KWRU Members Travel to Berlin

Members of KWRU are participating in an international conference in Berlin, Germany sponsored by the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation. The Conference "Barbarism or Justice" opened today with people from 16 countries and 4 continents gathering to discuss the growing inequality and poverty caused by global free market policies.

Michael brie of the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation opened the conference with sobering statistics, including the fact that 120,000 children die of hunger every day throughout the world. As dividends are rising, he pointed out, the quality of life is falling. He expressed alarm at the increasing privatization of health, knowledge and genes.

Methoni Muri of the African Trade Movement spoke of the injustice caused by global trade and how people in Africa are denied access to AIDS medicines because of laws protecting giant drug companies. She suggested the creation of a "global civil society."

Tatjana Col described the struggles of the Zapatistas in Mexico and David Bleakney of the Canadian Postal Workers Union discussed the need to resist corporatization of culture and the need for labor unions to resist giving concessions from employees in contract negotiations.

The Rosa Luxemburg Foundation is one of the political foundations in Germany that recieve subsidies from the federal government. The foundation promotes education, cultural activities and social analysis. Rosa Luxemburg, assassinated in 1919, spent her life linking political freedom to social justice.

Cecilia Perry

Berlin

Oct. 5, 2000