From Davos to Abya Yala: Drawing a Red Line Against Billionaires
They convened to manufacture new narratives that keep their lies alive, such as: “Public-private cooperation is the key to prosperity”
By Myriam Hernández
The World Economic Forum or a Ski Trip for the 1%?
As you read this, heads of state and elite private corporations just gathered for their annual ski party in Davos, Switzerland aka The World Economic Forum. There, behind closed doors, they again granted themselves the power and authority to discuss “global issues.”
They convened to manufacture new narratives that keep their lies alive, such as: “Public-private cooperation is the key to prosperity”— which Is their code for corporations writing the rules for their own benefit, while governments look the other way remaining unaccountable for genocide and ecocide. Or: “Artificial intelligence and technology provide efficient solutions to climate change and economic uncertainty”sold as solutions, but in reality are new ways to cash in on crisis, turning climate catastrophe, economic ruin, and human suffering into business opportunities that keep profits flowing to the 1%/
At the very least, they no longer deny the state of emergency we are living in. But they will never accept responsibility—let alone acknowledge the urgent need for reparations or transformative justice for the Global South. The truth is that the World Economic Forum is not only morally problematic; it is dangerous to the interests and demands of the 99%.
The 1% Met, But Now what? The resistance from #WeThe99, grows stronger
After a year of movement-building work with the Fight Inequality Alliance across Latin America and the Caribbean, my backpack is filled with wisdom that I carry close to my mind-heart, keeping the work rooted in hope and collective power:
We show up in numbers.
Last November in Belém, Brazil, the COP30 floating caravans – filled with comrades from around the world, demonstrated that people-led spaces are the legitimate forums to connect traditions, struggles, and political horizons that truly care for all forms of life. A few weeks later, during the People’s Summit against the G20 in Johannesburg, we joined the women’s national strike demanding an end to the exploitation and killing of womxn.
We carry the work, like ants.
In El Salvador – one of the most dangerous places on Earth to defend human rights – I learned from comrades how they continuously find ways to stay united: sharpening skills, holding political education spaces, weaving ancestrality into everyday life, and nurturing communal huertos (greenhouses). It is almost invisible work, carried out underground, but it always reveals its power when the time comes.
We speak truth to power.
This comes at a cost. In an era of polarization, if you defend dignity and rights and challenge the neoliberal model, you are labeled a communist or a terrorist. In Peru, alongside comrades, we created a space to acknowledge fear, mistrust, and vulnerability across movements. We recognized that while defending our truths is essential, we must also hold a mirror to ourselves—to recognize pain, oppression, and the need for healing within our own struggles.
We dare to smile.
“Our joy is our best revenge,” said Perla from Paraguay. If we allow the Davos class to steal our dreams, our joy, and our capacity for affection, then we have truly lost. The right wing and fascist groups have grown stronger by fragmenting social movements and fueling competition and division. Our resistance also lives in a fraternal hug, in sustained care, and in dancing cumbias in Mexico City’s public space until our message is heard.
So, if you were not invited to Davos…
We created an alternative for you. No visas, private jets, or expensive winter gear required. We invited people everywhere to use digital spaces to learn what really happens in exclusive elite spaces like Davos: which political leaders and corporations are meeting there and how their decisions impact your everyday life.
For example, while activists in Mendoza, Argentina organized protests, people’s assemblies, and cultural actions against the PSJ Cobre Mendoza Project, a mining mega-project from largely Swiss capital, President Milei traveled to the very same country to open the gates to more foreign investment based on extractivism and exploitation. These are the real stories behind Davos, it’s not a people centered to say the least.
We continue to need your voice, your courage, and your collaboration to draw a red line against billionaires and say, loud and clear:
#RedLineAgainstBillionaires
#AbyaYalaNoSeVende
For more information about Red Line actions:
Visit fightinequality.org and join the movement.
Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, X and LinkedIn and FIA Latin America and the Caribbean