Protesters in San Francisco try to block CEOs from APEC trade summit

Hundreds of protesters waved signs and badgered men in suits headed toward an historic Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit Wednesday in San Francisco that President Joe Biden and Gov. Gavin Newsom will attend and that demonstrators argue will do more harm than good for working people.

Police in riot gear pushed up against a crowd of demonstrators representing workers’ rights, environmental and other causes gathered at Fifth and Mission streets trying to prevent attendees from entering the conference at nearby Moscone Center.

“The goal is to try to shut down meetings,” said Donna Denina of Seattle, one of the No to APEC protest organizers. “They’re going to talk about trade deals that are not good for people or the planet. What they’re doing impacts billions of people around the world. There’s a lot of collusion between government and corporate interests, not in line with working people. We don’t have a seat at the table, they shouldn’t either.”

The APEC Economic Leaders’ Week, which runs through Friday, is the largest gathering of world leaders in the city since 1945. Along with heads of state from member countries, including President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping, about 1,200 CEOs and nearly 30,000 delegates from governments and organizations are expected for the event running through Thursday.

Bay Area companies engage in substantial trade with APEC members: The San Jose metropolitan area exported $15 billion in goods to APEC countries last year, and the San Francisco metropolitan area exported $21 billion, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce.

It is the second major protest of the event organized by Bay Area group No to APEC, an umbrella for dozens of activist organizations, mostly from the region.

On Sunday, more than 3,000 protesters rallied with signs and flags at Embarcadero Plaza downtown and up Market Street, demanding everything from rights for Indigenous people, women’s empowerment and LGBTQ equality to a ceasefire in Gaza and pollution controls to lessen the threat of climate change. At one point Sunday, protesters blocked the intersection of Howard and 5th streets near the Moscone Center. But San Francisco police said there had been no arrests related to the protest through Sunday afternoon.

APEC had no immediate comment on the demonstrations.

Activists targeting the CEO Summit on Wednesday had indicated plans to disrupt meetings between corporate leaders and government representatives, as cloudy skies threatened downpours on the demonstrations.

Biden is expected to meet with China’s President Xi at 11 a.m. down the Peninsula from the city at the Filoli estate and gardens in Woodside. Police on Wednesday morning shut off access to Cañada Road leading to the estate. Xi, whose motorcade from San Francisco International Airport was met Tuesday afternoon by some 2,000 protesters and well-wishers with signs that read “End CCP,” “Free Hong Kong” and “Warmly Welcome President Xi Jinping,” had wanted a private meeting with Biden away from the main summit venue.

Biden on Tuesday evening attended a San Francisco fundraiser hosted by real estate magnate and political strategist Clint Reilly where he was joined by Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Gavin Newsom. The president, knocked by unfavorable polling and suggestions that at 80 he’s too old for another term, bragged to some 250 donors who paid up to $250,000 to attend about Democrats’ successes nationally during this month’s elections and the troubles of his presumed Republican opponent.

“The press and pundits can keep being surprised as much as they want,” Biden told the crowd, which included former Disney chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg. “But since I came off the sidelines to go toe to toe with Donald Trump, we haven’t stopped winning and he hasn’t stopped losing.”

Biden was expected to hold a news conference Wednesday afternoon following his meeting with Xi, and to attend a welcome reception for APEC leaders with Harris at San Francisco’s Exploratorium, and other events Thursday and Friday before leaving California.

Newsom was scheduled to participate in an APEC CEO Summit event Wednesday morning.

On the streets outside the event Wednesday morning, protesters with signs denouncing companies including Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, climate pollution and Israel’s attacks on Gaza chanted “Fascist CEOs, we don’t need ’em, need ’em, back off, back off, we want freedom freedom.”

“APEC is completely inconsiderate of the people who make their profits and that is the workers,” said Yusen Yun of San Francisco, a nonprofit management consultant, who called it “double-insulting” APEC is in California, “one of the richest states,” where many work for $17 an hour, barely above minimum wage.”

“Who can live on those wages?” Yun asked.