By Frank Moher The massive article, “Anatomy of the G20,” published by the Toronto Star last Friday, is a curious document indeed, especially coming from a newspaper that has taken a hard editorial line against the police’s actions that weekend. It feels like one of those articles that has gone all wonky as higher-ups got […]
A G20 public inquiry? Not at this rate.
By Alison@Creekside A special meeting of the Public Safety and National Security Committee was held Monday, “Requested by Four (4) Members of the Committee to Undertake a Study of the Issues Surrounding Security at the G8 and G20 Summits.” Will there be a parliamentary study on G20 security issues? Well, first they had to agree […]
Maclean’s gives the G20 The Onion treatment
By Alison@Creekside It’s been pretty difficult to find any humour in G20, hasn’t it? Inside — a billion dollar bunfest in which leaders talk about implementng austerity. Outside — 20,000 police decline to confront a hundred or so rioters in favour of spending the following day assaulting and arresting a thousand nonviolent citizens and locking […]
How I Got Arrested and Abused at the G20 in Toronto, Canada
(Editor’s note: On Tuesday, June 29th, 2010, Toronto resident Tommy Taylor published, on his facebook page (log-in required), an extraordinary account of being arrested and caged at the G20 for 23 hours. At the time of his arrest, he and his girlfriend were watching a group of peaceful protestors, and had joined in when they […]
G20: Thought the phony arrests were over? Not for Charlie Veitch.
By Frank Moher Charlie Veitch, one of the first activists arrested at the G20 in Toronto, was arrested a second time on Tuesday as he attempted to catch a plane home to England. According to a Toronto Police Service media release (pdf) issued on Tuesday night, Veitch has been charged with impersonating a police officer. […]
G20: Why didn’t police stop the Black Bloc?
By Alison@Creekside A photojournalist followed and filmed 75 to 100 Black Bloc for 90 minutes and 24 blocks as they rampaged through the streets of Toronto smashing windows and torching police cars while police looked calmly on from several different locations: Why was this rampage allowed to happen? Police say they had already infiltrated […]
The G20: were the burning police cars bait cars?
By Alison@Creekside Video to left: Protesters amuse themselves playing with the sirens and lights in two police cruisers inexplicably driven into the crowd and then abandoned in the middle of the street. Calling in to dispatch, making airplane noises on the mike for the crowd, and handing out tickets — it’s all rather jovial. Kid […]
Widespread police misbehaviour, illegal activity at G20
By Frank Moher While mainstream news coverage of the G20 was dominated on Saturday by footage of burning police cars and vandals smashing windows, video of police misbehaviour, breaches of law, and plain old abuse emerged overnight on the internet. I’ve gathered some of it below. For a more complete picture of the G20 than […]
Above the yellow zone: the secretary’s diaries
By Tara Hughes Our office stretches high above King and University, one block north of the G20 cage. Friday Jun 18th: The Company transfers all staff to the Mississauga office for the week of the G20. They decamp this afternoon, couriering computers amidst grumbling and moaning. As the only part-time employee, I do not go with […]
The G20: A Charter-free zone
By Alison@Creekside The G8 Free Speech Farm — only a short, leisurely eight kilometer hike from the G8 site.. Meanwhile at the G20 downtown, the government of Ontario has designated the sidewalks and public spaces five meters from the security fence a Charter-free zone. How’s your legalese? A guard or peace officer, (a) may require […]
