FREE JAGGI SINGH
After Quebec, movement spreads the word
By Gery
Armsby
The street battles that shook Quebec City during April
20-22 protests against the Summit of the Americas are over
for now. But now that the tear gas has cleared, thousands of
protesters are carrying on the momentum of their struggle
against globalization.
Numerous meetings and discussions have been held
throughout the U.S. in order to spread the word about what
happened in Quebec City. Those who missed it were not able to
get an accurate account from the big-business media.
In New York City on April 24, a meeting and party at the
International Action Center to celebrate the 47th birthday of
Black journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal, who is on death row in
Pennsylvania, also doubled as an impromptu teach-in on the
lessons of Quebec City.
People shared photos and stories about the IAC's "Mumia
brigades" that joined the Quebec protest in part to urge
freedom for Abu-Jamal and other political prisoners and to
call on people to participate in the upcoming "Free Mumia"
encampment in Philadelphia on May 11-13.
The New York City Coalition to Stop the FTAA is helping to
organize a protest May 3 at the Canadian Consulate on Sixth
Avenue and 50th Street. Similar protests will be held in
Montreal and Quebec City.
They are demanding the release of Jaggi Singh.
Singh, 28, is a militant anti-capitalist organizer from
Montreal. He was attacked and arrested on April 20 in Quebec
City during the protests.
"I was shocked at the tactics used. It was a covert
operation of plainclothes officers," said Julia Macrae, who
witnessed Singh's arrest at St. Jean and St. Claire
streets.
Statements issued by the Convergence des Luttes
Anti-Capitalistes/Anti-Capitalist Convergence, of which Singh
is a member, characterize his arrest as "an abduction."
He is being charged with rioting, breach of a prior bail
agreement and possession of a dangerous weapon. The "weapon"
in question was a large, roughshod catapult that was wheeled
to the demonstration by many protesters on April 20.
According to a statement by the group that built the
catapult, DIST--Deconstructionist Institute for Surreal
Topology--Singh "is being charged with something that was not
of his doing or that he even had direct knowledge of."
The catapult, which was also seized by the police, has
been sensationalized in major Quebec newspapers, which have
published photos of forensic analysts studying it.
After a sham hearing on April 26, Singh's bail was denied.
Judge Yvon Mercier ruled that Singh would remain jailed until
his trial. According to Quebec Legal collective staff, this
could take months.
Singh is a person of South Asian heritage. As a person of
color, his case represents the double-edged sword of racism
and political repression.
Singh's case is one of over 400 politically motivated
arrests in Quebec and thousands of others since Seattle. It
is fast becoming a symbol for the militant and growing
anti-capitalist movement.
This article is copyright under a Creative
Commons License.
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