NATO had planned to hold a meeting in Victoria, BC in the fall of 2001. But the meeting was cancelled after the city asked the feds for extra money for policing costs. The city realized that activists in Victoria were organizing for a major action to show their displeasure with NATO, and ere afraid that it would be a repeat of the Seattle protests last year. So NATO will not be coming to Victoria.
This is being hailed by many as a huge victory. "They're scared of us!" say many activists. But I have to question the idea that this is a victory. Afterall, the meeting will still occur, but now it will happen in a place where protests are less likely to occur. This allows NATO to avoid the public embarressment of protests. And really, it's not NATO that was scared off, so much as it's the city of Victoria that seem to be fightened of its citizens. Is this victory? Is it democratic? | 
