-------- Original Message -------- Subject: @ction: CAW rank&file apology... Date: Mon, 23 Apr 2001 10:04:08 -0400 (EDT) From: Flint Jones <flint at mobtown.org>
http://www.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=35935&group=webcast
the "scenic route"/legal protest (english) by nauseated 9:53pm Sun Apr 22 '01 (Modified on 1:19am Mon Apr 23 '01)
Why was the "legal protest" conducted miles away from the security perimeter? Had I known I was marching towards a parking lot, I would have stayed home and done that at the fucking mall. Some say that herding people through Quebec's tiny streets could be very dangerous, but hey, we all knew what we were getting into. That legal protest was a disgrace to those who wanted to do much more...
As a CAW activist, I am enraged and ashamed that a lot of people were not properly informed that the "legal protest" was miles away from "the wall". On behalf of many CAW (and perhaps other unions?) I am extending a heartfelt apology for the lack of union presence at the front lines. A lot of us assumed that the map we were given of the protest route would take us directly to the fence, not some goddamned empty stadium. We naively assumed that we were heading to the fence, especially when we caught whiffs of tear gas. Why wouldn't we assume that? Isn't that what we were there for?? Albeit some people choose not to participate in civil disobedience and direct action, but a lot of us felt we were duped. We should have been fucking told that we had options. Go on the safe, legal protest, or go to the fence. A lot of us were prepared for the onslaught of police presence. Instead, we foolishly marched along, wondering, "why aren't there any cops around?" Duh. When it finally dawned on us where we were, we were absolutely dumbfounded. Personally, I felt like crying. Why did we come all this way, just to take a walking tour of Quebec? Many people lost a day's wages and then some to fight corporate sodomy, not walk aimlessly through a few neighbourhoods. Probably a lot of you as you read this are thinking, "How stupid are you?" Yep, you're right. My question to everyone out there is, why was such an illogical route chosen? Finally, I would like to commend everyone who was at the fence for their courage and tenacity. Hopefully the CAW and other unions will make up for this disgusting oversight.
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