Rebick's Second Report from Quebec

QUEBEC CITY: POLICING THE PEOPLE

By Judy Rebick

This weekend, the face of Canadian politics has changed. It happened here in Quebec City, at a massive demonstration against globalization.

Three things happened: The Peoples' Summit. The Confrontations. And the discovery that there was No Peace for the Peaceful.



THE PEOPLES' SUMMIT

This was a coalition of unions and non-governmental organizations from across the Americas. Saturday, the summit organized a diverse and colourful demonstration of about 60,000. People marched side-by-side down a six-lane boulevard. It took them about an hour to pass through

the Lower Town that afternoon. The crowd was a generous mix of many cultures. There were also giant puppets, street theatre, drumming and a lot of dancing. Emma Goldman would be proud.

While thousands of people walked slowly through the lower part of the city, hundreds more - mostly youth - were locked in battles with the police near the famous perimeter surrounding the meeting place of the Summit of the Americas.

A major controversy among protesters was the decision of the People