The protesters, clad in what appeared to be anything handy and green in color, danced in a circle to the deafening beat of drums and the shrill sounds of several whistles. Beneath banners depicting the corporate logos of British Petroleum, Nestlé, and Shell and decrying the BASD, the protesters chanted in English and French "No more green wash!"

Uche Nduka, who had come from Nigeria to make his voice heard at the Meeting, said that he approached delegates as they entered the building why they weren't any Nigerian's present at the meeting, but did not get an answer. He called this environmental racism. "They talk so much about democracy, but what is democratic about not having people from the land you are talking about? Are they not important enough? They mean nothing as long as the oil is flowing, but where are the roads, electricity and hospitals they promised?" he asked.

Nuduka said that all that he got out of his trip to Paris was a police stamp in his passport saying that he resisted arrest. "This way they can deny my entrance to the country next time," he said.

Flip Vonk, a member of A SEED (Action for Solidarity, Equality, Environment, and Development) Europe, said that the companies inside the meeting were trying to "green wash themselves, meaning that they were trying to appear environmentally friendly when in reality they were just the opposite. "British Petroleum goes on promoting itself as sustainable because of its solar powered petrol stations, but in reality all their income comes from fossil fuels. They spend more on promoting their green image than they do creating the environmentally friendly technology," Vonk said.

Vonk called the type of sustainable development that BASD promotes sustainable domination. "They show a green face here, but these are the same companies that contributed to George W. Bush's campaign fund!," he said.

After a while the French police arrived at the demonstration in full riot gear. Despite their arrival, the protest continued, with a man writing ECO LOS in green paint beneath the feet of the police, splattering several of their black combat boots in the process. Another protester offered the leaflets to the police, while yet another hung a sign that read "Police against Business" from the gate of the ICC. The drumming and whisle-blowing continued unabated.

Jens Christiansen, wearing a green jacket to which he had sewn a sign that read "BASD" in one line and "ards" on the other, said that he was protesting because he felt that business undermined UN Conventions. "Here they say they support the Kyoto Protocol, but at home they continued to subsidize the Bush campaign... They say they support the UN Convention on Biodiversity, yet they fund genetic engineering which creates a smaller variety of plants," he said.

Christiansen, who is in the process of completing masters degree in Social qnd Environmental Business in Amsterdam, said that it is all too often that businesses try to blue wash themselves. The Global Business Compact, a partnership between the UN and Business, is an example of corporations using the UN to make themselves look good, without actually changing their behavior.

The protesters who spoke with The Earth Times expressed themselves most eloquently, and seemed generally knowledgeable about the international treaties and business. When asked who funded his trip to Paris from Amsterdam, Christiansen said that a Dutch traveling collective, Teater Straat, had subsidized the groups travel, and that other foundations, including the Solidarity Fund, had made monetary contributions to the A SEED Europe. He said that they do not accept contributions from businesses, "for obvious reasons."

The sounds of the protest were clearly audible within the conference room. But rather than ignore the drum-wielding contingent outside, Sir Mark Moody-Stuart told business leaders he welcomed their presence and passion. "These people have as much of a contribution to make to the process of sustainable development as the business community does," he said. "It was for this reason we invited them inside to join the meeting and share their concerns with us. In the end, they declined the invitation, prefering to stay outside."