From phil.graham@mailbox.uq.edu.au Tue Aug  1 10:07:14 2000
Date: Mon, 31 Jul 2000 09:34:32 +1000
From: Phil Graham 
Reply-To: gkd@phoenix.edc.org
To: gkd@phoenix.edc.org
Subject: [GKD] Protest at the G8 Summit

http://www.summitwatch.net/story.php3?type=ok&id=10

The poor can't eat web, say campaigners as they burn lap top 
2000-07-22 13:54

The beach of Nago was lit up at dusk today, as campaigners ceremonially
set fire to a lap top computer. The dramatic action was taken to express
campaigner's disgust with the G8 failure to produce a new deal on debt
in their official announcement yesterday. Instead the G8 have trumpeted
a new IT initiative that it claims will help bridge the 'digital
divide'.

The lap top was burnt in sight of Busena, the venue of the G8 Summit in
the background. As it blazed, the screen on the lap top read: "This is
worth nothing until you Drop the Debt - G8 Summit, Okinawa, July 2000".

Tomoo Machiba, a Japanese activist that sacrificed his laptop for the
protest said: "I was willing to do this to show my anger at the G8
leaders who have been blind to the needs of the poor." Whilst agreeing
that the digital divide needs to be addressed, Jubilee 2000 argues that
tackling the debt divide is a far higher priority for tackling poverty.
The failure of the G8 to agree to a new deal on debt which would cancel
larger amounts of debt for more countries makes their IT initiative
meaningless. Without cancelling the debts, poor countries will never
have the resources to build the infrastructure to support IT.

Jubilee 2000 UK Director, Ann Pettifor, said: "After their complete
failure on debt, the G8 leaders have no credibility at all. If they are
hungry, the poorest people in the world cannot eat lap tops. An internet
connection will not help them survive malaria or TB. Of course
information technology is important. But until they drop the debt, these
G8 gestures are empty."

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Opinions expressed in this email are my own unless otherwise stated.
Phil Graham
Lecturer (Communication)
Graduate School of Management
University of Queensland
617 3381 1083
www.geocities/pw.graham/
www.uq.edu.au/~uqpgraha
http://www.angelfire.com/ga3/philgraham/index.html
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