G20 -June 2010 Toronto - Growth Crisis + Demand for Public Enquiry into "Martial Law" Policing

[C. Flower]

The G20 has closed with a confusing communique - acceleration of cuts in public spending and at the same time increased stimulus ? Some trick if there was a way of pulling it off. The US is less than happy with the idea of the EU cutting back on imports. The Chinese currency issue rumbled on.

At the same time, recent events highlight the importance of sustainable public finances and the need for our countries to put in place credible, properly phased and growth friendly plans to deliver fiscal sustainability, differentiated for and tailored to national circumstances. Those countries with serious fiscal challenges need to accelerate the pace of consolidation. This should be combined with efforts to rebalance global demand to help ensure global growth continues on a sustainable path. Further progress is also required on financial repair and reform to increase the transparency and strengthen the balance sheets of our financial institutions, and support credit availability and rapid growth, including in the real economy.

http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/wor...it_466472.html

Outside in the streets of Toronto, the usual combination of large, peaceful anti-globalisation demonstrations and anarchist's riots.

Most people there seem to have been busy taking pics on their mobiles....

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32OW6cu4Ypk"]YouTube- G20 Protests Heat Up: Video of police car fire in Toronto[/ame]

Locals complained that putting the G20 in the middle of down town Toronto was provocative and a range of new police powers and equipment were geared up.

An injunction was taken out agains the Long Range Acoustic Devices that have begun to be trialled in these ritual run ins.

http://news.nationalpost.com/2010/06...arrest-powers/

[Fermoy]

Good to see that the idiots wore their wannabe ninja pyjamas to make it easier for the riot police to cull them out from the legitimate protesters

[Fermoy]

Good to see that the idiots wore their wannabe ninja pyjamas to make it easier for the riot police to cull them out from the legitimate protesters

In light of the new information coming in , I withdraw this comment

[greengoose]

In light of the new information coming in , I withdraw this comment

Respect! Good man!

[C. Flower]

In light of the new information coming in , I withdraw this comment

Are you sure? On the first day there was a fair bit of provocation / shop window breaking (as predicted by the local police), and police in black with Che badges about the place. This was used as an excuse, if they needed one, for the Police State activities yesterday.

[Fermoy]

Are you sure? On the first day there was a fair bit of provocation / shop window breaking (as predicted by the local police), and police in black with Che badges about the place. This was used as an excuse, if they needed one, for the Police State activities yesterday.

Yes I am sure . How could I not be.

The police are arresting any and all persons that they can lay their hands on , lawbreaking behaviour or no ,
not just the ones in the 'wannabe ninja pyjamas' the black 'uniforms', who , according to eyewitness reports , are actually committing crimes .

[C. Flower]

Yes I am sure . How could I not be.

The police are arresting any and all persons that they can lay their hands on , lawbreaking behaviour or no ,
not just the ones in the 'wannabe ninja pyjamas' the black 'uniforms', who , according to eyewitness reports , are actually committing crimes .

Your original comment was made on the first day: the police went into action against one and all on the second day.

Not only are the police committing crimes, but they had the foresight to change the law beforehand.

The best that can be said is that no one seems to have died, unlike Geneva, London and Seattle.

[C. Flower]

A good discussion and links here on the "Black Bloc"- who they are and what they do, their politics etc. with a strong feeling from some that they include police provocateurs and the strategy is to justify tooling up the police and training them in crowd control. In theory, the "Black Bloc" is a tactic of a loose agreement to act together, rather than an organisation, but it appears more cohesive than that.

http://www.nowpublic.com/world/black...d-2634085.html

[Sam Lord]

Were the cops in Toronto actually firing rubber bullets at protesters from yards away?

I don't recognise the weapon being used ... maybe someone can assist?

The second video is pretty shocking

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpCqCCxZHR8"]YouTube- G20 Riot Police Shoot Rubber Bullets into Crowd[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPnzCwt9Sps"]YouTube- G20 TORONTO - POLICE FIRE RUBBER BULLETS - POLICE ARE DENYING IT[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoCoq11DwKw"]YouTube- G20 Toronto police fire rubber bullets at protesters[/ame]

[Kid Ryder]

Rubber bullets fired at close range by the cops - and all the liberals and everyone to the right of them will call the protestors violent. Looks like the discharge of police weapons was in the absence of 'provocation', too.

[Kid Ryder]

Police scum firing on a peaceful protest. Will the Gardaí be doing the same for Lizzie Windsor next year?

[Sam Lord]

The first video was shot at the warehouse which was converted into a holding centre for those arrested at the G20 protests. It was filled with cages. There were up to 600 arrested. Many were released without charges after being held for up to 20 hours in these cages. There were up to twenty people in each cage and one portable toilet with no door. Peoples arms were bound behind their backs, even while in the cages, with plastic ties.

A small number of protesters went to the holding Centre in solidarity. They were obeying police instructions and there was no trouble until the police recognised a known anarchist in the crowd and sent in a snatch squad to grab him. There was then some pushing and shoving. At this stage what I am sure were rubber bullets were fired at very close range hitting people. You can see that the young people are not masked or armed and were not being violent in any way ... there was also only a small number of demonstrators.

In the second video I think the young man who was behind the lamp post was hit. You can clearly see that he was neither masked nor blacked up.

In the third video it is a large group of ordinary demonstrators. There is no Black Bloc here and no sign of any vandalism or destruction of property ... when the rubber bullet comes flying through.

[Sam Lord]

Also reports of a journalist from the Guardian being arrested and beaten.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...rticle1620219/

[Kid Ryder]

Since when is being 'a known anarchist' an arrestable offence? And where are the liberals now when people they don't like are having their human rights trampled on by the cops?

[Sam Lord]

Since when is being 'a known anarchist' an arrestable offence? And where are the liberals now when people they don't like are having their human rights trampled on by the cops?

It looks like civil "rights" were suspended in Toronto for a few days. They were arresting left right and centre by all accounts. They even arrested a TV producer for a national television network who had all the right accreditation and was behind police lines. He was put in the cages for six hours. He says he has no idea why he was arrested but I suspect it was because he looked Middle Eastern.

http://ottawa.ctv.ca/servlet/an/loca...medium=twitter