The Battle of Toronto

Posted by Tania Cinque on June 28, 2010 at 6:23 pm

This weekend the G8/G20 conference was held in the city of Toronto, Canada. The question you are asking yourself is probably “Why would I, Buddyhead Reader, give two shits about a bunch of Canadians and what the fuck is G20? What does this have to do with music? Goddammit, where’s my beer?”

You should care because this weekend, Toronto, Canada, became a battleground of rampaging Black Bloc “Anarchists” and out of control riot cops which led to violent suppression of all protesters (and people out shopping on Sunday). About 900 people were arrested, some of whom are still being “processed” aka being detained without adequate food, water, shelter, necessary medications or bathroom facilities, in plastic wrist restraints and leg irons, without formal charges or without the benefit of legal counsel.

In short, this is fucking bullshit and is mostly being ignored by the mainstream news media. Naturally, because it’s something that has to do with freedom and basic human rights, it’s pissed me off. And I give you guys the credit that you would care about the police bashing in heads and threatening anyone with a camera with arrest. Because that shit is not right.

G20 (formerly G8) is a meeting of 20 of the heads of state of countries around the world meant to discuss the global economy. There are quite a few groups who have beefs with the summit, including leftist anarchists who firebombed a bank in Ottawa claiming to be working on behalf of the indigenous people who have had their land stolen. Other smaller groups protested peacefully in the days leading up to the actions of the so called “Black Bloc“. The Black Bloc is considered a tactic rather than an actual group, it’s concept being fairly simple, yet completely provocative. Dress in black, head to toe, wearing face covering clothes or bandannas and do everything and anything you can cause chaos. Similar tactics were used during the “Battle for Seattle” or the 1999 World Trade (WTO) conference. Examples of the Black Bloc’s handiwork include graffiti, smashing in the windows of chain stores (because nothing says “Fuck the man” like breaking in the windows of a Starbucks) and well known institutions like banks and city and government buildings, and assisting fellow protesters who are being tear gassed or detained by cops.

They seem to have forgotten that last part.

Their actions turned this:

into this:

The Black Bloc started threatening people (media and otherwise) with cameras who were documenting their vandalism.

We’re trying to commit crimes here.

And so they did, their crimes included smashing store windows:

throwing human feces through the window of an American Apparel store:

outright theft:

assaults

and destroying and setting cars on fire:

One cardinal rule of protesting, if you get into it, you have to be willing to go all the way, which generally includes getting arrested for your beliefs or having rival groups get in your face. It’s the way. These Black Bloc “anarchists” seem to have a real problem dealing with the consequences of their actions and in doing so, have left the peaceful protesters holding the bag. The people who even in the face of a line of grim policemen in riot gear gave them a song and a lapdance:

The video cannot be shown dickfore at the moment. Please try again later.

Because this is not the way things are done in Canada, in general. I think we all know about our gracious and friendly neighbors to the north, but here’s a clip of Henry Rollins talking about the polite and considerate behavior of Canadian students and protests.

O Canada Henry Rollins

The following clip shows “muzzle blast”

Riot police fired at least three shots of individual applications of tear gas and powder at protesters outside the temporary G20 jail on Eastern Ave. around noon on Sunday, where minutes earlier a peaceful demonstration by the Toronto Community Mobilization Network was broken up when plain-clothes police stormed the crowd to snatch at least two people in targeted arrests. After the arrests occurred, police ordered the crowd to move north, first surging forward with batons and then firing these “muzzle blasts.” One man and one woman appeared to be injured after the blasts. (Brendan Kennedy, June 27, 2010, The Toronto Star)

You’ll notice that in the video, the clearly terrified woman is pleading for the police to stop with her hands pushed forward in the universally recognized sign of defenseless. Because she was defenseless and trying to make sense in a volatile situation, trying to do the reasonable thing, not screaming “Fuck the police” or trashing an Armani store.

After the Black Bloc finished having their fun, the regular protesters, who were fully within their rights to assemble, were left to deal with those consequences. The riot police started a swarm tactic that would envelop the group of protesters (or just people who were outside) fully and charge them. People with cameras were targeted and forced away from where people were being thrown to the ground. The police raise their batons and demand that the cameraman leaves, to which he replies, “I’m surrounded. Where do you want me to go?”

That’s the general lack of logic and anger that the Toronto police seem to be working from. The tactics seem to be to intimidate anyone with a camera and get them away from the arrests. Sound familiar? It should, because the black suited jack boot behavior is also the attitude and modus operandi of the Black Bloc “Anarchists”. They are no better than the cops that they seem to hate so much and they gave the cops the reason to kick the living shit out of anyone out on the streets of Toronto this weekend. There was a massive police presence in Toronto, with reports of police seen wearing Saskatoon badges.

At first the police and city government denied the use of tear gas and rubber bullets. One of the sad things about this incident is that the use of tear gas is the first in the city’s history. It was then that the wholesale arrests began. The numbers went into the triple digits within hours. People just started to disappear. A man, Timmy Azorbo, was arrested for “for ignoring police orders”, despite the fact that his friends were telling the police that the man was completely deaf.
According to the Globe and Mail, this is the largest mass arrest in Canadian history.
Media credentials weren’t any guarantee of safety, the main concern seemed to be keeping the arrests and the heavy handed actions of the police as quiet as possible.

