When the Summit of the Americas convenes in Quebec City this April, the heads of state of 34 Western Hemisphere nations (no, Fidel won’t be there) and a gallimaufry of corporate bigwigs will discuss the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas (FTAA), an accord that would, in effect, extend the guiding principles of NAFTA to North, Central, and South America and the Caribbean within the next half-decade. President Bush is a fan of the measure. Many, many activists — like those seen at the chaotic World Trade Organization protests in Seattle and the World Bank/IMF talks in Washington, DC — are not.
Canadian officials, with visions of Seattle dancing in their heads, are planning tight security. Constable Julie Brongel, a spokesperson for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, notes that the walled city will have an additional fence erected around it. Also, those who work or live within its perimeters will have to show IDs whenever they pass through. And, in one of the largest security mobilizations in Canadian history, federal, provincial, and municipal police will work as a group to keep the peace.
Many protesters are already complaining about what they’re sure will be severely compromised rights of assembly. “They’re doing everything possible to prevent legitimate protest and convince people not to come,” says Mike Prokosch of Boston-based United for a Fair Economy. “They basically can’t hold one of these global-trade meetings anymore without suspending democracy. Canada, one of the most advanced democracies in the world, is being turned into an armed camp so they can host this very important meeting.”
Replies Brongel: “Of course we live in a democracy. But we have to maintain a balance, at the same time offering security to residents, businesses, journalists, and everyone that will be present. It is quite a task. Certainly we understand that we can’t make everybody happy.”
In a build-up to the April bash, two Canadian activist groups, Montreal’s Anti-Capitalism Convergence (French acronym: CLAC) and Quebec City’s Summit of the Americas Welcoming Committee (CASA), have been traveling in “caravans” throughout Ontario, the Maritimes, and New England educating like-minded souls about the issues at stake with the FTAA. This Friday and Saturday, the two organizations will be in Boston to conduct a series of workshops and teach-ins in conjunction with local groups like the Community Church of Boston, the Lucy Parsons Center, and the Boston FTAA Task Force.
Their goal, says CLAC member Jaggi Singh, is to establish “face-to-face contact” with Boston-area activists to “talk about what kind of movement we want, what our goals are.” It also wouldn’t hurt, he adds, if Boston activists joined their Canadian counterparts this April.
This Friday, February 16, workshops on “Basics of the FTAA and the Summit of the Americas” and “Anti-Racism and the Colors of Resistance” will be held at noon at Harvard Divinity School, Andover Hall, located at 45 Francis Avenue in Cambridge. There will also be a campus-wide teach-in at 5 p.m. at Tufts University in Medford.
This Saturday, February 17, an anti-FTAA community meeting will be held at noon at the Community Church of Boston, located at 565 Boylston Street in Boston. A “Gender and Globalization” panel discussion will be held at 7 p.m. at the Lucy Parsons Center Bookstore, located at 549 Columbus Avenue in Boston.
For more information about any of these events, call the Lucy Parsons Center at (617) 267-6272, or visit www.quebec2001.net.
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