Hundreds of people demonstrated yesterday Sunday in San Francisco, on the eve of the summit of countries of the Pacific Ocean, against the “neoliberal” practices of their governments and in a sign of “solidarity” with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

“APEC is a form of neoliberal colonial government. What we want is to make sure that (leaders) put people and the planet at the center of the negotiations,” explained Nick Evasco, an environmental activist.

“We want to throw APEC into the dustbin of history,” argued Pam Tau Lee, 75, president of an American organization that fights for human rights in the Philippines.

Delegations from the 21 members of the forum known as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, or APEC, of ​​the US, China, Japan, Indonesia, Russia and others, will take part in the meeting to be held in the Californian city from on the 12th to the 18th of November.

“When countries come together to negotiate, they often grant rights to exploit resources and land to companies in the North,” complained Nick Evasco, who held a placard giving a completely different meaning to the acronym of the international economic organization, “abuse of peoples and the Earth for the power of business”.

“They talk about building a green economy,” continued the activist of the “Not in APEC” alliance, but “the fact that the president and CEO of ExxonMobil, one of the most polluting companies on the planet, will be given a platform to discuss with global leaders how they want to make a profit from these free trade agreements is very worrying.”

This alliance includes various organizations fighting to defend the environment, or women who are exploited in the Philippines, among others.

However, about half of the posters called for support for the Palestinians and an end to “the genocide” in the Gaza Strip.

“I am here to demonstrate in solidarity with the Palestinians who are being slaughtered en masse. My husband’s family is trapped in Gaza right now,” explained Eleanor Kolet, 28. “Genocide is being committed and we, the US, are helping to finance it,” he complained.

It is natural for Ms. Collet to protest alongside anti-APEC activists, as many leaders, including US President Joe Biden, are expected to attend the summit in San Francisco on Tuesday.

“The case of the liberation of the peoples is international” and “all these cases are connected to each other”, he emphasized.