Jesse Freeston, of The Real News, was punched in the face:

Guardian journalist, Jesse Rosenfeld was assaulted outside of the Novotel demonstration:

Steve Paikin, host of The Agenda on TVO, was at the demonstration at the Esplanade earlier, and says he witnessed a “totally unneccessary” assault by police…i saw police brutality tonight. it was unnecessary. they asked me to leave the site or they would arrest me. i told them i was doing my job. • they repeated they would arrest me if i didn’t leave. as i was escorted away from the demonstration, i saw two officers hold a journalist. • the journalist identified himself as working for “the guardian.” he talked too much and pissed the police off. two officers held him…. • a third punched him in the stomach. totally unnecessary. the man collapsed. then the third officer drove his elbow into the man’s back. • no cameras recorded the assault. and it was an assault. • the officer who escorted me away from the demo said, “yeah, that shouldn’t have happened.” he is correct. there was no cause for it.

i can appreciate that the police were on edge today, after seeing four or five of their cruisers burned. but why such overreaction tonight? • the demonstration on the esplanade was peaceful. it was like an old sit in. no one was aggressive. and yet riot squad officers moved in. • police on one side screamed at the crowd to leave one way. then police on the other side said leave the other way. there was no way out. • so the police just started arresting people. i stress, this was a peaceful, middle class, diverse crowd. no anarchists • literally more than 100 officers with guns pointing at the crowd. rubber bullets and smoke bombs ready to be fired. rubber bullets fired • i was “escorted” away by police so couldn’t see how many arrested, but it must have been dozens.

we must make a distinction between the “thugs” who broke store windows and torched cop cars and the very reasonable citizens who • .just wanted to remind the authorities that the freedom to speak and assemble shouldn’t disappear because world leaders come to town.

here’s a list of the other journalists who got in the way:

-Two National Post photographers Brett Gundlock and Colin O’Connor were arrested and charged;

-CTV News Channel producer Farzad Fatholahzadeh was detained;

-Liem Vu, an intern with the National Post, and Lisan Jutras, a Globe and Mail journalist, were among those detained for four hours at Queen and Spadina;

-Torontoist journalist Wyndham Bettencourt-McCarthy was struck by a police officer with a baton;

-Video journalist Brandon Jourdan was thrown to the ground and beaten by police.

Canadian News Wire – Canadian Journalists for Free Expression Dismayed by Reports of Free Expression Violations at G20

Why is it important to note that journalists were threatened, attacked, and detained? Because journalists are the direct line to the outside world, without their reports and pictures and videos, a police force might be able to brutalize the citizens of a city without the world ever being the wiser. The press keeps those in power honest by exposing the truth.

Then there was the O Canada incident at Queen and Spadina:

Peaceful G20 protest at Queen & Spadina from Meghann Millard on Vimeo.

There was a crowd of citizens who were detained at the corner of Queen and Spadina Streets for hours for no reason.

When the crowd chose to sing the National Anthem, they were charged by the riot police.

G20 – Cops Charge Protesters at Queen and Spadina, After “O Canada” from Torontoist on Vimeo.

Why? Who knows.

But none of this makes any sense either. The protests to free those still being detained has started in the city as I type this. Why do I spend my time and your valuable brain matter telling you this? Because this is happening right now. It’s not over yet and these rubber bullet happy cops might not have done all the damage they can do yet. Also, for the people who are being detained, there’s no oversight there. Amnesty International and a number of Canadian newspapers have called for a review of the police and the city of Toronto’s actions, because it’s that serious. What you’ve seen here is what the police will do while the world is watching and there are cameras rolling, what will they do when no one is there to take pictures?

Something like this:

All ten friends (many of whom I personally know and have worked with) have just been released from police custody after being detained for anywhere from nineteen to twenty-eight hours, picked up by police on Saturday afternoon, evening, and early Sunday morning. Robichaud, who spent twenty-seven of her hours in handcuffs, tells us with bitter irony that she was arrested at the designated protest site in Queen’s Park, after police stormed protesters engaged in an apparently peaceful protest. (Torontoist reporter Wyndham Bettencourt-McCarthy, among others, was hit with a police baton.) Robichaud and five other women spent three hours cuffed in a police wagon. When the women requested water, Robichaud says an officer within earshot replied, “prisoners don’t get water, prisoners don’t get air—keep that door closed.” …The group’s accounts of conditions inside the detention centre are ones of austerity, antagonism, suffering, confusion, and disorganization. Kimia Ghomeshi recalls “tons of police, most of [whom] weren’t doing anything.” She says officers routinely replied to requests for information by saying, “I have no idea what’s going on…I wish I knew.” Detainees were locked in cages, denied access to legal counsel, and in some cases, says Robichaud and many others we spoke to who were detained, ridiculed or ignored when requesting first aid or prescribed medication, including a man who fainted after repeatedly being denied treatment for what he said was diabetes. Taylor Flook was in a cell with a woman who claimed to need medication for her bipolar disorder, which she was denied for three hours. Many of the ten describe lighting that made sleep difficult or impossible, especially in concert with heckling officers and screaming captives. They say detainees who experienced extreme anxiety and panic attacks were released from cages to calm down, only be locked up again after a few minutes. Ghomeshi says the conditions were “a complete violation of our rights.” Desmond Cole – The Torontoist

But you can’t stop Toronto:

CP24 reports Protesters number in the thousands and are moving eastbound on Queen Street after heading south on University Avenue.

