In the interest of broadening our movement, non-violence should be our modus operandi.

It is my intention in the following discussion to address the issue of violence in demonstrations, which I believe has been sorely neglected by outspoken people within the anti-globalization movement. Addressing the issue of violence is crucial if we want our ideas to be understood and accepted by the society-at-large and our political leaders. Yet it is important to assert that the issue of violence is secondary to the real violence that is being perpetuated by our heads of state and those powerful corporations who benefit directly from globalization. These powerful interests who through the enforcement of the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas, plan to exploit the people of our world, including women, children, indigenous peoples, as well as pollute and mine the common resources that we all share. Yes, the real violence is the FTAA and the real violence was going on inside the perimeter in Quebec City last weekend.

What I wonder is this: what does the average Canadian think about the events that went on in Quebec City last weekend? A person like my father, has a very different perception of the protests than I do, since he relies on corporate media for his information. What someone like my father would have been bombarded with were headlines like, “Seven Montreal-area men plotted for months: police