Activists march across San Francisco protesting APEC
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (NBC, KYMA/KECY) - Protesters in San Francisco demonstrated against world leaders and the global trade summit known as APEC on Sunday.
The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders Conference is expected to draw in the likes of President Joe Biden and leaders from nearly two dozen countries.
Activists are protesting corporate profits, environmental abuses, poor working conditions and the Israel-Hamas war were united in their march on the city's downtown area.
Protests are expected throughout this week as the event continues. However, it's unlikely world leaders will even glimpse the protests given the strict security zones accessible only to attendees.
Protesters are seeking to ensure their voices are heard and have fair representation from world leaders.
"We're out here today because I think a lot of folks are upset at their government. They want to be represented by their world leaders. And a lot of times we see kind of lip service paid to things like climate change, lip service paid to things like worker rights, but not actual results. We really just want to make sure that we're heard by the folks inside because they have these spaces for lobbyists, for billionaires, and to meet with the world leaders. But we want to make sure our voices are heard as well. So that's why we're coming out en masse to do this march."
Will Wiltschko, Bay Climate Action
APEC, a regional economic forum, was established in 1989 and has 21 member countries, including the world's two largest economic superpowers: China and the U.S.
