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March Against the G8 in Halifax

by Ron Sawlor

The March and Rally Sign
Prime Minister Stephen Harper makes an appearance...in effigy
Banner by the Halifax-Dartmouth and District Labour Counsil
Mainstream media make an appearance; few remain by the time speakers begin at the end of the march
Will the story be the issues and concerns of the people, or the protest itself?
Distrust for the agendas of the G8, G20 and the IMF was obvious
Police record protesters on video
The march begins!
Many see our current Prime Minister as a strong supporter of globalization
March Against the G8 in Halifax
Mounted Hailfax police officers stare down masked protesters
Young climate change activists make a point, but Harper seems oblivious
A masked protester photographs a police officer
March Against the G8 in Halifax
Members of The Council of Canadians add their support to the march
A diverse group of people march together.
Women express their disapproval for the G8
The march on the move.
March Against the G8 in Halifax
March Against the G8 in Halifax
A couple of Halifax residents watch the march go by.
Aboriginal peoples were amoung those concerned with the policies and actions of the G8
March Against the G8 in Halifax
March Against the G8 in Halifax
March Against the G8 in Halifax
March Against the G8 in Halifax
March Against the G8 in Halifax
These protesters braved the cold and won some approving laughter from the crowd while making a point
The march ended in front of the Westin Hotel, near the Halifax waterfront
March Against the G8 in Halifax
March Against the G8 in Halifax
A common theme throughout was a desire by all for peace and equality...
March Against the G8 in Halifax
March Against the G8 in Halifax
Protesters shroud the statue of Cornwallis as the Harper effigy looks on...
March Against the G8 in Halifax
March Against the G8 in Halifax
Police line up to protect the hotel and contain protesters
March Against the G8 in Halifax
Music was a big part of the protest.
Police protect hotel property
People gather to hear speakers at the base of the statue. There seemed no mainstream media coverage of the speakers and the topics they addressed
Halifax Media Coop organizer Hillary Lindsay getting the story for the people...
March Against the G8 in Halifax
March Against the G8 in Halifax
A comedian uses satire to get some laughs.
March Against the G8 in Halifax
March Against the G8 in Halifax
March Against the G8 in Halifax
Simon Reece, Downstream Coordinator for the Keepers of the Athabasca was a guest at the rally.
March Against the G8 in Halifax
A CKDU and Halifax Media Co-op journalist interviews a protester
March Against the G8 in Halifax
Fiona Traynor from Dal Legal Aid spoke about lack of affordable housing and poverty in Halifax.
March Against the G8 in Halifax

Click on any of the above photos to view photo essay.

People gathered on Sunday afternoon at Victoria Park in Halifax, NS to protest against the impending G8 development ministers' meetings being held in Halifax.

Women's groups, Aboriginal People's, labour representatives, enviromentalists, fair trade advocates, anti-poverty activists and many other groups were all represented at the March, expressing their displeasure with the G8.

A heavy police presence was obvious during the march, which was re-routed by police from its planned and more visible route down Spring Garden Road.  

 Click here for a photo essay of the dance party that met with the main march. 

 

  

 

 

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104 words

Comments

G8 Protest Photo Essay

Excellent pics! Felt like I was there, unfortunate I could not. Hit on one of the most painful (for me) themes at protests, the behaviour of the mainstream media. In protests I have attended in Halifax journalists show up and leave early; the former so they can minimize the numbers of participants while ALWAYS stating that protesters SAID the number to be greater than the journalist's perception, the latter so they don't get to hear or report on the content of the presentations that highlight the issues of concern. Another consistent practice is to pull, out of context really, an issue from the summit and frame it in such a way as to discerdit protesters as irrational to protest -insert noble cause here- in this case the CBC journalist expresses being perplexed as to why people would be out in the street protesting a summit to support "Health Care for Mothers and Children". His speculation: Protesters disagree with how such care will be delivered. No meat to this at all , of course.Not ONE SPECIFIC point made by anly of the protesters or presenters, no because the real meat for the media is, in this case, the ONE arrest of ONE person. This will make up the majority of the time allotted to this report. I don't trust or speak to mainstream journalists/ editors anymore at demonstration because my experience has taught me they will misrepresent or omit the entire point f a person is speaking to, to essentially cut and paste a soundbite to fit what they want and support their slant. The issues behind the protest are NEVER the focus in any demonstration/ march I have particpated in or observed, the protest is. Big or small. Ron is bang on. That's their story and they are sticking to it.

G8 Photo essay

What reason did the police give for changing the route of the march (presumably last minute, as there would have been prior permission given for the route)?

Seeing these photos brings to mind a couple of quotes:

"You measure a democracy by the freedom it gives its dissidents, not the freedom it gives its assimilated conformists" - Abbie Hoffman

"I'm completely in favor of the separation of Church and State. My idea is that these two institutions screw us enough on their own, so both of them together is certain death" - George Carlin

By not adequately explaining to the Cdn public why they are prepared to fund maternal health initiatives but specifically exclude abortion, the question is inevitably raised why, when there are medically verifiable benefits to abort under certain circumstances. To simply apply a blanket denial of funds without justification implies that an (im)moral or religious agenda is being promoted. If there are concerns for cultural accomodation and respect, or costs, those reasons should be made public to clarify the decision.

The site for the Halifax local of The Media Co-op has been archived and will no longer be updated. Please visit the main Media Co-op website to learn more about the organization.