November 1999 riots during the WTO Ministerial Conference in Seattle, Washington, USA
The largest US protest against a global economic body spurred the anti-globalization movement and drew worldwide attention to WTO trade negotiations.
Key Facts
- Estimated protesters
- At least 40,000
- Date of main protests
- November 30, 1999
- Protest nickname
- N30 / Battle of Seattle
- Target event
- WTO Ministerial Conference of 1999
- Notable resignation
- Seattle Police Chief Norm Stamper
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The WTO Ministerial Conference of 1999 was convened in Seattle to launch a new round of global trade negotiations. Growing opposition to economic globalization, free trade agreements, and the perceived undemocratic nature of institutions like the WTO, IMF, and World Bank had been building among labor unions, environmental groups, and anarchist networks throughout the 1990s.
On November 30, 1999, an estimated 40,000 or more protesters took to the streets around the Washington State Convention and Trade Center in Seattle, disrupting the WTO conference. The demonstrations, nicknamed 'N30,' included peaceful marchers and black bloc anarchists and represented the largest anti-globalization protest ever staged against a world economic body in the United States.
The protests forced international attention onto the anti-globalization movement, spread the black bloc tactical model to subsequent social movements worldwide, and marked a resurgence of anarchism within the Western far left. Locally, Seattle Police Chief Norm Stamper resigned in the aftermath. The WTO conference itself failed to launch the anticipated new round of trade negotiations.
Political Outcome
WTO Ministerial Conference failed to launch a new trade negotiation round; protests elevated the anti-globalization movement globally and led to the resignation of Seattle's police chief.