hfx fri 14 june 2002

Taking the Coast!
G7 face opposition in Atlantic Canada
A brief communique by jon elmer

As the sun was setting over Citadel Hill, military snipers atop the buildings surrounding the conference centre traded their rifles for cameras and got the last few natural-light photographs of the fertile resistance that had been swarming the downtown of Halifax.

Playing host to the Imperial-7 finance ministers comes with all the perks of targeted welfare: namely, several hundred foot soldiers, rented vans for the reinforcements, a helicopter, a few justices of the peace to book the arrestees, some cleared out prison cages, a fresh new arsenal of gas, pepper and stun grenades… that type of welfare. Which is to say nothing of the city 'beautification' projects, the extra lobsters and mussels for the delegates (that’s why they come to Nova Scotia), and the dozens of millions of our dollars spent on the pomp and ceremony as well as the criminalization of dissent.

And dissent it was. Upwards of 500 people took the downtown of Halifax in a 'mobile street party', buttressed by eloquent and uncompromising spoken-word from some of Halifax's hardest working activists, as well as Njoki Njehu of the 50 Years is Enough Network. Equipped with a sound-system mounted on the back of a pick-up truck, the forces of reggae and hip-hop provided the soundtrack for an evening of resistance that took just about every possible street in the (albeit tiny) downtown core.

Shucking the security cages that have been so popular with summit security officials, it was easily moveable metal barricades that provided the security for the ministerial wine-and-cheese (or maybe it was lobster-and-Keith's) this time around. Without a chain-link fence to keep the 'peace' it was up to the resistance to choose it's march-route, with cops scrambling to figure out which way we were headed. Of course, they couldn't, and the crowd took the two most important 'strips' of this tourist city while the foot soldiers shook their heads and radioed for orders from their superiors.

For the most part, the police responded in a rag-tag manner and were left shuffling in every direction, clearly one-step behind the 'headless' organization. When the inevitable police attempt to silence the sound-truck was made later in the evening, a couple hundred activists 'unarrested' the vehicle in style and provided a precedent that will surely carry into Saturday's events. About a hundred activists took a busy downtown mall while bewildered security guards stood aside, and pedestrian traffic looked on in curiosity.

With much ballyhoo about the Black Bloc, authorities and media-saturated pedestrians must have been confused by the presence of the Pink Bloc on the streets of Halifax. Sporting a luscious pink tank (for self-defense), the Pink Bloc must have sent the 'undercover' cops scrambling for orders: "Ah, sergeant, there aren't any kids with black bandannas, so can I arbitrarily arrest these radicals in Pink?" A question to which his superior likely answered: "No, don't do it, we haven't created a media-frenzy about any Pink Bloc to justify the repression, yet".

So it was on day one of the G7 finance ministerial meetings in Halifax. One can only wonder if they will let us as close to the conference centre on Saturday.

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Reported Arrests at G7 Protests
by x antifa resistance x 3:02pm Sat Jun 15 '02 (Modified on 3:39pm Sat Jun 15 '02)

Today, approximately 5 hours after the demonstration against the G7 finance ministers began, police became especially brutal with those holding the streets in the name of the People.

The police have reportedly used stun guns, batons, attack dogs, tear gas and pepper spray. The latest word has it that at least a dozen people have been arbitrarily arrested by the police. Banners have been confiscated, running matches with the cops have taken place throughout downtown Halifax, and an exchange of projectiles has taken place as well. Earlier a barricade was torn down, and water ballons (which are now called 'ball bearings' and 'golf balls' by the media) were hurled at the police. Protesters used relatively peaceful means of opposition, while holding control in most circumstances, or any street area taken over. Militant actions (thankfully) were used in the Brunswick / Grafton area. Demonstrators held their ground despite being shot at by the police with a variation of tear gas, and having stun guns used on them. The police were taunted and mocked from Citadel hill, and a guardrail was turned into a massive drum (Quebec City style). The crowd then took off, and outran the police to the city centre, where a standoff took place in an intersection on Spring Garden road. Cops confiscated a 35-foot-long banner, arrested a number of people, and began clearing roadblocks. Reliable reports have it that the arresting officer of a young man, pulled his handgun on protesters when they tried to intervene. Cinderblocks were later used to create more barriers within the streets. This is all we know right now, expect lots more later tonight.

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A later report after the weekend:

Hey all. Here's the most detailed account I've read of the protest from a source outside of indymedia. Many of you will no doubt consider CBC Halifax to be "corporate media,"
but I think it's a pretty balanced piece. Don't know who the writer is though.
(Note: I'm in PEI, and am myself trying to form a coherent picture of what the bloody hell just happened on the streets of Halifax this weekend)

Peaceful protest turns ugly
WebPosted Jun 17 2002 08:03 AM EDT


Halifax -
It was a weekend of noisy demonstrations on the streets of Halifax. Hundreds of people, young and old, gathered to protest the presence and policies of the G-7 finance ministers. The crowd included union members, anti-poverty activists, environmentalists and people concerned about globalization.

