Pacific Trade Talks Draw Protestors

By: Annette Fuentes

Today opens discussion of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a NAFTA-like trade agreement that will be the first such international pact negotiated by the Obama administration. And protestors are at the ready with an array of concerns about it. Animal rights activists from PETA—People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals—will be joined by The Pretenders' Chrissie Hynde to protest the Australian wool industry, which uses a procedure on lambs that involves cutting out chunks of their flesh. It’s called ‘mulesing’, and it's supposed to prevent maggot infestation. Enough said.

 

Richmond Mayor Gayle McLaughlin and SF Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi will join a rally outside the International Hotel, where the trade negotiations will take place. Protestors are calling for a fair-trade approach that makes human rights and environmental protections key components of any agreement.

 

The TPP was begun under Bush and includes Asian and Latin American nations, as well as the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Brunei.

With reporting from Bay City News.