Rally to support GSA's in Catholic Schools! Please come.

Queens Park G20 Demonstration

Yesterday was the Mass Demonstration Calling for an Inquiry to the G20 Summit at Queens Park in Toronto.  I attended along with some members of the Green Party of Ontario from Toronto Centre. The turn out was pretty good with about 150 people attending. Here are some pictures I took, and some of the news items about the event.

I was asked by the makers of this film to make a comment for a follow up they are working on. All in all it was a success and hopefully an inquiry will be called soon.

The Toronto Sun Story

http://underoccupation.com/g20/

Mass Demonstration Calling for Public Inquiry into G20 Summit

The following is from the Facebook event page for this event. I have added links, images and made minor grammatical changes. 

Please attend this event if you are able to.

WE "THE PEOPLE" DEMAND JUSTICE & ACCOUNTABILITY

WE DEMAND A PUBLIC INQUIRY

The police and governments of Toronto, Ontario and Canada, have now proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that they THINK they can literally round up hundreds of citizens, gathered together to exercise their Charter rights to protest, for no real, legal or discernible reason-AND THAT WE THE PEOPLE OF TORONTO, ONTARIANS AND CANADIANS WILL SIMPLY STAND IDLY BY

Suspension of civil liberties

------Just snatch and grab them off the streets, and thrown them in a cage, in many cases without access to legal counsel and in a few cases after being threatened or physically harmed by the police services.

The arrested citizen then has to bear the cost of trying to defend themselves. If the police acted illegally where is the accountability? 

The citizens of this city again have to bear the cost of trying to prove that, and the public pays the damages. Not one single person in government or the police agencies has been held accountable. So in fact, the police are totally and utterly unaccountable. 

The bureaucrats who made the decision to round up peaceful protesters, or just people walking down the street, are unaccountable. 

The politicians are also unaccountable, as apparently they have veto power over investigating themselves and apparently don't even have the guts to conduct any kind of investigation, instead some semblance of an investigation has to be conducted by the Ombudsman. 

Who the hell is accountable? 

So WE THE PEOPLE if the police can illegally detain Canadians without any kind of accountability or oversight, how is this (in any functional way for the citizen) any different from a police state? 

Arbitrary arrests and detentions on the basis of secret laws that nobody knew about, with no accountability.  

That is the very definition of a POLICE STATE. WE THE PEOPLE are still absolutely appalled by what we saw on that weekend and shaken to the core by the hundreds of examples of police brutality that we witnessed and experienced and utterly disgusted by the silence and sheep like acquiescence from the people who are supposed to be representing all of us in Toronto and Ottawa. 

January 8, 2011

Queens Park -Toronto, Ontario

2:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Please attend and please bring your video camera to help protect the demonstrators.

As we have seen the police are free to do as they like without repercussion unless they are caught red handed.

As we have seen last summer in Toronto it is unsafe to freely protest

even though this is our CHARTER RIGHT!

R.O.A.R. Makes Noise at Queen's Park

R.O.A.R. - Reform Ontario Animal Rights organized a protest at Queen's Park today to demand the Ontario government change the legislation governing the OSPCA (Ontario Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals).

On May 10, 2010 the OSPCA indefinitely shut the doors to its Newmarket head office and shelter due to a virulent strain of ringworm. All 350 animals in the shelter except the turtles would be euthanized. Due to public protest the mass killing was stopped but not before 102 animals were put down.

Green Party Calls for Public Inquiry

The Green Party of Canada is calling for a public inquiry into the planning, security, and police conduct at the G8 and G20 meetings this past weekend.

Today, Green Leader Elizabeth May issued the following statement:

While all Canadians are aware that an invitation to world leaders requires of the host country a meaningful and effective level of security, the costs involved and the chaos on the streets of Toronto raise issues that deserve an impartial public response.  There is no question that, for the most part, the Toronto police displayed restraint.  Where we wish to raise questions, they are focused at the top of the chain of command and much less with individual officers. We cannot allow civil liberties in Canada to be further eroded.  

