What causes a large of random city dwellers to feel the need to spend a Saturday, roaming around the streets?

Reclaim the Streets and the NO WTO protest, Sept 13 2003

What is RTS?

What causes a large group of random city dwellers to feel the need to spend a Saturday, roaming around the streets?

The feeling of a making your presence felt has a lot to do with it, the sensation of changing your city simply by occupying its space. Space that otherwise is exclusively reserved for transport and commerce. Who can deny the beauty in that?

Somewhere between 500 and 1000 people made better use than usually of Sydney's streets today. In a march snaking its way from central to town hall to downtown george st. A combination of reclaim the streets and anit-WTO protests were to blame, as well as a desire to change the otherwise monotonous land scape of Sydney's CBD.

"best street party I've ever been to" one fringe activist was quoted as saying. Sound systems in garbage bins, in box trailers attaahced to shopping trolleys kept the street party vibe gaoing and staved off activist depression. Giant skeleton marinets (is that what called, excuse my ignorance) patrolled the streets in the day of dead inspired march. THe importance of shouting out against the horible policies of the WTO wa well understood, but the ned wasn't felt to do it in an angry and depressing way. The message: Observe the level of opposition, and think about different ways this world could operate.

Septemeber 13th — World Trade Organisation (WTO) protests , Sydney

In solidarity with protestors the world over, a large group of autonomous individuals, Reclaim the Streets (RTS) participants, anti-WTO activists, people from the Greens, ATTAC Sydney, and Socialist Alliance, converged on George St, (cnr King St) Sydney today at 2pm to dance, celebrate, raise awareness and "live the future in the present". The theme linking the disparate activists is "Another World is Possible" - a different world to wars, violence, economic rationalism, and imperalism. Relations with bystanders, shoppers, commuters, and police was cordial and pleasant. An independent photographer quoted BBC World News [9/9/03] "The US gives 3 times as much money to its cotton farmers in subsidies as it spends on aid to Africa" as evidence all other people surely need to persuade doubters as to double standards employed in the free trade rhetoric.

Written by roaming IMC reporters on the day.