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July 14, 2010 - No. 132
G20 Protests
Oppose the Criminalization of Dissent
Toronto, July 10, 2010
G20 Protests
• Spurious
Arguments of Harper Government to Refuse Accountability for State
Repression
• Toronto and Halifax Demonstrations
• Bail Hearings Continue for G20 Protestors
• Launch of Peoples' Investigation into Police
Abuses - Toronto Community Mobilization Network
• Open Letter to Minister of Public Safety from
Canadian Jurists
• Letter to the Editor: The Need for a Modern
Constitution Which
Guarantees Rights
U.S. War Preparations in Central America
• 46 U.S. Warships Plus 7,000 U.S. Marines En
Route to Costa Rica? - Scott Oliver, WeLoveCostaRica.com
• Coast Guard Dispatching Ships and Personnel
to Costa Rica to Threaten Nicaragua - Wayne Madsen Report
• Honduras to Build a New Military Base
G20 Protests
Spurious Arguments of Harper Government to
Refuse
Accountability for State Repression
 The media report that the
Standing Committee on Public
Safety and National Security held an emergency meeting on July 12 to
address an opposition MP's motion for a summer enquiry into security at
the G20. It is being reported that the MP's of the Harper government
used filibustering tactics to prevent the
Committee from taking a vote on the motion and that at the end the
chair of the committee, who is from the Harper Party, refused to hold a
vote. Another meeting of the Standing Committee is likely to be held
next week.
Of great interest to various forces who have raised the
issue of the need for an inquiry on what was done in the name of
security at the G20, is the way the Harper government is trying to
avoid any accountability for the state repression before, during and
after these events. Bob Dechert, the Conservative
MP in the Mississauga-Erindale riding, is quoted as saying that he is
concerned anarchists or other demonstrators could use Commons hearings
to build sympathy. "They want to have the media attention to talk about
how they were handled by the police and perhaps try to get out the
message they didn't get out
during the protest because of the silly things -- and actual very
criminal things -- they did to try to disrupt those summits."
Conservative MP in the riding of Oxford, Dave
Mackenzie, former police chief in Woodstock, is quoted as saying that
the
Committee must "reject calls to promote the agenda of the violent mob
... who set fire to police cars and damaged property during the G20 in
Toronto." Media report that Mackenzie
also said that an inquiry held by the Committee during the summer would
be premature because among others the Toronto Police Services Board is
already conducting its enquiry and should be allowed to complete it.
Other Conservative members of the Committee are quoted
as saying that asking for an inquiry conducted by a Committee of the
Commons amounts to a cheap political stunt for those who want to score
political points in the House of Commons against the Harper government.
"To recall this committee
on an emergency basis is nothing more than a cheap political stunt,"
said Conservative MP for the riding of Peterborough, Dean Del Mastro.
These are spurious arguments which try to divert the
attention from the serious concerns that the Canadian people have over
the criminalization of dissent and the overall state repression
conducted against the people in the name of security. People are
refusing to forget, let alone forgive the gestapo
tactics used against protesters and passers by; and they are refusing
to accept that the right to politically protest against imperialist
violent institutions such as the G8/G20 be criminalized. The Harper
government will not get away by throwing insults at people and hiding
behind the police forces. The Canadian people
want to know what happened at the G20 and they do not want to be
diverted from getting the answers
they need in order to end the state repression of the right to
political protest.
Toronto and Halifax Demonstrations
Across the country, Canadians continue to denounce
police violence during the G8/20 Summits, including the just demand
that an independent public inquiry be held into what took place. On
July 10, concerned citizens held rallies in cities
across the country, including Halifax, Montreal, Kingston, Toronto and
Windsor. TML is posting below reports and photos from Toronto
and Halifax. For upcoming events, see Calendar of Events.
