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----- Original Message -----
From: John Catalinotto <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Sunday, April 22, 2001 5:02 AM
Subject: QUEBEC/Anti-FTAA April 21—Report from IAC
contingent—‘Four questions about today’s
action’ > > QUEBEC/Anti-FTAA April 21—Report from IAC > contingent—‘Four questions about today’s > action’ > > We spoke with four members of the International Action > Center contingent to the anti-FTAA demonstration in Quebec > City, Quebec, on the evening of April 21, after they had > spent the day first marching with tens of thousands of > workers and then with smaller groups of thousands of mostly > youthful demonstrators at the wall of wire and concrete set > up around the FTAA meeting place and reinforced with 6,000 > cops. > > Today’s action was distinguished by a mass labor march > parallel with “break-off” marches of people who > were determined to challenge the government’s attempt > to wall off the FTAA meeting. Indymedia and some of the wire > services reported more police use of rubber bullets, water > cannon and heavy tear-gas use, with more injuries to > demonstrators. One lost a finger, another was shot in the > neck with a 3.5-inch rubber bullet. As of 8:30 p.m. none of > the injuries were reported to be life-threatening. > > Q: What did you consider were the most important differences > between the demonstration yesterday and today? > > Greg (who photographed the march): The participation of the > Canadian and Quebecois labor movement in today’s > action gave everyone the assurance that there was mass > support—and from the working class—for the > assault on the FTAA. I’d estimate there were > 40,000-60,000 people here today between the march and the > groups around the city. The Canadian workers know how > damaging NAFTA has been to them. Quebec’s workers feel > threatened by the FTAA as they did by NAFTA. Workers > throughout Canada have shown in the past few years they are > capable of militant actions themselves. I saw groups of > workers today with their own cotton gas masks and goggles. > Public workers in Newfoundland recently won 15% raises with > just the threat of a strike. > > Sara (IAC organizer): The labor march and the > “break-off” marches were separate actions, but > when you went to the wall to fight you knew that the workers > were cheering you on, even those who were not participating. > > Q. Most of you were at demonstrations against these > oppressive international bodies in Washington and then at > the protest in Philadelphia of the Republican National > Convention. How would you compare them with this one? > > Gery (youth organizer): This one was more militant. We were > out in the streets near the perimeter of the fence last > night past midnight and then in action from early this > morning, and all that time the demonstrators were standing > up to the police. Also, since the police relied on > gas—there were reports of 30 canisters a minute coming > at us—and water cannon instead of on arrests, it meant > we could stay in action longer without being arrested. There > were many demonstrators here from the United States and I > think that the good, fighting spirit and solidarity of these > days will carry over for the next period just as it did > after the experience in Seattle. > > Deirdre (veteran anti-war activist and socialist writer): > There was another tremendous difference. The mass of the > population of the city were with us. It wasn’t just > the workers on the labor march, but also the people who > lived in the neighborhoods. Even the shopkeepers who boarded > up their shops in fear of the clashes invited us in to use > the bathroom or to give us water to wash out our eyes. One > person insisted he help us, and told us how “my father > fought the fascists in the Netherlands” as he berated > the police. Another woman ran down after us to offer us > muffins. There was zero hostility to the demonstrators, > including those who were tearing town the fence and fighting > the police the hardest. > > Sara: There was also the advantage that both the movement in > Quebec and in all of Canada, and the population in general, > is better organized and more politically aware. Our > anti-racist, socialist and anti-imperialist literature was > accepted with enthusiasm by the crowd. And they also took > care of us well. At the school where we stayed the high > school students had fought to make it available for the > demonstration, they kept it secure and the organized food > for those who came to struggle. You had the feeling of being > an army with a population behind you. > > Q: The IAC brought its own political program to the > demonstration. How did you participate to bring out these > political points? What was your participation? > > Gery: Our main thrust was to raise the case of Mumia > Abu-Jamal. We had hundreds of bright orange flags that read > “Free Mumia” in Spanish, French and English. And > we had a big banner that read “Build global resistance > to the capitalist death machine.” We marched with > these banners in the labor march for an hour, then went over > to where there were confrontations at the perimeter. People > would see the banner and start chanting “Brick by > brick, wall by wall, we’re going to free Mumia > Abu-Jamal.” The flags and banners were useful in > regrouping the demonstrators when, for example, they had > been assaulted by gas or cannon or rubber bullets, which > were used more today than yesterday. > > Sara: The demonstrators were organized into three basic > groups: those who would directly challenge the authorities, > those who would assist those in direct > confrontation—which was what the IAC did—and > those who attempted to avoid the threat of arrest or attack > from the police, although everyone was gassed. Some of the > groups like the “Black Box” and others were well > organized, with grappling hooks, gas masks, etc., to latch > onto the wall, accompanying the action with drumming and > bugling. Then despite the heavy gas, inspired by the music > and the struggle, we would grab onto the rope to help pull > down the fence. There was tremendous solidarity among the > participants. > > Q: What do you think the impact of this weekend will be on > the developing anti-globalization movement and on the > progressive movement in general? > > Sara: I think this will take the movement far beyond where > it was with Seattle. That almost the entire population > identified with and supported the most militant actions will > give a tremendous impetus to everyone who participated or > who will get an honest report of the events. > > Deirdre: I agree. I haven’t experienced anything like > this since the days of the movement against the war in > Vietnam, in terms of mass support for militant action, and > all on a progressive basis. > > International Action Center > 39 West 14th Street, Room 206 > New York, NY 10011 email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] En > Espanol: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > web: http://www.iacenter.org CHECK OUT SITE > http://www.mumia2000.org > phone: 212 633-6646 fax: 212 633-2889 > To make a tax-deductible donation, go to > http://www.peoplesrightsfund.org > |