Organizers said they planned peaceful rallies. But the situation turned violent several times on Saturday afternoon. CBC reporter Karen Pauls followed the protesters for most of the day.

Noon, on the Halifax Commons:

People are gathering for what organizers say will be the biggest rally of the weekend. They're listening to speeches and music. Bill McKinnon, a pensioner from Dartmouth, says it's gratifying to see so many young people passionate about their world and the plight of people living in poorer countries. And he says he's disappointed in his own generation.

"They seem to be comfortable, don't want to rock the boat while they're working, huge salaries. They like money, don't want to fight the system because we're profiting from it. When we retire, we seem to be tired. It's marvelous to see young people, enthusiastic to change the world. It needs changing."

At the other end of the spectrum, Yvonne Hanson is there with her two young daughters.

"I think it's important to expose children to the world of the conscientious. We have a responsibility to ourselves and our children to expose them to how other people think. It's an eye-opener for them."

1 p.m.:

The crowd begins to march peacefully down North Park, Rainnie Drive, and past the Metro Centre. Police officers line the route. Some are taking photos, and videotaping the crowd, which responds by chanting.

The parade circles the Grand Parade and marches up to Argyle Street, which has been closed for security reasons. The crowd is stopped by a double row of metal barricades on Carmichael Street. Behind it, stand dozens of police officers in full riot gear.

After about half an hour of chanting and banging on pots and pans, some of the protesters break through the barricades and push them aside on the street.

Some kneel and make peace signs. Some dance in front of the row of officers. A woman offers flowers to the police, who don't move.

One of the organizers, Chris Arsenault, uses a megaphone to talk to the crowd.

The drums beat faster. The tension increases. There's division among some protesters over what should happen next.

Police officers begin pulling green rubber gas masks over their faces. Some of the protesters respond by covering their mouths and noses with bandanas.

There's a sudden scuffle. Some reporters and TV cameramen are attacked by protesters who don't want their pictures taken. Some people in the crowd begin throwing lemons, water balloons, and plastic bottles at the police officers, who respond with tear gas.

A medic working with the protesters says it's a mixture of tear gas and pepper spray. It leaves clouds of yellow smoke in the air as protesters and journalists alike begin to feel a sharp stinging in their throats and eyes. People run for water to flush out their eyes.

A young protester, John Wimberly, says he's shocked at the police response.

"[I'm] like the majority of people, standing peacefully at the front line until they tear-gassed me," he said. "I'm sorry the examples of a few incite them to do this. There's been some slight violence, but nothing to condone blasting a whole crowd of people like this."

There are a few more skirmishes. A young girl is somehow knocked to the ground as she dances in front of the police officers.

Lee Cohen is an immigration lawyer in Halifax who saw it happen. "[It] seemed entirely unprovoked. Four to five police rushed forward and she was in their path," he said. "She was bowled over. I think she has a concussion. I think some of the demonstrators were getting too close. It was a very aggressive response."

Things settle down for a few hours. Then the organizers hear the G-7 finance ministers are leaving from another entrance of the World Trade and Convention Centre. The crowd walks up to Brunswick Street, where they're met by another row of RCMP riot squad members.

Another contingent of officers gathers down the street. They start walking towards the protesters, pushing at them and telling them to move. An officer says they're blocking the street, and they have to go.

One of the protesters is lying on the ground with a poster. Two police officers use electric stun guns on Scott Barber's back.

"I was shocked by a couple of cops with electric handguns. Two of them, two times. And what I was doing? I was sitting on the ground, holding a sign," he said.

The officers manage to push the protesters up onto historic Citadel Hill. Organizers urge the crowd to regroup. A diminished group of about 75 young people gathers on Spring Garden Road. That's where they're met by more police, paddy wagons, dogs and stun guns.

Organizer Chris Arsenault is one of the first people to be arrested.

"He's got a gun! I don't consent to this," he screams.

The crowd protests and chants. But the police prevail and the crowd begins to disperse. And the clean-up begins, to bring the city back to normal.

Later, RCMP spokesperson Sgt. Wayne Noonan dismisses charges that the police used excessive force.

"They were the ones that tore down the barricades...They were the ones that were throwing projectiles at our police officers. They were the ones using a slingshot," he said. "I don't know if any of you observed that, but our information was that there were ball-bearings in those slingshots...These things can kill people."

Noonan says authorities were surprised at the level of violence at this meeting. He admits police were caught off guard by how ugly things turned.

"Halifax is not a city known for this type of behaviour," he said. "And you know it is a bit of a surprise. We were prepared, but it's a bit of a surprise."

Noonan says the police acted professionally and only used force when force was used against them. Still, some protesters say they plan to file formal complaints against specific officers for their actions.