Summit of Americas of Quebec

The Summit of Americas which took place in the town of Quebec, with the Canada April 20th, 21st and 22nd 2001 was the place of the talks concerning the proposal of Free exchange zone of Americas (ZLÉA). The meeting is probably better known for the whole of safety devices installed for the event and the many civil demonstrations which surrounded the negotiations.

Progress of the negotiations

This meeting was the third surrounding the negotiation process of the ZLÉA after those of Miami, with the the United States in 1994 and of Santiago of Chile, with the Chile in 1998. All the heads of government of the America S were present, except Cuba. The official reason for the exclusion of Cuba east its nonconformity with the criterion according to which only the Heads of democratically elected States will be able to take part in the negotiations. However, much criticisms support that it is about a pretext to draw aside Cuba of the Free exchange zone, since its inclusion would make the embargo American obsolete. Partly thanks to the resistance of certain leaders of poorer countries, no agreement was ratified at the time of the Summit of Quebec.

Security measures and civil answer

Preparations

Since the beginning, the authorities had indicated their intention to use very constraining security measures in order to restrict the access to the site of the meeting by the demonstrators of the various movements altermondialists, in reaction to the meetings of Seattle (November 30th 1999), Prague (September 26th 2000) and Montreal (November 20th 2000).

The erection of an end of safety of almost three meters in height, and of almost four kilometers length, surrounding part of the downtown area, including the zone of the negotiations and several residences, was probably the most discussed and décriée measurement of the meeting. Only the residents of the zone, the delegates at the top and certain accredited journalists had seen themselves granting the import duty inside the perimeter. The churches and stores had been seen prohibiting the right to open their doors.

The security forces were provided by the Sûreté of Quebec, the royal Gendarmerie of Canada (GRC), in collaboration with the Canadian Armed forces and the Canadian Service of the information of safety (SCRS).

Events

The protest movements of the Summit of Quebec (also called A20) appear among more the big demonstrations altermondialists to date, gathering more than 20.000 demonstrators coming from everywhere in America. The groups represented with the demonstrations were numerous, including inter alia the environmental organization Greenpeace, the Conseil of the Canadians, the caucus of the Nouveau Democratic party (NPD) and of the Parti Québécois, and many university groups and collegial coming from the whole of the hemisphere.

In addition to the political aimings of the movement altermondialist, several paid their attention on the division of the city with the safety fence and the police repression which surrounded the demonstrations.

The demonstrators started to arrive as from Friday April 20th. Several of those were accommodated with the Université Laval, on the campuses of CÉGEP S of the area or in the churches. Some confrontations with the police force had place in the afternoon of Friday, just like several other gatherings peaceful, a such concert and a dinner vegetarian under the Dufferin-Montmorency highway

The first day of protests took place saturdays April 21st. The day began with the opening from the second Sommet from the People, an educational gathering and policy close to the Gare of the Palate, in the Low-City in the east of the site of the top. From this place, the demonstrators walked on the Boulevard Charest in north-western direction, towards the Rue of the Crown. The number of participants in this great walk was evaluated between 50.000 and 150.000 people.

The protests were divided into three zones:

the " zone verte" , characterizing a legal place of demonstration with any risk of arrest;
the " zone jaune" , peaceful demonstration and not sanctioned but involving certain risks of arrest or confrontations with the police force;
the " zone rouge" , places of civil Disobedience involving an high-risk of arrest.

This system was developed after the demonstrations which took place in Montreal in November 2000. Though wanting to be peaceful with a low level of arrest, those were violently repressed by the anti-riot police force, with back of horse. This system of zones was envisaged in order to protect those which do not wish to be found in a state of arrest or in a place of confrontations with the police force.

Arrived at the Street of the Crown, walk divided, carrying a majority of Protestants towards the " zone verte" in north, towards the gathering envisaged in front of the Colisée of Quebec. Several others decided to go in the yellow and red zones to the south. Among the first, number of them were disseminated through the surface Midsummer's Day Baptiste; others went while following the Côte of Abraham towards the intersection with the Dufferin-Montmorency highway, through which the fence passed. A great number of peaceful demonstrators went to this place during the afternoon.

