[imc-dc-audio] Commercial Radio Hijacked in Sydney, AU

[Alan Bushnell]

-----Forwarded Message-----

From: Alan Freed <beatradio@beatworld.com>
To: microradio@lists.tao.ca
Subject: [MRN] Commercial Radio Hijacked in Sydney, AU
Date: 15 Nov 2002 13:38:46 -0800

http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0211/S00087.htm

Commercial Radio Hijacked in Sydney
Friday, 15 November 2002, 12:32 pm
Article: Institute for Applied Piracy


Institute for Applied Piracy

The commercial radio world is in uproar over the unprecedented events=20
of this morning on the day of the World Trade Organisation (WTO)=20
mini-ministerial meeting in Homebush, Sydney.


A pirate radio broadcast jammed commercial radio signals this morning=20
by the so-called Institute For Applied Piracy disrupting usual=20
programming by blocking commercial signals for 10 minutes with an=20
anti-WTO report.


The transmission explained to listeners that the WTO abuses human=20
rights, world health, worker's rights, the environment and increases=20
inequality between rich and poor. The WTO's practices are literally=20
killing people.

The broadcasters believe that these issues have a real impact on real=20
people yet ordinary Australians aren't being made aware of the facts.

"The media has not given any coverage to the real issues behind the=20
WTO," said the radio pirates. "It has only given sensationalist=20
coverage of protesters being trampled by police horses, and no=20
explanation of why people are protesting. The media is neglecting its=20
obligation to inform Australians about the issues important to their=20
lives."

The influence of the WTO is evident in the lack of discussion of=20
these issues in Australian media. Say the broadcasters, "We're not=20
invited to contribute to the media so we're forced to shout over the=20
top of it!"

A transcript of the broadcast ...
Good morning 2Day FM. Welcome to a pirate radio broadcast on the day=20
that selected members of the World Trade Organisation are meeting in=20
Homebush here in Sydney.

As we speak many thousands of protesters are flocking to the Olympic=20
stadium in Homebush where today's WTO meeting is being held. So what=20
is so bad about the wto that people are prepared to risk becoming the=20
victims of police violence and media vilification to protest against=20
it?

The reason people are so passionateABOUT SPEAKING OUT AGAINST THE WTO=20
is that the wto makes decisions that affect the whole world. And yes=20
Sydney, this includes you.

The world trade organisation is an international body that exists to=20
promote international free trade, at any cost.

It has no connection with the UN, and although its members are=20
governments, they represent the wishes of corporations rather than=20
ordinary citizens.

In its own words, the wto exists to eliminate what it defines as=20
=92=C4=F2barriers to trade=92=C4=F4, but
increasingly people around the world are finding that what is being=20
removed is simply their basic rights.

>From human rights, workers=92=C4=F4 rights and free speech, to public=20
health, education and the environment, these issues are steamrolled=20
by the wto in the quest for profit. The thousands of concerned=20
citizens heading to Homebush this morning are protesting against the=20
wto's valuing of profits over people.

Now its easy to think that a group of high fliers making decisions=20
about trade is a bit irrelevant to you, but actually their decisions=20
have impact on almost every aspect of your life =92=C4=EC from your wages=20
and conditions at work to education, health, the food you eat, to=20
indigenous issues and the environment.

The fundamental difference between the WTO and other international=20
bodies is that the WTO exists expressly to advocate the interests of=20
business and does not represent the interests of citizens. The WTO=20
sees issues of human rights, worker's rights, health and the=20
environment simply as Barriers to Trade, and forces governments to=20
neglect these issues, or suffer penalties. Under wto law, it is=20
illegal to give preference to a company just because they have good=20
human rights or environmental practice. It is also illegal to=20
discriminate against a company because they have a bad human rights=20
record or cause environmental damage.

With these laws, how can we prevent trade in endangered species or=20
toxic waste? How can countries limit exports of food when there is a=20
national famine, or of tree trunks when the forests are laid waste?=20
How can we guard against human rights abuses and child labour in=20
sweatshops?

The wto also penalises countries in other ways. If our government=20
urges us to 'Buy Australian Made', it will be penalised by the WTO.=20
If an impoverished country with a starving population tries to give=20
financial assistance to its farmers to provide food for their own=20
people, the wto will penalise that government. In fact, policies that=20
preference the use of local materials or labour are illegal under wto=20
laws.

These rules of the wto are unfair because they favour rich developed=20
countries and have terrible impact on developing countries. For=20
example, their laws promoting free trade allow floods of cheap=20
imports to wipe out the livelihoods of small farmers. Maize prices=20
received by poor mexican farmers have halved since mexico was forced=20
to opene its borders to cheap US maize, causing havoc in the=20
countryside.

But even more unfair is that the richest countries break these rules,=20
under the wto's blatant double standards. For example, the wto has a=20
law that makes governments reduce subsidies to farmers, yet loopholes=20
in this law allow western governments to increase the support to=20
their own farmers - The United States forks out $US20,000 per farmer=20
per year in subsidies.

The wto encourages human rights abuses in its quest for =92=C4=F2free=20
trade=92=C4=F4. it gives advantage to countries that break international=20
labour and human rights rules.

The Wto laws override existing national laws, deeming them all=20
'barriers' to trade and sweeping aside all environmental, social or=20
public health considerations.

Wto rules have had a devastating effect on world health in an effort=20
to protect the profits of large drug companies. 6 =92=C4=EC 7 million=20
people in developing countries die every year from preventable=20
diseases, because the wto prevents them from accessing basic=20
medication. In Africa, 11 million people have died of AIDS, yet the=20
wto discourages them from buying cheaply-produced generic life-saving=20
drugs, insisting the rights of drug companies to protect their=20
profits through patents is more important than saving lives.

The wto does not even allow countries to refuse to import a product=20
that may be hazardous to health or destructive to the environment=20
unless they have undeniable scientific proof to the satisfaction of=20
the wto. Canada, the world's biggest asbestos producer, hopes to take=20
advantage of this to force Europe to import the carcinogenic=20
substance again.

*the rules passed by the world trade organisation protecting patents=20
mean that the world=92=C4=F4s indigenous peoples cannot use the medicines=20
they have used for thousands of years, and find they have to buy back=20
their traditional knowledge from corporations.

So if the wto is so extreme, why don't ordinary people know more=20
about it? The answer is that commercial media doesn't cover these=20
issues - if people knew how their lives were affected by the wto's=20
decisions and how the interests of corporations overrode the needs of=20
people, there would be a worldwide revolution. Commercial media is=20
protecting its own profits by suppressing discussion about the wto.=20
We are prevented from taking part in the media - so now we're forced=20
to shout over the top of it!





Alan Freed
Beat Radio
Minneapolis
http://www.beatworld.com


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