Demonstrators rounded up by police in green zone pay hefty price for freedom

Activists arrested yesterday in an aggressive police round-up must forfeit freedom of assembly or pay up to $500 in bail.

Demonstrators from outside of Quebec, including those from the Maritimes and the U.S., must pay a bail of $500, or spend what could be the rest of the week in jail. Activists from beyond a 200 km radius of the city have a bail set at $200, while Montreal-based activists must agree to conditions preventing them from participating in demonstrations against the WTO the rest of the week. Those who signed the contract were released late Monday night after being detained for over 12 hours, while minors were released.

All others now await the conditions of their bail to be determined during court hearings which may take up to three days.

Police arrested approximately 340 demonstrators early yesterday afternoon after encircling an area used as an activist safe space for eating, resting, conducting workshops and a radio broadcast.

"On the part of the police their whole strategy is to get the people who would have been part of the snake march today off the street," said Rob Rao, one of 21 street medics to be arrested yesterday.

Rao voiced a sense of incredulity that police would surround and arrest the group peacefully assembled there after the snake march had dispersed. Like others, he believed the group of activists, journalists and medics arbitrarily took the heat for the day’s activities.