Observations from Judy Rebick, a national treasure, on the odd circumstances behind the burning police cars last night and Steve Paikin, that lovely gent from TVO, witnesses a police assault on a Guardian UK reporter.
“I applaud Police Chief Bill Blair and his entire staff for their tireless efforts to restore order to a city that has been cast under a dark cloud because of a small group of thugs that feel they can impose their will on us with destruction and chaos, and I am especially surprised to see the number of women involved in these demonstrations.”
Now that is just adorable. - L.M. 6-27-2010 8:36 pm
The NY Times have finally picked up on the story.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/28/world/americas/28security.html?hp
- joester (guest) 6-27-2010 11:50 pm
- L.M. 6-28-2010 2:58 am
Actually that one is kind of funny. - L.M. 6-28-2010 3:04 am
Man am I tired from all this protesting. I think maybe I'll just sit down for a minute and rest my weary feet ... bad idea bad idea! - joester (guest) 6-28-2010 4:37 am
I felt bad being out of town this weekend. Watched a lot of CP24 and followed the #G20 twitter posts. That was a good way to get the media story and on-the-ground stories. Yesterday seemed pretty bad. I think there are a lot of traumatized people today.
As TV-theater it's been riveting. I like this piece in the Star about the script.
Some good equal opportunity hate-on over the whole thing, not too far from a lot of points that enraged me.
- L.M. 6-29-2010 4:39 am
That Chris Bird article has some good solid analysis. And it brings up my main point of disagreement with Steve Paikin, which is where he says that it's really important to distinguish between the protesters using Black Bloc tactics and the "middle class" demonstrators exercising their right to peaceful assembly. I don't think reinforcing that distinction is actually very useful.
Why did Harper stage his summit in downtown Toronto? I think the answer is pretty clear — to make an impressive show of force. The overall protest message back to G20 leaders is: "you don't actually control people as much as you might like."
The cops are doing the job assigned to them by the political powers — their role is highly symbolic, as are the roles of protesters, including those marching in the streets, those destructing property, and those who just come out to gawk. It's all theatrics, except, of course, with immediately painful consequences for many of the people involved.
People talk about it being "sad" but I don't see it that way. What would have been sad would've been if thousands of people took to the streets to cheer the G20 and get a glimpse of Steven Harper. I believe in democratic government, and you need dissent for democracy to work.
Bird says, "Change comes in one of two ways: either by long-term peaceful demonstration or by a lot of really violent action. The protest movement isn't disciplined enough to manage option one, and our violent protesters still aren't violent enough for option two." I say thank goodness the middle class in Canada isn't suffering to the extent that option two is viable here! But he's wrong about option one. First of all, there are tons of groups organising peacefully and engaging in long term negotiations for change. Secondly, demonstrations are not where that change happens, nor where the nuanced articulations of political positioning take place. Demonstrations are simply symbolic representations of dissent. Furthermore, while Canada is by and large an excellent place to live, there is suffering among the poor and marginalized, make no mistake, and that's why some protest organizers (not everyone) adopt a policy of solidarity when all the various factions come together to make a grand gesture of resistance to a big show of force. - sally mckay 6-29-2010 5:21 pm
Another thing I find not sad about this event is the use of social media. (major cudos to Paikin and Torontoist and everyone else who tweeted on-the-ground updates!) That means that the power dynamics and ethical chaos at play in the conflict are much more broadly transparent than they have been in the past. - sally mckay 6-29-2010 6:26 pm
This is the sad bit, although I don't think of it as sad so much as scary. Quote from the Canadian Civil Liberties Association preliminary report:
Constitutional guarantees matter because, as is often said, without them, “even the most democratic society could all too easily fall prey to the abuses and excesses of a police state.”
[...]
Over the next 36 hours, over 900 people (possibly close to 1000) were arrested by police – the largest mass-arrest in Canadian history. Media, human rights monitors, protestors and passers-by were scooped up off the streets. Detained people were not allowed to speak to a lawyer or to their families. Arbitrary searches occurred in countless locations across the city, in many instances several kilometers from the G20 summit site. Peaceful protests were violently dispersed and force was used. In an effort to locate and disable 100-150 vandals, the police disregarded the constitutional rights of thousands.
- sally mckay 6-30-2010 2:14 pm
I was in the rally in New york a few years back when the GOP had their convention at Madison Square Garden. The same rules applied: there were protesters and riot police and provocateurs and shit disturbers, everyone was playing their role. Yet even in playing my role I was really excited and proud to be doing it - way more than I thought I would be going in.
