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