FTTA Summit Protest "Schedule":

April 20, 21, 22

The big protests will be happening in Quebec City in April. The actual Summit of the Americas takes place from April 20th to April 22nd, and protests are planned for each of these three days.

Each day of protest will have a somewhat different flavour reflecting the three major categories of progressive forces. In all cases, protests around the perimeter will be divided into three different classes of sectors:

a) 'safe' sectors in which there will be no danger of arrest

b) 'low-risk' sectors in which the chance of arrest will be minimal but nevertheless present

c) 'high-risk' sectors, in which civil disobedience and direct action will occur and arrests are fairly likely.

April 20th will be dominated by those who object to the FTAA's most fundamental, underlying principles: lack of democracy, laissez-faire capitalism, and perpetuation of repressive police-state methods. Since this sort of resistance poses the most profound threat to corporate control, a strong police backlash is quite likely. This will be a day of surprises!

April 21st is the day of the 'legal march', which, as I understand, will begin at 11:00 am and conclude with a rally in the mid-afternoon. The march is organized primarily by labor unions, although many other groups are participating. There will continue to be protests around the perimeter, and it is possible that large numbers of marchers will join the perimeter protests at some point.

The People's March of the Americas

As part of the People's Summit of the Americas and the Hemispheric Social Alliance
THE MARCH OF THE PEOPLES OF THE AMERICAS
Saturday April 21st at Noon

Rally: Old Port of Quebec City (Abraham-Martin Street)

The Réseau québécois sur líintégration continentale (RQIC) and CommonFrontiers, along with other coalitions including the Convergence Table are organizing the March of the Peoples of the Americas under the theme: Resisting ? Proposing ? Together.

There are other ways to foster continental integration than the strictly commercial approach of the FTAA. This is why a great number of organizations that will be in Quebec City during the Summit of the Americas will participate in this demonstration. Thousands of people from Canada, Quebec, the United States, and members of the Hemispheric Social Alliance from Latin America will unite their voices expressing their opposition to the process of corporate-led globalization and the commercial agreements that sustain it.

While the heads of states of the hemisphere meet behind the barricades in order to shape the future of the Americas, all sectors of civil society will be on the streets voicing their concerns: unions, women organizations, environmentalists, students, community organizations, international solidarity organizations, human rights advocates, groups opposed to corporate-led globalization, ethno-cultural associations, regional coalitions, church groups.

It will be a colorful, diverse and pacifist march. The route has been designed in order to avoid provocation and confrontation. All participants are asked to respect the route in order to ensure the security of those participating.

Schedule and organization:

• Arrival of people and busses at noon at the Old Port of Quebec City.We recommend that all buses use highway 40 on their way to Quebec, and meet us on Saint-Paul Street. For those of you who are coming by foot, or are planning to use another highway to enter the city, a committee will meet you on Saint-André Street.
• A group in charge of March security will be clearly identified as from the People's Summit and will indicate to you how to get to the rally on Abraham-Martin Street. There you will find directions to each of the different sectors of the march.
• Empty busses will be asked to proceed to the parking lot reserved for the event which is located near the end of the march in the Victoria Park area. Each bus will be given an identification number in order tofacilitate the return of demonstrators to their respective bus. All groups coming by bus, should also ensure they clearly identify theirvehicles with signs on the front and back windows.
• In order to limit traffic jams while demonstrators are getting off the buses, we kindly ask everyone to follow the instructions given by the security staff of the Peopleís Summit, and be prepared to get off your bus as quickly as possible after arriving.
• Only buses and people on foot will be allowed entry to the rally area. Because of limited parking space for cars and other vehicles, we recommend that people park their vehicles far from the rallying and starting points of the march.
• The march will start at 13:30, and will be opened by international delegations, and the organizers of the event.
• The route will start on Abraham-Martin Street, we will take Saint-Paul Street - which changes its name and becomes Charest - up to Rue de la Couronne, where we will turn right to reach the parking lot of the Municipal Stadium at Victoria Park. This is a 2.5 km route.
• There will be animation throughout the march. We will use the full width of the streets. These streets will be closed to traffic, and reserved for participants of the march.
• The participants are expected to reach the end of the march, the parking lot of the Municipal Stadium at Victoria Park, at around 15:00. This area is big enough to accommodate 20,000 people.
• There will be musical animation while people are arriving at Victoria Park.
• There will be 1 hour of speeches following the March where representatives of the Hemispheric Social Alliance, as well as representatives from the Convergence Table will address the public.
• The event is expected to end at 16:15.
• We are asking all organizations and participants to take their placards, and all other materials away with them.
• We will announce from the stage how to proceed to the buses. Members of the security staff of the Peopleís Summit will direct participants to the location of the buses' parking site located near Victoria Park.
• An information pamphlet with further information for marshals and bus coordinators will be circulated shortly to the members of the RQIC, Common Frontiers, and the Convergence Table and posted on this website.
• A detailed map of the route of the March of the Peoples of the Americas, as well as a map indicating the drop-off locations, the starting and ending points of the march and the busesí parking lot will be made available shortly.

Other information:

• Each organization participating in the event is asked to ensure marshaling. We suggest 4 people for 50 participants. We ask that these people be identified with an armband of the colors of their organization.The People's Summit security staff will ensure coordination with the marshals.
• For the participants coming from outside Quebec City, and planning to drive into the city, whether by bus or by car, we suggest that you eat prior to your arrival in Quebec since we are expecting a lot of people on the 21st in an area with very few restaurants.
• Toilets will be on site, and ambulances will be available in case of emergency.
• The organizing committee of the Peopleís Summit has obtained a demonstration permit from the Quebec municipality and we are discussing with the authorities our request to close the streets to traffic.
• The route is wheelchair-friendly.
• We strongly suggest that participants bring warm clothes with them, as well as rain gear and food. Watch the weather forecasts the day prior to the march.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, WE RECOMMEND THAT YOU CONTACT YOUR RESPECTIVE ORGANIZATIONS
WELCOME TO THE MARCH OF THE PEOPLES OF THE AMERICAS!!!

April 22ndis Earth Day which, this year, has been declared 'Fair Trade Day'. Environmental groups will be mounting a collective rally during the day, as well as an open speaker symposium and other events which Brian Sarwer-Foner is organizing in conjunction with OQP2001. The symposium and other lectures will take place at CEGEP de Limoilou (Adresse: 1300, 8e Avenue, C.P. 1400 Quebec (Quebec) G1K 7H3, Telephone: (418) 647-6600 Telecopieur: (418)647-6798). The Green Party will be participating in and co-sponsoring these events, so greens are of course urged to participate in large numbers. More info will be forthcoming as things take shape
Info: eric and others

Counter Set April 4, 2001