Remember these pseudo civil society groups I talked about on Friday? Those who claim “free trade frees people” and who seem to demonstrate a degree of analysis similar to a drunken petunia’s?

They’re baaack!

In a funny way, though. Four of these groups organized an action in Valle Verde, a nearby village. Journalists were invited to jump in a bus in front of a hotel nearby the Convention Centre, at 8:30 yesterday morning.

They were to donate two tons of food containing GE elements to show that GM food is great, that biotechnology will save thousands of lives in the poor countries and that all these pinko-green commies only seek to maintain them in their poverty. They planned to distribute GM food to the people, freely, to demonstrate the powers of the free market. No kidding! That was in their media advisory!

For many activists, this was an opportunity they couldn’t miss. They massed in front of the hotel to raise awareness of the false solutions that biotechnology is offering and denouncing the agenda that these business-funded organizations pursue.

As if it wasn’t obvious already. The four U.S. groups making the donation were the Competitive Enterprise Institute, Citizens for a Constructive Tomorrow, the Congress of Racial Equality, and International Consumers for Civil Society.

Ladies and gentlemen, start your googlingâe¦

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I know I’m repeating myself, but reporters seem bored and blasé in the media room. To tell you the truth, the boredom is slowly reaching me. Barring any surprises, the most anticipated events of the day were the ceremonies marking the introduction of Nepal and Cambodia as the 147th and 148th members of the WTO.

However, you can always count on civil society to inject a dose of life in the Convention Centre. At 2:15, a small crowd slowly moved towards the media centre. They seem to follow two important people.

It’s Pascal Lamy and Robert Zoellick!

Well, almostâe¦

The impersonation by two activists wearing photo masks of the trade negotiators (Bill Moore-Kilgannon from the Council of Canadians personified Lamy while Waldon Bello, from Focus on Global South was playing the part of Zoellick) attracted a mass of journalists.

A stampede would be a more accurate description.

Both actors played the part of the trade superpowers bullying and buying smaller countries, surrounded by citizens chanting — U.S.-E.U. corporate greed, undermining farmers’ needs. The scrum lasted for a good 20 minutes, allowing reporters and cameramen to get out of the trade jargon-induced torpor.

Incidentally, the U.S. was accused by ActionAid of trying to bribe a few countries, including Costa Rica, El Salvador and Guatemala with the promise of higher trade quotas if they were quitting the Alliance of 21 countries who are looking for more radical concessions from the U.S. and the EU on agriculture.

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Most of the participants at the People’s Forum hold a vigil every day at 6:00 p.m., to commemorate the life and passing of the South Korean activist Lee Kyang Hae, who perished by his own hand as a statement on the devastating impact of the WTO liberalization agenda on farmers.

Dozens of activists gather to pay homage to the former president of the South Korean farmers association. Holding flowers and candles, they gather at the place where Mr. Lee fell and pray in peace for a few minutes.

Vigils have also been held by NGO delegates in the Convention Centre.