| Protest success not just measured by numbers
Why did people travel from all parts of the globe to Calgary to oppose the 2002 G8 Summit? Why are thousands (perhaps millions) of people showing up at the institutions of corporate globalization and their summits of expanded trade?
Perhaps it's anger at a system that has left so many people poor, hungry or dead. Maybe it's frustration with an economic system that causes cumulative environmental damage at the same time that indicators of national well-being, the GDP, reach all-time highs. Or maybe it's just plain disappointment in the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), which neither identifies nor addresses the key barriers to development, namely debt load, conflict and the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Instead, the G8 leaders have used NEPAD to accelerate their own trade agendas in order to ensure a healthy back-pocket return for investors.
Recent mass mobilizations have been an opportunity for humanity to reject this current economic system, where people, natural environments and culture are only valued as commodities to be exploited for profit.
Within this movement, there are those who seek to "smash the system" responsible for the problems described above. These people are often found wearing black and waving banners articulating anti-capitalist critiques. There are others who seek to reform our capitalist system and create a new system that includes social justice and environment stewardship along with profit in the final bottom line (i.e. a triple bottom line). Both of these groups recognize problems in the world and are willing to confront the authorities and take to the streets in order to have their concerns recognized.
So, was the G8 mobilization in Calgary successful?
First, let's define success. Do we gauge success simply by comparing one mass mobilization to another? Genoa attracted at least 100,000 people while Calgary only managed 5,000. Was Calgary, then, a failure for the global justice movement? Much more than mere numbers should define success. Let's consider success to be the realization of a specific set of goals and objectives relative to a time and location and then ask, "Did Alberta activists meet their goals?"
During the 11 months prior to the G8 Summit, Alberta activists (i.e. unions, anti-capitalists, faith groups, environmentalists, social justice NGOs, etcetera) developed three guiding objectives:
· to maintain internal communication among all groups participating in G8 actions;
· to criticize the G8 using the Basis of Unity as a guide for our actions (http://g8.activist.ca/basisofunity.html);
· to create a stronger environmental and social justice movement in Alberta.
The manner in which the events of June 21 to 28 transpired would suggest that Alberta activists were able to meet their objectives. Calgary demonstrations were an example of many voices co-operating in bold and creative actions that respected the natural environment and human safety while strengthening bonds between participating groups.
Jean Chretien made a very good decision when he chose Kananaskis for the 2002 G8 Summit – a strategic choice given its location relative to large population centres and the political climate in Alberta.
Accordingly, the G8 demonstrations in Calgary did not attract the same volume of protesters as Quebec or Seattle. They did, however, challenge Calgarians to engage, and to compare the canned media releases from Kananaskis to the critiques presented in the streets. Through a series of creative, non-violent actions, activists made their critique of the G8 Summit accessible to local communities – people who were already concerned, people who were curious but scared, people who took comfort in the media-built perception of violent activists, as well as people grounded in Calgary's market-driven corporate core.
A lot happened between June 21 and June 28. Unfortunately, the G8 didn't stop climate change or even re-evaluate their role in African development. But, most activists went home on June 28 feeling really good about themselves and the people with whom they mobilized, and truly felt that a better world was possible. |
