Canada's spy agency has quietly warned government officials of possible violence by fringe anarchists at the meeting of G-8 leaders in Kananaskis this June.
A newly obtained report, prepared by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, says radical Black Bloc elements that disrupted previous international summits likely will organize for the conference of the leading industrialized nations in the resort village.
The intelligence report, distributed last December to key federal agencies, argues some anti-globalization groups are calling for "a diversity of tactics, which in the past has been seen as a tacit approval of violent assaults against police."
The document is one of a series of recent CSIS reports on the worldwide protest movement released to Southam News under the Access to Information Act. Particularly sensitive material was removed from the records, originally classified secret.
The December report says the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States have only temporarily distracted protesters from mobilizing for social change on issues including the environment, human rights and poverty.
"The anti-globalization movement will continue to regroup and pursue its various goals. The vast majority of protesters will attempt to stage non-violent demonstrations. Those who support the use of violence, including anarchists, will continue to do so," the report says.
At the April 2001 Summit of the Americas in Quebec City, mask-wearing demonstrators dressed in black -- the usual attire of the Black Bloc -- knocked down a section of the security fence and threw rocks, golf balls, concrete chunks and hockey pucks at security forces.
"Numerous groups, including Black Bloc elements, are likely to organize for future protests, including the G-8 meeting in Kananaskis in June 2002," the CSIS report says.
"Given the fringe anarchist element involved in these protests, the possibility of violence during the G-8 meeting cannot be ruled out."
Marika Schwandt, an Edmonton activist and organizer, says CSIS is trying to "demonize" some protesters in order to drive a wedge into the movement.
"It's really a divide-and-conquer strategy, and I think people are really seeing through that kind of fearmongering more and more," she said after reading the reports.
CSIS spokeswoman Chantal Lapalme defended the intelligence service's assessment, saying there continues to be a possibility of violent protests in Alberta.
"The service's mandate is to identify threat-related activities targeting the G-8 or any other events held in Canada, and identify groups and individuals willing to use serious violence to advance their fight against globalization," Lapalme said.
"We will continue to work in close co-operation with police agencies and other government departments to ensure that all threat-related information is assessed and transmitted without delay."
Lapalme stressed the intelligence service does not "investigate lawful protest." She declined to elaborate on references in the documents to the Black Bloc.
The most recent of the CSIS reports, dated early last month, says the "increasingly combative culture of the street protest movement is unpredictable and perilous."
It notes, however, the mood within the North American anti-globalization movement since the Sept. 11 attacks has "taken on a more anti-war and anti-violence tone."
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