Police clash with protesters at summit gate

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Police clash with protesters at summit gate
Police use gas against demonstrators’ rocks

ANDREW THOMSON, CanWest News Service
Montreal Gazette
Published: Tuesday, August 21

Riot police used tear gas, pepper spray and plastic bullets outside the Chateau Montebello yesterday as they went face-to-face with protesters rallying against North American integration.

Both sides were trying to hold their ground at the heavily-fortified resort for the two-day summit involving Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Mexican President Felipe Calderon and U.S. President George W. Bush. The three leaders are meeting as part of the Security and Prosperity Partnership – an initiative aimed at deepening the integration of Canada, Mexico and the United States.

The afternoon-long demonstration ended at 6 p.m. in clouds of greenish-white smoke as hundreds of Sûreté du Quebec, RCMP and OPP officers, armed with batons, shields and gas masks faced a belligerent faction of the more than 1,000 protesters on site. Many protesters took direct hits to their eyes, staggering back for medical attention.

Several more tear gas canisters exploded as the crowd began retreating back towards the village. In response, protesters in gas masks, goggles, and balaclavas hurled rocks, tomatoes, and bottles filled with stones at the police, who blocked a highway and an adjacent cemetery.

Two large bonfires burned in the middle of the street as the protest’s last vestiges withdrew into Montebello.

Five police officers suffered minor injuries. Two men and two women were arrested, said RCMP Cpl. Elaine Lavergne, adding police considered the day an overall success without serious injuries.

The riot squad had earlier prevented Council of Canadians chairwoman Maude Barlow from delivering a 10,000-signature petition to the gate. Council officials claimed this violated a prior arrangement with summit organizers. “We are not going to be stopped,” Barlow said. “We are going to get our petition through.”

Montebello’s main roads were closed by police soon after most of the protesters – estimated at about 1,000 people – arrived yesterday.

Faced with police resistance, most front-line protesters opted for an impromptu sit-in. Others began dousing bandannas with vinegar in anticipation of the tear gas attacks.

The Council of Canadians and certain other groups pulled back from the front line about 300 metres, for fear of escalation of violence. Some protesters threw rocks and sticks at police.A U.S flag was burned atop a lamppost.

The American president arrived in the early afternoon and was first greeted at Ottawa International Airport by Gov. Gen. Michaëlle Jean.

Bush’s departure from Ottawa was slightly delayed when a U.S. Marine guard collapsed, apparently from the heat on the tarmac, near one of Bush’s helicopters while he met Jean inside the hangar.

The American president arrived at the historic Montebello resort at around 2:15 p.m. and mingled with the crowd of hotel employees who were outside to greet him. He was then driven around the grounds by limousine and walked down a pathway to meet Harper.

The two men, dressed casually in shirts and jackets, were to have a bilateral meeting before the Mexican president joined them later in the afternoon.

As Bush was walking towards him, Harper was asked by a reporter what he thought of the protesters. “I’ve heard it’s nothing. It’s sad,” he said.

Video of the outside events was played on two monitors inside the lobby of the chateau, but a Canadian official said the prime minister had barely had time to glance at it.

Hundreds of police officers are keeping a watchful eye on the protesters, who condemn the SPP as secretive and anti-democratic.

Behind the security fence around the resort, RCMP officers were stationed about every 20 metres. Hundreds more lined the road into the resort, along with officers from the Quebec police force. Police were also patrolling the adjacent Ottawa River by boat.

Residents and business owners in Montebello are hoping for the same tone over the next two days but have braced themselves for the worst. Some businesses are closing until tomorrow and have boarded up their storefronts to try and protect against any disturbance.

Boat owners mooring at the small marina next to the resort were told to move their vessels to make room for helicopters.

Hotel staff were expected to go through police scanners before boarding special shuttles provided to transport them work. Two protest zones have been set up outside the perimeter of the resort grounds to accommodate the demonstrators.

The leaders meet this morning with the North American Competitiveness Council, a collection of 30 business leaders, 10 appointed by each country, who advise the leaders. The Council was created in 2006 and is one of the only tangible results of the SPP process to date.

The group, whose Canadian executives include Dominic D’Alessandro of Manulife Financial, Paul Desmarais Jr. of Power Corporation, and Michael Sabia of Bell Canada, will present a progress report to the leaders.

It is the Council that is a main source of contention for critics of the SPP, who argue the North American governments are consulting only corporate leaders and ignoring labour leaders, human rights experts, environmentalists and even legislators.

“The problem with this process is that there has been no public consultation, and no parliamentary debate in any of our three countries,” says Meera Karunananthan, a spokeswoman for the Council of Canadians.

Liberal leader Stéphane Dion and New Democratic Party leader Jack Layton have both been critical of the SPP and its degree of transparency.

With the backing of the Liberals and the Bloc, NDP trade critic Peter Julian successfully pushed for three days of committee hearings on the SPP this spring.