Thousands of enviros and other anti-globalization activists took to the streets of Melbourne, Australia, yesterday, with the aim of shutting down, Seattle-style, a three-day World Economic Forum meeting of high-powered corporate leaders and policymakers, primarily from the Asia-Pacific region. “We have no vote on who these major world leaders are,” said Michael Gann, a protestor from New South Wales. “The only way we can send a message is by being active like today.” The demonstrators were pleased with their success in keeping 200 of nearly 900 delegates out of the meeting hall. But clashes with police erupted, and legal observers say police officers used excessive force and brutality against the protestors, trampling them with horses, dragging them by the hair, and punching, kicking, and biting them, sending many to the hospital.
