side of a genocide!” chanted hundreds of protesters in downtown San Francisco.
The protest was also made up of other groups defending indigenous territories in Latin America and migrant platforms demanding a change in US immigration policies.
Among them was the San Francisco Immigrant Legal Defense Collaborative which, in the words of its affiliate Mariela Santibáñez, maintained that the immigration management of the Biden administration “must be reformed because it is doing as much or more damage” than that under former president Donald Trump.
Both Sunday and Monday at APEC are focused on meetings between finance ministers, and later there will be meetings between foreign ministers, concluding with the leaders’ summit. EFE
By Mian Saeed Ahmed Khan