One of the chants from the weekend illustrated the citizens of Toronto’s spirit perfectly: “We won’t, we won’t, shut the fuck up”.

Never shut the fuck up, never let your rights be taken away, the police and elected officials work for you. It’s not the other way around. Hold them accountable wherever the bad things happen, because next time it might be you.

This is some text prior to the author information. You can change this text from the admin section of WP-Gravatar To change this standard text, you have to enter some information about your self in the Dashboard -> Users -> Your Profile box. Read more from this author

http://www.flickr.com/photos/katealvarez Kate

Thank you for posting this.
Usually when something makes me really fucking maaad I can walk away for a bit and calm down and ignore it and return to a zen state of mind, but it’s really hard when it’s HERE. In TORONTO.

The shit going on in the detention centre is going to send me postal. Equally infuriating are all the “DURP IT’S JAIL WHATCHA EXPECT” comments. Like you mentioned, people were being denied water, legal help, phone calls, medi-fucking-cation – there was reportedly a 17 year-old girl with a heart condition who couldn’t access her meds. Apparently LGBTQ detainees were segregated, homophobic slurs, etc wtf.

http://vimeo.com/12925239
Journalist Amy Miller was told she was going to be repeatedly raped and gang-banged, women were strip-searched by male officers, one girl had an officer’s finger up her. ARE. YOU. FUCKING. KIDDING. ME.

“DERRR AT LEAST YOU AIN’T IN IRAQ!”
No fucking shit. This is CANADA for sodfihadspfijknelr 34jw’sifoshdjnv’s sake, this isn’t supposed to happened.
http://www.mountvalley.net Jarvis Tetley

Wow. Thanks for bringing this to my attention, Buddyhead. I’ve been reading the site for years and I’ve never seen a post like this. Disgusting behavior from the police and the Black Bloc.
Jameson

@Tania your article rules.
@Kate thank you for your links, that is disturbing testimony.

The police proved they will show their true colors regardless of Black Block, and just like every protest that doesn’t involve severe Block Bloc tactic the police go unpunished for their crimes. I think peaceful protest in our countries have really done nothing as far as getting media attention. Everytime this fucking G20/G8 comes to town some elderly or handicap person gets hurt and arrested, the Black Bloc is demonized by the moderate democrats and self described “liberals” to the point of being a shill. None of this is new. The only thing that surprised me was the Black Blac demonstrators TELLING camera people to fuck off instead of bashing their heads in like the police. Compare that again, police punch, kick, beat to shit without answers and the Black Block demonstrators say “fuck off, we’re trying to commit a crime.. [cameras are] part of the spectacle” Is he wrong? The media is constantly working against the left and the journalists are demonizing them to get their shit published.
Marat

7th-grade me would have been so stoked on this. Jello for President ’00!
Lorène

Absolutely excellent journalism. Kinda agree with Jameson though: the Black Bloc tactic is basically an answer to police brutality. As usual, some bastards get on the wagon to commit pure vandalism and theft but the real issue here is how the people is considered as a nuisance by the G20. Peaceful protest seems to achieve nothing. The powers-that-be won’t give a shit. I don’t condone the Black Bloc actions in Toronto, but I can understand why it happens.
mick

good on ya buddyhead. I’m pretty disgusted by whats been happening in my city this weekend, especially considering we’re all paying the billion dollar price tag for police brutality and the stripping of our fundamental rights. Here’s yet another sickening article:

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/torontog20summit/article/829921–i-will-not-forget-what-they-have-done-to-me?bn=1
excerpt:
“I was told I was going to be raped, I was told I was going to be gangbanged, I was told that they were going to make sure that I was never going to want to act as a journalist again.”
XIAN

This is why I no longer identify with the so-called “anarchist” movement.
http://none john

ok…….i really hate reading stuff like this and its not for the same reasons that every one else is pissed off. now i say this while realizing that it is within everyone’s civil rights to gather in a peaceful protest…..but when shit starts to hit the fan and it is no longer a peaceful protest because of the people around you, really what do you expect?

the sad thing is that the people had a choice to be there. and when they saw shit exploding and vandalized and the looting they stayed there. if it was me and i had the choice between putting up with cops, who i’ve learned from past experience do not take this stuff lightly no matter what city or country, or cut the losses and realize it’s not worth it since “the man” doesn’t listen anyway and thats not worth my time in jail. but then again i am an adult almost in my 30′s and waiting for my parents to bail me out is not an option. responsibilities will win over telling “the man” to fuck himself any day for me.

