The mini-ministerial meeting in Montreal is a prelude to a much bigger WTO gathering this September where all 146 members will meet in Cancun, Mexico. We speak with Margrete Strand of Public Citizen’s Global Trade Watch.

More than 300 activists took to the streets for a second day yesterday in Montreal to oppose a World Trade Organization meeting.

The demonstrations were significantly smaller than Monday’s, when over 200 protesters were arrested by Montreal police. Most of those arrested spent the night in jail. They will be arraigned today.

The mini-ministerial meeting in Montreal is a prelude to a much bigger WTO gathering this September where all 146 members will meet in Cancun, Mexico.

Among the arrested was Canadian activist Jaggi Singh, who was giving interviews to the mainstream media around when police handcuffed him and charged him with unlawful assembly.

Images of Singh’s arrest were captured and aired on Canadian media. Montreal police took Singh and the others arrested in busloads to three prisons throughout the city and have given little information about their release.

• Margrete Strand, deputy director of Public Citizen’s Global Trade Watch.