Over 100 people rallied at Grand Parade in Halifax to demand a public inquiry into the force used on the public by police during the G20 Summit in Toronto, as part of a pan-Canadian day of action in defense of civil liberties. Protesters gathered to share their stories and experiences of the G20 protests in Toronto and to show solidarity for those in jail.
“Initially, in the mass media there was a great deal of focus on the property damage that a small group of protestors engaged in. But, this is drastically different from the cruel unprovoked, violent abuse that police perpetrated against protesters and passer-bys throughout the weekend,” Mary Burnet, who travelled to Toronto for the summit, told the crowd. “We need to transform the public spectacle of police oppression and violence in Toronto during the G20 ...and demand a public inquiry into security costs and police tactics.”
“I watched police strike people in the head with batons, they were ushered away bleeding profusely from their heads. People were trampled by horse, people were pepper sprayed and medics were not allowed into places where people were injured and medics were routinely searched and had their medical supplies confiscated,” she continued as people yelled “shame” in protest.
Burnet also described accounts of racist, homophobic and sexist acts towards women perpetrated by police during the G20.
“Queer men were told to act straight and queer woman had their genders mocked. They were told they just need to be fucked by police,” she said. “Women were strip searched by male officers and internally searched by male officers. That’s sexual assault.”
She continued as the screaming of “shame” got louder.
“A friend of mine who was held for 19 hours demanded water and was told to drink out of the portable toilet,” she said. People were given as little as an ounce of water every 12 hours said Burnet.
Some protesters expressed concerns about how the recent display of police repression in Toronto will carry over into other political demonstrations.
“I think that it is incredibly scary what’s happened because this time it’s for the G20 but clearly if the government thinks that [this is okay] it could be enacted for other protests as well and other events,” said Rebeeca Rose, Maritimes Organiser with the Canadian Federation of Students, which helped to organize the 25 000 person “Public First” protest during the G20.
Angela Giles, the Atlantic Regional Organizer of the Council of Canadians agrees.
“We need to hold accountable our politicians, our elected officials, who allowed this to happen,” she said as the crowd broke out in the chant, “ Hey hey! Ho ho! Stephen Harper has got to go!”
After four speakers, the crowd of protesters marched to the police station in recognition of fighting a police state. Protesters carried signs some saying “True North Strong and Arrested without Reason, Locked in Cages, Threatened with Rape, Hit, Kicked, beat. I want MY Canada Back!!” and “Defend the Rights of All.”
T-shirts and cloth patches were sold at the rally to raise funds for those still in prison. Saturday morning, organisers learned that five protesters were released from prison, but 12 were still in jail in Milton, ON, just outside of Toronto.
What the leader decided on during the G20 “no one knows” said Jane Kirby, Resource Coordinator at the Nova Scotia Public Interest Group and a member No One is Illegal Halifax, but she says she’s sure they, “exasperate all the things we were protesting on the streets,” and that what matters most is, “we need to show that people can not be silenced.”
