To the rest of the world, what’s going on in Seattle reveals that America is in chaos.
The violent demonstrations that delayed the opening of the World Trade Organization conference were frightening front-page news in London, Paris and elsewhere yesterday.
“Anarchy in the streets of America” is the way a broadcaster on Australia’s Channel 10 TV introduced coverage.
Japan’s Asahi Shimbun, called the Seattle unrest “extremely ominous” and showed a photo of protesters diving for cover from tear gas and pepper spray.
In Britain, where 40 people were arrested in a WTO-related protest, the Daily Mail’s front page showed a burning London police van with the headline “Flames of Hatred.”
Yasushi Abe, an official at Japan’s Ministry of International Trade and Industry, said, “The scale of demonstrations and reported violence were beyond imagination.”
But Italy’s foreign trade minister, Piero Fassino, said he was not surprised by the size and fury of the Seattle protests.
“These demonstrations show the growing attention these issues are getting from public opinion, and this is significant,” he told the Milan daily Corriere della Sera.
Opinion abroad was divided over whether the demonstrators had gone too far or the Seattle police had overreacted.
In Hong Kong, many people criticized the protesters for using violence.
“They’re just looking after their own interests. That’s a bit selfish,” said Willie Lam, 41.
John Gummer, a Briton who chairs the Marine Stewardship Council, also criticized police.
“It was an amazing demonstration, but it arose because the police had failed to organize things properly,” he told the BBC.