Business ‘fat cats’ highlight failures of Davos World Economic Forum
January 29, 2001 – Three business fat cats, complete with expensive suits, excessive jewellery, king-sized cigars, sunglasses and ‘executive padding’, will today walk the streets of Davos to protest at the failure of the World Economic Forum to face the real issues of the day. They will walk through Davos from the Kirchner Museum to the WEF itself.
The Fat Cats will display banners that say ‘See No Problem’, ‘Hear No Protest’ and ‘Speak No Truth’, Leaflets setting out alternatives to the global economy will be distributed to the public, WEF delegates and policemen.
The Fat Cats message is that WEF delegates must chose a new path for economics and development if the world is to solve the twin crises of poverty and environmental degradation [1].
Earlier in the WEF summit the Fat Cats were arrested by the police for wearing suits under false pretences in a security zone. They were subsequently released without charge. The Fat Cats’ comedy “delegate” badges were confiscated by police for identifying the fat cats as “Franc Suisse”, “Dave Dollar” and “Yoshi Yen” without a permit.
Franc, Dave and Yoshi will however be on the streets again today for a further testing of the commitment of Switzerland’s fine security forces to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression, key themes of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Break the monotony – come and see the Fat Cats Strut.
Contact the Fat Cats in Davos:
Miriam Behrens +41-61-216 0206
Tony Juniper +44-771-284 3207
Duncan McLaren +44-794-192 0469
Alexandra Wandel +49-172-748 3953
Adam Maíanit +31-61-215 0340
1: A full report on alternatives to the global economy: Towards Sustainable Economies, can be viewed at www.foei.org.
