Seeds of revolution

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by Craig Segal

Émile Zola's classic novel Germinal, about exploited 19th-century French coal miners, has come to symbolize the call for freedom from oppression. And while they may not suffer from black lung, five members of an anti-capitalist group that takes its name from this same book are finding freedom just as elusive.

Two days before last month's free trade conference in Quebec City, police announced a shocking catch: seven young men on their way to Quebec with smoke bombs, noise grenades, gas masks, and baseball bats. Five members of the group have been locked away in Orsainville Prison ever since on charges of possession of explosives and conspiracy.

When they appeared in court for some legal wrangling last Tuesday, activists marched through the streets of Quebec City once again, demanding their release. "Two cops infiltrated our organization," says Germinaler Pierre-David Habel, 21, who was freed from Orsainville after five days. "We drank beer with them. They were comrades."

Habel does not deny the weapons. "We were manipulated by the police and the state. The arrest reassured people that all the police security measures were absolutely essential to the Summit. It was clear from the beginning that we never wanted to hurt anyone."

The "Germinal 5" are not the last anti-FTAA prisoners. Three others remain, including two who were sentenced to prison for six and nine months, and one who believes he was arrested unlawfully and refuses to pay bail