Re: Diversity of idiots, June 17.
Your editorial attack on social justice activists concerned with the exploitative policies of the G8 was a disappointment to anyone eager to understand the issues surrounding the summit and the widespread resistance to it.
The assumption that "leading western governments are trying to spread the benefits of globalization" seems a blind, unsubstantiated assertion that runs contrary to the evidence.
These states have used control of institutions such as the World Bank to push through disastrous economic programs on developing countries, resulting in mass unemployment and cutting of basic services. These governments, under intense lobbying by big business, have overseen a trend where each year more wealth is siphoned into the hands of a tiny elite while the majority of the world's people continue to live in abject poverty.
The Take the Capital days of protest are organized by grassroots groups that fight back against the marginalization, criminalization and exploitation of people in our communities. We are disgusted that the G8 summit will cost $300 million, providing delegates with a luxurious stay, while a housing crisis continues in our cities.
The protests in Ottawa on June 26 and 27 will be a celebration of our resistance to a system that places profit above all else.
It is outrageous when newspapers such as the Citizen so wholeheartedly declare their support for the treachery of states and capital, in a style reminiscent of state media in totalitarian countries.
Andrea Schmidt and Kieran Oberman,
Ottawa
Organizers, Take the Capital!
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