Toronto
Thousands of people rallied at Queen's Park in Toronto
on July 10
and marched down Spadina to the Metro Convention Centre, reclaiming the
route to the G20 meeting site that thousands of riot police had
prevented them from taking two weeks ago. They were mostly youth, many
of whom had participated
in the days of action against the G8/20 summits and bravely faced state
repression. As the march made its way through the streets many more
joined in -- organizers estimated some 5,000 people participated in the
day's actions. The action was endorsed by labour unions and
organizations, civil liberty and peace
organizations, student organizations and many more demanding an
independent public inquiry into the actions of the state and security
forces during the G20. The speakers denounced the gestapo police
tactics during the G20, expressed their disgust with police targeting
of people on a racist basis whether Quebeckers
or youth of national minority origin or specifically targeting
lesbian/gay/transgendered people.
We will not "forget about" what happened as various city politicians
are suggesting and "enjoy the summer" they affirmed and denounced the
resolution of support for the policing of the G20 unanimously passed by
the Toronto City Council the previous
week.
Among the speakers were young women from the Toronto
Community Mobilization Network (TCMN), the Movement Defence Committee
(MDC) and one speaking for the families of the organizers still held in
jail or released and under house arrest. They pointed out that
the same kind of police
violence which took place during the G20 is experienced daily by
indigenous
people, the homeless and poor and national minority communities. The
speaker
from TCMN affirmed that this is about criminalization of dissent --
those in jail are political prisoners and must be released now, she
said. During
the G20 the police illegally fingerprinted
and photographed thousands for the political stand they were taking,
she
pointed out.
The spokesperson from the TCMN stated, we are angry
about the brutality and repression and the struggle will continue.
She pointed out that while we must call for an inquiry we know that
such inquiries have been held after every G8/20 and nothing changes.
People should be fired for what happened --
and not just police but decision makers all the way up the chain of
command. The police's millions of dollars worth of new weapons should
be confiscated so they cannot be used against us, she said. The leaders
of the G8/20 are talking about ten years of austerity. This means the
opposition to the violence of these
policies and the repression of the people is to continue, she said.
Pointing out that they are trying the wrap up key organizers in years
of court and legal proceedings she affirmed, "We will not be
free until we are all free!"
The young women speaking for the organizers still being
held said that one of the five recently released had asked her "what
good are rights if they can be taken from us?" The people showed their
power on the streets of Toronto during the G20, she said, and we must
continue to organize and march,
fighting for justice for all.
Halifax
About 130 people participated in a 2:00 pm rally at
Parade Square in downtown Halifax, followed by a march to the
headquarters of the Halifax Regional Police. Speakers included local
participants in the Toronto events, No One Is Illegal, a representative
of the Council of Canadians and activist Isaac Saney on behalf of
CPC(M-L). Articles from TML Daily were widely
distributed throughout the rally and march.
Bail Hearings Continue for G20 Protestors
Bail hearings continued at a Toronto courthouse
for the last of the remaining detainees who were unjustly arrested for
their participation in the mass protests against the G20 Summit on the
weekend of June 26 and 27, close to three weeks ago prior to the
hearings.
On Tuesday, July 6, the prosecution presented its
evidence on the issue of bail against all of the fifteen prisoners who
have been charged jointly. The charges against them include conspiracy
to commit mischief, property damage over $5,000, conspiracy to assault
police and conspiracy to obstruct police. Since that day, the prisoners
have been brought to court individually for the presentation of each
accused person's defence evidence on the matter of bail and for a
determination of the terms of release in each case.
The conditions imposed on release have been very harsh
for the six whose bail hearings had been completed by July 13. In order
to be released, each has been forced to find sureties willing and able
to sign for exceptionally high amounts, as much as
$85,000 in total in the case
of Montreal activist Jaggi Singh. There have also been conditions of
virtual house arrest imposed, which bans the accused person from
leaving his or her residence unaccompanied other than to go to work,
medical appointments, court or the defence lawyer's office.
Separate hearings will resume on July 15 for each of
the nine detainees whose defence case has been continually postponed.
Launch of Peoples' Investigation
into Police Abuses
- Toronto Community Mobilization Network,
July 13, 2010 -
Community groups are calling on the public to come
forward with
photos, video, and eye witness accounts of police violence against
civilians during the G20 summits in Toronto. This evidence will be used
to ensure that there are consequences for all those who beat and
injured people, and for the
masterminds who conspired to plan and give orders for the widespread
police violence and repression that was experienced by thousands on the
streets.
