Over ten thousand people from 44 countries participating in the
Americas Social Forum marched through the streets of Quito,
Ecuador, on Wednesday 28^TH July chanting slogans against the
United States’ neocolonial policies and calling for Latin
American unity.

The march, called to protest against ALCA/FTAA and other free
trade agreements, turned into a huge demonstration in which all
the continent s demands and concerns were expressed by
indigenous peoples (who participated massively), women,
children, youth, GLBT communities, trades unionists, peasants,
human rights activists, ecologists, left political parties,
pensioners, solidarity movements with Cuba and Venezuela, and
so
on. Prominent were calls against the United States
interventionist military policies, "free trade" treaties and
the
transnationals, while at the same time calling for Latin
American unity.

One of the most popular was “We don t want and have no wish to
be a North American colony. But we do want and wish to be a
free
and sovereign Latin America.” There was also “We want /chochos/
(an Andean bean), we want corn – transnationals out.” Women
cried “If they globalize misery, we ll globalize resistance.”

The march started with minor incidents with the police which
were resolved. People met in the Arbolito park, very close to
the US Embassy and when the head of the march led by
indigenous,
trades union and other leaders from different social movements
tried to pass by the US Embassy it was stopped by a police
armored vehicle guarding the Embassy. However, after a few
minutes’ wait and come pushing and shoving, the marchers
managed
to pass the police barrier and the march proceeded northwards,
passing by the Ministry of Foreign Trade before arriving back
at
the Arbolito Park.

Half-way through the march masked youths threw stones at the
Ministry while a leaflet bomb was let off. Later the Quito
offices of the World Bank and other banks and of transnationals
were painted. There were some incidents with the police who
threw tear gas but couldn t weaken the strength of the peaceful
march which continued despite these obstacles.

This was a day of unity which will be included among the big
mobilizations that the continent s social movements and other
grassroots and popular forces have held in the past few years
against neo-liberal policies and to reaffirm that another world
is possible.