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Hiding the SalAMI
Bad weather forced the Opération SalAMI off the streets and into the hallowed halls of Concordia University last Tuesday. With the help of police, SalAMI organizers had blocked off René-Lévesque between Peel and Metcalfe to hold an anti-globalization conference outside the Sheraton Hotel, where the business-friendly Conférence de Montréal was being held. But rain dampened the proceedings, while strong winds toppled the fold-up chairs. SalAMI organizers promptly moved their "teach-in" to classrooms at Concordia's downtown campus. Despite the move, over 300 people still attended the teach-in. The change of venue was an ironic turn of events, since the whole point of the teach-in was to get the anti-corporate, anti-globalization message out of the ivory tower and into the streets. "It's a shame they had to move it indoors," said one conference participant. "They lost a lot of visibility. The idea was to bring the message to people who work downtown, who walk by on their lunch hours." --Philip Preville For more free-trade and globalization coverage, see pages 7 and 9. |