Further details can be found at: http://g20.torontomobilize.org/PeoplesInvestigation
"Police seriously injured many people in our city while
the G20 met
to plan the gutting of our social programs," said Farrah Miranda of the
Toronto Community Mobilization Network. "We are asking the public to
help us to expose these incidents, and to ensure that there are
consequences for these
outrageous abuses of power." "These rogue officers did not act alone,"
she added. "They were part of a coordinated conspiracy by police chiefs
and politicians that led to injuries, the detention of organizers, and
the largest arbitrary mass arrest in modern Canadian history. This is
not behaviour that should be commended,
this is behaviour that should be investigated." The Toronto Community
Mobilization Network is launching an independent peoples' investigation
into the severe and widespread abuses of police power that occurred
during the G20 meetings in Toronto, and the collusion of politicians in
making and executing those
plans. This peoples' investigation will include representation from
community groups, people who were detained and hurt, NGO's, academics,
legal and medical professionals, and the communities who face police
repression every day.
The investigation will yield a report calling for clear
consequences
including firings, and charges of those responsible for abuses
including:
1. Arbitrary intimidation, searches, mass arrests and
abhorrent conditions in detention.
2. Many serious injuries to protesters, including while in handcuffs.
3. Illegal, repeated strip searches, threats of rape, and molestation.
4. Discrimination against deaf people, women, LGBTQ people, Quebecois,
organizers, others.
5. Passing of secret laws limiting civil rights, and then misleading
the public about their nature.
The Toronto Community Mobilization Network is posting
today 6 photos
of police abuses, and is asking the public to help identify the
officers involved (click here). We are
also calling on
people of conscience within the police and the government to come
forward as whistleblowers to expose the decision makers behind this
violence. People can contribute photos or other information to our
investigation through
http://g20.torontomobilize.org/PeoplesInvestigation, by emailing
g20PoliceViolence@gmail.com, and by tagging uploaded photos, accounts,
and video with
#G20PoliceViolence. We cannot ensure the confidentiality of these
submissions.
Movement organizations continue to call for:
1. Immediate release of all G20 protest prisoners.
2. Dropping all G20 related charges.
3. Firings and prosecution of those responsible for ordering police
violence, and abuses.
4. Abolishment of the G20.
"All of the serious injuries we saw and treated were
caused by
police violence," said Dr. Abeer Majeed of the Toronto Street Medics.
"We did not come across any police officers or bystanders who were
injured by demonstrators. The police abuses that we witnessed against
people caused significant
trauma, injuries and a shattering of the public trust. It is imperative
that there is accountability and there are consequences for these
senseless, violent, and dangerous actions." "If such abuses of power
are not nipped in the bud such crackdowns will be repeated as our
communities organize to oppose the cutbacks
and suffering imposed by the G20 austerity agenda," said Jean McDonald,
a York University student who had her hand broken by police. "Police
violence has long targeted racialized communities. Now all our
communities are coming together and the police and politicians are out
of control. We need to ensure that
those conspiring to hurt people in any community cannot get away with
it ever again."
Open Letter to Minister of Public Safety
from Canadian
Jurists
- July 7, 2010 -
Minister Toews,
We are writing you to express our dismay regarding the
accounts of the conduct of the G8- G20 Integrated Security Unit ("ISU")
during the G20 summit recently held in Toronto, and to enjoin you to
take positive steps to ensure that civil liberties in Canada are not
eroded in the context of political demonstrations.
In our capacities as law professors and attorneys, but especially as
citizens, we are extremely concerned about the reports of widespread
infringements of civil liberties allegedly perpetrated by members of
the ISU and urge you to initiate an independent inquiry into the
searches, seizures, and arrests effected in the
context of the G20 demonstrations, as well as the conditions of
detention of those arrested.
Unfortunately, the mass arrests effected during the G20
appear to be part of a trend towards the criminalization of dissent in
Canada. Canadian police forces resort increasingly to mass arrests
during political demonstrations, only to release the protestors -- many
of them without charge -- after the protested event.
