Rendezvous in Kananaskis
|
|
|
|
Rendezvous in Kananaskis
|
|
|
|
Calgary Anti-G8 Convergence
For further info, visit:
Toronto Video Activist Collective (July 12, 2002) The Toronto Video Activist Collective is now featuring video clips from the G8 protests in Calgary on its website.
Harassment on the way to Calgary (July 12, 2002 / Alberta Indymedia) Sustainable communities advocates are followed for 30 miles by 7 patrol cars and a helicopter while on their way to Calgary....
Protesters offer up humble pie to mayor (July 3, 2002 / Calgary Herald)
G8 barriers come down as Calgary returns to thoughts of Stampede (June 28, 2002 / CP)
Protesters pack up following busy week (June 28, 2002 / Calgary Sun)
City in one peace after G-8 (June 28, 2002 / Calgary Sun)
G8 protests happen peacefully (June 27, 2002 / Straight Goods) by Sarah Blackstock
G8 Leaders Face the Mud People (June 27, 2002 / Reuters) "Mud people arose from the earth on Thursday to weaken the fortresses of the world's wealthy countries and major corporations in a bid to clear the way for a new culture of balance, abundance and delight...."
Polite protesters give peace a chance in downtown streets (June 27, 2002 / Calgary Herald) The main focus is the snake march, but there is also limited info on the "die-in" memorial to Italian protester Carlo Giuliani and other actions.
G-8 security, activists breathe easy as no tear gas mars protests (June 27, 2002 / CP) "In retrospect, doesn't it seem a bit foolish and excessive for them to be announcing months ago things like water cannons and thousands of officers to protect the city?'' asked Ottawa activist Sarah Dover.
Lunch crowd trapped in McDonalds by anti G8 protesters (June 27, 2002 / CP) Wouldn't you know it. This article presents an overview of Calgary protests, but instead of highlighting non-confrontational protests in which thousands participated, the focus is primarily on a small confrontational episode outside McDonald's....
Calgary's finest take top marks at march (June 27, 2002 / Calgary Sun) One of the few confrontational incidents during the day's protests - the inevitable 'McDonald's encounter - is used as an occasion to reemphasize the media's favorite scapegoat equation: anarchism = violence. It is also used to make the tacit assertion that property damage is violence, which is an unfortunate confusion of terms. Violence is 'causing a significant risk of injury to life' (not inanimate objects). In contrast, property damage is merely the dismantling of inanimate structures, which might be undertaken for any number of reasons. Whether or not property damage is justified is related to questions surrounding property rights - not violence (e.g. think of issues surrounding computer hacktivism...). Anarchists are opposed to violence as a matter of principle. On the other hand, property rights, which are the foundation of hierarchical structures in a capitalist society, are not regarded by anarchists as sacrosanct.
Park protest peaceful (June 27, 2002 / Calgary Sun) "With Bruce Cockburn and free food the star attractions, several hundred anti-G-8 protesters took part in an illegal public gathering yesterday in Riley Park...." The police apparently kept a low profile, overlooking the city's notorious bylaw outlawing political dissent in public parks which will be challenged in court later this year. Among protesters, the general feeling was "when the riot cops stay away, there's no riot."
Demonstration just to die for (June 27, 2002 / Calgary Sun) "The 400 or so people who played-dead in a "Di-In for Life" demonstration did so to bring attention to the HIV-AIDS crisis around the world while testing their democratic right to protest publicly.... "
Win-win day for city cops and protesters (June 27, 2002 / Calgary Sun) Covers Calgary snake march and a bit on the Kananaskis caravan.
Protesters claim paranoia exposed (June 27, 2002 / Calgary Sun) "One of the most notable impacts of yesterday's downtown demonstrations was to prove the paranoia of authorities and police, said Sarah Dover of the group Legal Collective...."
New police fashions a riot (June 27, 2002 / Calgary Sun) Coordinated jackets and pepper spray tote bags ... if it helps to reduce the fascist mentality, why not?
New model for G-8 protest (June 27, 2002 / Calgary Herald) A meandering discourse about the tone of the Calgary protests and the more general implications this might have with regard to the direction of future protests.
Life's now a picnic for park protesters (June 26, 2002 / Calgary Sun) "The City of Calgary has agreed to take a hands-off approach to a planned Riley Park protest today, averting a court fight between civil libertarians and municipal lawyers...." Note that this applies to a court order for the suspension of Calgary's notorious anti-protest by-law. The "constitutional challenge" of the bylaw will still go ahead, but "likely won't be heard until the fall."
Generous acts running amok (June 26, 2002 / Calgary Sun) Activist food and housing initiatives are given some media attention here.
Protests aplenty (June 26, 2002 / Calgary Sun) Covers the GAP and Showdown actions; Celebration time! (June 26, 2002 / Calgary Sun) Bronco's idea of a good time: $300,000 worth of little doughnuts, beef on a bun, and (inevitably) white hats.
Delegates and protesters hold duelling get-togethers on eve of G-8 summit (June 25, 2002 / CP) Reports on various events during the day, all offered with a stale, generic form of smug condescension. The first report offers a few wisps of information about Bronconnier's $300,000 VIP Gala, and continues with some coverage of the 'Showdown at the Hoedown' protest....
