April 23, 2001

Free trade protestors wall in Canadian Consulate

Protests against the Free Trade Area of the Americas negotiations spread from 'fortress' Quebec City, Canada, to the Canadian Consulate in Melbourne today.

Friends of the Earth activists will be walling in the Canadian Consulate with cardboard boxes to highlight the lengths the Canadian government is going to to prevent the public from voicing their opposition to the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas (FTAA).

"The negative effects of the North America Free Trade Agreement will be spread to Latin America and the Caribbean by the FTAA, and could soon arrive in Australia through the proposed US-Australia free trade agreement", said Damien Sullivan of Friends of the Earth.

"Just as in Canada at the moment, any US-Australia free trade agreement will be met by staunch public opposition," said Nik Beuret of Friends of the Earth.

The Canadian government has erected over 3.5 km of concrete and barbed wire fencing, and conducted one of the largest ever peace time deployments of police and military personal over the weekend, in order to seal off public access to the area surrounding the negotiations of the FTAA.

The FTAA will affect 650 million people and $9 trillion in capital.

What: Walling in the Canadian Consulate (highly visual photo opportunity)
Where: 123 Camberwell Rd Hawthorn
When: 11am Monday 23 April

For further information contact:

Damien Sullivan or Nik Beuret
Mob: 0408 991 942
Ph: 03 9419 8700