Though the police have the responsibility of arresting individuals
directly engaged in property damage (whether during a protest or not),
this in no way justifies recourse to mass arrests. This tactic is not
only a clear infringement of the freedoms of opinion, expression,
association and assembly, but also a form of
arbitrary detention that violates the presumption of innocence. In
2005, having noted that Canadian police engage in such large-scale
arrests, and that they are arbitrary within the meaning of the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Human Rights
Committee of the United Nations exhorted Canada
to "...ensure that the right of persons to peacefully participate in
social protests is respected, and ensure that only those committing
criminal offences during demonstrations are arrested." There were over
900 arrests made during the G20 summit and we understand that the
overwhelming majority of those arrested were
later released without charge. These facts support the view that Canada
has disregarded the UN Committee's exhortation.
In addition to the mass arrests, reports from
independent observers such as those of the Canadian Civil Liberties
Association, indicate that ISU members routinely detained and searched
citizens without reasonable grounds to do so. Certainly, if the
available video evidence and the many first hand accounts reported
in both the traditional and alternative media are representative of ISU
tactics, these rights violations number in the thousands. In at least
some reported cases, ISU members purported to have been specifically
granted the power by a regulation adopted under Ontario's Public Works
Protection Act to detain and search
citizens without reasonable grounds. As you know, Toronto police chief
Bill Blair later admitted that ISU members were mistaken as to the
powers conferred to them under that regulation.
Furthermore, the reports of the conditions in the
makeshift detention centre set up on Eastern Avenue are extremely
troubling. Credible accounts of overcrowding, inadequate supplies of
food and fresh water and threats of abuse by ISU members, including
sexual assault of female detainees, lead us to believe
that the right to security of the person of detainees was violated.
Detainees were also apparently denied their rights to counsel and to be
informed of the reason for their detention.
The rights set out in the Canadian Charter of Rights and
Freedoms are not optional. In a free and democratic society, it
is
paramount that civil liberties be respected by police, even when it
would be inconvenient for them to do so.
Minister Toews, we cannot reconcile the numerous
eyewitness and media accounts of the G20 protests with your statement
on June 28, 2010, that the ISU acted with "professionalism" and
thanking ISU members for their "exceptional work." We therefore call
upon you to initiate a full and independent inquiry
into the actions of the ISU during the G20.
For full list of signatures, click here
(PDF).
Letter to the Editor
The Need for a Modern Constitution
Which Guarantees Rights
One significant feature of the events in Toronto around
the G20 is that the mass arrests which took place are apparently the
largest in the history of Canada.
Early on, people were saying that the mass arrests
which took place in Toronto were the largest since Pierre Trudeau
declared the War Measures Act in October of 1970. The numbers
arrested have actually far surpassed those at the time of the "October
Crisis"; at that time 497 individuals
were arrested and detained, and 435 were released without charges. By
contrast 1,105 arrests were made in relation to protests against the
G8/G20 summits in Toronto.
As readers may know, the Trudeau government used the
kidnapping of Pierre Laporte and James Cross by the FLQ as a pretext to
make mass arrests and attack sovereignist and progressive forces
including CPC(M-L).
It has since been established that the RCMP had agents
inside the FLQ. Who knows what is still being hidden as a "state
secret" and what history will further reveal about the extent of state
involvement in the particular actions of the FLQ that created the
pretext for the War Measures to be declared.
In 1970 the arrests took place after Trudeau invoked
the War Measures Act. The War Measures Act was also
enacted in 1914 and was used in both the First World War and Second
World War to make mass arrests in the event of "war, invasion or
insurrection, real or apprehended."
Trudeau claimed an "apprehended insurrection."
Significant is the fact that in the period we are in, a
declaration of war measures is not even required before mass arrests on
this enormous scale are made. We have entered a permanent state of
exception.
On a similar note, as readers know, the Ontario
government secretly passed laws allowing police to demand
identification in whatever "security zones" they declared. Citing this
law, police made arrests of people who were on the outside of the
security fence. The truth has since come out that the law
said absolutely nothing about areas outside of the security fence, and
police had no authority to apply the law as they did. This is a one-two
punch where not only is the rule of law consciously violated, but the
law itself is brought in through an unjust process to serve an unjust
aim -- quashing the people's opposition
to the policies of the G20. Canadians will not accept that this can
happen with impunity.
What was actually passed was done by executive order.
