Amnesty International Canada Francophone and La ligues des droits et libertés said Wednesday they are concerned about the security preparations surrounding the upcoming G7 meeting.
In just over a month, seven world leaders will gather at the Manoir Richelieu, located in La Malbaie, in Quebec’s Charlevoix region for a two-day summit on June 8-9.
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Though security will be tight for the event, there will be an area reserved for protesters.
The two organizations say they have requested and received the necessary accreditation to send around 30 observers to watch how police officers and protesters interact.
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Both groups say they fear this year’s summit will be similar to the Summit of the Americas in 2001, the Montebello Summit in 2007 and the G20 Summit in Toronto in 2010 — where they insist police abused their power and arrested many people.
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“We don’t have any indications that different measures have been taken to ensure that we could protect both the leaders that are coming to Quebec, while at the same time respecting the right to freedom of expression,” said Paul.
The groups say they have asked to have access to the temporary jail that police are setting up in Clerment, near La Malbaie, so they can monitor the conditions of those arrested.
They are calling on both the provincial and federal public security ministers, Martin Coiteux and Ralph Goodale, to openly state that freedom of expression is just as important as security.