Toronto G8&G20
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- LOKi0
I was there too, and in Quebec 10 years ago. Quebec was different, there was way more open confrontation, but it was like a cat and mouse game (not that it was a game, it was brutal and ugly) between the cops and the demonstrators. We pushed, they shot at us, we backed away, then regrouped, and pushed back, etc. Despite the violence, it made sense, and in the end we actually managed to disrupt and deligitimize the FTAA talks. To the point that the agreement was never signed.
Toronto has been a different story. The countless stories are much more horrific because it isn't even about conflict. The violence is a side issue to the intimidation, fear, control and criminilisation of people working for social change. I have a friend in jail now who was nabbed out of her bed at gunpoint at 4am on Saturday morning (before the demo)!!! The cops broke into the home at which she was staying and just grabbed her and her friends. at gunpoint.
let me say that one more time. Cops broke into the home of a private citizen and kidnapped an innocent women at gunpoint and are now holding her in jail.
- bliznutty0
(1st pic above - where all innocents are being arrested)
i've seen this type of thing first handthis is my absolute understanding of how authority deals with modern day dissent. it attacks the civil rights of peaceful, intelligent protesters with a conscious, a righteous objective, some degree of balls, and a voice..
and let's the bloc run free! notice in the video of the original post - the blac bloc had fun with total anarchy in the streets (not a single police of the entire $1 billion stopping the destruction of any property or making arrests) ..
it's clear as day how dissent is crushed with an iron fist.. the entire message behind the public opposition is completely distorted, and neutralized through media ops stereotypically reporting it as 'hooligans' doing 'vandalism'.. with 'no message'.. its an obvious setup regardless if these vandals are police are not..
this is an absolute repeat of any modern day protest in the past 15 years
- I guess non-violent protesters are an easy target; they don't put up a fight.Continuity
- Andrew_D0
"Suspects arrested after emerging from manhole cover"
http://www.cp24.com/servlet/an/l…
Three people were arrested Sunday morning after at least two men allegedly emerged from a sewer manhole cover near the Eaton Centre.
Peter, a security guard watching over the Bay at Queen and Yonge Streets, says he saw a male and female lingering around the shopping centre's entrance just before 2 a.m.
Peter says after a while, a manhole cover popped off the ground and two men emerged from the ground.
"I saw these two guys just fly out of the manhole. One guy just took off, the other guy just sauntered slowly."
The guard and his partner flagged down nearby police officers who arrested three of the four suspects.
Crews later arrived to weld the manhole cover shut.
It's not known how the suspects wound up in the underground system.
Infiltrating the sewer system is a popular tactic by anarchists, and crews welded shut manhole covers in the summit district in the weeks leading up to the G20.
- lodef0
Any word on the person who was arrested at night before the demonstrations? I heard she was one of the main organizers and they are now charging her with "conspiracy" or something.
- yeah, she's a friend of a friend. She was released on bail but is now facing serious charges of conspiracy along with 15 others. Conspiracy to do what, I'm not sure...LOKi
- conspiracy to do what, I'm not sure...LOKi
- thats what I wondered... conspiracy to do what? something perfectly legal in a modern democratic nation?lodef
- megE0
This is outrageous and infuriating... stupid Black Bloc! Go home and quit ruining my neighborhood.
3 police cars torched (2 on Queen, my street - seriously we're not close to the barrier, go protest down south!)and 450 arrests thus far
- agree, meg.
- with EVERYONE taking pics - should help to identify them.
alicetheblue - Seriously, what a bunch of assholes.Andrew_D
- No monday coffee? This is not happening, this is NOT happening.
*curls in fetal positionETM - it's just a fuckin starbuckspizzafire
- agree, meg.
- xcarlx0
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/e…
worth a read.
G20 editorial: Brutal spectacle failed a city and its people- this dude just assumes that the police did all that they could.eighteen
- Andrew_D0
Police arrested nearly 500 people in connection with violent protests against the G20 summit in downtown Toronto Saturday, with more demonstrations planned for Sunday as leaders wrap up their meetings.
