Council of Canadians
      STATEMENT ON NON-VIOLENCE


 
 In recent years, there has been a great deal of discussion
 and debate within the anti-globalization movement
 around the issue of tactics during protests. Ever since
 protests helped forced the cancellation of the WTO
 Millennium Round in Seattle in December, 1999, a
 powerful international civil society movement has been
 present in force at every major gathering of the
 institutions enforcing the rules of the global economy.
 From World Bank and International Monetary Fund
 meetings in Washington and Prague to the Summit of the
 Americas in Quebec City to the G-8 meeting in Genoa,
 hundreds of thousands of committed social and
 environmental activists have engaged in street protests,
 bringing our issues into the public spotlight as never
 before.

 While the vast majority of these demonstrators are
 committed to peaceful principles and have engaged in
 totally non-violent civil disobedience, a small handful
 have engaged in physical violence and destruction of
 property. With the G-20 coming to Ottawa in November,
 there is much debate taking place about protest tactics
 and a growing need therefore for the Council of
 Canadians to clarify its position.

 Our position is, and always has been, one of
 non-violence. Council of Canadians members believe
 unequivocally in the principles of non-violent civil
 disobedience. We do not damage property, engage in
 any form of aggressive behaviour toward police and
 other security personnel or attempt to disguise our
 identity. We do not condone violence against person or
 property in our organization or our movement.

 This is not to say, however, that we do not understand
 the roots of the rage that leads to more direct
 confrontation. When called upon to reject the angry
 behaviour of some protesters at the Summit of the
 Americas last April, we made a distinction between the
 acts of vandalism, which we did not support, and the
 people engaged in them. We maintained that in a country
 in which child poverty had grown by 60 percent in the
 last decade, public anger had to be expected. We
 pointed out that it is not our movement that has created
 such rage, but an economic system that creates a world
 of winners and losers and casts the latter aside. We also
 explained that there is a difference between condoning
 some actions and understanding them, and pointed out
 that the far greater violence lies in a world where, as a
 recent Jubilee 2000 report found, 19,000 children die
 every day as a direct result of IMF and World Bank
 policy.

 We have also condemned the enormous build-up of the
 police and military presence at these demonstrations, the
 building of security walls behind which only wealthy
 corporate "NGOs" are welcome, and the growing police
 brutality at these events. We are painfully aware that
 police provocateurs are infiltrating the movement,
 themselves engaging in acts of violence and vandalism
 that gives the authorities the ammunition they need to
 crack down on peaceful protesters. This was
 particularly evident at the G-8 meeting in Genoa, where
 people dressed as masked "black bloc" members, came
 out of police lines and police stations and directly
 attacked union and social movement leaders.

 Now, we are faced with the November 17 meeting of the
 G-20 in Ottawa. It is urgent to clarify our position on
 these issues, particularly in light of the terrible events of
 September 11, the growing retaliatory war spreading in
 the Middle East and the climate of suspicion and fear
 being created at home by sweeping new anti-terrorism
 legislation that threatens to be used against even the most
 peaceful protestors. The Council of Canadians continues
 to embrace an unequivocal position of non-violent civil
 disobedience. We will not engage in any actions that
 threaten persons or property. Moreover, we are
 encouraging all activists to bear in mind that Canadians
 are increasingly concerned about all acts of aggression
 post September 11, that our message of peace and
 justice is not served by media images of violence and
 destruction, and that in the common struggle to build a
 better world our methods must be consistent with our
 goals. We therefore call upon all activists to base their
 activities on the principles of peaceful protest and on the
 police and government authorities to do the same.

 The world is sorely in need of a new vision. Business as
 usual is the exact wrong model for the G-20, the World
 Bank and the IMF. In the end, the most important role we
 have is to get our message about the damaging role of
 these institutions out to the public. At our teach-in and on
 the streets, we will share our belief that a better world
 is possible. Let us model that world in our movement.

 Maude Barlow
 Volunteer Chairperson
 Council of Canadians

 November 14, 2001