Editing 3rd Summit of the Americas (section)

===Response to protest conduct===

Police claimed that their actions were justified in protecting delegates from "red-zone" attempts to break through the fence, as well as to violent protesters destroying property and attacking the police, the media, and other protesters.

[[Image:Quebec-city-protests--yellow-zone.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Tear gas thrown at protesters on 21 April 2001 near the security wall encircling the meeting site.]]
Many protesters accuse the police of excessive force, claiming that the police's abundant use of tear gas and rubber bullets was both completely disproportionate to the scale of violence, and primarily directed at unarmed, peaceful demonstrators with dispersal of violent protesters an afterthought. A number of protesters were severely injured by rubber bullets; also, tear gas canisters were fired directly at protesters on numerous occasions, in violation of the protocols governing their use. They also criticize the actions of prison authorities. Altogether, the anti-globalization movement describes the actions of the police in Quebec City as an attempt to suppress dissent.

Intelligence operations prior to the event were also criticized, For example, [[Joan Russow]], then leader of the [[Green Party of Canada]], was arrested while attempting to photograph the prison where protesters would be held. During the event, some prominent protesters such as [[Jaggi Singh (activist)|Jaggi Singh]] were arrested by undercover police officers while they were engaging in legal activities in "green-zone" areas.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?ItemID=6117 |title=ZNet - Smears, Lies, and the RNC |access-date=2008-01-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051113025406/http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?ItemID=6117 |archive-date=2005-11-13 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

A formal complaint regarding the RCMP's conduct was filed by New Democrat MP [[Svend Robinson]] with the Commission for Public Complaints against the RCMP. On November 13, 2003, the complaint's chairwoman Shirley Heafey found that "RCMP members used excessive and unjustified force in releasing tear gas to move the protesters when a more measured response could have been attempted first." The commission recommended improved crowd-control techniques, disciplinary action against certain officers, and a formal apology to protesters.<ref>[https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/rcmp-used-excessive-force-at-quebec-summit-report-1.376799 RCMP used 'excessive force' at Quebec summit: report]</ref>