What is anti-globalisation?

Anti-globalisation is the umbrella term for a group of different protest causes, including

• environmentalism
• third world debt
• animal rights
• child labour
• anarchism, and
• anti-capitalism and opposition to multinationals

Globalisation has really accelerated since the break-up of the Soviet Union.

Under attack in Seattle

It includes the increasing integration of countries' individual economies, the rise in world trade, the impact on ordinary people of multinational companies and the effect of large sums of money moving in and out of economies.

It also includes the increasing number of cross-border social, cultural and technological links.

The targets of anti-globalisation protests have been meetings of the

• World Trade Organisation (WTO) which promotes free trade between countries
• International Monetary Fund (IMF) which gives countries loans when their economies are in crisis
• World Bank, which among other things gives longer term loans to countries for development

Other meetings of national leaders and businesses have also been hit, such as the Summit of the Americas in Quebec, and the World Economic Forum in Davos.

May Day (originally a pagan festival, now the day of workers and international socialism) is often a target for these protests.

Protests have often resulted in violence, eg the scenes in Quebec (see picture). But most of the protesters are supporters of non-violent direct action, and have used tactics such as guerrilla gardening (which saw Winston Churchill's statue getting a turf mohican), and Feed the Birds (giving pigeons in Trafalgar Square food when authorities are trying to remove them).

Opponents of globalisation say it leads to exploitation of the world's poor, workers, and the environment. They say it makes it easier for rich companies to act with less accountability. They also claim that countries' individual cultures are becoming overpowered by Americanisation. Several of the largest US brands (eg McDonald's and Starbucks) face particular opposition.

Those in favour of globalisation say increasing world trade should make everyone richer, and say global phenomena like the internet can help those who are oppressed. Trade links can encourage countries to respect human rights, they say.