"We are protesting and vehemently objecting to the use of deadly force against activists on a global level following the recent shooting of three protesters in Gothenburg, Sweden and the shooting of 27 and the death of 4 protesters in Papua New Guinea," said Michael Shenker, a member of the New York City Direct Action Network (DAN). "We are responding to these atrocities."

The activists stood in the noon day sun holding hand made posters advertising the police brutality of the Swedish and Papua New Guinea police forces. Some of their posters were propped up on a city bench behind them. Shenker was distributing press releases to curious pedestrians, which called attention to the escalating state and police violence against "mass actions opposing the ravages of globalization and neoliberal economic policies."

When asked what his idea of an ideal response to protests would be, Shenker advocated for the inclusion of protesters in negotiations. "They should listen to protesters, and invite them to sit down at the table--what is the rational for firing at unarmed youths--unless they wanted to send a brutal message that any dissent will be met with brutal oppression," said Shenker, who does not even condone the use of such non-lethals like rubber bullets and water cannons.

DAN was one of the activist groups that took part in the anti-globalization feast at the World Trade Organization meeting in Seattle, although Hamid Azadi, one of today's protesters, said that the network advocates non violence. "We are a civil rights movement with institutionalized non violent direct action," he said.

Shenker described Seattle as a major success for the group. "Our strategy was to shut down the World Trade Organization meeting, and we did. It was a stunning success." To avoid the sometimes violent confrontations with protesters, the next World Trade Organization (WTO) meeting is scheduled to be held in Quatar, where the concept of freedom of speech is non-existent. "The WTO has found it advantageous to seclude themselves in a completely intolerant dictatorship," said Shenker. DAN won't be sending protesters to that meeting because "we don't want to be shot."

At three o'clock, three hours after their protest began, the Permanent Mission of Papua New Guinea to the United Nations had still not acknowledged the three protesters. The mission was unable to issue an official statement regarding the activists to The Earth Times because the press officers were attending the United Nations Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects.