G8/G20 Protest
Message and Analysis from the Front Lines
CUPE 3908 President John Rose
June 28, 2010
On June 26 2010 I was in Toronto with other CUPE 3908 members taking part in the G8/G20 protests. I have written some analysis and afterthoughts about my experiences on the streets of Toronto, and my perception of how the G8/G20 summits played out. I hope this is of use or interest to members of the local.
G8/G20 Opposition and Issues
The G8/G20 are forums on matters related to the international financial system. It is a meeting of heads of state and heads of government to discuss and plan for the future of international finances. The meetings also included the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the President of the World Bank.
In the mainstream media, the question of why people were protesting has largely gone unreported. The focus, unfortunately, was not on issues and opposition. What is it about the G8/G20 that generates so much opposition? The answers to this question are multiple, as we see a plethora of different interests represented at the protests: Labour Unions, Greenpeace, Oxfam, Women's Organizations, Immigration Organizations, etc.. The list goes on.
In the end, there is an overwhelming criticism of the current global economic order. The ways in which global finance support privatization, deregulation, cuts to social security and health care and wars are usually common themes.
If you read the "G20 Summit Declaration," it is full of rhetoric about financial recovery, stimulus, sustainability, growth and balance. However, when it is read more deeply, we see a more ideological framework emerging. Many of the recommendations proposed in the document rely on guidance and supervision by the IMF and World Bank. These are organizations that have been involved in implementing Structural Adjustment Programs where the IMF and World Bank loan money to the Global South ("developing countries") with conditions that force limits on spending for social programs like health care and education, as well as forcing countries to weaken labour and environmental laws. This allows foreign investors and corporations from the Global North ("developed countries") to move in and exploit resources and labour, destroying land, poisoning water and paying workers little or no wages. It is this kind of ideological framework, the neoliberal agenda, that guides the G8/G20 summit.
More specifically, we can look even closer at the "G20 Summit Declaration." There is an explicit encouragement of development financing from private sources which is consistent with the IMF and World Bank Structural Adjustment Programs. Ultimately, the document calls for simplifying market regulation on emerging economies, or opening up the Global South to exploitation by the Global North. One of the major highlights of the Summit is the call for all countries (except Japan) to halve their defecits by 2013. This is always a signifier of cuts to spending on social programs.
What these kind of summits amount to are elite, undemocratic meetings. They are guided by the unelected bodies of the IMF and World Bank, and attended by a few political elites, yet they make decisions that are literally life and death for people across the globe. It is the most shining example of plutocracy.
Media Power and Violence
The old axiom of the media is: if it bleeds, it leads. This is the case for the media coverage of the G8/G20 protests thus far.
To be fair, some cars were burned and some windows were smashed. However there are a few important considerations about these events:
Those who committed the violence in the streets were a very, very small minority (a hundred or so in a group of approximately 20,000 people); those who committed the acts never once threatened or hurt any civilians or other protestors on the street (unlike the police); the non-violent protests (the vast, vast majority of people involved) received little or no attention and coverage from the mainstream media, often reduced to only a quick sentence in hours of coverage. The failure of the media has been the most disheartening and frustrating part of the whole ordeal.
Martial Law and Civil Liberties
One of the key factors in the suspension of civil liberties in Toronto is the implementation of the Public Works Act. This Act allows, within a certain range of the security perimeter which authorities constructed, that the powers of police may be drastically increased. If any civilian does not produce identification upon request, they are immediately detained. We could go as far as to say that this is the equivalent of invoking the War Measures Act.
However, even beyond the outlined security perimeter, activists were subject to unreasonable search and seizure of their belongings and arrested without being promptly informed why. Essentially, habeas corpus was suspended. This is not only a suspension of civil liberties, but a gross infringement on Constitutional Legal Rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. There have been approximately 600 arrests so far which is unprecedented at these types of summits, and in Canadian history.
What it means for CUPE 3908 and Workers
As a labour union, as part of an historical movement that from its inception has defended human rights, civil liberties and social justice, we have an obligation to position ourselves in opposition to these failures of justice. The union presence at the peaceful rally was enormous. The CUPE presence alone was fantastic. Yet, our sisters and brothers in the labour movement are curiously absent from the mainstream media camera shots and analysis. These people are not the 'young, riotous anarchists' that the media has been fetishizing, these are (grand)mothers, (grand)fathers, sisters, brothers and children of the labour movement who have intelligent, well-informed criticisms of the G8/G20 Summits. Again, the failure of the media has been such a central theme in the last few days.
The "G20 Summit Declaration" calls for the strengthening of competition and reduction of barriers to competition in markets. This is code for privatization: allowing private enterprise to flourish at the expense of public institutions. This usually means fewer public employees, fewer organized workers, lower wages, fewer benefits and lower labour standards.
Let's bring this closer to home. Dalton McGuinty has recently called on public service employers to offer zero net increases on wages this bargaining year. Employers, including universities, are already offering zeros to staff, faculty and workers on campuses. We have also seen recent cuts from the Harper Conservative government to women's organizations like the Native Women's Association. These cuts are prime domestic examples of the austeritiy measures supported at the G8/G20 summits and are part of the global neoliberal ideological plan.
However, the peaceful protests of around 20,000 people were fantastic. The solidarity and emotions were positive and encouraging. On a personal note, I had many friends detained and assaulted over the last few days and I want to give them a public message of solidarity and hope that they are okay.
In solidarity,
John Rose
President, CUPE 3908
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