Report from Le Mur de la Honte (The Wall of Shame)

By Joe Rigney

5 May 2001

The 2001 Summit of the Americas will be remembered as a watershed moment in the worldwide struggle against corporate lead globalization. As thirty-four presidents and prime ministers from the Caribbean, North America, and South America gathered in Quebec City to sign a declaration that places the western hemisphere closer to a Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), tens of thousands of the citizens of the Americas marched, danced, and took direct action to demonstrate their outrage at the course being set by their “elected” leaders.

As citizens across the world have begun to emphasize active resistance to the corporate agenda, the people enacting that agenda have found it to be increasingly difficult to hold meetings. The Summit of the Americas was anticipated to be no exception.

Six weeks before the Summit, workers in Quebec City began erecting a fence. Consisting of hundreds of three foot high concrete barriers of a type commonly used in Canada and the United States to block lanes during highway work, the wall stretched along a three-mile perimeter around a portion of the old part of the city. After setting the blocks in place, poles were bolted in and extra thick chain link fencing was attached. Leaving no room for error, the bolts themselves were welded so that they could not be easily removed.

The people of Quebec, most of whom speak French as their first language, dubbed the fence Mur de la Honte, The Wall of Shame. Most Canadians believed that the fence was undemocratic and a provocation by the police towards the demonstrators. One Canadian judge even found the fence to be an unconstitutional restriction on the right to peaceably assemble, but refused to order it removed due to fears of violence.

While the presidents and ministers spoke of openness and democracy, people from around the world gathered to demonstrate solidarity against their exclusion from the process. Most of the direct action during the Summit was focused on the Wall of Shame. Symbolically, the wall represented the segregation of citizens into the elite who were on the inside, and the majority who were kept outside of the decision making process.

The first demonstration was a Woman’s March on Thursday April 19, the evening before the Summit began. Hundreds of women, young and old, wove their dreams into a web. They hung their web from the fence as a dream catcher to catch the bad dreams while letting through the good. As the woman sang “We are weaving, we are dreaming, this is how our work begins”, they hung their web on the chain of the fence. The peaceful and powerful ceremony included a four-minute Ohm that centered the participants prior to the placing of the final, gigantic web.

A second march occurred that night, a torchlit procession that avoided the fence. A show of force, 2,000 – 3,000 people marched and chanted “Sol, sol, sol, solidarité ” through the streets of Quebec. The march ended under a freeway overpass, where a rave was planned. People peacefully danced and partied late into the night.

The next day, April 20, was the day the Summit opened. To mark this occasion, activists gathered at Université Laval to begin a three-mile march down Boulevard René Lévesque. Organized by the Anti-Capitalist Convergence (la Convergence des Luttes Anti-Capitalistes, or CLAC) and the Summit of the Americas Welcoming Committee (le Comite d'Accueil du Sommet des Ameriques, or CASA) the march grew to the thousands as it approached the Wall. At one point, a second march converged with the CLAVC/CASA march, doubling the size of the demonstration to almost 10,000 people.

Signs and banners that stated “Vive la résistance” and “Bush go home” and chants of “What do we want? Class war! When do we want it? Now!” and “Sol, sol, sol, solidarité ” underlined the sentiment of the demonstrators. Red flags and black flags together indicated the solidarity of all left leaning factions that day as they confronted international capitalism. The demonstrators had also built a catapult to lob stuffed animals over the fence.

Three zones or levels of demonstration had been determined prior to the march: Green where the risk of arrest was low, yellow where there was some risk of arrest, and red where actions planned could likely lead to arrest. At the corner of Rue Sainte-Claire the march split into two, one group heading towards a Green zone on Rue Saint Jean. The other headed toward a Yellow/Red zone where Boulevard René Lévesque was blocked by the Wall.

When the thousands of demonstrators who stayed with the Yellow/Red march arrived at the wall, a small group initiated direct action. Climbing on the fence and shaking it, the demonstrators proved how flimsy the fortress erected by the elite truly was. Within ten minutes, to the sounds of cheering by the crowd, the Wall came down!

Even this was largely symbolic. Although the police were outnumbered, only a handful of demonstrators actually penetrated past the barrier. They threw paint, rocks, sticks, and stuffed animals at the police, who remained unharmed behind their shields and protective armor. It is important to note that while the demonstrators did actively resist the Wall and the police, at no time were the gathered heads of state or other Summit attendees in danger. The few people who did pass over the fallen Wall did not attempt to rush into the Summit.

After about a ten-minute standoff, the police began to shoot teargas into the crowd. While this strategy did eventually cause people to move back, it was not as effective as the police had hoped. The prevailing winds blew the teargas away from the demonstrators, towards the police and the Summit.

