Traders near the Palais des Congrès in downtown Montreal fear looting and vandalism at demonstrations taking place on the sidelines of the biodiversity conference.
“If they start breaking all the windows, theft is guaranteed,” fears Lucio Daddario, owner of the Café du Parquet. We have a bar and a kitchen. There will be damage if they come in here. »
Mr Daddario claims to have been briefed by the managers of his building about the risk of chaos in his glass-enclosed shop, which overlooks the giant fences that form the security perimeter around the Palais des Congrès for COP15, which runs from December 7th to 19th takes place. The perimeter extends from Avenue Viger Ouest to Rue Saint-Antoine Ouest, then from Rue Saint-Urbain to Place Jean-Paul Riopelle.
“It’s worrying because we’re just around the corner,” explains Mr. Daddario. They put up the fence in front of us. »
Photo taken from Facebook
An invitation to the protesters to “attack the palace” of Congresses.
“Storm of the Palace”
According to their website, at least two demonstrations organized by the “Anti-Capitalist and Environmentalist Coalition Against COP15” are planned for December 7th and 9th.
“Storm the Palace,” reads a poster on their website.
“Let’s be in the front row to show them we’re not gullible. Let’s make them fully visible,” he wrote in a press release on the same site.
“Our concern is not the people demonstrating, but the excesses,” says Glenn Castanheira, general manager of downtown Montreal, who fears “looting” and “vandalism” above all.
“There’s often a small group of troublemakers who want to take advantage of the situation to cause chaos,” he adds. Of course, that worries us and some managers. »
Especially since an event like COP15 carries additional risks given the significant visibility given to protesters. Mr. Castanheira.
victims in the past
At the Toqué! restaurant, just a few steps from the Café du Parquet, co-owner Christine Lamarche speaks to the Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) and the City of Montreal every “two or three days”.
“They tell us: We don’t know whether to stay open or closed,” she says. At the moment we are open, but I will tell you that it puts off some customers. »
Especially since the restaurant, used to demonstrations on the Place Jean-Paul Riopelle, has already experienced excesses in the past.
“We’ve already had protesters come back and startle people in the restaurant,” says Ms. Lamarche. They left with a bottle of wine, they punched a hole in the wall with a piece of wood and hit one of my waiters. It wasn’t fun. »
“As any situation is subject to change, the police will be present to avoid an overrun and will intervene if there are crimes or risks to the safety of people and property,” the SPVM’s communications department said via email.
A company moves for a month
A neighboring company to COP15 decided to completely relocate its operations for more than a month after its employees raised concerns about their safety.
Photo agency QMI, Joêl Lemay
Carmela Martinez. President MP Repro
“My employees need to feel safe,” says Carmela Martinez, President of MP Repro. That’s more important to me than keeping a switch open. »
His print shop has offices on the ground floor on rue Chenneville, just a few steps from the Palais des Congrès. During COP15 and until January, the six employees will be transferred to the Ville Saint-Laurent headquarters.
“When the demonstrations took place in Red Square, there was a lot of police and violence right next to our building,” explains Ms. Martinez. Our employees remember this, so they are concerned and I have to respond to that. »
Misinformed
Ms Martinez regrets the lack of information from the authorities. She claims, among other things, that she had great difficulty in knowing whether demonstrations would be organized and that she was able to find out about them through posters on Rue Saint-Antoine announcing a demonstration.
“We didn’t have the right time from anyone. We ask questions of the city, of the palace, of the police, and we never have the full story. We have to plan ourselves without clear information. »
To limit the damage from broken windows, she paid $800 to have them covered with special film.
“If the window breaks, there’s no glass anywhere. We don’t take any risks. »
“Unsatisfied” customers
“My clients don’t like coming to Ville Saint-Laurent,” explains Ms. Martinez. This adds another difficulty. We try to make arrangements with them, go and deliver to them, and that increases my costs. »
Like most traders consulted by Le Journal, Ms. Martinez intends to have her company compensated.
Glenn Castanheira, general manager of Montreal Centre-Ville, says his organization will seek “formal redress” from the affected companies to the federal government, which is responsible for organizing COP15.
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