Creative Demonstrating – Anti Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership
Last week, in front of Meiji Shrine in Tokyo’s Harajuku district the national farming association held a small demonstration against the TPP proposal. You can read about it here on Wikipedia, but to put it in easy to understand terms, the day Japan joins the TPP is the day when Japanese agriculture and therefore the entire countryside outside the most major cities starts dying. I am absolutely against the TPP and all the problems with anti-democratic, pro-corporation and anti-environment laws that will be the result. Instead of just holding banners the farmers held a parade and then distributed free vegetables and flowers to any member of the public. To raise awareness about the danger of TPP they also distributed some very informative pamphlets and flyers detailing the problems. I wish them luck, and although I try to keep politics and negative things away from this blog, I just can’t let this one slide. I hope the grassroots anti-TPP movements around the world can join hand in this protest.
Did you try some of the produce? Even though it’s a grave topic, the two guys up top look so jolly and happy. I love that.
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They did indeed! No, I didn’t have the patience to wait in line, there were hundreds of people lined up as I took these photos! (^-^) I can afford to buy my own…
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I’ll be making my way from Milwaukee to Tokyo in a few months, en route to visiting my parents in Taiwan… and am very much against the TPP. Where did you find that pamphlet? I’d like to pick one up.
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Hi! Thanks for the comment and thank you for your support! I took the pamphlet at this rally, but I recommend you visit their homepage here:
http://www.think-tpp.jp
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