The G20 Summit in Toronto this past weekend brought together world leaders from 20 of the top major economies. With so much at stake, the event also attracted activists hoping to present their messages to a worldwide audience.
Western Science student Nilmi Senaratna attended the summit to bring attention to issues such as extreme poverty and hunger, combating HIV/AIDS and ensuring environmental sustainability.
The following article by Senaratna is based on her experiences in Toronto, as well as her own growing awareness of global issues through Western classes and sponsored international projects.
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By Nilmi Senaratna
The G20 first caught my attention in my Political Science class at Western.
I vaguely knew about the group, but became more and more interested when I traveled to Rwanda, Tanzania and Kenya for a development project through Western Heads East.
When I saw the situation in East Africa first-hand, I continued my research – focusing on that region in particular – and I began to notice the promises that had been kept to these developing countries were downright non-existent.
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are eight targets concerning development the G20 was trying to reach by the year 2015.
These goals include eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, achieving universal primary education, promoting gender equality and empowering women, reducing child mortality, improving maternal health, combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, ensuring environmental sustainability and creating a global partnership for development.
When the international community agreed to set the MDGs in the year 2000, the progress at first was evident. But in the past several years, especially during the financial crisis, aid funding supposed to be sent to developing countries all over the world has slowly decreased.
This leaves the nations with reduced credit, resulting in slower investment and growth. Undoubtedly, this has helped wipe out the hard fought progress that existed when the MDGs were first introduced.
When I first heard about the G20 summit being held in Toronto, I was excited and prepared to get involved. I wanted to believe I could effect change. When I arrived at the protest the the atmosphere felt very united.
I felt like everyone had a cause and shared the same feelings I did towards the G20. We were a united force. Even as the heavy rain soaked through our makeshift ponchos, we pushed onwards. The protesters ranged from Greenpeace to Gay Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered groups and from extreme anarchists to groups for the eradication of poverty, like Oxfam International.
A whole array of union workers from all over Canada and the United States, students protesting student debts and many cultural groups protesting issues from their home countries were also in attendance. The turnout was overwhelming.
As we marched along through downtown I finally noticed the high security that was so highly publicized. The police were highly intimidating and provoking them would have been a mistake as they were given more power over protesters at the summit including the authority to arrest anyone if they were within five metres of the security perimeter, or if they refused to be searched.
This new law put in place for the weekend created extremely high tension between protesters and the police. As we marched along chanting and singing “No no, police intimidation, what do we want, a better nation!” a hush would fall over the protesters as they passed the line of heavily geared riot police sporting shields, tear gas, rubber bullets guns and batons.
The emotions were clear, we were not happy with the 20,000 police officers, their powers over us and the fact that about one billions dollars was spent on security. money that could have been used otherwise.
As we marched onwards, the tension let up and we realized that we had made a great accomplishment. While we raised our voices and chanted with the masses, the power that all of us united had really showed. We had a great influence on those around us as we talked to them about our views and how to change for the better.
I also learned so much about the G20 and about other issues that I had not heard about before. I felt the organized protest had a great significance because the thousands of people that marched the streets finally had a voice when they were all united as one.
When the march ended, I noticed that Queen’s Park was left just as it had been when we got there. Environmental groups hurried to clean the debris left by the protesters and restore the beauty of the park.
The events later were a different story as violence broke out soon after the march. I personally, do not see the effectiveness of violence. While some expressed themselves by burning police cars and smashing bricks through downtown windows, vandalism did not strike me as an impressive way of making a point.
Activism was shown through uniting and expressing ourselves in a positive way to make positive change throughout the community. The organized protest was an effective and peaceful event that will be seen all over the globe and the speeches by students and union workers will be heard by the leaders of the G20 in order to show them how the people of the community feel.
It will hopefully be used to positively bring about change in our community and communities like ours, across the globe.