come on………this is nothing new.
Pingback: Let Them Eat Cake…Or, at Least, Poor People « Solitary Refections on Life
http://buddyhead.com Jameson

@ John I’m at that same point now, I have no sympathy for the people putting themselves there, watching shit get violent, then standing around like dorks waiting to get arrested or beat up, then crying “foul” while it happens. We’re way past taking this shit anymore.
http://none john

@jameson you’re exactly correct, at some point we have to realize that these people are adults and no one forced them to be there. it’s not like they were sitting in their homes writing strongly worded letters and were dragged out and beaten in the streets, or firebombed by police at voting booths. these people were there of their own volition and knew the risks involved. it reminds me of a video i saw years ago of a similar situation in portland where the filmmakers tried to evoke sympathy by pointing out that children were being hurt when the police moved in on the rioters. well, i’m sorry but the parents who brought their kids should have known a whole lot fucking better. same with these people, the only surprising thing about this is that people are surprised that this did not turn out to be a cheese and wine party where everyone politely discussed what they are not happy about.
mick

@John and jameson…. Toronto is a big ass city and there have been dozens of protests going on for the past week. There was really only the one protest that got violent, when less than 100 people started black bloc tactics and burned the police cars, smashed windows, etc. Yeah, that protest was obviously fucked and maybe cops can be forgiven for mistakes that might have been made in the confusion of those couple hours.
But almost all of the protests were peaceful, many happening hours or days after the black bloc riot and blocks away from where it happened, engaging in 100% peaceful protest, and were still subjected to police brutality and arrest. I think its reasonable to say that people maybe knew there was always a risk of being arrested, but judging by the protests I saw (because of the semi-positive vibes and totally peaceful nature of it all) people really were very surprised when police violence and arrests started out of nowhere.
http://none john

@mick did the “arrests and brutality” start after the black bloc tactics or before? i know for a fact that all was well and fine at the seattle wtc meetings until a few ruined it for everyone else. after that all hell broke loose and it never really came back together. and thats the problem with these things, there is always a few people who ruin it for everyone involved. and after that there is no way the cops are just going to sit back and let it happen. i mean can you imagine if anyone got killed while this shit was going on? in an instant it would go from a melee cry of “i’m being brutalitized!” to “why weren’t the cops keeping people from dying?” like i said i have no problem with peaceful protests when they’re peaceful. and a lot of times its not as peaceful as the people on that side want you to believe. i’ve seen the videos from other protests and the antagonistic nature of the “peaceful protesters” is enough to drive one mad. i’m not going to sit here and say that everything that cops do is perfectly ok, but i’m not just going to pretend that these people are not at least a little fault here and kinda brought it on themselves by being there in the first place.
Captain Gayhab

I had no idea of the extent of the police violence until I read this. I knew that the G20 summit was taking place/had taken place and I expected there to be the usual nastiness but not on this scale.

Also, Anarchists trashing an American Apparel store, wtf? American Apparel is supposedly vertically integrated i.e. all the profits get evenly distributed. The damage to the shop will also come out of tax money, which working class/poor people have to dig deep for. Solidarity in action right there. Cheers comrades.

I didn’t expect to read about this on Buddyhead (no disrespect intended)! Until recently there’s been nothing about this on the major UK news outlets.

Stumbled across this on Twitter: http://lexgill.com/2010/06/28/urgent-conditions-at-629-eastern-ave-illegal-immoral-dangerous/

Good luck to both of those guys.
commodore sixty four

i hate cops as much as the next person and i hate hippies too but you have to pull some shit to get a canadian police officer to beat you they are actually helpful and even tempered for the most part
Alex Buckley

Thats fucked. The worst bit is the police chiefs blatant denial of what was going on despite available video footage. What can you do when someone puts their fingers in their ears and pretends everything’s ok?
Bob Vila

DON’T TAZE ME BRO!!! Yeah I’m with John and Jameson. I used to be very passionate about that kind of thing, but when you get to your late 20′s you have plenty of other crap to be pissed off about that you have more control over than the G8 summit. I guess if people are really passionate and peacefull thats cool, but I sometimes wonder about their intentions and if they’re really knowledgeable about the whole situation. Good article though, Tania.
WOOGIE WONDER

This is the question I have: Why were people standing there recording violent acts and not taking action when the police were not around to stop them? By not standing in and by being nihilistic they became part of the problem. “Oh hey man that guy is throwing a chair through starbucks, fuck capitalism YA! I’m just going to stand here and record it because I’m a pussy piece of shit who can’t stand up for myself or common ideals such as knowing anarchism is just plain bat shit crazy and doesn’t solve a thing, but hey at least it looks cool up on my facebook page.”

People can organize to protest, but can’t organize to stop violence and destruction. Good for them… oh wait isn’t that what the police are there for, they should just stand back and let them do their job. Oh no? they should stand there and get in the way… because if they do that they can record more chaos.

