Dan Kellar (Dan Kellar)
Kitchener
Member since July 2009
Toronto Media Co-op
Local Independent News
Can you support independent journalists with $5? donate today!
Press Release - AW@L releases statement on G20 targeted policing, criminalizing dissent, and ongoing resistance.
*Media Contact: Dan Kellar 519-616-4462*
-For Immediate Release - September 15th 2010
KITCHENER—Today, AW@L has released a statement about the G20 summit held in Toronto in June, specifically concerning policing and political targeting of activists and community organizers. During the G20 summit, over a thousand people were detained—the largest mass arrest in Canadian history—and the city of Toronto was swarmed by 19 000 security officers, including Toronto police, the RCMP, and over 100 Waterloo regional police. More than two months after the G20 summit, there is no indication that the police will be held accountable for their illegal actions, and it is becoming obvious that the agenda of the G20 is one that only serves a small minority world’s people.
Our statement addresses the political nature of this security operation with the criminalization of dissent through the ongoing targeting of activists, anarchists, and community organizers. One thing the statement aims to make clear is that “the criminal element present in Toronto during the week-long convergence against global capitalism, ongoing colonialism, and the G20, WAS the police and the G20 Summit delegates.”
In this statement, we discuss the realities of targeted policing and the impact of the G20 security operation on the broader resistance movement and on the Kitchener-Waterloo community. We also highlight the ongoing targeting of other communities of resistance; we explain our understanding of anarchism; we address the narrative presented by corporate media; and we discuss our history of organising that has seen us targeted for our victories and ideologies.
The release of this statement is timed with the a major G20 speaking event in KW, and on the day Indigenous sovereignty activist Ryan Rainville is scheduled to briefly appear in a Toronto court. On the evening of September 15th, the Wilfrid Laurier Faculty of Social Work is hosting a panel discussion entitled “Strengthening Our Resolve After the G20: Movement Building and Ongoing Resistance to the G20 Agenda”. This panel features Harsha Walia of No One is Illegal - Vancouver/Coast Salish, Site 41 Land Defender Jen Meunier, Humera Javed of Laurier’s Student PIRG, and Alex Hundert of AW@L and SOAR. The panel starts at 6:30pm and is a fundraiser for legal fees for those charged as a part of the billion dollar G20 security operation.
As 6 people remain in jail, including Rainville, and hundreds of others remain in the crosshairs of the state’s security apparatus for their alleged roles in activities that challenge the power of the G20, the agenda of the corporatocracy becomes apparent: “if you question authority, the colonial power apparatus, or the capitalist economic order, they will try to silence you and they will try to punish you” notes Kelly Grevers of AW@L.
While opposition to the G20 agenda of militarism and austerity measures for social programs continues to grow, the legal struggle of those charged with conspiracy and other offences is just beginning. A number of AW@L members are facing conspiracy charges, and were held at length following their pre-emptive arrests during the G20 summit. Alex Hundert and Leah Henderson had their bail release appealed by the crown, and though this appeal was rejected by a judge on September 13th, the crown still intends to try to restrict their conditions, furthering their pre-trial punishment. AW@L member Erik Lankin was incarcerated for 10 weeks before finally being granted bail under tight restrictions. He was the final AW@L member to be released on bail; others were released earlier on varying conditions.
The crown has made it clear that those working for Indigenous sovereignty, migrant and ecological justice, or economic equality, are perceived as a threat to the state and will be targeted accordingly. As the AW@L statement points out: “[The corporatocracy is] scared of community justice and cooperation, peace and anarchy, and they mock the justice system and molest the Canadian Charter while attempting to discredit, disempower, and imprison community members.”
To Read AW@L’s complete statement on G20 policing visit: http://peaceculture.org/drupal/g20statement
For information on the speaking event visit: http://peaceculture.org/drupal/node/653
About the poster
Dan Kellar (Dan Kellar)
Kitchener
Member since July 2009
675 words
The site for the Toronto local of The Media Co-op has been archived and will no longer be updated. Please visit the main Media Co-op website to learn more about the organization.