Hill & Knowlton Confidential Report On S11

The following is a transcript of a confidential, leaked, Hill and Knowlton report on the S11 protests planned for Melbourne next week. Marked "HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL - DO NOT DUPLICATE" the report is posted on the internet at http://www.crosswinds.net/%7Eleeked/hillandknowlton_s11.htm. The link to the report has been circulating this morning on activist email lists.

WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM
Melbourne, Australia
September 2000

"S11" PROTEST BRIEF

Prepared by:
Hill and Knowlton
CAN 008 401 134
Level 12, 575 Bourke Street
Melbourne VIC 3000
AUSTRALIA
Tel: +61 (0)3 9211 2444
Fax: +61 (0)3 9211 2450

HILL & KNOWLTON

Dear xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hill and Knowlton, one of the world's largest Public Relations companies, has been keeping a watching brief on the World Economic Forum, to be held in Melbourne, Australia from September 11 to 13.

This event is likely to attract world media attention because it is scheduled less than one week prior to the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games (Melbourne is a one hour flight from Sydney) and because of planned protest action by groups similar to those responsible for the action in Seattle, USA at the WTO meeting in November last year.

We believe that members of the World Trade Organisation, such as your company, may be affected by the action of these protest groups. Hill and Knowlton's Crisis and Issues Management practice has prepared a strategy and background brief for our clients who may be affected.

We are pleased to enclose a copy of the background brief on the "s11" group which is at the forefront of protest organisation. If you wish to discuss our communications strategy or we can be of any assistance to you over this period please don't hesitate to contact me.

Yours sincerely,

Greg Ray
Managing Director - Melbourne

HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL - DO NOT DUPLICATE

Background

The World Economic Forum (WEF) will have its next meeting in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, September 11-13.

The last WEF meeting held in Seattle, Washington State, US, from November 29 - December 3 last year resulted in seroius rioting and civil disobedience. The previous meeting in London also resulted in civil disobedience.

At the time of the Melbourne meeting, the world's media will have already begun focusing on Australia for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games which start just one week later. Nearly all of the world's major media outlets will have a presence in Australia seeking "preview" stories in the lead up to the Olympics.

Protestors know this WEF meeting presents a great opportunity to make a significant global impact - if the protest action is dramatic enough.

The WEF meeting in Melbourne will be held at the Crown Casino, in Melbourne's inner-city Southbank precinct. Melbourne is Australia's second largest city with a population of more than 3.5 million. It is a one-hour flight from Sydney.

The campaign of civil disobedience has already started in Australia with a peaceful demonstration, held early in August, at the McDonald's headquarters in Adelaide.

Melbourne Police are preparing for an estimated 3,000 protestors taking part in a series of protest events. The response includes the provision of 1,700 police to assist in security of the WEF site.

The list of guest speakers at the WEF Melbourne includes:

Bill Gates, Chairman and Chief Software Officer, Microsoft Corporation, USA;
Chau Tak Hay, Secretary for Trade and Industry of Hong Kong;
Vernon Ellis, Chairman, International Andersen Consulting, United Kingdom;

HILL & KNOWLTON

John Howard, Prime Minister of Australia;
John Fahey, Minister for Finance of Australia;
Michael Garrett, Executive Vice-President, Asia and Africa, Nestle Corporation, Switzerland;
Junichi Hattori, President and Chief Executive, Seiko Instruments, Japan;
Yoshimasa Hayashi, State Minister of Finance of Japan;
Ali Abdul Kadir, Chairman, Malaysian Securities Commission;
Yotaro Kobayashi, Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer; Fuji-Xerox Company, Japan;
Ian Macfarlane, Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia;
Heinrich von Pierer, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Siemens, Germany;
Frank Cicutto, Managing Director and CEO, National Australia Bank;
Peter Costello, Australian Federal Treasurer;
Alexander Downer, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Australia;
Richard AC Pratt, Chariman and Owner, Pratt Industries;
Stanley Rotti, US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs;
James Schiro, CEO, Pricewaterhouse Coopers;
Eric Schmidt, Chairman and CEO, Novell, USA;
Rodolfo Severino, Secretary General, ASEAN, Jakarta;
Peter Smedley, Group Managing Director and CEO, Colonial Limited;
Ziggy Switkowski, CEO, Telstra Corporation;
Tony Tan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence of Singapore of International Affairs
Mark Vailem Minister for Trade of Australia;
Senator Richard Alston, Australian Federal Paul Anderson, Managing Director and Chief Executive, BHP;
Bob Car, NSW Premier;

HILL & KNOWLTON

HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL - DO NOT DUPLICATE

The Protestors

The S11 group derives its mane from date of the start of the WEF meeting (ie September 11), previous protests have been named A16 (this was a Wold Bank protest) and N29 to coincide with the dates of WEF meetings.

S11 has close links with the Direct Action Network (DAN) in the United States, which organised and ran the WEF protest at Seattle that resulted in property damage and rioting least November/December. Both groups are regularly featured on anarchy web sites, including Anarres Bookshop,
http://www.anarres.org.au/campaign.htm and
http://melbourne.indymedia.org/

The links with Seattle are tangible with S11 referring on its web site, http://www.s11.org to "affinity groups", the same terminology used by DAN in the United States. It can be assumed that S11 has downloaded the resources from another anarchist site http://www.agitprop.org/artandrevolution/wto/resources.html which were alleged to be used in Seattle.

S11 is allegedly a network of organisations, affinity groups and individuals that all share a common concern about the growth of corporate power and the direction of globalisation. On their affiliate web sites they are directly appealing to the complete gamut of protestors including social justice; human rights; animal rights; peace activists; workers; students; trade unionists; environmentalists; indigenous groups; artists; community campaigners; consumer advocates; citizens and all people who are concerned about the violence and inequality of the globalised economy.

S11's reach has extended far beyond the shores of Australia, and while it is debateable as to whether protestors from overseas will travel as far as Australia to protest, it is possible.

It is not known whether Seattle WEF protestors are directly involved with the S11 campaign. The Seattle Weekly lists a number of groups as being directly involved in their protests.

HILL & KNOWLTON

HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL - DO NOT DUPLICATE

http://www.seattleweekly.com/features/0031/newsparrish.shmtl

S11's links with the Independent Media Centre, which was involved in the Seattle WEF protest, have now been cemented: IMC opened an office in Melbourne last month.

Other Protests

Militant trade unions, including the Construction Forestry and Mining Employees Union (CFMEU), will stage a separate organised protest on the second day of the forum, and man a first aid tent for the protesters for the duration of the forum.

This is consistent with their campaign for "fair trade, not free trade". The CFMEU's spokesman Martin Kingham has publicly distanced the union action from the S11 activity.

How we can help

Hill and Knowlton is providing project management and support to its clients who are members of the WEF.

We would be more than happy to assist you with any support you may require in developing a specifically targeted strategy for your organisation and the global implementation of that strategy.

Please do not hesitate to contact the Hill and Knowlton representative who forwarded you this brief, or contact Damian Coory, Director, Crisis and Issues Management, Hill and Knowlton, Melbourne, Australia on +61 3 9211 2444 or at dcoory@hillandknowlton.com.au

HILL & KNOWLTON

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