What happened today at Queen and Spadina was nothing short of an atrocity, was nothing short of our liberty being raped. There was no violence today anywhere, the black bloc was nowhere to be seen today. Only peaceful protests. Only peaceful protests.
One such protest, again peaceful was quickly surrounded and cornered. They were told to leave and provided with no exits. The crowd sang Oh Canada and when they were finished had riot police charge them The protesters were quickly arrested and removed and any common people were passing by, watching or simple private citizens were detained, for hours, in the pouring rain, not told what they were being charged with. Even media were detained, CTV's Lisa Laflamme's cameraman was detained for filming the protests at Queen and Spadina until Lisa yelled and screamed and got him free.
The police eventually were emabarassed into letting innocent people go free. Yes read that again.
Toronto? Canada?
It doesn't seem like that anymore.
Numerous reports of detainee conditions at the Film Studio Makeshit Jail.
People being held without access to lawyers, without being told they are being charged. Women have to use their in cell bathrooms in full view of male police officers, being left without toilet paper, without access to medication, having cops laugh at them. Being detained for over twenty hours at times in cold, with little water, food at (just sandwiches) at 9 hour intervals. Their cells were cages bolted to the ground.
If you read the above paragraph alone, where would you think we were, where would you believe this had happened.
It happened in Canada.
It happened in a once free city.
It happened in Toronto.
It is something we will not soon forget.
-s
No comments:
Post a Comment