Hong Kong ? About 4,000 anti-globalization activists marched Sunday in the first mass protest against the World Trade Organization’s summit in Hong Kong.

The 149-member WTO, which set rules for global commerce, is a champion of free trade, which it says brings global economic prosperity. But many protesters say globalization favors the rich and robs workers of their jobs.

The demonstrators, who have been flooding into Hong Kong from around the world ahead of the meeting that runs from Tuesday to Sunday, marched from Hong Kong’s downtown Victoria Park to the government’s main office.

Two months ago, WTO chief Pascal Lamy acknowledged in a speech in Hong Kong that free trade hurts some people – particularly those in poorer nations. But he said those who benefit are in the majority.