Activists heading to Calgary for the G-8 summit later this month now have a place to join the protest effort. Just don't get too comfortable, say local organizers.
The Calgary Multicultural Centre in the city's downtown will serve as the activists' "convergence space" -- an ironic term if one considers local planners want protesters to converge elsewhere to protest.
Steve McDonald, one of the organizers, says the centre accommodates only 200 people. It will be used as a welcome centre to provide visitors with info on the city and events during the June 26-27 summit.
Small rooms will also be available for meetings and workshops.
The centre is not, however, designed to be a staging area for protests.
"It's not going to be place for people to come and hang out," McDonald says. "It's a place for people to come and familiarize themselves and then move on."
Just where people will move on to has yet to be determined. The actual summit is located 100 kilometres west of the city in Kananaskis, a wilderness area that will be patrolled by as many as 1,500 RCMP officers and up to 5,000 Canadian Forces soldiers.
Protest organizers have been frustrated in their attempts to find a venue to host the Solidarity Village, a tent city designed for up to 10,000 activists.
To date, they have been denied access to the Stoney First Nation reserve, provincial campgrounds near Kananaskis and city parks in Calgary.
The RCMP and border guards are also planning a massive security crackdown at the Alberta-U.S. border in the days leading up to the G-8. Customs officers will inspect every vehicle crossing the border. Those found with "tools of civil disobedience" will be refused entry to Alberta.
Some American activists have said the protest effort in Calgary is so disorganized they plan to join a demonstration in Ottawa during the summit.
The G-8 is an annual event that brings together the leaders of the world's top eight industrial countries. Topics on this year's agenda include the fate of Africa, the war on terrorism and economic expansion.
Protesters plan to use the event to voice their displeasure with several policies and trends. One of the activists' biggest beefs is the growth of globalization, a process that encourages the world's economies to converge across national borders.
Activists believe globalization hands power to multinational corporations and pushes nations to sacrifice human rights and environmental standards in order to attract investment.
ACTIVISTS ON THE GO
Activists have booked the Calgary Multicultural Centre, 712 5th Street S.E., from June 19-28. It will be open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Several events have already been organized:
Be aware that programs and events are subject to change. For more information check out www.activist.ca or call 403-274-9570.
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