BULATLAT
Posted 11:40 a.m., July 7, 2008

Members of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan and allied organizations asserted that the G-8 Summit is but a “futile attempt to cover up the culpability of the United States and other imperialist countries in the escalating fuel and food prices and worsening poverty around the world.”

Protesters held a picket in front of the Japanese Embassy in Manila today. The 34th Summit of the world’s richest counties or the G8, which include the US, Japan, Germany, France, Britain, Italy, Canada and Russia started today in Hokkaido, Japan.

Bayan described the Summit as a mere “public relations gimmick” and would not produce meaningful results in addressing the global anxiety brought about by the fuel and food crises.

In a statement, Rita Baua, Bayan international officer said, “Can we really expect the G8 to find ways to address the raging price crisis? In the first place, the oil and food cartel and speculators who viciously drive prices up to further increase their super-profits are from the G8 countries and among the biggest financiers of their governments. The war of aggression in Iraq and war mongering in Iran by the US and some G8 members to control and exploit Middle East oil have triggered speculative attacks on oil prices that are now wreaking havoc on people around the world, especially in poor countries like the Philippines.”

Bayan asserted that the G8 Summit would likely be used to push for further implementation of neoliberal globalization policies. She said that liberalization, deregulation and privatization policies have made the Philippines and other poor countries more vulnerable to artificially high and escalating oil and food prices.

Meanwhile, the International League of People’s Struggle (ILPS) Philippine Chapter condemned the arrest of four individuals, including a cameraman from Reuters, in Saturday’s protest action in Sapporo, Japan .

In a statement that reached Bulatlat through email, Ko Watari of WATCH, a Japanese legal network, said, they were surprised by the excessive force used by police.

Watari related that the arrested Reuter’s cameraman was standing on a public sidewalk when seized by policemen in plainclothes; his video camera was confiscated. http://blip.tv/file/1052811/ He said that a sound truck driver was also arrested.

Norma Biñas of ILPS – Philippines, said, “We join our fellow activists in Japan and other countries who oppose the G8 Summit in denouncing the Japanese government and police authorities for suppressing the people’s right to protest a patently anti-people and anti-poor summit.”

The group also commended Japanese people’s organizations that are leading the anti-G8 protests. “We salute them for initiating a resolute and militant stand against the summit. They inspire Filipino and other activists around the world who are fighting imperialism and fighting for genuine and lasting national and social liberation,” said Biñas.(Bulatlat.com)

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