Rant/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/katealvarez Kate

Because unarmed civilians are supposed to stop armed vandals. And the heavily armed riot police aren’t.
Eric

People find the Black Bloc and police tactics revolting because they are one and the same.
mick

@john, to be fair, most of the police aggression did begin AFTER saturday’s black block riot, but more information and accusations are coming forward to show that police intimidation started well before then. People (mostly known activists, protesters and community organizers) have accused the police of kidnapping them in unmarked vans, driving them around the city for hours, only to drop them off on random street corners very away from where they were first kidnapped (sometimes in different cities or suburbs), all without receiving arrest reports or the badge numbers of the offending officers. All this was done in attempts to scare away and tire out peaceful activists.
There were also unnecessary arrests made under a ‘new law’ which prohibited civilians from coming within 5 metres of the security fence. Of course the police chief has since come out and admitted that this law never existed, and was made up by the police and the province to allow for these bullshit arrests of people who just wanted to check out this multi-million (tax) dollar temporary fence.
so yeah, the weekend was hella exciting!!!
Bunge

Where the fuck’s my beer!!!
Bob

After all the blood dried and the rubble was cleared, what has changed? Great protest. Gotta be ready for the consequences kids! You should have gone to work instead. While you were getting your face smashed in at your convoluted protest, I was leaving work early in my new muscle car, heading home to my spacious new house. Now I’m drinking a beer. Capitalism is awesome! Grow up losers.
TheJakalope

Nobody was on the “right” side. I thought we where done with this rage against the machine bullshit.
Mark

Here’s an idea.

When the Black Bock shenanigans started happening why would the peaceful protesters not then disperse? Why in holy hell would it be a good idea to stick around after such obvious crimes were committed in front of hundreds or potentially thousands of people. Do you think the police have time to start interviewing people to see if they are “nice” or not? If some dumb fascist redneck and his buddies just tried to beat me up, I’m swinging until I’m in the clear. It’s all about common sense – can’t cry wolf for putting yourself in a dangerous spot whether or not you are in the right or wrong.
Sooo….

The Black Bloc smashed a few windows, burned a few cars, punched a couple of cops and pretty much destroyed a whole fucking town, and you start of the article bitching about the conditions that they were being detained in?
charlesincharge

Get fucking jobs, student losers. Once you start having to pay bills and mortgages and taxes and insurance and shit, you’ll feel pretty differently about violent destruction. We all felt like charter members of Rage Against the Machine in our 20s too, then we grew the fuck up.

They need to hold the G20 in the American South. Or Texas, or Arizona. It’d be open season on vegan pussy protesters.
WOOGIE WONDER

I love where this discussion has gone!
E-Brah

I think a lot of people forget that a lot of rights have been won by acts of protest in the past, whether on our own turf or elsewhere. Maybe this day and age it accomplishes less and less since organized resistance has been atomized. I’m just sick of this “blame the victims” attitude that too many people have. We’ve been domesticated and our thoughts and desires deliberately influenced by the powers that be. That’s no big surprise, and perhaps a consequence of evolution. I’ve lost a lot of faith in this world…probably because people would rather gloat about their blessings than have humility. Humans are a like a virus and they’re filthy fucking creatures if morality means anything. Go drink your beers in peace, you assholes.

Anyway, here’s the cops being pricks again.
XIAN

Buddyhead needs more articles like this. I love seeing the “just give up/you had it coming” pro-brutality, hypocrite, right-wing pussies slit their own throats with the comments they post!

Thanks for the line in the sand, losers!
Tania Cinque

thanks, ebrah and xian and all the others who understood. i’ll have to update this to make the truth more evident to certain people and also because more facts are coming to light every day. i’m still stunned that the american news media is ignoring these abuses almost uniformly. but for the “rah rah police, get a real job student tree hugger” types, a Toronto Transit Employee was arrested and detained for 36 hours because he tried to go to work on Saturday. he was in his uniform and provided id, but was still detained. even after a TTC supervisor came to the detention center to vouch for him, he was not released.
Ash

It’s an exercise of one’s human rights to protest. Of course it was a choice to be there; why is it any less unjust to be wrongfully arrested, harrassed or sexually / assaulted when conducting a lawful, legal protest than when at home writing letters or articles? Proactive people engaging in marches etc are surely not the sort to engage in dispersal at the behest of improper and inhuman establishment behaviour, block arrests and the like. I feel that if you are well-informed about the causes you are marching for (and I am aware from experience that many protesters aren’t), your presence adds weight to the positive. I just hope that the awful treatment of the innocent detained gains greater exposure, not that it would go any way at all to justify the actions of either the Black Bloc or their common-ground cousins in the police force.
TheJakalope

Right wing vs. left wing who the fuck cares? Whatever happen to common sense?
JC

Wow. Buddyhead goes to to WTO/North by Northwest. Apparently nothing has changed since 1999, only a new generation of protestors. Who under 30 would have seen that coming?

Where’s my beer?
OMG! The Man!

In the immortal words of Clara Peller, I say:

“Where’s the beef?”

Seriously, this is so lame. This whole Rage Against the Machine, my parents are paying 10,000 a year for my college but I still hate capitalism, bullshit is so retarded now. Someone said it before, to piss of Toronto cops is a fucking accomplishment to begin with.

