J18 1999: Our resistance is as transnational as capital

June 18th 1999 was an international day of protest, action and carnival, timed to coincide with the meeting of the G8 (Group of Eight, most industrialised nations) Summit in Köln, Germany. Organised under the slogan “Our Resistance is as Transnational as Capital”, there was a massive build up to the day, starting with a call to action “aimed at the heart of the global economy: the financial centres and banking districts”. On the day there were protests in over 40 countries. Over 10,000 people took to the streets of Port Harcourt, Nigeria, at the same time as over 10,000 people occupied the City of London in the UK.

The heart of the beast was transformed into a carnival and a riot, which caused millions of pounds worth of physical damage (though apparently financial trading did not miss a beat). It was a fantastic day…I was involved in mobilising for June 18th from October 1998 onwards and these are my recollections of that process. It’s just one person’s perspective...