Two University of Toronto alumni and former UofT Governors have launched a lawsuit against the Governing Council of the University of Toronto, the Toronto Police Services Board, and numerous U of T officials and Toronto police officers for cracking down on peaceful dissent.
In March 2008, a group of students and concerned citizens held a protest at Simcoe Hall, home of U of T’s administrative offices. Toronto Police, in consultation with University of Toronto officials, arrested 14 of those people (dubbed the “Fight Fees 14”), including the Plaintiffs Oriel Varga and Christopher Ramsaroop, and charged them with “forcible confinement” and other serious charges. The two plaintiffs bringing this action, successfully beat their charges under s.11 (b) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (the right to a trial without unreasonable delay), 17 months after charges were laid. To date the charges against all fourteen have been withdrawn, stayed or dropped.
The University of Toronto threatened Varga, Ramsaroop, and many of the “Fight Fees 14” with potential disciplinary measures under the Code of Student Conduct, but these were not pursued after the criminal charges fizzled. Oriel Varga, who is currently a law student at Osgoode Hall Law School, was not even in Simcoe Hall at the time that the “forcible confinement” allegedly occurred. Nevertheless, the police charged her, jailed her, imposed draconian bail conditions, and caused her to be prosecuted, until the judge stayed the criminal charges over a year later.
“I believe the UofT administration and the Toronto police targeted certain student leaders to lay charges against them and send a chilling message that dissent will not be tolerated on campus," said Varga. “In a democratic society ruled by the Charter of Rights, the public must be able to question and critique institutional decisions and practices without being bullied and criminalized by public institutions like a university or the police. They must be held accountable for breaching the Charter that they are supposed to uphold."
In June 2010, the police arrested and imprisoned over a thousand peaceful protestors during the G20 Summit. Varga notes, “Before the police trampled on the public’s Charter rights during the G20 summit, they practiced on us.”
The lawsuit claims that the Defendants breached their fundamental rights and freedoms under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, including their freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association, their right to liberty, and their right not to be arbitrarily detained or imprisoned. It also claims damages for conspiracy, malicious prosecution, false arrest and imprisonment, and negligence. Find out more, and show your support this coming Thursday, 3:30 pm, at Simcoe Hall, U of T.
More information at: http://fightfeescoalition.blogspot.com/
BACKGROUNDER
The Fight Fees Coalition
The Fight Fees Coalition was formed to support the "Fight Fees 14." The Coalition continues to organize on issues concerning tuition fees and the Code of Student Conduct, as well as raise funds for the legal defense.
Many student groups, labour organizations, community members and over 100 professors have publicly condemned the University of Toronto and the Toronto Police for their "criminalization of dissent."
The growing list of organizations that have supported the “Fight Fees 14” and this lawsuit include:
Association of Part-Time Undergraduate Students (APUS), University of Toronto
Graduate Students Union (GSU), University of Toronto
University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU)
Canadian Federation of Students (National and Ontario)
Ontario Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG-Toronto)
Centre for Women and Trans People, University of Toronto
CUPE including 3902, 3906, 1281
Trent Central Students Association (TCSA)
York University Graduate Student Association (GSA)
Laurentian Association of Mature and Part-time Students (LAMPS)
Ryerson Students Association (RSU)
Continuing Education Students Association of Ryerson (CESAR)
Carleton University Graduate Students’ Association
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