First paragraph (Teaser):

A NORTHEAST REGIONAL FTAA/WTO CONSULTA is planned, in Montreal, for
June 21-22, 2003. The first day is focussed on anti-FTAA organizing, while
the second is to prepare for anti-WTO actions in Montreal and in
solidarity with protests in Cancun. The consulta is organized by the
Montreal Anti-Capitalist Coalition Against the FTAA, and will discuss
regional collaboration on popular education, solidarity and direct action
efforts as we collectively confront the various upcoming meetings of the
powers of global capitalism and imperialism (WTO mini-minsterial in
Montreal (July 28-30, 2003), WTO ministerial in Cancun, Mexico (September
10-14, 2003) and the FTAA ministerial in Miami, U$A (November 2003)). For
more info about the consulta, or to register, please e-mail
cacz...@cyberso.zzn.com.

Rest of the text:

MONTREAL ANTI-WTO ORGANIZING HAS BEGUN!!! (Updates and Contact Info)

Updates about organizing in Montreal against the upcoming WTO
mini-ministerial meeting in late July 2003 -- Posted June 1, 2003

---> IF YOU WANT OCCASIONAL UPDATES, in English and French, about
Montreal-area organizing against the WTO, join the wto-montreal-announce
e-mail list by visiting the following webpage:
https://lists.resist.ca/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/wto-montreal-announce

---> THE NEXT ORGANIZING ASSEMBLY in Montreal against the WTO will be on
TUESDAY, JUNE 10 at 6:30pm. The assembly will take place at L'X (182,
Ste-Catherine Street East, near metros St-Laurent and Berri-UQAM).
Translation is available into English and Spanish. Childcare available on
request (please e-mail resi...@resist.ca in advance). Organizing
assemblies will take place throughout June and July.

---> A NORTHEAST REGIONAL FTAA/WTO CONSULTA is planned, in Montreal, for
June 21-22, 2003. The first day is focussed on anti-FTAA organizing, while
the second is to prepare for anti-WTO actions in Montreal and in
solidarity with protests in Cancun. The consulta is organized by the
Montreal Anti-Capitalist Coalition Against the FTAA, and will discuss
regional collaboration on popular education, solidarity and direct action
efforts as we collectively confront the various upcoming meetings of the
powers of global capitalism and imperialism (WTO mini-minsterial in
Montreal (July 28-30, 2003), WTO ministerial in Cancun, Mexico (September
10-14, 2003) and the FTAA ministerial in Miami, U$A (November 2003)). For
more info about the consulta, or to register, please e-mail
cacz...@cyberso.zzn.com.

---> IF YOU LIVE IN THE MONTREAL-AREA and would like to get involved in
anti-WTO organizing, as part of one of the various local committes or as
part of an affinity group action, please read below for more info or
e-mail resi...@resist.ca. You can also join the wto-montreal-announce
e-mail list by visiting the webpage indicated above.

---> IF YOU LIVE WITHIN DRIVING DISTANCE OF MONTREAL, and would like to
stay in touch, we encourage you to subscribe to the wto-montreal-announce
list (as indicated above). If you want to collaborate on popular education
events, caravans, informational materials and more, please e-mail us ASAP
at resi...@resist.ca. On parle français. Se habla espanol.

MORE UPDATES:

1) REPORT FROM 1ST ORGANIZING ASSEMBLY; 2) ORGANIZING COMMITTEES; 3) MORE
WTO INFORMATION; 4) BASIS OF UNITY & PGA HALLMARKS

---> 1) REPORT FROM 1st ORGANIZING ASSEMBLY:

The first organizing assembly against the upcoming WTO mini-ministerial
meeting in Montreal took place this past Wednesday (May 28) in Montreal.
At least 50 organizers and activists attended, representing various local
groups and initiatives, such as the Anti-Capitalist Convergence (CLAC),
Block the Empire, the No One Is Illegal Campaign, the Montreal
Anti-Capitalist Coalition Against the FTAA, the Union Paysanne and many
more groups, including student organizations and various individuals.