Not content to merely secure the perimeter of the Wall, the police line slowly moved down Boulevard René Lévesque, pushing demonstrators away from the wall and into residential neighborhoods. In one area, demonstrators sat peacefully in front of the police, holding up peace signs. The group was herded past a senior center, where the residents would be very susceptible to the asthmatic impacts of teargas. Unperturbed the police choose to clear this crowd of peaceful demonstrators, hitting one unfortunate person directly in the abdomen with a teargas canister fired at close range.

As teargas filled the air, demonstrators began to disperse from the area. Although tired, many felt elated at the success of the day. Despite their attempts to block legitimate protest, the corporate elite were unsuccessful at maintaining their wall around the city. This highlights one popular chant, “Ain’t no power like the power of the people because the power of the people don’t stop.”

At some point during the day, well-known critic of corporate lead globalization, Jaggi Singh, was grabbed by police dressed as demonstrators and thrown into an unmarked van. Although this arrest occurred nowhere near Boulevard René Lévesque, Jaggi was charged with incitement to riot, possession of a dangerous weapon (the catapult), and violation of parole (from an earlier arrest at a previous demonstration). Clearly arrested for his political beliefs, Jaggi is still being held in a Canadian jail, without bail.

April 20 also had a chilling effect on freedom of the press. Inside the Wall, the Corporate Media Center was locked down for over four hours while police tear gassed protestors. Members of the press who wanted to get out to cover the demonstrations couldn’t get out, while press out on the street suffering from the effects of the gas were forced to stay outside. The Opening Ceremonies were delayed for almost two hours as the Summit organizers moved the location to avoid tear gas.

Demonstrations were not confined to outside the fence. Because such a large area had been secured behind the fence, many citizens who lived in Quebec were inside. Issued special cards, these people had the right to enter and leave the perimeter. Two men greeted the leaders as they drove away from the opening ceremonies. Waving a banner saying “No ZLEA” (ZLEA is the French acronym for FTAA -  Zone Libre Éxchange Amerique), these demonstrators could not be removed by the security forces inside because they had a legal right to be there.

April 20 ended with another rave under the freeway overpass. DJs provided music while Food Not Bombs fed hungry demonstrators.

The next day, Saturday April 21, marked the largest day of demonstrations. Police set the stage by firing teargas into peaceful crowds gathering around the Wall at Boulevard René Lévesque. In the early morning hours of Saturday, without provocation, the police fired teargas into the crowd, more teargas than during the entire day Friday.

An alternative event had been held throughout the week prior to the Summit. Called the People’s Summit of the Americas, this event brought together delegates from across the hemisphere to provide first-hand information concerning the specific impacts of corporate lead globalization on their sovereignty and citizens. While the leaders inside the Summit claim the Free Trade is providing benefits to the hemisphere, they are short on specifics. The picture painted by the People’s Summit indicated clearly that the people of the hemisphere are suffering under a reign of multi-national corporations who subvert the traditional rights of government.

The People’s Summit concluded with the largest march to date by the Global Movement for Social Justice. 60,000 people from around the Americas gathered at the port of Quebec and marched through the city. Labor unions from Canada and the United States mobilized their membership to attend. Meant to be a non-confrontational show of resistance, this march did not go towards the Wall. However, not all participants in the march were content with this strategy. The march split, and about 20,000 people gathered around the Wall.

There were two hot spots during the day – at Boulevard René Lévesque, the site of the previous days actions, and at a freeway exit adjacent to the Wall, on Rue Richelieu. At this latter site, direct action activists who attacked the fence brought ropes and a grappling. They tried to pull down the Wall. When it appeared that they might be successful, the police began firing teargas and water cannon at the demonstrators.

The police continued to fire teargas, while demonstrators grabbed the canisters and threw them back at police. Demonstrators also threw bottles and rocks at the police line. The crowd, most of whom did not have gas masks, moved back then surged forward again as the tear gas cleared. Eventually, due to the overwhelming amount of gas in the air, the majority of demonstrators moved back onto the freeway, a safe distance from the police line. Although there was never any danger from this large crowd to either the police or the Summit, police occasionally lobbed a gas canister into the non-violent demonstrators.

To emphasize their dissatisfaction with the police tactics, demonstrators began to bang on the freeway railing like it was a drum. Creating an industrial cacophony, these people made their presence known to all who stood behind the fence and watched the standoff.

A block from where this melee continued through the day, a section of the Wall was brought down. As in the previous day, tearing down the wall was a symbolic gesture. Only a few demonstrators actually walked into the perimeter, and at no time was the Summit in danger. Despite this, police again fired tear gas canisters directly at demonstrators.

