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The April 2009 G20 in London was the scene of the first large-scale event—expected to be faced by considerable protest—since the last Fall's 2008 RNC, held in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Looking at the eerie parallels between both events, one sees a pattern of globalization—not only of protest—but of preemptive police tactics and handling of protesters.
| 2008 RNC in St. Paul | 2009 G20 in London | |
| Name of conference center | Xcel Center | Excel Centre |
| Protest "Welcoming Committee"? | "RNC Welcoming Committee" | "G20 Meltdown Welcoming Committee" |
| Preemptive raids & arrests? | Yes | Yes |
| Activists charged...? | With "furtherance of terrorism" under Minnesota's PATRIOT Act | Under the UK Terrorism Prevention Act |
| Convergence Center? | Yes | Yes |
| Convergence Center raided? | Yes | Yes |
| Pre-conference media frenzy about anarchists? | Yes | Hell Yes |
| Amount spent on security | Begins at $50 million | Begins at $29 million |
| Lots of police? | 3,500 | 10,000 |
| Number of bank windows smashed? | 1 | Probably 10-20 |
| Number of protesters in Day 1 clashes | Couple of groups of 100-200 | 4,000 |
| Expecting continued meltdown? | Yes | Hell Yes |
Confronting police states is one thing, but realizing that we may be confronting a globalizing police presence, is another. It speaks of a world that needs to change but prefers to dig in its heels and prepare for battle.
Finding creative ways to avoid lives being swept away by the snowballing financial chaos all around us, would be a better use of all of our increasingly limited public funds than excessive policing.
The first day in photos shows a diverse and largely mainstream protester cross-section, a large police presence, and initial images from the inevitable flash points.
Nigel Parry
RNC '08 Report
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