SAN FRANCISCO (CN) — Protests in San Francisco broke out this week as multiple organizations opposed holding the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in one of California’s largest cities.
On Wednesday morning, hundreds of activists with the anti-military organization “No to APEC” gathered near Moscone Center on San Francisco’s Fifth and Mission Streets to attempt to block APEC attendees. The United States is hosting the annual summit of world leaders for the first time since 2011, as leaders from the 21-member group gather to discuss trade and economic deals within the Pacific region. The annual conference brings together heads of participating nations and top economic and diplomatic leaders.
Activists are also protesting the Biden administration as President Joe Biden meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping and supports Israel in its bombing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza in response to Hamas terrorist actions on Oct. 7. Many attending the protest said they opposed the U.S. government and other powerful actors partnering with corporations like Chevron and Exxon Mobil and profiting from war and resource extraction in post-colonial nations.
No to APEC says it has organized protest actions in the city all week. Those who were blocked were able to pass through flanked by San Francisco Police Department officers in riot gear. The protest remained peaceful as activists held a circle at the intersection outside the San Francisco Chronicle headquarters, demanding that passersby go around.
Win-Mon Kyi of San Francisco said she is part of the Myanmar Student Union based in San Mateo County. This is a personal fight for her, she said, to call for the U.S. and other governments to stop any involvement with companies that profit from military actions killing civilians.
“We’re all too familiar with militarization in our home Myanmar,” Kyi said. “They also profit from the natural resources in our homeland. These oil and gas companies extract oil and gas from Myanmar.”
Kyi joined activists who call for the U.S. government to fully sanction Myanmar’s military and the fuel industry’s contributions to airstrikes on civilians. They also want to see other countries held accountable for what they call human rights violations, she said.
“We’re calling on the international community to support immediately ending the dictatorship and the air strikes in Myanmar, and stop the jet fuel to the military,” she said. “The youth are still fighting, and we have to support the workers that choose to risk their lives and protest under bullets. There’s a lot of things that connect in the militarization used to suppress people’s right to protest.”
The significance of APEC meet in San Francisco is underscored by the large population of Asian-American and Pacific Islander consulates and immigrants in the city.
“This is such an international arena, and so many people have a lot at stake,” Kyi said. ”It’s the global south that is being rampaged and decimated.”
Longtime San Francisco resident Norma E., who volunteers with No to APEC after having worked in the auto industry, said she thinks San Franciscans of different political backgrounds can agree on opposing corporations supplying weapons and fuel to militaries around the world. She also said local workers like her are fed up with seeing politicians use San Francisco for profit.
“They prefer to have this summit happen here, when they don’t take care of their own people,” she said. “It’ll fatten the pockets of those attending, and it’s impacting all of us. They're not hiring enough people to fulfill managing the city, or even the day-to-day things that keep us running.”
She wants to see community-led efforts to improve her city, instead of a focus on maximizing profit by hosting events like APEC.
“All this talk about how dangerous it is here, I experienced that as an ‘80s baby,” she said. “It’s just a shame because they can hide behind their ivory towers or their beautiful homes and it’s not what we’re about."
As she spoke, Norma and others called for people attempting to pass through the protest to turn around. Occasionally arguments broke out, as when one man shouted at her, “I gotta go to work, you guys are fucking weirdos,” and threw his cigarette at activists before walking away.
The protest lasted for several hours. Kyi said more actions are planned through Friday, alongside protests of U.S. aid to Israel in solidarity with Palestinians being killed and displaced in Gaza.
A San Francisco Police Department officer said he did not know if any arrests had been made as of Wednesday morning. Thousands of people have protested since Sunday night, as San Francisco continues to block some streets downtown for the summit.
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