Protesting CAFTA 2/26

TLC = Tratado Libre Comercio = Free Trade Agreement

Sunday night at 1:00 am we boarded a bus sponsored by the National University (FEUNA) and Rice Growers Union to take us to the biggest Costa Rican protest against CAFTA (Central American Free Trade Agreement). The bus ride took 9 hours to get to San Jose. Our bus had a strobe light that illuminated the overgrown road as we picked up groups of people along the way. We tried to sleep, but it was hard.

This was the biggest protest yet in Costa Rica (and possibly Central America) against a free trade agreement with the United States. Costa Rica is still the only country in the pact that has not ratified the free trade agreement. This summer we will be putting more energy (with help of our interns) to explain exactly what is at stake in this free trade agreement. But until then, we want the world to know that Costa Rica has not ratified the treaty and that the majority of Costa Ricans are against the agreement.

Check out our video blog to see some raw (unedited) footage of the protest. We will be putting more effort into editing and writing about the developments here, but we want to get the word out now about what is happening.