Peaceful protest

The G8/G20 Leaders Summit being held this month in Huntsville, Ont., will draw plenty of attention, as the hefty security bill for the event suggests.

A staggering $933 million will be spent for the three-day event - June 25-27. Protesters have been perpetually drawn to such gatherings of the major heads of state, as evidenced by past meetings.

Over 200,000 people in Edinburgh, Scotland, marched in the lead-up to the 31st G8 summit in July 2005. Pushing anti-poverty messages, the march was the largest such gathering in the country's history.

The intentions of protests like this are noble, and undoubtedly essential to promoting the concept of free and democratic societies, but with them has come events that often overshadow the intended messages.

Due to what may be termed a few bad apples, violent elements of G8/G20 protests have led to the arrest of thousands over the last two decades.

Sadly, some protestors like to take their messages to extremes. Alarms were raised last month following the May 18th bombing of a Royal Bank branch in Ottawa.

Subsequent to the bombing, a video was posted to the Internet showing two figures leaving the bank before it exploded. A scrolling message in the video said the motive for the bombing was RBC's support of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

A Summit of the Americas in Quebec in April 2001 sparked clashes between police and protestors, some of which were the result of vandalism to local businesses. This followed protests in Montreal the previous year tied to the G20 summit held in the city, which also featured clashes between protestors and security forces.

It is unfortunate such acts occur, as they tend to hinder the messages promoted by protestors. Media coverage will tend to focus on the actions that take place without even mentioning what issues concern protestors.

It's a sad predicament for the peaceful protestors who have no intentions of drawing the ire of security for events like the G8/G20 summit. Yet there are those within the ranks of protestors who believe activism will go unnoticed without confrontational measures.

It could be said their actions draw attention, but is it the desired sort? Additionally, do those actions attract the sympathies of fellow Canadians to the issues at the heart of those protests?

The public will wait and see how much use organizers for the G8/G20 Leaders Summit make of its hefty security budget. Hopefully, the near-billion dollar effort will prove unnecessary.

Based on past precedent, it seems security will at least be of some use.

info@ganderbeacon.ca