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At no point did the demonstrators have the upper hand, which, even if it's an illusion, is important symbolically. "The protesters need to feel like they have control in a situation," Holland said. "That's important for empowering people."
The next day, on the long drive back to Atlanta, Foster declared the week a success. After all, ministers had gone home a day earlier than expected; reports indicated that, because officials couldn't agree on a package for all countries, they would pursue separate, bilateral agreements or just opt out of conditions that they didn't like. Pundits were calling it FTAA-Lite. But, I wondered, how did the protests figure in?
"These mass mobilizations are the time to add your voice to the chorus," Foster said. "It's great to know that there are academics and economists thinking about these things. But I still think there's something that's incredible about people leaving their jobs, leaving their kids with the babysitter, getting in their cars and coming to the streets. It's the only way we really have. When the media's not reporting it, when our politicians aren't listening to us, when corporations have no reason or accountability to us, the only thing you really have is strength of numbers. That's a really old tactic and one that will never go away."
But back in Athens, Holland had harsh words for the police. "Basically, I think you had cops down there with a lot of equipment just dying to use it. I heard case after case of peaceful protesters, who were non-confrontational, just getting brutalized with these weapons. It has a chilling effect on protests, for one thing. It definitely sends a message that you can protest, but if you do, you can expect to face some pretty serious consequences."
Steve Fennessy is News Editor of Creative Loafing in Atlanta.
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