Labour joins Calgary Snake Marches (June 25, 2002 / CLC) "Bouyed by the positive and peaceful events that have taken place in Calgary this week in advance of the G8 Summit, labour groups have accepted an invitation to join the Snake March planned for Wednesday morning in downtown Calgary. Union activists of every age and from across the country will be out and about, with union flags and banners, and handing out leaflets in solidarity with snake march organizers...."
G-8 protestors picnicking at Riley Park (June 25, 2002 / CBC) "A picnic for people who oppose the G-8 will go ahead at Calgary's Riley Park Wednesday.... Lawyers agreed to adjourn the activists' applications to challenge a bylaw used to prevent protesters from gathering on city-owned property...."
Protesters use art as a weapon at G-8 (June 25, 2002 / CBC) "Scott Harris, an activist from Edmonton, says art has played a critical role in recent North American protests...."
Local impacts of G8 agenda exposed - Calgary – June 25 (June 25, 2002 / Greenpeace Canada) "‘I’d rather go naked than wear GAP,’ chanted about forty protesters as they stripped off their clothes. Surrounded by hundreds of supporters (who were a bit more reluctant to bare it all), scores of media and curious Calgarians, the protesters said the GAP exploits poor workers, mostly women, in three hundred sweatshops in fifty-five countries in the global South...." ; Anti-G8 Activists Bare All in Cheeky Protest (June 25, 2002 / Reuters); They'd rather wear nothing than wear GAP! (June 25, 2002 / AP Photo)
Residents wary but not fearful of G8 protesters (June 25, 2002 / National Post) "Yesterday, private security guards were more evident than usual on downtown streets. Some companies covered up corporate logos, a few businesses boarded up shop windows and executives donned khakis and golf shirts in a half-hearted attempt to blend in with the protesters who began arriving last week.... Shell Canada has covered its street-level corporate logo with a "Welcome to Calgary" banner, stepped up security and expects to see a number of its staff take holidays....Catch, a trendy new seafood restaurant in the city core, has hired undercover security..."
Activists drawing from a mixed bag of issues (June 25, 2002 / Globe&Mail) Short sketches of a few people (Emily Sikazwe, Donna McPhee, Yutaka Dirks, Lois Bordowitz) presently in Calgary and the issues that concern them.
Cowtown's gunslinger mayor sure to be a hero (June 25, 2002 / Calgary Herald) Don Martin of the Calgary Herald blusters his way into a psychotic frenzy, advising motorists who spot protesters "to accelerate their pickups to full ramming speed", and making Calgarians out to be people who view "a well-swung police baton as kid-glove treatment." All that's missing to complete the picture are some pointy hats and a lynching rope.
Activists plan protest for G-8 party (June 25, 2002 / Calgary Herald) "The $300,000 fiesta was approved by the city to showcase Calgary to the the world. The party is being held to drum up tourism and business as a spinoff of the two-day meeting of G-8 leaders in Kananaskis on Wednesday and Thursday...."
Protest group plays name blame with cops (June 25, 2002 / Calgary Sun) More followup on the police identification issue. Inspector Al Redford helpfully suggests that protesters faced with police brutality can always request a business card, which the Calgary police apparently all carry.
Protesters hit concert stage (June 25, 2002 / Calgary Sun) "Winnipeg rockers Propagandhi will perform at Mac-Ewan Hall tomorrow, while Jello Biafra, former leader of the Dead Kennedys, will give a spoken word performance today at the Warehouse. The Propagandhi show is a fundraiser for GASCD, Governments Accountable to Society & Citizens = Democracy, an ad hoc legal defence fund that began after the Summit of the Americas in Quebec City last year...."
Activists appear in court (June 25, 2002 / Calgary Sun) Followup on case of 2 people allegedly spraypainting a boxcar.
Visiting oilman adds voice to G-8 protest (June 25, 2002 / Calgary Sun) A petroleum worker in from Argentina shows off his cacerolazos technique...
Gimme an R-A-D-I-C-A-L! (June 25, 2002 / Calgary Sun) Cheerleader activists use movement and humour to send message...
Leaders reach summit (June 25, 2002 / Calgary Sun) Includes a list of the leaders' arrival times (all at Calgary airport who will proceed immediately to the Kananaskis Delta Lodge.
It's no picnic (June 25, 2002 / Calgary Sun) Rick Bell applies his pro-wrestling influenced prose to the protester cause this time.... Strange stuff! But even stranger will be the sight of police shutting down a picnic for having political overtones - if they dare to.
