(Anti-globalization activist) Aminata Traoré called the ordeal a “worrying” and “dreadful lesson in democracy.”
“It is precisely these countries that are supposedly there to give lessons to our democracies,” she said.
“In reality, the West is more and more afraid of debates on ideas … We are bearers of ideas, not bombs.”
Despite increased media attention on the problem, organizers said several guests had yet to obtain their visas with the event set to begin Tuesday.
The World Social Forum, an annual meeting bringing together activists and leftist intellectuals from around the world, runs from Aug. 9 to Aug. 14 in Montreal.
Global Justice Ecology Project