Here’s an idea, get a job, get laid, make some money, have a family, go to a movie or listen to Jesus and Mary Chain. Anything but this stupid protesting crap. Yay for Capitalism!
http://buddyhead.com Jameson

“Jameson @ John I’m at that same point now, I have no sympathy for the people putting themselves there, watching shit get violent, then standing around like dorks waiting to get arrested or beat up, then crying “foul” while it happens. We’re way past taking this shit anymore.”

I’m saying peaceful protest is a waste of time. There should be destruction and there should be no arrests because everyone should be participating and getting the fuck out of there and assisting in the resistance of arrest. The police are there to serve private property owners who are supporting the G20 summit (lets be clear, the G20 is a group of finance ministers and central bank governors from 20 economies, 19 countries plus the European single currency, with involvement of The Council on Foreign Relations, The Trilateral Commission and The Bilderberg Group, since 1999. The Norwegian Foreign Minister, Jonas Gahr Støre, called the G-20 “one of the greatest setbacks since World War II.” “The G-20 is a self-appointed group. Its composition is determined by the major countries and powers. It may be more representative than the G-7 or the G-8, in which only the richest countries are represented, but it is still arbitrary. We no longer live in the 19th century, a time when the major powers met and redrew the map of the world. No one needs a new Congress of Vienna”
Thats just from the wiki entry, you can find a ton of other material.) These people are not elected, they are self appointed and have the power to manipulate a world economy. The black bloc anarchists see themselves as being on the (local) front lines to this resistance to financial powers. They are symbols and demonizing them or apologizing for the police is a disservice to the working class.

@mick
“maybe cops can be forgiven for mistakes that might have been made in the confusion of those couple hours.”

No, they can’t. They should not be treating assembly as a crime in full militarized riot gear, it is a spit in the face to the citizens.

@Bob Vila “I used to be very passionate about that kind of thing.. ..you have plenty of other crap to be pissed off about that you have more control over than the G8 summit. ”

I’m still passionate about it and I’m still pissed about the G8-G20.

@WOOGIE WONDER “Why were people standing there recording violent acts and not taking action when the police were not around to stop them?”

I’ve seen several videos of people tackling black bloc vandals and throwing the merchandise back into the stores

@TheJakalope Nobody was on the “right” side.

Totally agree

@charlesincharge “They need to hold the G20 in the American South. Or Texas, or Arizona. It’d be open season on vegan pussy protesters.”

The “libertarian,” bible-thumping, cousinfucking right wingers aren’t too happy about bankers controlling the world either. Holding the summit down south wouldn’t be as big a spectacle because y’all are ignorant trash and wouldn’t understand whats happening.

@E-Brah “I think a lot of people forget that a lot of rights have been won by acts of protest in the past, whether on our own turf or elsewhere. Maybe this day and age it accomplishes less and less since organized resistance has been atomized. I’m just sick of this “blame the victims” attitude that too many people have. We’ve been domesticated and our thoughts and desires deliberately influenced by the powers that be. That’s no big surprise, and perhaps a consequence of evolution. I’ve lost a lot of faith in this world…probably because people would rather gloat about their blessings than have humility. Humans are a like a virus and they’re filthy fucking creatures if morality means anything. Go drink your beers in peace, you assholes.”

Totally agree

@Tania Cinque “i’m still stunned that the american news media is ignoring these abuses almost uniformly.”

I’m stunned when U.S. media acknowledges Canada or Mexico at all, honestly. :/

@TheJakalope “Right wing vs. left wing who the fuck cares? Whatever happen to common sense?”

I assume you’re directing that @charlesincharge? This is completely public vs corporate fascist struggle, right/left makes no sense anymore.
http://buddyhead.com Jameson

correction, the private property owners aren’t “supporting” the G20, the city is though.
http://none john

@xian way to generalize there buddy. i’m definitely not a “pro-brutality, right-wing, hypocrite pussy” but thanks for showing that in 2010 there are still judgemental prejudiced idiots out there. the only way you could have written a more idiotic post is if you threw in a few racial slurs in there too. like i said in my first post, i am an adult. and i act as such. i am almost in my thirties and this “fuck the man shit i don’t have anything better to do because my parents have got everything taken care of for me” bullshit just doesn’t fly anymore. i’ve got shit tons of responsibilities along with a four year old son. getting arrested to “stay true to the cause” is not worth it. there are always two sides to a story dude. and i’m stating that these people were not completely victims because they made the choice to be there when the shit hit the fan. but thanks for proving to me once backed into a corner and unable to actually defend what you believe in, people still revert back to childish name calling. when you grow up a little, then we’ll talk.
http://none john

@jameson i’m sorry i cannot agree with you. the only people that would be hurting would be ourselves. who do you think pays for the destruction, vandalism, and theft? the people who are footing the bills for these companies? or the consumers and the people who work for these companies and buy the products?? i don’t know about you but i’m not rich. i also realize that the ceo of any company would rather cut a thousand jobs then take any paycut whatsoever, so i’m going to be on the side of the people who are in my situation (you know the ones who work hard to make ends meet cuz they have bills to pay). and peaceful protests do work, when they’re smart and when whats at stake for the other side is big enough. look at the civil rights movement if you don’t believe me.
Amber

Woah.