Those which decided to go to the yellow and red zones confronted the end of safety. Nearly fifteen minutes after the arrival of the demonstrators to the accesses of the closed zone, uniting the boulevard Rene-Lévesque, the fence was put at ground. Several demonstrators entered thus the zone, in particular supported by a catapult launching of the bear cubs in cuddly toy, while others were caught some immediately with the police cord. This last ends up yielding under the pressure of the demonstrators and yielded his place to a second line of police officers, all equipped with masks with gas. Without warning, a rain of teargas grenades fell down on the demonstrators, including those not having crossed the end of safety.

Even if initially justifiable, the police Répression became soon without limits. The lachrymatory gas and confrontation were used on the peaceful gatherings and citizens of the city not implied in the protest movements. Indeed, of the teargas grenades were released so close to the green zone that people occupied to store were forced to leave, choking in smoke. A bomb was even released inside a residence, where its occupant had quickly to put his six month old child at the shelter of the gas.

Police repression took several forms: in addition to the teargas grenades largely used, the police force on several occasions used a Water cannon and rifles with plastic balls to disperse the demonstrators violent ones just like peaceful, including the busy medical teams to help the casualties.

Among the other forms of tactical interventions on behalf of the police forces, one counts in particular the targeted arrests of known figures of the movements of opposition and the expulsion of the Center of the alternative media of Quebec (CMAQ). The lachrymatory gas was at this point used that the delegates inside even of the places of the meeting were inconvenienced by smoke. The wall of safety was put at bottom in several occasions by the demonstrators, even if the incursions inside the protected enclosure were relatively reduced.

The protests continued during the night. In addition to the peaceful demonstrations and many acts of civil disobedience, some demonstrators were caught with the fronts stores of them and the billboards. The larguage of teargas grenades continued, even in places where no protest took place, just like direct confrontations with the demonstrators.

The demonstrations ended Sunday April 22nd, with the end of the meeting.

Answer to the events

The police force was justified by saying that its actions aimed at protecting the delegates from the attempts at infiltration of demonstrators in " zone rouge" through the safety fence and to warn certain demonstrators violent one to be caught some with the property of others, with the police force, the media or even with the other demonstrators.

Several demonstrators show the police force used an excessive force, saying that the use of teargases and rubber balls was completely disproportionate at the level of violence met on the spot and that often, those were used against peaceful demonstrators. Several people were wounded by the balls of rubber and moreover, they say, the teargas grenades were often released directly on demonstrators, in violation of the protocols governing their use. Several also the actions of the authorities of the detention centres criticize. All in all, the movement altermondialist describes the actions of the police force during the Summit of Quebec like an attempt at suppression of dissidence and right of opinion.

The operations of the secret services also were very criticized: for example, Joan Russow, then the chief of the green Left Canada, were stopped while trying to photograph the prison where the demonstrators will be held thereafter. Some also say that demonstrators of reputation, such Jaggi Singh were stopped by agents as a civilian whereas they took part in legal actions far from the confrontations with the police force.

An official complaint towards GRC was formulated by the deputy néo-democrat Svend Robinson. The November 13rd 2003, the president of the Commission of the public complaints with the GRC, Shirley Heafey, declared:

“ the members of the GRC used an excessive and unjustified force in their use of teargas to move the demonstrators when a more suitable answer could have been put to the test in first. ”

The commission recommenda in particular an improvement of the techniques of control of crowd, a disciplinary action against certain agents and of the formal excuses to the demonstrators.

External bonds

Summit of Americas - Summit of Quebec
CBC News, April 2001: '' Police fire toilets gun, tear gas in Quebec City ''
CBC News, November 2003: '' RCMP used “excessive force” At Quebec summit ''
Quebec 2001: Photograph and video-report by a bloguor of Quebec which lived the events.
Chaos in Quebec: The Summit off the Americas, an illustrated report of the Time magazine.

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