I agree that the denial of constitutional rights is a big deal, and it makes me extra conscious of how much further it can and does go. Being held for a day in uncomfortable conditions without access to a lawyer is shitty, but nothing compared to what Canadian and US troops are doing overseas. I'd want to steer the outrage towards all abuse, not just those perpetrated on "middle class" protesters. - joester (guest) 6-30-2010 6:31 pm
Observations from Judy Rebick, a national treasure, on the odd circumstances behind the burning police cars last night and Steve Paikin, that lovely gent from TVO, witnesses a police assault on a Guardian UK reporter.
Have we gotten our billion dollars worth yet?
- L.M. 6-27-2010 7:22 pm
From Mayoral candidate Giorgio Mammoliti :
Now that is just adorable.- L.M. 6-27-2010 8:36 pm
The NY Times have finally picked up on the story.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/28/world/americas/28security.html?hp
- joester (guest) 6-27-2010 11:50 pm
- L.M. 6-28-2010 2:58 am
Actually that one is kind of funny.
- L.M. 6-28-2010 3:04 am
Man am I tired from all this protesting. I think maybe I'll just sit down for a minute and rest my weary feet ... bad idea bad idea!
- joester (guest) 6-28-2010 4:37 am
I felt bad being out of town this weekend. Watched a lot of CP24 and followed the #G20 twitter posts. That was a good way to get the media story and on-the-ground stories. Yesterday seemed pretty bad. I think there are a lot of traumatized people today. As TV-theater it's been riveting. I like this piece in the Star about the script.
- sally mckay 6-28-2010 6:02 pm
An interview with Steve Paikin:
- L.M. 6-28-2010 6:23 pm
Jesse Rosenfeld and Naomi Klein.
- sally mckay 6-28-2010 8:48 pm
Some good equal opportunity hate-on over the whole thing, not too far from a lot of points that enraged me.
- L.M. 6-29-2010 4:39 am
That Chris Bird article has some good solid analysis. And it brings up my main point of disagreement with Steve Paikin, which is where he says that it's really important to distinguish between the protesters using Black Bloc tactics and the "middle class" demonstrators exercising their right to peaceful assembly. I don't think reinforcing that distinction is actually very useful.
Why did Harper stage his summit in downtown Toronto? I think the answer is pretty clear — to make an impressive show of force. The overall protest message back to G20 leaders is: "you don't actually control people as much as you might like."
The cops are doing the job assigned to them by the political powers — their role is highly symbolic, as are the roles of protesters, including those marching in the streets, those destructing property, and those who just come out to gawk. It's all theatrics, except, of course, with immediately painful consequences for many of the people involved.
People talk about it being "sad" but I don't see it that way. What would have been sad would've been if thousands of people took to the streets to cheer the G20 and get a glimpse of Steven Harper. I believe in democratic government, and you need dissent for democracy to work.
Bird says, "Change comes in one of two ways: either by long-term peaceful demonstration or by a lot of really violent action. The protest movement isn't disciplined enough to manage option one, and our violent protesters still aren't violent enough for option two." I say thank goodness the middle class in Canada isn't suffering to the extent that option two is viable here! But he's wrong about option one. First of all, there are tons of groups organising peacefully and engaging in long term negotiations for change. Secondly, demonstrations are not where that change happens, nor where the nuanced articulations of political positioning take place. Demonstrations are simply symbolic representations of dissent. Furthermore, while Canada is by and large an excellent place to live, there is suffering among the poor and marginalized, make no mistake, and that's why some protest organizers (not everyone) adopt a policy of solidarity when all the various factions come together to make a grand gesture of resistance to a big show of force.
- sally mckay 6-29-2010 5:21 pm
Another thing I find not sad about this event is the use of social media. (major cudos to Paikin and Torontoist and everyone else who tweeted on-the-ground updates!) That means that the power dynamics and ethical chaos at play in the conflict are much more broadly transparent than they have been in the past.
- sally mckay 6-29-2010 6:26 pm
This is the sad bit, although I don't think of it as sad so much as scary. Quote from the Canadian Civil Liberties Association preliminary report:
- sally mckay 6-30-2010 2:14 pm
I was in the rally in New york a few years back when the GOP had their convention at Madison Square Garden. The same rules applied: there were protesters and riot police and provocateurs and shit disturbers, everyone was playing their role. Yet even in playing my role I was really excited and proud to be doing it - way more than I thought I would be going in.
I agree that the denial of constitutional rights is a big deal, and it makes me extra conscious of how much further it can and does go. Being held for a day in uncomfortable conditions without access to a lawyer is shitty, but nothing compared to what Canadian and US troops are doing overseas. I'd want to steer the outrage towards all abuse, not just those perpetrated on "middle class" protesters.
- joester (guest) 6-30-2010 6:31 pm