If you think that the

If you think that the next big crackdown on political protest is going to take place when 5,000 police officers clash with activists outside the Summit of the Americas in Quebec City next month, you are mistaken. It turns out that the most effective form of crowd control isn't pepper spray, water cannons, tear gas or any of the other weapons being readied by Quebec police in anticipation of the arrival of 34 heads of state. The most cutting-edge form of crowd control is controlling the crowds before they converge. It happens every time we read another story about how Quebec will be surrounded by a three-metre-high fence. Or about how there's nowhere to sleep in the city except the prisons, which have been helpfully cleared out. Protesting, rather than being a healthy part of democracy, seems like an extreme and dangerous sport, suitable only for hard-core activists, with bizarre accessories and doctoral degrees in rock climbing.