They call it an "Order in Council." We call it Rule by Decree. Invoking
the War Measures Act involved
a declaration that the conditions existed
under which an existing law could be used which permitted suspension of
what has been considered
the "normal" civil liberties. As far as I know, it is unprecedented to
have laws come into effect before they are published in the legislative
Gazette. It
sets a precedent that people can be found in violation of a law which
has been passed in secrecy and what that laws says has not been made
public.
However, the precedent does exist to bypass the
legislature. Orders in Council have been the modus operandi when during
a time of war the state moves to criminalize dissent and take action to
suppress the working class. Internment in the First World War, for
example, was done through a series
of Orders in Council. At that time, the records show that it was forces
in the trade union movement and those forces which stood for socialism
which were especially affected by internment. As well, it was used as a
way to arrest the unemployed and force them to work as slave labour in
the internment camps. In
fact, the Orders in Council which provided for internment remained in
effect through to the Winnipeg General Strike, and resulted in even
British nationals being deported as enemy aliens.
During World War II, the War Measures Act was
used against communists, anti-fascists and trade unionists, who were
all declared prisoners of war." Membership in the Communist Party was
declared a crime retroactively, which meant that people could be
interned for belonging to an
organization which was legal at the time they were a member.
The Canadian people will not stand for secret laws
passed by executive order. We want a legislature which both represents
the will of the people and which cannot be bypassed by executive
decree. One of the avenues of opposition will be a constitutional
challenge. The government, for its part, will
maintain that there are many precedents for laws through executive
order. They will point out that the law was published on the e-laws
website which anyone can check, and who cares about the Gazette when
everything is on the internet anyway.
It is entirely possible that the courts will find the
actions of the Ontario government to be in keeping with the
Constitution. It underscores the need for a modern constitution which
provides our rights with a guarantee. Ultimately, we must redouble our
efforts to fight for an opposition made of workers
and their allies which can empower Canadians to fight for the kind of
democracy we want.
A Social Studies Teacher in Calgary
U.S. War Preparations in Central America
46 U.S. Warships Plus 7,000 U.S. Marines
En Route to
Costa Rica?
- Scott Oliver, WeLoveCostaRica.com, July
2, 2010 -
On the 2nd of July 2010 the Costa Rica Congress
authorized
the entry of 46 U.S. warships capable of carrying 200 helicopters and
warplanes, plus 7,000 U.S. Marines "who may circulate the country in
uniform without any restrictions" , plus submarine killer ships to the
Costa Rican coast for "anti-narcotics operations
and humanitarian missions' between 1st July 2010 until 31st December
2010.
With this kind of nation destroying firepower, it gives
real meaning to the expression "war on drugs," but if this a real six
month "war on drugs" we should expect to see some fantastic results,
right?
Politicians representing the Acción Ciudadana
(PAC), the Unidad Social Cristiana (PUSC) and the Frente Amplio (FA)
political parties opposed the measure saying that the destructive force
of the ships, helicopters and 7,000 U.S. Marines is "disproportionate
for the fight against drug trafficking."
On Sunday, the President of Costa Rica Laura Chinchilla
said that the government does not intend to militarize the fight
against drugs and the Minister of Public Security Jose Maria Tijerino
stressed that this huge, powerful military force would be under the
command of the U.S. Coast Guard and not
the U.S. Navy.
Although I don't suppose the Costa Ricans, the drug
traffickers or we expats will notice the difference...
A few of the thoughts that raced through my mind?
1. To my knowledge at the present time, Costa Rica is
not suffering from any "humanitarian" crisis.
2. The article did not make it clear what sort of
"humanitarian missions" might take place.
3. The article did not mention where any "humanitarian
mission" might take place.
4. Based on the truly horrific, drug crime related
slaughters we have witnessed in Mexico, wouldn't it be better
conducting these kinds of heavy weapon "anti-narcotics operations" in
northern Mexico?
5. With what is probably the world's worst environmental
disaster going on right now in the Gulf of Mexico, surely it would be
more appropriate to conduct "humanitarian missions" in the Gulf?