Demonstrators to doff duds at the Gap (June 25, 2002 / Calgary Sun)
Note: For earlier Calgary-related news items, see: Calgary News - June 12 - June 24. For other news, see the General Archives
For more detailed listings, see: http://www.g8.activist.ca/event/. Double check times and locations at that site.
| Wed., June 19 | Calgary Multicultural Centre, 712 5th Street S.E. |
||
| Fri., June 21 | |||
| Sat., June 22 | 10am-4:30pm CEP Tools for Troublemakers Training Workshops - training sessions on civil disobedience, direct action, and medical and street safety issues in protest situations. At the Convergence Centre. |
3pm-5pm Ewoks in Kananaskis for the G8 - the "First Spokescouncil for the Rebel Alliance", for those who are planning collective actions in the Kananaskis area, will be held from 3-5 p.m. at the Convergence Centre |
5pm- 6pm G8 Bike Brigade: Critical Mass Ride - meet at Eau Claire Market Calgary |
| Sun., June 23 | Community Solidarity March- Start gathering at noon. The march starts at 1pm at Eau Claire Plaza (across from Princes Island Park) and proceeds to Olympic Plaza (7th ave & Mcleod Trail SE - across from City Hall) where a rally will take place | ||
| Mon., June 24 | 10am-4:30pm CEP Tools for Troublemakers Training Workshops - training sessions on civil disobedience, direct action, and medical and street safety issues in protest situations. At Carpenter’s Hall (301-10th Street NW). |
8pm Pagan full moon ritual, at 24306 Lower Spring Bank Rd. (go to: Conference Centre and click on 'find us' for a map with directions) |
|
| Tues., June 25 | 10am-4:30pm CEP Tools for Troublemakers Training Workshops - At Carpenter’s Hall (301-10th Street NW). |
12 noon They'd rather wear nothing than wear Gap- Denounce "Gapitalism" at pre-G8 warm-up action...12 NOON, TD Square Gap, Calgary |
7pm - 10pm Showdown at the Hoe-down! - meet at Memorial Park; march to Round-up Centre (12 Avenue at 4 Street SW) Calgary |
| Wed., June 26 | 6am June 26 March - from various locations at 6:00 AM (yes, A.M.!!) |
12pm-1pm "Di-in" for Life! Mass Action - Olympic Plaza, Gather at 11am (see: Di-In: Mass Action for additional details) |
3pm to 5:30pm Revolutionary Knitting Circle meet outside Bankers Hall on Stephen Avenue near 8 Avenue SW, Calgary |
| Thurs., June 27 | March on Talisman. March to oppose genocide in Sudan. More details to follow. | ||
Detailed Map of Downtown Calgary - right down to the individual buildings.
Interactive Downtown Calgary - not nearly as much detail as the map above, but can be useful nonetheless
Calgary Service Disruptions During the G8 - includes maps with road closures around the airport.
'Consitution Free' Zones (June 21, 2002 / Summit Security) INCLUDES MAPS OF DOWNTOWN ROAD CLOSURES. I think 'Bronco' meant a 'Charter Free' Zone... someone should send him a copy of the Charter, by the way - I'm beginning to suspect he has never seen it (see: Securing G-8 -May 9, 2002 / Calgary Sun - for the original announcement)
Some research on specific globalist corporations and institutions in Calgary is available at: Tactical Info at ACK
Dogs were unleashed indiscriminately last November on protesters demonstrating against the G20 in Ottawa causing injury to some people. There are reports that the police plan to use dogs in Alberta, and they will likely be used again in Ottawa. Additionally, there are reports that "Karelian bear dogs" will be used by security personnel to "chase away bears" in Kananaskis. These dogs will hopefully not be a threat, but all the same, if they can take down a bear....
Read more here about: Repression and Police Dog Abuse
All of this info might have you considering the purchase of a commercially available 'dog repellent'. The 'Dazer' (see: http://www.shoppingfromyourhome.com/item15.htm) has an impressive record of deterring most dogs, although a highly trained police dog may be an exception. It is rumored that the police themselves use the device in training the animals, so it is open to question how the dog will react. At any rate, the Dazer is available at:
Most RCMP officers have now been issued stun guns (Tasers) (see: All Alberta RCMP to get stun guns). These include 'advanced tasers' (M26) equipped with 21 foot probes (see: MERX order for RCMP Tasers). To understand better the capacities of these Tasers, visit: http://www.taser.com/M1.htm where there are video demos, etc.
Here are two reports which describe Tasers being used on protesters in Halifax on June 15: Stun gun hurt worse than shock therapy (June 16, 2002 / Halifax Herald); Police wield painful tazers to quiet crowd (June 16, 2002 / Daily News). Also see this photo - Protester on ground after being zapped by taser, taken during the Halifax protest.
The following report indicates that Tasers May Ignite Tear Gassed Protesters(July 2002).
Police use Taser on a pair of suspects (Jan. 18, 2003 / Indianapolis Star) Indianapolis police have begun evaluating the use of Tasers while on active duty. "In the first investigation, a 41-year-old homeless man suffered a seizure sometime after being subdued with the device by an IPD officer..." The Taser was used on a homeless man, who was initially deemed not to have suffered any side-effects. "Within a few minutes, however, officers noticed Jones was convulsing and apparently suffering from a seizure." Police later attributed the seizure to the man's alcohol and drug habits rather than to the Taser.
See: Urgence Manif - and make certain to look over the 'information for protesters' section, and, within that, particularly the subsections on tear gas and pepper spray. Learn what to do and what to bring well before so that you arrived prepared. Also, it appears to be virtually a certainty that Calgary will see a great deal of tear gas, so a gas mask purchase could be a very good idea.