The organizing assembly agreed to a basic action plan, which will involve
a direct action effort to disrupt the upcoming WTO meetings in Montreal.
As well, the assembly unanimously agreed to a large-scale, popular,
child-friendly march under the theme "No One is Illegal" to complement the
civil disobedience efforts against the WTO, and to focus on the WTO's
links to colonial genocide, militarization and war, as well as the
displacement of migrants. This march follows from the No One Is Illegal
march, of more than 5000 people, last June in Ottawa against the G8. More
info about these efforts will be posted in the coming days and weeks.

There was general agreement to have several days of action, and allow
space for various issues, such as a focus on the pharmaceutical industry's
refusal to permit low-cost, life-saving and life-enhancing AIDS drugs to
the global South, the GATS (General Agreement on Trade and Services), the
WTO's agricultural policies and more.

---> 2) ORGANIZING COMMITTTEES:

Various organizing committees were formed to faciliate the various popular
education and direct action efforts in the coming weeks. Montreal-area
committess include:

- popular education and mobilization;
- follow-up/suivi (responsible for organizing assemblies, communication
and external liaison);
- media;
- logistics (including housing, transportation and food);
- medical;
- legal.

To join these committees, or for more info, please e-mail
resi...@resist.ca.

---> 3) MORE WTO INFORMATION:

More information about the WTO, including links to other sites, is
available at http://www.geocities.com/ericsquire/wto.htm

A Montreal organizing site will be online very soon! In the meantime, stay
in touch with us at resi...@resist.ca.

---> 4) BASIS OF UNITY & PGA HALLMARKS:

[Below is the original callout for the first anti-WTO organizing assembly
in Montreal, which includes the Basis of Unity for organizing in Montreal
...]

Pierre Pettigrew, Canada's Minister of International Trade responsible for
the FTAA, has announced that the World Trade Organization (WTO) will be
having a mini-ministerial meeting in Montreal this coming July 28-30,
2003. The Montreal WTO meeting will be important for the success of the
next major round of WTO negotiations in Cancun, Mexico this coming
September.

Already, major protests are planned for Cancun, as well as solidarity
actions worldwide, in opposition to the destructive social and ecological
agenda of the WTO, and its links to war, militarization and displacement,
as well as the cultural robbery and genocide of indigenous cultures.

The WTO was effectively shut down in Seattle in 1999. In 2001, the WTO
needed to meet in Doha, Qatar (the current headquarters of the US
military's Central Command, responsible for the wars on Iraq and
Afghanistan), where it was effectively isolated from protesters. This
year, the WTO is trying to make a comeback with its meetings at the
tourist resort of Cancun, and the July meeting in Montreal is an important
stop in determining the success of the WTO agenda. Disrupting the meeting
could have a real impact on the ability of WTO to make its comeback.

An organizing assembly to prepare an effective "WTO welcoming" is being
called by Montreal-area organizers and activists affiliated with several
local anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist and anti-war groups and
collectives. The assembly is being called based on the respect for a
diversity of tactics, supporting a variety of creative initiatives against
the WTO ranging from popular education to direct action. We encourage
local groups that may have action or popular education proposals to oppose
the WTO to get in touch in advance of the meeting.

We are hoping to launch a Montreal-area mobilisation effort, based on a
convergence of current local campaigns, to "welcome" the WTO in July and
work in solidarity with anti-WTO efforts in Mexico and Latin America.

The hallmarks of the People's Global Action (PGA) network (included below)
will serve as the basis of unity for the organizing assembly.

Resist the WTO! Help prepare a Montreal welcome for the WTO meetings in
July!

To stay in touch, please e-mail: resi...@resist.ca
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

PGA Hallmarks
http://www.agp.org

The following hallmarks are the basis of unity of the anti-WTO organizing
assemblies in Montreal:

1. A very clear rejection of capitalism, imperialism and feudalism; all
trade agreements, institutions and governments that promote destructive
globalisation;

2. We reject all forms and systems of domination and discrimination
including, but not limited to, patriarchy, racism and religious
fundamentalism of all creeds. We embrace the full dignity of all human
beings.

3. A confrontational attitude, since we do not think that lobbying can
have a major impact in such biased and undemocratic organisations, in
which transnational capital is the only real policy-maker;

4. A call to direct action and civil disobedience, support for social
movements' struggles, advocating forms of resistance which maximize
respect for life and oppressed peoples' rights, as well as the
construction of local alternatives to global capitalism;

5. An organisational philosophy based on decentralisation and autonomy.