Seoul, South Korea, Oct. 20- On Thursday, thousands of protesters staged a boisterous anti-globalization rally as Asian and European leaders gathered in Seoul for a cross-continental summit. In a series of lively demonstrations against the Asia-Europe Meetings (ASEM), South Koreans linked up with the worldwide people’s movement against corporate tyranny. Authorities deployed 30,000 riot and plainclothes police to marshal the meeting, which brought together 25 leaders of Asian and European Union nations to discuss closer cooperation between their regions. During the day, some 400 protesters fought running street battles with the police.

The demonstrations were organized by a coalition of workers, farmers, urban poor, students and a host of civic and religious groups, represented by the People’s Rally Committee, Citizens Action and the Min-gan Forum. The coalition focused on the impact of local and global exploitation on South Korea’s workers and the environment, which took a ferocious turn when the International Monetary Fund (IMF) imposed “structural adjustment programs” as conditions for an astronomical loan brokered after the Asian economic crisis of 1996. These effects, referred to as “free market neo-liberalism” in the euphemistic parlance of economics, have included: privatization, mass layoffs, job casualization, the bankruptcy of farmers exposed to global markets, “efficiency”-driven education policies, and the dismantling and sale to overseas companies of South Korean industry.

The first ASEM, which opened in Bangkok in 1996, represented attempts by European free marketeers to gain a greater foothold in Asia and gain economic leverage against the United States. As economic liberalization in South Korea and other industrialized Asian economies has escalated following the $58 billion dollar IMF bailout, European multinationals have been eyeing state-owned Korean firms put up for sale.

The protest was convened without police approval and when it began marching, police tried to contain it. The police eventually succeeded in stopping the march altogether, following violent clashes. Earlier, at 2pm, about 10,000 people mobilized for the main protest in which speakers from France and Ireland were warmly welcomed. In particular, Pierre Rousset from the French organization ATTAC (Action for a Tobin Tax to Assist the Citizen) struck a chord with his message that workers in Europe and South Korea are fighting the same struggle against corporate globalization. Activists responded with cheers, holding up placards blasting ASEM for promoting a US-led, globalization movement of Western imperialism. The spirit of internationalism was strong. There were repeated statements by all speakers that the day of action, to be named “O20,” was a continuation of the protests in Seattle, Washington, Melbourne and Prague. Many placards and banners were written in English for the benefit of international media.

After the rally, the people marched and attempted to approach the conference site but were stopped 1,000 yards from the summit venue by 8,000 helmeted riot police backed by two water cannons and armored riot vehicles. Huge garbage tanks were placed across the street to block the march. On Thursday, riot police sealed off all public access within 1.2 miles of the sprawling ASEM site.

“Is this a country which has received a Nobel prize?’’ the protesters shouted as they were aggressively pushed away by riot police, armed with helmets, shields and meter-long batons.

South Korean President Kim Dae-Jung, who received the Nobel Peace Prize last week for his diplomatic efforts toward North Korea, was the host of the summit.

After a 40 minute standoff with the police, protesters marched to a demonstration held in Seoul’s Olympic Park.

Sources: Greenleft Weekly, Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France Presse