As we debated strategies for confronting the WTO, we began to win mutual trust and respect. After that collaborative and democratic process, a small number of protesters who had boycotted those meetings took it upon themselves to break that solidarity. In the most sectarian way, they put their small numbers up against a mass movement. We think it was totally unfair for a small, unrepresentative group to use a massive, peaceful protest as a venue for destructive actions that went against the wishes of the vast majority of protesters. We are far less concerned about the glass that they broke than about the sense of collective unity that they attempted but failed to shatter.
Some people say it was the window-smashing that made the protest a hot media story.
I completely disagree. It was the nonviolent protest that stopped the WTO meeting in its tracks, and that was the big news. Changing the structure and rules of the global economy will require a mass movement based on messages of compassion, justice, and equality, as well as collaborative and democratic processes. If we stay positive, inclusive, and democratic, we have a truly historic opportunity to build a global movement for social justice.