Montreal, 11 June 2012 -- Two weeks before the Formula 1 turbo-capitalist circus arrived in Montreal, the Convergence of Anti-Capitalist Struggles (CLAC), just like other organizations, issued a call to action.
In the context of the current social crisis, this event - emblematic of the excesses of the wealthy, of environmental destruction and explicit mysogyny - was bound to provoke a strong reaction from those actively fighting for a society free from all forms of exploitation.
CLAC issued a broad call to disrupt the opening cocktail, a hypocritical event that used the pretext of charity (see www.clac-montreal.net/charite_GP (note: text in French)) to flaunt the wealth of its participants. In response to the expression of public indignation, the Montreal police (SPVM) illegally detained hundreds of people for about an hour. This abuse by the police, and the silent complicity of the political elite, set the tone for the entire weekend. Diverse protests were called by a variety of groups and individuals. CLAC did not organize any of these demonstrations. On the other hand, CLAC applauds the fact that the jet-set was unable to carry on as usual.
CLAC strongly denounces the systematic police repression throughout the weekend: round-up of student activists; 137 arbitrary arrests; preventive detentions (article 31); political profiling; and temporary privatizations of the Montreal metro and St. Helen and Notre Dame Islands.
In the same spirit, we are calling on the public to take action against another gathering of unsavoury politicians and financiers (including Harper and Charest), the Montreal Economic Forum, which will be taking place until Thursday. CLAC is not organizing any of the demonstrations.
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