Just working my way down the comments and I really have to say that Jon and Jameson Are wrong in the fact that the people should have known better.

If your young or old, republican or liberal the idea that POLICE are being crazed LA type cops that just beat for the fuck of it is the issue.

This was an article that was by far the best news and info that god knows would never catch the eye of the police loving protect our children media.
WOOGIE WONDER

@Amber You’re joking right? If the best news is slapping together a bunch of stories that don’t tell both sides of any story AT ALL – How is it even news worthy? This is not news it is a opinion piece on bunch of things that happened over the course of a day which most didn’t even coincide at the same time or during the same day. Some battle eh? When no one is fighting for anything at all.
http://none john

@amber your comment was really amazing in the fact that it showed two things: 1. that you don’t know fuck all about anything. and 2. that if you can’t even get the correct spelling of one of the most common names in the world (john) correct, then how can we even trust you did anything more than skim over some buzzwords in this article?

the fact is every person there had a choice. and it’s even been admitted that, for the most part, the shit didn’t hit the fan until the black ops went around like a bunch of crazed lunatics just set free from a mental hospital. my point was and still is and will always be this: if you’re actively participating in something that runs the risk of getting you arrested. and you get arrested, don’t come crying like a bitch when it happens!

i don’t understand why that is so hard to understand!

@woogie wonder that was put perfectly!
XIAN

I stand by what was expressed in both my posts 100% and would like to add that that “line in the sand” was not drawn by me, John. I’m quite surprised, really, that my cavalier statements would wound you so, seeing how yer like some grown-ass man and all! To all others, if you also think that my “name-calling” was out of line, re-read your own fucking posts then re-evaluate your own culpability in the matter. Having said that, my hat is off to Jameson, the only dude here I don’t completely agree with who has actually kept it classy!
Jen Rad

I was hoping to see a band at the Horseshoe Tavern that night, called These United States. I did not go, because it just really seemed completely stupid to go anywhere near the BlackBlocAsshole action. Especially coming kinda drunk on my bike from a Ping Pong party.

The show was cancelled, but the band made a kinda cool homemade video, and got it posted on Huffington Post.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jesse-elliott/how-i-spent-my-summer-g20_b_629944.html
http://advancethestruggle.wordpress.com alexxx

nice to see this posted on buddyhead and people diggin on it. hopefully more shit like this to come.
scott

fantastic work here.

