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Stop Atlantica Update
by Maritimes IMC
Friday, Jun. 09, 2006 at 6:53 AM
Protesters march to Trade and Convention Centre
This update comes from the Saint John Public Library, which is located in the same building as the Trade and Convention Centre where the “Reaching Atlantica: Business Without Boundaries” conference is being held.
People gathering in opposition to the conference began arriving in Saint John Thursday evening. We are staying for the weekend at the Gothic Arches, a converted gothic cathedral, and it was there that we had our late-night planning session for today’s actions.
After a breakfast provided by people from Food Not Bombs, we finished up the loose ends of planning that had trailed off the night before, and constructed make-shift drums from buckets and containers that had been found the in the Streets of Saint John the night before.
We first gathered at King Square, which luckily had a large gazebo that kept us all out of the rain. There were some speakers who explained some of the many reasons to oppose this conference for “Business without Boundaries.” They included Gary Leech and Asaf Rashid, and were also joined by some local Saint John residents who also don’t want this conference happening in their city.
After the speakers we had a short meeting and decided to make our way along the sidewalk to the Convention Center where there was press gathered outside. The march was lively, with lots of drumming and chants.
Our group help our own press conference in the mall below the library, and Asaf spoke again, this time to the media. We then made our way up to a press conference by the NB Federation of Labour, and I write this outside the doors of that event.
We plan to gather again at Kings Square at noon to meet up with more people, and then make our way back down to the Convention Centre, where Kenneth Irving will be speaking during their lunch.
If all goes well and the library remains open, there may be another update after that action.
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