39 Asian Social Movements Express their Solidarity With #S17: Stop financial speculation on food and climate

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Prune the 1% and feed the roots

The fight of Occupy Wall Street is the struggle of all movements in the world. Finance capital, that created the crisis in 2008, has increased its power instead of being disciplined. At present, world GDP is 64 trillion US dollars while the derivatives market reached the incredible figure of 1,500 trillion US dollars in 2011. The speculative economy is 250 times larger than the real economy of the world. Now banks and Transnational corporations (TNCs) are moving to speculate on the impacts of the climate and environmental crises that the capitalist system has created. Prices of food are beginning to climb again because of climate change and speculation in a world where 1 billion people already suffer from hunger. The banks and TNCs like Cargill, Wal-Mart, Monsanto are seeing this situation as a new opportunity to make profits through food derivatives, natural resource grabbing, GMOs, agro-fuels, free trade agreements, structural adjustments, austerity plans and other mechanisms to increase the privileges of the 1% at the expenses of the 99% of the world and at tremendous cost to our Mother Earth.

From 15 to 17th of September, in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street, we will raise our voices and promote actions to ban derivatives in food, dismantle the power of the banks and TNCs, stop the privatization of water and public services, cancel the illegitimate debts that are strangling our sisters and brothers in Europe, achieve deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions and restore a life in harmony with nature.

Bangkok, August 31, 2012