Quebec summit security will be the tightest in Canada's history: police

By ALEXANDER PANETTA, Canadian Press
February 17, 2001

The RCMP and other police forces hope that what they are calling the largest security operation in Canadian history will ensure Quebec City is as quiet as possible this April. As many as 5,000 police officers might be on hand to prevent the Summit of the Americas from being disrupted by the kind of violence that rocked Seattle when it played host to international trade talks in 1999.

Some protest groups are already using the Internet to warn of a showdown at the April 20-22 summit, which will feature 34 heads of state, including Prime Minister Jean Chretien and U.S. President George W. Bush.  One New York City anti-globalization group, the Ya Basta Collective, is encouraging protesters to bring self-defence gear, including shields, padding and chemically resistant suits.  The Web site for Ya Basta (translated from Spanish as Enough Already) urges "mass resistance" at the Canada-U.S. border leading up to the summit.

Some anarchists have also called for a complete shutdown of the summit with the help of weapons like bricks and incendiary bombs, say recent reports by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, the national spy agency.

A local prison will be emptied to make room for unruly demonstrators as the RCMP, Quebec provincial police and two municipal forces brace for the arrival of thousands of protesters.   "We know there are people who cause trouble and incite the crowd to rail against police, and it degenerates from there," said provincial police spokesman Richard Gagne.  "So we're preparing for that as a result. Our mandate is to maintain peace, order and respect for the law - and we'll do what we must do to fulfil our mandate."

That includes requiring thousands of residents and merchants to show special passes to reach their homes and businesses through a giant barricade to be placed around neighbourhoods where the meetings will take place.

Canadian police will encounter some of the same protesters who took part in the Seattle demonstrations which led to 600 arrests and caused $3 million US in damage.  U.S. officials were forced to call in the National Guard and declare a state of civil emergency while police beat back angry crowds with batons, tear gas and rubber bullets.

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More than 3,000 police officers - and perhaps as many as 5,000 - will be on hand in Quebec City. Reports have said the total cost of security will surpass $30 million.  In comparison, only 1,200 police officers were present when the Seattle summit began.

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The Quebec City security operation will provide protection for about 9,000 visitors, including up to 3,000 journalists. It will be larger than when Canada hosted the 1976 and 1988 Olympic Games, said officials from the RCMP and the provincial police.  "If we look at the history of past international summits, there has been a prevalence of violent protest," said RCMP Const. Julie Brongel. "That is why we've been preparing for over a year for the strategies we will employ to minimize the violence."

In the last 15 months alone, violent clashes have marred trade talks in Windsor, Ont., Montreal, Washington, D.C., and Europe.  However, Canadian security  officials are being accused of overzealousness in their attempt to thwart protesters.

"I find it's a bit excessive," said Bibiane Bernier, manager of a souvenir store at the Loews Le Concorde Hotel, where some summit meetings will take place.   "The security perimeter will make people feel like prisoners in their own city, and emptying the jail is a bit exaggerated."   Bernier said employees at her store have been subjected to background checks by the RCMP upon applying for access passes to the hotel.   "They called one of our employees who'd moved five times in recent years and asked, 'What were you doing? Why did you move?'"

Several thousand residents will need to provide a piece of photo identification and proof of residence - like a phone or cable bill - to qualify for the passes. Those cards will allow residents to enter checkpoints in the security perimeter.

Officials say the barricade, a four-meter-high metal fence, will cover an area of about 4.5 kilometres. However, the area might be extended or reduced, depending on the perceived threat to security in the days before the summit.

Several metres of the fence have already been installed on the historic Plains of Abraham, where British soldiers battled the French for control of Canada in 1759.  "The first time I saw this fence, I thought, 'What are these people doing?" said Linda Leblond, who takes regular walks along a cross-country ski path that surrounds the plains.  "What, have we ended up in a concentration camp? We're hearing so much about the threat of violence that we've come to expect it." 

One leading constitutional lawyer says not even the threat of violence is an excuse for such extensive precaution.  "I'd wonder what law permits them to commit such a serious violation of the freedom of mobility," Julius Grey said in an interview from Montreal.  He has joined a committee that will monitor the summit to ensure that fundamental rights are respected.  "You obviously don't leave presidents and prime ministers unprotected," Grey said. "And nobody has a right to riot . . . but you can't attempt to choke it off before it happens."

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