Quebec City, CANADA ===================
This morning at 4:30a.m. 400 protestors trained in civil disobedience woke up in a community hall a short distance from "Complex G", a block of government buildings where resides the infrastructure of the Quebec government. By 6:45, the 400 protestors had mobilized into 21 different affinity groups and proceeded to the Complex G, stationing themselves at the eleven different entrances to the building in order to block all access by all civil servants.
The motive of the action, dubbed "Plan G", was to protest the neo-liberal agenda of the government of Quebec who continues to ignore the issues of class division, poverty, and unemployment, and their globalization and privitization of everything they can get their hands on.
In an exhibition of direct democracy, the 21 affinity groups each presented a separate list of demands to the government. These included student groups, anti-poverty activists, women's collectives, and others with a vested interest in equality and equal access to an adequate standard of living and education.
Members of four different Quebecois chapters of De La Bouffe Pas Des Bombes (Food Not Bombs), both blocked one access and provided food for all protestors. Bread and Puppets, an anarchist popular theatre (giant puppets) group from Vermont, was denied entry into Canada twice, according to rumour.
The protest was entirely successful in the shutting down of government operations. At nine o'clock in the morning, the 2000-4000 employees who had assembled at a park accross the street, unable to enter the building, and were told to go home and return at 1:30pm to attempt to enter again.
Police presence remained in low visibility but not absent. Speculation is that they were trying to avoid a major media event such as the last time such a large civil disobedience action took place in Canada, in Clayoquot Sound in 1993. There were certainly riot police in uniform in one of the parking garages of the complex. The non-violence practiced by blockaders, combined with extensive media coverage, gave no lee-way to the Quebec police who are known across Canada for their brutality when dealing with large groups.
By 1:30 the 400 blockaders still held the entrances closed, and several more busloads of protestors were assembled, walking the streets on the perimeter of the G Complex.
Employees, who had assembled again were told once more to go home, having fullfilled contract obligations to show up to work twice in one day, once in the morning and once at night. At 2:00 the blockade was declared complete and blockaders dispersed, probably to starty brainstorming ideas for a "Plan H". (national?) (global?)
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This is a quick report written after a long day. Soon i will post where other resources can be found. Their will be radio and still images posted to the internet soon. (there may be already -- check your recent DAMN messages) i think that english radio excerpts, from CKUT at McGill University, can be found at the following URL:
Peace
KeV kj_walsh@alcor.concordia.ca
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