Representatives of people from countries claiming their independence met in Montreal recently as part of the World Social Forum to share experiences and create bonds of solidarity.
Fifteen representatives — including those from Palestine, Kabylia, Kurdistan and First Nations in Quebec, notably— met, organized by the Committee of Self-Determination.
The objective of their meeting was to present public perspective — not the view of a politician — the different ways in which people express themselves during struggles to take control of their destinies.
Maxime Laporte, president of the St-Jean Baptiste Society (SSJB) of Montreal and member of Cap sur l’Indépendance, which originated the lecture series, said he learned and exchanged a lot about the strategies used by each nation to assert their political independence.
The experience of Catalan is particularly instructive for Quebec, he noted. A representative of the Catalonian National Assembly, Joan Gonzalez Fabra, was also in Montreal this week.
“In Catalonia, it is a movement which comes from society and puts pressure on politicians, whereas here it is especially the political area that constructs the struggle for independence,” Laporte said.
“We need to take inspiration from the Catalans by increasing citizen mobilization,” he said. “This is a project that belongs to the people, and it is the people who need to mobilize.”
