MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 24, 2002

A Canadian Injured as Protest Is Crushed by Police in Johannesburg

OTTAWA, ONTARIO - A representative from the Ottawa-based Polaris Institute was injured today while South African police forces violently put an end to a protest in front of the University of the Witwatersrand, in Johannesburg.

Karen Cocq was admitted to the hospital after a concussion grenade thrown by police forces found its way to her feet before exploding. She suffered severe burns, but her injuries are not life threatening.

Maude Barlow, National Chairperson of the Council of Canadians was at the front row of this international protest, which aimed at drawing attention to the case of Trevor Ngwane. A South African activist and former ANC city councillor in Soweto, Ngwane is facing prosecution for opposing the ongoing privatisation of water and electricity services in South Africa. Protesters were also asking for the release of 93 former South African soldiers who were arrested after protesting to get the loss of their pensions and other social injustices.

"What we're seeing here is similar to what happened in Seattle and Quebec City: police and political authorities repressing dissent," says Barlow. "Johannesburg has turned into the largest public relations exercise in human history, each industry trying to outdo the next one. South African and international civil societies are no fools: they can see that the process has been rigged so that the industries at the heart of the problem will not be held accountable to their actions.

"Civil society is indeed becoming very frustrated: most of the Rio Summit commitments haven't been respected. The Canadian government, like many others, is being strongly influenced by various industries so that these commitments are not implemented. Kyoto is only one example of the business-led opposition to real sustainable development."

Jamie Dunn, co-ordinator of the Blue Planet Project, has been experiencing the greenwash in effect in Johannesburg for the past three days. " The most polluting and least environmentally-friendly businesses of the planet are putting on their best face for the duration of the Summit. The whole summit is aimed at diluting the concept of sustainable development so that it would become harmless to the powers of free trade. This is a parody of a conference where business has given itself all the opportunities and is avoiding all the responsibilities."

Another protest is planned on Monday, the first official day of the Summit where thousands will express their frustration at the hijacking of the Johannesburg agenda by the corporate world and the loss of democracy resulting from the push for privatisation across the planet.

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