While the streets of Toronto were calm early Sunday morning, dozens of police officers headed out to their positions across the downtown core to prepare for the thousands more protesters expected for the last day of the summit.
As of 8 a.m. Sunday, the Integrated Security Unit announced that it had arrested 480 people in connection with Saturday's violence. Those arrested face a wide array of charges, from mischief and breach of the peace to assault, drug possession and weapons dangerous, reported CP24's Sue Sgambati from the temporary prisoner processing centre.
"I'm told that some of these people will be released from this facility, the people on the relatively more minor charge of breach of the peace, and others will be taken to the special G20 court that has been set up in North York," Sgambati told CTV News Channel Sunday morning. "So it's no rest for police today."
"For the most part, the majority of the protesters were peaceful and were trying to convey their message," said CP24's Gurdeep Ahluwalia. "But you did have that group of anarchists, that faction of anarchists within those groups, that sort of spoiled things for everyone. They convoluted the message and they were the ones who really caused a lot of the damage and vandalism that in a way is really rationalizing the billion dollar price tag for the summit."
- Andrew_D0
To be fair, it wasn't just my neighborhood, Yonge St. got pretty fucked up as well. The media are showing these pic's because that's where the cop cars were set a blaze, obviously.
We should be pissed at these people, though. I'm all for non-violent protest, but this minority ruined it for everyone and helped to justify the ridiculous price tag of security for this event.
Whoever thought it was a good idea to hold this conference in the most densely populated part of the country should be fired. They should have stayed in Huntsville, it would have been better contained.
- agree.
a military base would be better - but nooh they wanted to be close to the people.alicetheblue
- agree.
- Andrew_D0
Unfortunately, police are always in a damned if do and damned if you don't situation. People were screaming mad (myself included) that they weren't doing enough to curb the vandalism and criminal element when they were a block away. Then, when they decide to do something about it, people are screaming that they're doing too much. I guess they weren't able to find a happy medium.
I for one think they did what they had to and there was always going to be backlash at their actions. The real people to blame are the ones that planned these summits in the downtown core. WHO THE FUCK THOUGHT THAT WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA??? Honestly, how could they not see this happening? Our government failed us, in serving their own needs instead of the people. (No surprise)
This shit really stings me cause it was my neighbourhood that got fucked up and these criminals couldn't give two shits about my city and the place I call home.
I'm sorry that people who were peacefully protesting got broken up, hurt or arrested, but when a cop tells me to move or be arrested, I'm getting the fuck out of there. But hey, what the fuck do I know...
- ross0
You may crush our bodies and our ponchos, but you'll never silence our song of protest!
- bliznutty0
anybody who thinks that innocent protesters are not being arrested needs to have their head examined and should stop watching so much corporate media..
its simply the case that the $1 billion in G20 security is not for protecting windows and property, but rather to oppress the public's opposing views of oligarchal policy making on behalf of the taxpayer..
thus the innocent protesters with a message are more dangerous to the G20 than the black bloc thugs that vandalize..
- a lot of these 'black bloc' folks are police anywaylodef
- georgesIII0
Torontonians got screwed
-
A report released this week by the Parliamentary Budget Office says the two summits are expected to cost Canadians C$930 million (US$893 million) in security alone, including more than C$500 million for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Together with other hosting costs — including nearly C$2 million for a marketing and media pavilion in Toronto that includes a "fake lake" — the total tab will run well north of C$1 billion.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3790…
- not to mention the $500K+ in damages to local businesses that has been reported so far.wademd
- pango0
is citizen arrest possible? would really like to pin those black block fuckers down. i really hate them.
i wonder if they are going to show up in south korea next G8 G20.
- i_monk0
July 10th (this Saturday) is a Day of Action to Defend Civil Liberties across Canada. In Toronto the rally will be at Queen's Park, 1pm-4pm.
