Report of demos in Quebec city and Toronto to free the Summit of the Americas political prisonners.

* Protesters in Quebec City and Toronto demand :
* Free the Germinal 5 and all other Summit of the Americas political prisonners !
* Amnesty for all Quebec City protesters !

* City hall meeting disrupted in Quebec-city
* The black flag is flown in front of the city hall

Quebec City, may 23th - A spirited demonstration of about 150 people was held yesterday in Quebec City in support of the Summit of the Americas political prisonners. The demo, wich started at the Parc de l'Amerique francaise (where the wall was first torn down on A20), headed to the city hall, where a regular meeting was held. Once there, about 50 protesters rush in and bring the ruckus inside the building while other outside replaced one of the city flag in front of the building by a black flag.

The cops, who apparently where not expecting this at all, call in back up wich soon arrived (13 street cars plus two big vans of the riot squad). The tension was high, as protesters didint know till when we can push them before mass arrests. As a falanx of the riot squad mooved in (with no helmet however) some people manage to get out, but there was still 30 to 40 people in. Negociations began inside with one representative of the city and after maybe half an hour, protester mooved out without suffering arrests. This is probably the result of having the cops closely watch by the "public" since the Summit and a social-democrat municipality wich is going in election anytime soon.

Outside the city hall building, Alex, a member of the COBP (Montreal based anti-police brutality radical group), gave a speech remembering people why we where here. "We are here because there is still 8 Summit of the Americas political prisonners at Orsainville [the city jail] and we want them freed" he said. "These people are not criminals, they are heroes!" he said, adding that "the fear campaign conducted before the Summit clearly show that the state, the governement, is scared, he fear us". "They wanted to disarm us before the Summit of the Americas" said Alex "and our most powerfull weapon is not a few smoke bombs, it's the power of numbers and solidarity". The mobilisation during the Summit, he argued, clearly shows they failed.

Earlyer that day, about 30 to 40 peoples, mainly from Montreal, held a picket when the Germinal people where in court. The Germinal 5 will go in front of the superior court friday to appeal the decision not to release them on bail. The preliminary hearing will start in mid-june. The demo and actions in Quebec-city was organised by CLAC and CASA with the support of the Germinal crew.

Meanwhile, in Toronto, ARA also organised a demo. According to Ontario.indymedia, some 150 spirited protesters took part in a demo in front of the old Cityhall Courthouse in downtown Toronto. There members of ARA made speech about the case of the Germinal 5, linking it to other instance of heavy police repression (such as against OCAP). The crowd moved to a [Quebec] governement office down town where they wanted to give a petition. When they get in however, a scuffle with Eaton Center security gards unfold and the tension was high. However a deleguation was able to get in the building, while the crowd occupy the lobby, only to find a locked up door. Apparently, no one was there. Outside, someone from OCAP gave a speech in both french and english, stating that the police who repress the people in the street of Quebec City are the same people who everyday harass people in the street of Toronto and around the world.

Nicolas Phebus, Quebec City
For A-Infos.

Back ground information on the current situation of the 8 political prisonners can be found at : http://www.ainfos.ca/en/ainfos06640.html and http://vancouver.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=1512&group=webcast

Picture: Jaggi Singh during Quebec City protest [his bail condition forbide him to carry a megaphone, so he had a fake one saying on one side "Free Germinal" and on the other "I am not a leader"]