The Third Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO) was held in Seattle from November 30 to December 3, 1999. Trade ministers and other officials from the WTO’s 135 member nations met in an unsuccessful attempt to plan negotiations to further deregulate free trade. Tens of thousands of activists for many causes gathered to protest what they saw as the WTO’s favoring of corporate interests over social and environmental concerns. Some of the ensuing protests turned violent, and later investigations agreed that the city’s security plan was woefully inadequate.

The flier shown here was published by People for Fair Trade (PFFT) and Citizens Trade Campaign, a national coalition of civil society groups founded to improve the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The flier advertises a public demonstration march to be held on the opening day of the WTO conference in Seattle.

Caption information source: "WTO Meeting and Protests in Seattle (1999) — Part 1," by Kit Oldham, HistoryLink.org Essay 9183; and "WTO Meeting and Protests in Seattle (1999) — Part 2," by Kit Oldham, HistoryLink.org Essay 9213.