9 July, Vancouver Media Co-op: Update on Detainees, including how to donate to help those illegally arrested and currently out on bail that includes harsh regulations like house arrest

2 July: video of illegal searches and York Police officer announcing "This isn't Canada"

It's important for us to remain vigilant and not sit by as our rights are revoked. Here are two important sites that collate proof of police abuse:

Toronto Community Mobilization Site: pictures of police abusing protesters

Toronto Mobilize's youtube channel: footage of police abusing protesters

Also: Appeal for public help in exposing police crime

See my previous entries for more links to footage and reports from the G20 in Toronto.

xo

xo

8 July, Rabble: State of Emergency Video Calls for Public Inquiry

7 July, Toronto Star: City Council Commends Abusive Police

6 July, National Post: Abuse of Men with Disabilities by G20 Police

6 July, The Media Co-op: Jaggi Singh on his Charges of Conspiracy

5 July, Toronto Star: 16 People Still in Custody

2 July, Maple Ridege Times: Summit Ridge Woman Shot with Rubber Bullets

29 June, Racialicious: Jessica Yee on the Anniversary of Oka and State Violence

26 June, Toronto Sun (super-crap paper but they actually carried the story without going overkill on anti-protester BS): Deaf Black Man Arrested for Not Understanding Police

8 July: Blog with Further Allegations of Police Provocateurs

1 July: Streetcar driver Benjamin Yau arrested

Rally at Toronto Police Headquarters and testimony from those arrested

Tommy Taylor tells of illegal incarceration and conditions in the detention centre

29 June: Harsha Walia on her illegal arrest and trumped-up charges

More Undercover Police Provocateur Failures of the Past:

Pittsburgh, 2009
London, 2009

On the Erosion of Basic Rights and Harassment of Alternative Journalists in Toronto: Maya Rolbin-Ghanie

29 June: On the "Miami Model" and G20 Police blatantly misleading the public and targeting activists

1 July: Washington Agrees to Settlement for Protesters

29 June: Joint Lawsuit Planned for Toronto Arrestees

Harsha Walia: February 2010, Diversity of Tactics

Naomi Klein: Sticking the Public with the Bill for the Banking Crisis

28 June: 18-year-old describes deploring jail conditions, including gay segregation

27 June: Protesters, journalists and others barricaded and arrested

Police kidnappings

Police Fire Muzzle Blast at Protesters

National Post photographers violently arrested

26 June: Police raid house without warrants

Illegal searches near park

The passing of secret laws that were purposefully misinterpreted and abused:

29 June: Police admit lying
25 June: Secret laws

Footage & articles about police impersonating or possibly impersonating protesters, especially anarchists:

29 June: Alleged police provacateurs, including clear evidence of one "anarchist" being allowed behind police lines

25 June: Do you know who Che Guevara is?

23 August 2007: Police admit impersonating activists

So much to discuss... I've been really disheartened, not only by the extreme police/state brutality in Toronto during the G20, but also by the simplistic and depressing conversations among otherwise intelligent people about how protesters were "violent" when they allegedly burned abandoned police cars and broke windows of banks and Starbucks, and therefore somehow a) ruined the "success" of the peaceful protests (which were actually unsuccessful because they happened in a police state) and b) justified the extreme police violence, kidnappings, illegal searches, illegal arrests of 1000 people, sexual assault of women activists, segregation of queer prisoners, racial profiling, abuse of people with disabilities, abysmal conditions in illegal jails, denial of access to legal counsel, possible impersonation of anarchists by police officers, and blatant misleading of the public that occurred both before and after windows were broken.

Why would we want to isolate our allies for using different tactics from us? Why would we leave them open to further assault, when they have just marched by our side and in some cases protected us from violent and illegal behaviour by our government and police? (And when it's highly likely that the vandalism mentioned above was in fact instigated by undercover police?) Many people have been more adamant about emphasizing how peaceful *their* protest was (in comparison to activists who may have broken windows), than about condemning the horrific actions of the G20 countries and of their police force(s). This serves only to entrench media and state stereotypes about the "hooliganism" of anarchists who are in fact an important, intelligent and integral part of struggles against oppression.

There's much more to be said about all of this, and it's not a simple or easy dialogue. For now, I leave you with some links to further assess the situation for yourself...

M. NourbeSe Philip on the G20, violence & race: http://www.rabble.ca/news/2010/07/observations-g20-march-queen%E2%80%99s-park-congo

Professor David McNally discusses anarchy & Black Bloc tactics on the CBC: video.ca.msn.com/watch/video/the-black-bloc/16aqkxltm

Amy Miller from The Alternative Media Centre on her illegal arrest and being threatened with gang-rape by police: vimeo.com/12925239

The Globe on misleading the public:

Police admit "weapons" seized from activists are unrelated to G20: m.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/toronto/weapons-seized-in-g20-arrests-not-what-they-seem/article1622761/

Thoughts on state and police brutality at the G20 in Toronto coming soon...

xo

And on Tuesday we play Bar Wotever at Royal Vauxhall Tavern in London at 8pm, it's free. See you there! xo