Brutality Canada Police Brutality O Canada

Democracy Shut Down at US Consulate

From: TASC at tasc@pop.web.ca Sept. 16

It was supposed to be a day of mourning and a call for reconciliation and peace, but Toronto police would have none of it this afternoon in front of the United States consulate. A variety of Quakers, Unitarians, Anglicans, and members of groups such as Homes Not Bombs and the International Socialists came to mourn as well, and to call for nonviolence, peace, and social justice.

RCMP had informed the group they could stand in the first lane of University Avenue, but while demonstrators awaited the 1 o'clock official start time, the police told a group of some 10-12 people holding incendiary signs such as "War is not the Way: Nonviolence Now" and "There is no way to peace, peace is the way" that they had to move across the street. While most cops gave no reason, some stated that our presence was "not a good mix" with those laying flowers at the consulate in remembrance of the victims of the Tuesday terror attacks in the U.S.

Police, frustrated that citizens were exercising their democratic rights to stand silently on the sidewalk and plead for peace while their government whips up the fervour for war, violently ripped the Homes not Bombs banner out of the hands of two individuals and took it across the street. Then, Laurel Smith, a member of Homes not Bombs who was holding a sign reading "Nonviolence Now," was bumped from behind by one police officer, so she sat down. When told to move, Laurel asked for one valid reason, which was not forthcoming. She was then roughly manhandled and dragged across the four lanes of traffic and thrown onto the concrete island dividing University Avenue. She is now nursing a large bruise on her right arm.

After everyone gathered on the island and set up banners and began leafletting, police again moved to clear the area, stating we should stand way across the street near the University Ave. courthouse. Again, a small group refused to move, as there was clearly no legal or safety reason to do so. We wondered whether we would be moved if we instead had held signs calling for the bombing of Afghanis. Again, officers refused to provide a legitimate reason, and pushed people around. Smith, again holding her sign, had it violently ripped from her hands, at which point she again sat down.

Ironically, the police appeared to be acting, in their usual heavy handed fashion, against the wishes of many who had simply shown up at the consulate to express condolences, many of whom supported our plea for no escalation of the violence, no retaliatory strikes.

It is clear that the war atmosphere being whipped up by so-called political "leaders" is being reflected in a local level on the streets of our cities, as we saw in today's police actions and as we continue to see in the escalating racist attacks being carried out against Muslims, Hindus, anyone in this country who seems "suspect," just weeks after Canada proclaimed before the world that it was not a racist nation.

Threats of Violence Disrupt Toronto Vigil for Mourning

Sept.16.2001
By Gary Morton

A vigil for mourning at the US Consulate went a bit sour at the outset when police forced mourners across the road. Officers seized Laurel Smith of Toronto Action for Social Change and dragged her over to a traffic island on University Avenue.

There have been people mourning at the consulate all weekend, placing flowers, candles and teddy bears on the grass and steps. Today some of them had little tolerance for people arriving with peace banners. They tried to pick fights and generally expressed their support for war not peace. These folks were of the patriotic sort that have been brainwashed by the mainstream media. One man was dressed in an American Flag.

People like Laurel came to mourn all victims of terrorism and most believe that working for peace, economic justice and education can reduce terrorism.

Bombing can create more victims of terror, and the child in the photo listed above was probably another victim . as it did not help her to see that adults wanted to fight rather than to mourn.

See the Photos and other articles at http://home.eol.ca/~command/

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This page created September 18, 2001