by Tyler Durden,Oct 19, 2016 8:

Submitted by Carey Wedler via
TheAntiMedia.org,

Over the weekend, thousands
of protesters across multiple countries condemned impending trade
deals promoted by governments and their corporate partners.

Though the protests received
little coverage from mainstream media, they stretched from Paris to Warsaw.

The demonstrations came
amid the Commission on International Trade of the European
Parliament’s plans to finalize the Comprehensive
Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) this week. The policy has been likened to
so-called “free trade” deals pushed by President Barack Obama and other Western
governments.

CETA, which has been in the works for seven years, would
eliminate tariffs between Canada and European nations, which proponents argue
would foster increased trade and create jobs. Nevertheless, the deal has been
criticized for granting too much power to multinational corporations, the Guardian reports.

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Though the European Commission
recently drafted a statementclaiming “environmental
and health standards will not be diluted,” not all policymakers are
convinced.

Passage of CETA hit a
roadblock after the parliament of the Wallonia region of Belgiumrejected it. Wallonia’s
minister-president, Paul Magnette, vowed to block the entire country from
ratifying the deal. This has proponents of CETA concerned about the agreement’s
future, as all 28 member states of the European Union must unanimously agree on
it before it can be further negotiated and ratified.

As the Independent reported, opponents claim it
will “set a dangerous precedent and be used as a template to push through
the controversial EU-US trade deal, TTIP.”

TTIP is another loathed trade deal that has been
in the works for years; it was also the target of protests over the weekend, as
CETA has been heavily compared to it. TTIP is “a bi-lateral trade agreement
[that is] about reducing the regulatory barriers to trade for big business,
things like food safety law, environmental legislation, banking regulations and
the sovereign powers of individual nations,” the Independent has explained.

TTIP is also expected
to encroach on online privacy, increase unemployment rates, and undermine
democracy by “allow[ing] companies to sue governments if those
governments’ policies cause a loss of profits.”

France 24 reports police claimed 1,200
protesters assembled in Paris on Saturday to oppose to deal, though organizers
of the event claim the figure was closer to 5,000. Protests also took place in
Lyon and Toulouse.

“‘The European governments
must today hear the refusal of their people,’ said Attac, an international
movement seeking alternatives in the globalisation process, and one of the main
organisers of the protest in Paris on Saturday,” France 24 reported.

Thousands also protested in
Spain and Belgium, according to France 24. Telesur reportedthat
protests also took place in Germany and other countries affected by the deals.

Further, hundreds of
protesters in Warsaw, Poland, expressed concerns that passage of CETA would “allow
an influx of food from North America that will destroy local farming, and also
hurt consumers by allowing in foods that are genetically modified,” the Chicago
Tribune reported. France 24 reported a higher number of
demonstrators, noting 1,000 gathered in Warsaw while hundreds more demonstrated
in Krakow.

Also on Saturday, activist
lawyer group ClientEarth filed a lawsuit against
the European Commission regarding the Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS)
and the Investment Court System — the specific TTIP components that would allow
corporations to sue governments for lost profits.

The protests follow massive demonstrations in September that saw thousands march on E.U.
headquarters in Brussels. The sentiment has not waned.

“We don’t
want TTIP, CETA,” Warsaw protesters chanted over the weekend.” Human souls first and profits
later.”

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-10-19/media-silent-anti-corporate-trade-deal-protests-take-europe-storm