6. On 10th July 2010 it was also announced that:
"Honduras will build a new military base in the Caribbean, in addition
to another military base built with funding from the U.S. in the same
region with the pretext of fighting drug trafficking." Last April
Washington invested $2 million in a base near the border with Nicaragua
and the military base is "under the
supervision of the U.S. Southern Command."
7. Since U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) is based in
Miami, Florida, could these crucial warships and the 7,000 U.S. Marines
be fleeing from something infinitely more dangerous that is about to
happen in the Gulf of Mexico?
8. SOUTHCOM's "area of responsibility... encompasses 31
countries and 10 territories. The region represents about one-sixth of
the landmass of the world assigned to regional unified commands. What
exactly they are responsible for is not explained.
9. The article did not make it clear whether these
vessels would be patrolling off the Pacific or Atlantic coast but
either way, is it possible they are on their way to Venezuela? Either
as a show of force or something more serious?
10. Does anyone know if any of these ships carry nuclear
weapons?
Another politician Francisco Chacón defended the
arrival of the U.S. forces saying that "they would give humanitarian
support, build schools and fight against drug traffickers."
If these 7,000 U.S. Marines, 200 helicopters, warplanes
and submarine killers are coming to Costa Rica to "give humanitarian
support, build schools and fight against drug traffickers," perhaps we
could ask them to repair the new highway to Caldera? With that kind of
manpower they could have it
finished in a week.
But seriously, what do you think is going on?
Coast Guard Dispatching Ships and Personnel
to Costa
Rica to Threaten Nicaragua
- Wayne Madsen Report, July 8, 2010 -
After conducting its successful coup d'etat in Honduras
against President Manuel Zelaya, the imperialistic Barack Obama
administration is now bent on ousting Nicaraguan President Daniel
Ortega by massing a huge U.S. Coast Guard and Marine Corps presence in
neighboring Costa Rica, a base of operations
for Reagan administration-backed CIA operations in the 1980s in support
of the Nicaraguan contras.
Costa Rican government officials, including President
Laura Chinchilla, Vice President Luis Lieberman Ginsburg, Security
Minister Jose Maria Tijerino, counter-narcotics Commissioner Mauricio
Boraschi, and the Costa Rican Congress agreed to Operation Joint
Patrol, which will see 7,000 U.S. Marines,
46 mainly U.S. Coast Guard vessels, and 200 helicopters and 10 combat
aircraft descend on Costa Rica, which does not have a military force,
from July 1 to December 31.
At a time when the Coast Guard vessels could be used to
assist in the clean-up of the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster, they will be
used in an operation widely believed to be targeting the Sandinista
government of Nicaragua, which incurred the ire of Israel and its
Zionist ally in San Jose, Costa Rica, Vice
President Lieberman, by severing relations with the Tel Aviv regime
over the Israeli attack on the Gaza aid flotilla.
The official reason for Operation Joint Patrol is to
combat drug trafficking but few in the Costa Rican opposition and in
Nicaragua believe that to be the sole reason. The Joint Patrol
operation is being likened to Plan Colombia, which has targeted the
governments of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez
and Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa from Colombian territory. The
Costa Rican opposition has denounced Chinchilla's government for
militarizing Costa Rica.
It is also believed by WMR's sources in Costa
Rica that Costa Rican Vice President Lieberman, a noted Zionist, has
arranged for Israeli special forces to enter Costa Rica in order to
participate in operations directed against the government of Nicaragua.
Honduras to Build a New Military Base
Honduras will build a new military base in the
Caribbean, in addition to another military base built with funding from
the U.S.in the same region with the pretext of fighting drug
trafficking.
Foreign Minister Mario Canahuati said that the new
military base will be in Guanaja, in the Department of Islas de la
Bahia, but he did not gave any further details.
Last April Washington and Tegucigalpa opened a base in
Gracias a Dios Department, near the border with Nicaragua, in which the
U.S. government invested 2 million dollars.
The military base is under the coordination of the
Honduran Navy but under the supervision of the U.S. Southern Command.
The U.S. also has an Air Force Station in that country,
in Palmerola, in Comayagua Department, where President Manuel Zelaya
was initially taken after the coup.
Popular organizations and human rights defenders warned
about a return to the militarization in the country after the coup.
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Website: www.cpcml.ca
Email: editor@cpcml.ca
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