this is some email correspondence sent to homebase (The Student Commission's Toronto office) from Sarah, one of our 2 people inside the wall.
Vendredi 20 avril 2001 04:21:37 pm
From: Sarah Hartley, Quebec City, INSIDE THE PERIMETER
Subject: pepper spray and riots
Marie Michele and I just got out of the NGO meeting this afternoon where Marie Michele presented on behalf of the youth forum and there were people coughing on the street. We turned to look up the hill toward Rene Levesque Blvd. and we saw a huge cloud of pepper spray and about 100 riot squad police. We were about one block away and seconds later my eyes were tearing, nose was running and we couldn't stop coughing. Luckily, just before we left the meeting I had taken two bottles of water for our hotel room. All of the police had gas masks on! And so once we finally got back to our hotel--where you can still feel the pepper--we turned on the news.
Protesters have broken down the wall and are throwing bricks into the police; as well, we saw some on the news smashing cars and TV trucks in the area. The police also (coincidentally?) launched a pepper grenade thing right at a news van and journalist while she was on the air. She couldn't continue her report!
And it's only Friday afternoon! I promptly called Jeff and the rest of the SC gang and told them to stay far, far away but even they might not be able to escape the pepper spray!!!
Aside from this, the security is insane. Checkpoints everywhere, scanners to put your stuff through at all hotels and you even have to have your pass on all the time inside the hotel in case you randomly get stopped. Helicopters are flying overhead and you should have seen the airport! So far, the police and people in charge have been very nice to us...I think it's the youth thing.
Sarah
Vendredi 20 avril 2001 04:27:18 pm
From: Sarah Hartley, Quebec City, INSIDE THE PERIMETER
Subject: the good news....
The good news now...
Marie Michele did her speech thhis afternoon to a room of 50 NGOS, media, MP Bill Graham and Mr. Boehm.
She did superbly! She spoke third and when she spoke, everyone listened. We gave out some of the copies of our report. It turns out that in fact, the Ministers weren't there today and will be at the Round table tomorrow. Tomorrow morning the group of NGOs are supposed to nominate three representatives to speak...but I think they're just introducing not really talking about issues???
Regardless, we'll be at the meeting tomorrow and hopefully will get to speak with some of our allies. However, Marie Michele said today that this afternoon was sooooo boring (everyone and their sister has a report...) and the different groups just kept repeating themselves. We were the only young people (under 30?) and we had the most original recommendations.
Sarah
Vendredi 20 avril 2001 04:33:04 pm
From: Sarah Hartley, Quebec City, INSIDE THE PERIMETER
Subject: ohmigod
Marie Michele and I are watching the live news and at another location from the one I described earlier, there's a group of protesters trying to shake the wall down...and it looks like they're pretty close. There's no police in sight...we're not sure whether to be glad the wall is going down or scared because we're on the wrong side if it!