As police secured their line in front of the breach, peaceful demonstrators sat in front of them and tried to convince the police to throw down their arms. Chanting “Join us”, demonstrators, both French and English questioned the police decision to protect the elite while forgetting the people. Although no police left the line, one wonders to what extent these peaceful demonstrations affected the psyche of the police who may have been sympathetic but were forced to do their job.

Another area where the Wall came down was on Rue Sainte Jean. Although originally a Green zone (area where no direct action was to occur so that risk of arrest was low), a group of demonstrators deconstructed a large section of the wall. Again, no demonstrators attempted to enter the Summit. Their aim was symbolic, to tear down the fence that separated them from the decision making process.

While a small group of demonstrators continued fighting the police, most people walked and gathered in the streets. Graffiti calling for resistance and an end to exploitation was painted on boards that had been erected to block windows. People danced and cheered in an atmosphere that was festive and carnival like.

As the day waned, the police intensified their operations. Using rubber bullets and electric prods, the area around the wall was cleared and people were forced into neighborhoods. Although a dynamic stalemate had existed for over five hours along the Wall, this provocation by the police intensified the emotions of the demonstrators. As people were pushed deeper into residential areas, some property damage occurred. Although windows were broken, there was no looting.

As the night progressed, people began to build large bonfires in the city streets. One such fire was built under the freeway overpass where raves had occurred on previous nights. At this site, a tribal display of pure emotion reigned as demonstrators beat on railings and signs to a primal rhythm. Similar demonstrations were building in other areas of the city and continued throughout the night. The police would break up the large crowds, only to have them regroup in another neighborhood. While there was some minor property destruction, such as broken windows and the use of fences for wood, no significant looting occurred.

The police broke up these crowds, often times numbering in the thousands, using tear gas, rubber bullets, and a water cannon. The police also raided the medic center and forced the medics to leave at gun point. The Quebec Independent Media Center (CMAQ) opened its foyer to the medics as a triage area. People with twisted ankles, severe gas victims, and those shot by rubber bullets were brought in and treated by the many dedicated volunteer medics (as at all such demonstrations, the International Red Cross refuses to provide assistance.) At one point a woman was hit in the throat by a rubber bullet and had to receive a tracheotomy.

The next day, April 21, was the last day of the Summit. The Wall had been rebuilt and the streets were again open. Symbolically, the rebuilding of the Wall echoed the sentiment of the leaders gathered inside the perimeter. Regardless of how many or how loudly people object to their actions, the presidents and ministers of the Western Hemisphere all signed a Declaration and Plan of Action committing themselves to furthering corporate lead globalization.

In general, the area around the Wall was quiet. A small group gathered with a megaphone to express their outrage at the previous days events. A march to the Courthouse occurred, and a vigil began outside the jail where the over 600 demonstrators were being held. As the day progressed, reports of police misconduct began to circulate. Witness after witness reported that that had been refused the right to call their lawyer, that they had been left in buses without food or water for hours, that they had been stripped and left naked in front of others, and that people handcuffed were pepper sprayed directly in their eyes.

At the closing Press Conference the Prime Minister of Canada, Jean Chretien announced in no uncertain terms that the legitimacy of the leaders to move forward on the free trade agenda was unquestionable. As the “elected representatives of the hemisphere”, these leaders feel that they have every right to give away the sovereignty of the people and the government to the multinational corporations. Despite the growing Global Movement for Social Justice, the mouthpieces of corporate lead globalization refuse to back down from their agenda.

Despite the signing of the Declaration and Plan of Action, the demonstration now being dubbed the Battle of Quebec was successful. Tens of thousands of peaceful, non-violent citizens faced police oppression in order to demonstrate their solidarity against corporate lead globalization. Calling for a Peoples Globalization, the social justice movement is gaining momentum around the globe. The leaders of the Western Hemisphere have shifted their rhetoric to include phrases like “democracy,” “transparency,” and “civil society.” Although their actions (symbolized so strongly by the Wall of Shame they have erected around themselves) remain the same, the fact that they can no longer meet without demonstrations and resistance against their agenda has forced them to pay lip service to those who would question their lead.

Despite the attempts of the corporate media to focus on the “violent demonstrators,” the message is slowly getting out. As the corporate elite is forced into a greater fascist response to the legitimate concerns of people across the world, the Movement for Social Justice stands on the moral high ground. Police state tactics like oppression and violence stand in sharp contrast to the legitimate rights to assembly and expression granted in a true democracy. As our “elected” representatives continue to give away sovereignty to the highest bidder, democracy has become the battle cry for the social justice movement. As was chanted in the streets of Quebec in four languages, “The people, united, will never be defeated.”

For more information about the events in Quebec during the Summit of the Americas and their aftermath, check http://sf.indymedia.org and http://www.stopftaa.org .

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