QUEBEC – A 2 1/2 -mile-long fence raised to secure the site of the Summit of the Americans may stay in place because fears of massive anti-globalization protests justify it, a Quebec judge ruled Wednesday.
Although the concrete and wire fence infringes on civil liberties, authorities are justified in their efforts to contain the activists given the fears of unrest, Justice Gilles Blanchet of Quebec Superior Court said in a written decision.
Canadian authorities erected the fence in downtown Quebec City to prevent activists from getting near the site of the summit, which runs Friday through Sunday.
Leaders of 34 Western Hemisphere nations will discuss expanding the North America Free Trade Agreement to include Central and South America and the Caribbean. Activists from around the world have arrived in Quebec and are planning huge protests.
The groups who filed the lawsuit said they would appeal, but the appeal will not be heard until after the summit.
