Event Focuses on Downside of Capitalism

BOMBAY, India — Thousands of activists protested unequal trade policies and the burden of foreign debt while ridiculing President Bush during the second day of the World Social Forum on Saturday.

Folk singers, dancers and protesters crammed the streets of Bombay, raising issues from water shortages to arms proliferation.

“The struggle between people and capital is now an epic struggle between life and death. And it has just begun,” said Vandana Shiva, a prominent Indian environmentalist.

Scores of meetings, exhibitions and protests were planned for the six-day event that began Friday at a factory complex in Bombay. The event, which attracted activists, political workers and intellectuals from around the world, is meant to be a counterpoint to the World Economic Forum in Switzerland later this month.

A World Trade Organization meeting in Cancun, Mexico, last year ended in deadlock after developing countries blocked a proposal on agricultural trade that meant to end protectionism in poorer countries. Activists said they hoped the World Social Forum would put the same sort of pressure on future talks.

“The solidarity shown in the last World Social Forum helped bring about the collapse of Cancun,” said Jeremy Corbyn, a British lawmaker. “I hope this forum brings about the same kind of pressure on the next round” of WTO talks.

Bush drew the ire of many activists. Garbage cans at the venue were covered with his pictures, “Spit on Me” written on them. Gift shops sold pens and other mementos with unflattering images of the president. Stage shows and street theater performances lampooned him.

Many activists believe the protests can build public opinion against what they describe as the downside of capitalism -- unfair global trade practices that increase poverty and unemployment in the developing world.

Seminars through Saturday such as “Fair Trade for an Equitable Economic Order” were part of plans to structure protests by antiglobalization groups worldwide.

It was the first time the forum was held outside Brazil. The shift in venue was meant to get countries in Asia and Africa more involved, organizers said.