Montreal (AFP) – The World Social Forum attracted 35,000 participants, organizers said Monday — a lower-than-anticipated turnout for the anti-globalization event held in a Group of Seven industrialized nation for the first time.
Forum planners had hoped 50,000 would come to Montreal for this year’s event, but nevertheless heralded the 12th edition of the conference a success.
“The first WSF in Porto Alegre (southern Brazil) in 2001 brought together 20,000 participants, we have brought together 35,000 for the first forum in the north,” said Raphael Canet, who helped put together the Montreal summit, adding that organizers are “very pleased with the number of participants.”
“The WSF has passed from thought to action,” Canet told journalists. “There were 22 meetings during this WSF on a range of topics such as the environment, public services and health.”
The conference kicked off to a rocky start last week when 230 delegates were denied entry into Canada, but organizers downplayed the incident, saying it had nothing to do with the venue.
“The problem of denied visas has also arisen in southern countries,” said WSF spokesman Carminda Mac Lorin. “This is an issue that affects all Forums.”
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