A bunch of overly self-important protesters are in a miff because
they stepped across the line between a good old-fashioned university student march-a-thon
and placing themselves in a position where their motives could be misunderstood by
security forces and result in somebody getting hurt. My heart bleeds ice
water. I normally wouldn't waste brain real estate over such juvenile nonsense
except for the fact that these brats are going to cost Canadian taxpayers over a million
dollars to satisfy their pathetic egos. Like most student
protests, the march by University of British Columbia students at the APEC Summit in
Vancouver (Nov. 1997) was mostly peaceful and harmless. A group of young, naturally
leftist placard-wavers were showing their displeasure with then-president Suharto's crony,
and occasionally brutal regime.
Lets's deal with reality for a moment. A chief
responsibility falling on the host nation of any international event is the security of
the attendees. This can mean anything from a Secret Service escort for a foreign
dignitary in Washington to machine-gun toting soldiers on a bus full of Olympic
atheletes. International convention is such that the security personel of the
visiting party works unarmed while at the event. While I'm sure the U.S. Secret
Service (with tacit approval of the host government) routinely violates this protocol, for
the most part the burden of keeping dangerous individuals away from a world leader falls
upon the local dudes. In the case of the Vancouver APEC Summit, Suharto wanted hi\s
security folks armed and active to keep any potential threat to the president at
bay. The Canadian government said no, we can handle things. The Indonesians
agreed. After all, one of the great selling points Canada has in seeking to host
such events is the fact that we're basically a peaceful nation that doesn't exist in a
constant state of machete-wielding anarchy.
My problem with the APEC whiners is several-fold.
If they hadn't tried to breech the RCMP barrier they could have stayed there for hours
waving their signs, bleating their indignation and providing the media with a plethora of
newsbites. By going past the line the RCMP had established they created a situation
that, if out of control, could have resulted in a much more aggressive action by those
tasked with maintaining control of the participants. Police forces don't have the
luxury of evaluating whether the interlopers are simply enthusiastic and will stand
happily outside the event venue and chant until their Birkenstocks sweat. Terrorists
with real intent to harm would love to have a student mob as cover. By creating a
situation loaded with unpredictabilty the protesters invited the RCMP response.
I've done a fair bit of sign waving in my life. Like all
good York University students of my day I was a convicted leftist. Then I got a job
and grew up. I've watched while protest coordinators huddled and made sure that
everyone who wanted to get arrested was. Politicians on the left thrive on this.
So do 24 year-old male university students that want to impress 19 year-old
freshman girls who have an understanding of international relations about as deep as a
petrie dish. And gee, they taste so nice.
I'm no fan of Jean Chretien. I think he's a
lousy Prime Minister. I wish Canadians would wake up to the fact that the federal
Liberal Party is nothing but an organization bent on controlling every aspect of Canadian
society and making it accept lifelong Liberals in every position of power and infuence in
the federal government. But to get indignent because he told the RCMP to do whatever
they had to do (within the law) to make sure the APEC Summit went off without a hitch is
just plain stupid.
The protesters picked on Suharto because he was a
"right wing dictator." They didn't attack the Chinese delegation even
though they represent a government that killed tens of millions of people
trying to create a communist utopia. Until Chairman Deng had the audacity to
slaughter students in Bejing these same people were happy to carry around little
red books and preach the glories of the people's revolution. They're pissed that the
Hamiltonians won and they're not going to admit their mistake.
The RCMP acted with laudable restraint. I would
treat morons that seek to embarrass Canada with far more contempt. These people have
a defective view of the world. The next time they crash through a barricade and try
to start a mob event let the Mounties open up on them with their MAC10's. Just like
in the People's Republics they so admire.
mitchbert 98/10/25 |
