By It looks like South Korea has found a new export market, radical left wing protesters:
Violence broke out at the start of the protest march linked to the opening of the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Ministerial Conference in Geneva’s city centre Saturday 28 November. The organizers quickly canceled the march, which had drawn a crowd estimated at 3,000-5,000 people.
The WTO conference opens Monday at the ICCG conference centre.
The protestors gathered at 14:00 but early on people wearing masks attacked banks, watch stores and other shops and cars, breaking windows and setting a small number of expensive cars on fire. The police used teargas, rubber bullets and water cannons. They interrogated several people during the afternoon, confiscating knifes, crowbars, numerous sprays and other weapons but as evening arrived the violence was not yet under control.
TSR reports that the Parc des Cropettes (View Map), above the Cornavin train station, was a centre of continuing fighting between police and rioters. Train service was running normally.
Police spokesperson Patrick Pulh told reporters that about 200 people with masks, apparently belonging to the Black Block group, situated themselves in the middle of the crowd and turned to violence as the march began. Black Block has previously been blamed for provoking violent incidents in Switzerland, notably in Bern in 2007.
Le Temps reports that the problems began Friday night with violence after three South Korean activists, Dosuk Han, Kangsil Lee and Jejoon Ju, were refused entry to Switzerland when they arrived at Cointrin Airport. The federal government refused them visas based on their records for violence elsewhere. [Geneva Lunch via reader tip]
These three South Koreans are from the group Korean League of Small Farmers, which I am assuming is a newly named group because I have never heard of them and Google’s only results for this group is of this incident. That leads me to believe that this is just another front group name for the larger South Korean anti-globalization farming group responsible for violent protests during the WTO meeting in Hong Kong that caused much embarrassment to the South Korean government. This same group also sent protesters to another WTO meeting in Mexico so this is nothing new for these people and it is good to see Switzerland taking a strong stance against these people.
3:51 pm on December 6th, 2009 1
All that violence because three Koreans were denied entry into Switzerland? I’m surprised that so many people would riot on behalf of a few people from a small country like Korea. Crazy…
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December 6th, 2009 at 5:23 pm
So a group was denied entry to a foreign country because of their criminal background, and they rioted? First, this neither surprises me nor changes the idea that Koreans are some of the most ironic people. You don’t see three teachers make it to Korea, get denied for some reason, and start blowing up banks…
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6:17 pm on December 6th, 2009 2
So now 50 million Koreans are getting blamed for some Swiss radicals rioting in their streets? That makes sense.
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December 7th, 2009 at 8:56 am
They have records for violence Tom, but your’s is a typical korean reaction.
Typical korean, blame others for problems you yourselves have created. You koreans do it to foreigners all the time and yet you rejoice when it happens to foreigners in korea.
That’s what you koreans do and you don’t like it when it comes back on you do you?
Remember in 2002 Tom when any person who happened to be “black” or “white” were harrassed because koreans thought they were Americans?
My Aussie buddy getting a punch in the head by some drunk ajjossi is a great example. Or how about a Canadian buddy of mine who wasn’t allowed to eat in a restaurant because “US and Canada same!” Yeah, you koreans never paint everyone with the same brush.
Typical hypocritical koreans, it should be ok for korean political protesters to enter any country they wish in order to protest, yet foreigners protesting in korea is illegal.
The exception to this of course is when it’s antiUS or Japan, then foreigners can protest all they want- like in 2008.
The Swiss did the right thing and if koreans don’t like it, maybe koreans should stop doing it to others.
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December 7th, 2009 at 6:55 pm
pfffttt.. oh yeah yeah yeah bla bla bla. It’s very simple. Maybe they beat you up because you’re an ugly smelly white man who hasn’t bathed in three years.
In that case, I support them beating you up~ and your kind.
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December 7th, 2009 at 7:32 pm
Ahh, the ever popular ‘losing the debate follow with a personal attack’ routine. How predictable.
December 8th, 2009 at 5:13 am
Marcus. DITTO. Tom is really getting on my nerves. I read the ROK daily although I do not contribute much here, but it will not be long…if he stays here…I am going to bury him.
12:53 am on December 7th, 2009 3
Violent left-wing South Korean ”activists” are so well-known to international authorities that they are known by name? Then South Korean authorities should know all about their past activities, too, and should be able to charge them with something. After all, those who simply instigate violence are not “activists”; they are criminals. South Korea should want to keep these kinds of people where they belong- in prison.
Did I say something funny?
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8:58 am on December 7th, 2009 4
Oh and today is the day America began the wheels turning to help save korea!
You are welcome koreans!
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