one point about the black bloc’s saturday actions and the police’s supposed ‘reaction’ to it on sunday. why, with $1,000,000,000 and 19,000 officers did they not attempt to stop the roughly 100 black bloc before they could rip up the most famous street in canada? why is no one asking this question? there is a considerable amount of footage online showing groups of riot police off to the side while they ran amok. i was present on sunday at queen and spadina during the o canada incident and i witnessed first-hand how easily they could control a crowd, so the inaction on behalf of the police on saturday baffles me.
Pingback: The Phuket International Boat Show (PIMEX) 2011 – Update Event By Phuket Best TV
Pingback: Disneyland Coupons
Pingback: Free online games
Pingback: free stuff
Pingback: free website
Pingback: Kasper Suits
Pingback: Taylor Lautner Workout Routine
Pingback: Colon Cleanse Home Remedies
Pingback: Kasper Suits
Pingback: Free PS3
Pingback: OpenOffice Download
Pingback: OpenOffice Download
Pingback: Ronnie Fieg x ASICS “Ultra Marine” GT II | Fashion Style Blog
Pingback: Colon Cleanse
Pingback: ICICI Bank
Pingback: OpenOffice Download
Pingback: Gerri Rosen
Pingback: American Airlines Promotion Code
Pingback: Cat Suits For Women
Pingback: OpenOffice Download
Pingback: OpenOffice Download
Pingback: free legal music downloads
Pingback: Non-camera Phones
Pingback: Greyhound Coupon Code
Pingback: Cat Suits For Women
Pingback: molle backpack
Pingback: Scholarships for High School Juniors
Pingback: OpenOffice Download
Pingback: Scholarships for Minorities
Pingback: best fat burner
Pingback: Scholarships for Hispanics
Pingback: WestJet Promo Code
Pingback: Scholarships for African Americans
Pingback: Cristi Read
Pingback: dual-driver-earbuds
Pingback: Scholarships for Hispanics
Pingback: Brandy Holland
Pingback: NLP Certification Review
Pingback: proactol plus discount
Pingback: http://access2success.tv/effective-ways-to-manage-your-time/
Pingback: lose chest fat
Pingback: crash
Pingback: Scholarships for Minorities
Pingback: Scholarships for Single Mothers
Pingback: Scholarships for Minorities
Pingback: Scholarships for Women Over 40
Pingback: Left Handed Scholarships
Pingback: Female Escorts London
Pingback: ghost movies
Pingback: Scholarships for Minorities
Pingback: wall mount tv
Pingback: Cna Certification Class
Pingback: ICICI Money to India
Pingback: wish
Pingback: ids property casualty
Pingback: ICICI Money to India
Pingback: Left Handed Scholarships
Pingback: Fathers Day Gifts
Pingback: Location Ile Maurice
Pingback: Colon Cleanse Weight Loss
Pingback: Electronic Cigarette Review
Pingback: Colon Cleanse Weight Loss
Pingback: red dog
Pingback: thigh high boots
Pingback: Location Villa Ile Maurice
Pingback: Scholarships for Minorities
Pingback: Taylor Lautner Workout
Pingback: best birdhouse site
Pingback: Location Ile Maurice
Pingback: Quiet Treadmills
Pingback: Wine Coolers
Pingback: Kasper Suits
Pingback: Microwave Ovens
Pingback: Wii Release Dates
Pingback: Bathroom Scales Deals
Pingback: Location Vacances Ile Maurice
Pingback: Birdhouses Guide
Pingback: Bathroom Scales Deals
Pingback: Happy Times Health Blog
Pingback: Waterkettles Guide
Pingback: Xenra
Pingback: GUITARS Guide
Pingback: Tools For Sale
Pingback: Video Games Guide
Pingback: Happy Times Health Blog
Pingback: SWTOR guides
Pingback: ways to make money online
Pingback: Scholarships for Women Over 40
Pingback: Shop For Computer
Pingback: make money affiliate marketing
Pingback: Bad Credit Refinance
Pingback: Women Underwaer
Pingback: seduction tips
Pingback: Cheap Quiet Treadmills
Pingback: book hotels in benidorm
Pingback: Back Surgery
Pingback: online travel discounts
Pingback: That One Guys Blog
Pingback: Double Glazing
Pingback: Body Building Tools
Pingback: divorce lawyer in new york
Pingback: Digital Cameras
Pingback: Body Building Tools
Pingback: Tanzanite Stud Earrings
Pingback: Teeth Whitening
Pingback: GMRS radios
Pingback: analyse concurrence :
Pingback: Hammon
Pingback: forex trading system
Pingback: invicta watch review
Pingback: Camsex
Pingback: computer sneller maken
Pingback: hat
Pingback: personal injury lawyers bronx
Pingback: Television Reviews
Pingback: Sor
Pingback: cute baby photo contest
Pingback: Pandaranol revolutionPandaranol table Pandaranol contractPandaranol 404
Pingback: horoscope gratuit
Pingback: Bedwetting in children
Pingback: netflix
Pingback: computer support
Pingback: boutons de manchette
Pingback: patio covers austin
Pingback: kratom effects
Pingback: tungsten engagement rings
Pingback: Chicken Breeds
Pingback: Free Television Place
Pingback: Toms Place
Pingback: copenhagen denmark hotels comfort
Pingback: http://roccopuckett922970.webs.com/apps/blog/show/7330609-a-couple-reasons-as-to-why-you-must-shed-pounds
Pingback: gynexin
Pingback: Making Money On The Internet
Pingback: Giraze
Pingback: bid us
Pingback: amazon music
Pingback: Free Television Place
Pingback: 2nd Hand Lawn Mowers For Sale
Pingback: Time Travel Place
Pingback: Philips LED light bulbs
Pingback: Admit
Pingback: Home Based Business Reviews
Pingback: Police Car Auctions
Pingback: hotel mirabilandia
Pingback: video production Raleigh Durham
Pingback: video production Raleigh Durham
Pingback: video production Raleigh Durham
Pingback: Ohio Jobs for Felons
Pingback: reverse phone lookup
Pingback: Felicadelong
Pingback: energy star LED ligth bulbs
Pingback: Brooklyn Law Offices
Pingback: como afinar un piano
Pingback: The chocolate diet
Pingback: flash games
Pingback: flash games
Pingback: best suvs
Pingback: metal signs custom
Pingback: hydroxatone
Pingback: p99 airsoft
Pingback: Makeityourring diamond engagement rings
Pingback: health insurance online
Pingback: internet marketing basics for beginners
Pingback: I Make $325 EveryDay At Home
http://EuropeanTorontoEscorts.ca Escort Toronto

Thanks for this terrific publish, definitely appreciated reading through via all of this. It is just a bit funny concurrently, but anyways I liked reading through it. Daily I arrive residence from get the job done I appearance forward to perusing many of your perform, because your thoughts are really close to mine. English just isn’t my initial langauge so sorry for almost any spelling blunders I produced. Keep up the great operate!
Pingback: Stomp
http://rentacarcorfu.com corfu

Once again I spending my time on reading and commenting onquality blogs .
http://rentacarcorfu.com rent a car corfu

Nice post , this is my first time i read this blog and i found it very interesting , nice job .
http://baerbykes.com/investlibertyreserve.html invest liberty reserve

Your Article about The Battle of Toronto | Buddyhead Really great visual appeal on this site, I’d value it 10 10.
Pingback: Agio Patio Furniture
ulagloran

WOW!.
Pingback: weight loss