Editing 3rd Summit of the Americas (section)

===Protests===

[[Image:Summit Americas 2001 Sommet des Amériques Quebec Tear Gas Protest.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Tear gas thrown at protesters on 21 April 2001 in Quebec's [[Old Quebec#Upper Town|Haute-Ville]].]]
The [[2001 Quebec uprising|Quebec City protests]] (called A20) were one of the largest anti-globalization demonstrations to that point, attracting some 20,000 protesters from throughout the Americas. Groups represented at the protest included trade unions, civil society groups such as [[Greenpeace]] and the [[Council of Canadians]], [[New Democratic Party of Canada|New Democratic Party]] and [[Parti Québécois]] caucuses, and a great many groups from faith communities, universities and colleges.

In addition to the political concerns of the [[anti-globalization movement]], many focused their attention on the division of the city with the security barrier, and what they saw as the draconic nature of police responses.

Protesters began to arrive on Friday, April 20, many being hosted at [[Université Laval]], [[College education in Quebec|college]] campuses, and churches. A number of clashes with police took place on Friday afternoon, with the first perimeter breach on Boulevard René-Lévesque Est, less than 5&nbsp;minutes after the protesters arrived at the site, and in the evening. Many peaceful gatherings, including a vegan supper and concert underneath the [[Dufferin-Montmorency Autoroute]], also took place.

[[Image:Quebec Summit Americas 2001 Sommet des Amériques Protest 007.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Protesters fill Quebec City's [[Old Quebec#Lower Town|Basse-Ville]] around Jardin de Saint-Roch (now called Jardin Jean-Paul-L'Allier) during the Summit of the Americas in April 2001.]]
The primary day of protests was Friday, April 20. It began with the [[Second Peoples' Summit of the Americas]], an educational and political gathering near the Gare du Palais, in the lower city east of the summit site. From there, the protesters marched northwest along [[Boulevard Charest]] towards [[Rue de la Couronne]]. The number of people marching has been estimated at anywhere from 50,000 to 150,000.

Protests were divided into three classes: "green zone," being legal protests with no risk of arrest; "yellow zone," peaceful, unsanctioned protest with some risk of arrest or confrontation with police, and "red zone," being direct acts of civil disobedience carrying a high risk of arrest.{{sfn|Graeber|2009|p=65}} This innovative division was developed after the G-20 protest in Montreal in October 2000, which though meant to be peaceful suffered from sporadic violence.  A number of riot police on horseback were used to disperse the violent protestors. The zone system was meant to protect those who do not wish to run the risk of arrest or of police violence.

At [[Rue de la Couronne]], the protest march split, with the majority of protesters (the green zone) heading north, towards a main rally at the Colisée.{{sfn|Graeber|2009|pp=152–153}}

[[Image:Sommetdesameriques2001.jpg|thumb|250px|right|The mock [[catapult]] used by a group of protesters to throw teddy bears.]]
Protesters favouring the yellow or red zones headed south, towards Cap Diamant. Many spread out through the Saint-Jean Baptiste area north of and below the fence; others marched along the edge of the mountain on Côte d'Abraham towards its intersection with the Dufferin-Montmorency Autoroute, through which the fence passed. Peaceful protesters, including individuals running speaker's corners, were in great numbers throughout this area during the afternoon.

Protestors who headed towards the yellow and red zones confronted the fence.  Approximately 15&nbsp;minutes after the bulk of the march reached the fence on Boulevard René Lévesque, the fence was brought down by protestors, which the security personnel deemed a clear security threat and danger not only to the conference delegates in the area, but also to the police.

A number of people moved into the once fenced-off area, and a catapult that launched teddy bears was rolled in.  Eventually, the police line fell back and was replaced by a second line of officers, all wearing gas masks. The protestors were then repulsed by the police.

[[Image:Sommet des Ameriques Summit of the Americas Quebec City 2001 Protests.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Tear gas thrown at protesters on 21 April 2001 in Quebec's [[Old Quebec#Upper Town|Haute-Ville]].]]
Police responded to the protesters in the "green zone" by firing [[tear gas]] canisters, [[water cannon]], and [[rubber bullets]],{{sfn|Graeber|2009|p=185}} dispersing large groupings of protesters both violent and peaceful, including teach-ins and teams of medics providing first aid to other protesters. Other tactical interventions aimed at arresting various perceived movement leaders<ref>{{cite web|title=Free Jaggi Singh|url=http://rabble.ca/news/free-jaggi-singh|website=Rabble.ca|date=October 10, 2008 |access-date=12 May 2015}}</ref> and the expulsion of the independent media centre and protest clinic from their locations. So much tear gas was used that delegates were incommoded inside their meeting halls. The security wall was breached on several occasions, though protester incursion across the perimeter was limited. According to [[David Graeber]] in his book ''[[Direct Action: An Ethnography]]'', "plastic bullets were being used increasingly, and from guns with laser sights so at night people could often see that the cops were intentionally aiming for heads or groins."{{sfn|Graeber|2009|p=178}}

Protests continued into the night. In addition to continued peaceful protests and acts of civil disobedience, some protesters vandalized storefronts and advertisements and built bonfires. Police continued to respond with tear gas, in several cases firing at areas beneath the mountain where no protests were taking place, as well as with direct assaults on protester positions.

Protests concluded on Sunday, April 22.