| The environment was a hot topic when members of the activist community met in Edmonton last weekend to discuss the G8 Summit scheduled for June 2002.
The federal government’s decision to hold the event in Kananaskis has created a dilemma – if protesters go, they are contributing to the damage the area will sustain, which goes against their environmentally friendly policies and risks alienating some members of the public, but if they stay away, they are effectively giving up their right to protest and perhaps ensuring that future events will be held in similarly sensitive locations.
Grant Neufeld of Calgary, who attended the Edmonton meeting, says some activists advocate protesting the summit no matter where it is, while others are adamant about staying out of Kananaskis Country.
"The reasons for those different views are quite interesting. People are really doing a lot of thinking on this," he says.
Neufeld, who is still undecided, says it’s unlikely people will be able to reach a consensus on the issue, but at least they will have considered all sides of the issue so they can all come to a much more informed decision.
"I don’t know that we can decide one way or another.... It’s inevitable that some people will go in and some people will refuse to go in, and there will be a range of people in between."
He accuses the government of using the environment as a giant steel wall, comparing its actions to a bank robber who holds a customer hostage in an effort to get away with the money.
"It’s a very strategic location for the government to put the meeting there – it’s a very callous choice," he adds. "They’re using the environment as a shield against democracy... they’re using the environment as a way to keep people out. Can we let them get away with this?"
Neufeld says activists are considering their options and, in addition to protesting, plan to look at other ways of educating the public about the G8 and other issues. He argues, however, that protesting is still absolutely necessary and effective, and has contributed to increased awareness and the growth of the pro-democracy movement.
"Protesting is absolutely an essential part of democracy... despite government and industry efforts to transform it into something about violence.
"There’s still a majority of people who need that voice."
He also points out that staying away from the G8 Summit won’t prevent damage to the Kananaskis – the amount of security required to protect world leaders is sure to take its toll whether a single protester decides to go in or not.
An effort to convince the government to move the location of the meeting is already under way, and a group including representatives from both sides of the issue is conducting an environmental impact assessment. Regardless of the outcome, the issue is guaranteed to continue to dominate discussions leading up to the event – and Neufeld says that’s a good thing.
He explains that the activist community is doing exactly what it wants world leaders to do – holding an open process where anybody and everybody is free to express their opinions.
And that dialogue will likely extend beyond the G8 Summit. Neufeld says that although a lot of people lost touch after the World Petroleum Congress (WPC) last year, the community recognizes that communication is vital in order to achieve its ultimate goal: to make the world a better place to live.
"This time around, everyone is talking about making sure that our actions that we put toward this one event in June are part of a sustainable process to keep it moving forward and keep everybody involved."
There is no doubt that the recently formed Alberta Independent Media Centre (IMC), online at alberta.indymedia.org, will support that effort. Neufeld, who is helping to organize the centre, says it is one of several throughout the world spawned by the need for a pro-democracy movement to have access to uncensored, independent media, as opposed to corporate media.
"It’s massive. It’s amazing how that’s grown – there’s IMCs popping up all over the world."
The original IMC (www.indymedia.org) was established to provide grassroots coverage of the WTO protests in Seattle in November 1999. Since then, 50 similar centres have been set up, including eight in Canada.
The provincial project grew out of the Calgary IMC established for the WPC. Neufeld says it’s not just activist media, but independent media – anyone can contribute videos, articles, photographs or anything else that can be turned into a computer file, and it’s all archived and accessible to the public. Comments on the contributions will be displayed alongside to acknowledge other points of view,
"It’s to provide a democratic media – a media that is open and transparent and engages people actively in dialogue." |