G20 Gay Youth Protester Recounts Homophobic Toronto Police

Elizabeth May at Ottawa Rally Against Prorogation

Thousands Of Canadians Rally for Democracy!

This video posted on Rabble.ca shows some of the thousands of protesters who came out today at Yonge Dundas square in downtown Toronto to let Stephen Harper know they are not please with prorogation of parliament.

I'm was there with several friends, Green Party members, supporters and Green Party Toronto Centre candidate Stefan Premdas.  More pictures coming soon.

If you haven't already joined the Facebook group please do so. This is NOT over! I saw Harper on the new tonight essentially ignoring us and commenting that the opposition should find something constructive to do. This is your Prime Minister people, and his attitude it one of entitlement and condescension towards the voting public. That is YOU!

DO NOT allow this arrogant pig to take away your rights and freedoms. DEMAND that parliament be treated with the respect it deserves!

I will be uploading my own pictures from the rally soon.

Rally & March For Democracy

Anti-Olympic protests force 2010 torch relay to divert in Victoria

Protesters agitating for years against the 2010 Olympics took their first chance to disrupt Games planning Friday and forced a diversion of the torch relay just before the Olympic flame was to be triumphantly presented at a community celebration wrapping up its first day on Canadian soil.

Several hundred anti-Olympic activists, angry that billions are being spent on the Olympics instead of housing and health care, blocked Victoria city streets for hours.

Full Story

Way to go protesters, you all deserve medals!

Iran's Revolutionary Guard threatens to crush any further opposition protests

Iran's Revolutionary Guard is threatening to crush any further opposition protests over the disputed presidential election and warns demonstrators to prepare for a "revolutionary confrontation" if they take to the streets again.

The country's most powerful military force ordered demonstrators to "end the sabotage and rioting activities" and said their resistance is a "conspiracy" against Iran.

A statement posted Monday on the Guard's Web site warned protesters to "be prepared for a resolution and revolutionary confrontation with the Guards, Basij and other security forces and disciplinary forces."

Opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi vowed Sunday night to keep up the protests, charging the June 12 election was a fraud.

Source: CP24.com

This photograph is one of mine from the Toronto rally on Sunday. Click on the image to view full size.

MIXED WEEKEND FOR LGBT MARCHES

The first ever Baltic Pride march in Riga, Latvia passed off successfully and peacefully on Saturday - but there was violence at similar events in Russia and Poland.
A colourful collection of LGBT rights activists, joined by Amnesty International members from across Europe, carried rainbow flags and banners at the inaugural Baltic Pride event in Riga.

Full Story

Tamil Protestors

 

Click to view full size.

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Terrorist Group Marches Downtown, Again

Since we were having such lovely weather this Mothers Day, a friend and I went for a long walk along the waterfront this afternoon. As we headed back to our corner of the city we met up with another group of Tamils representing the terrorist group LTTE.  Actually I am only assuming that they represent the LTTE, but that is based on the fact that they are waving the flags. The LTTE is considered a terrorist group by the Canada and 31 other countries, and I for one think it is about time we stopped letting these people take over our streets.  For more information about the group please see the information from Wikipedia below.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (Tamil: தமிழீழவிடுதலைப்புலிகள், ISO 15919: tamiḻ iiḻa viṭutalaip pulikaḷ; commonly known as the LTTE or the Tamil Tigers) is a militant organization based in northern Sri Lanka. Founded in 1976, it has since actively waged a secessionist campaign that seeks to create an independent Tamil state in the north and east of Sri Lanka.^[2] This campaign has evolved into the Sri Lankan Civil War, one of the longest running armed conflicts in Asia. Since its formation, the LTTE has been headed by its founder, Velupillai Prabhakaran. The Tamil Tigers are currently proscribed as a terrorist organization by 32 countries (see list of countries).  

Source: Wikipedia

Toronto police to probe whether Tamil protest flags broke law

Toronto police are looking into whether flags carried as part of a protest by members of Toronto's Tamil community this week violated Canada's anti-terrorism laws.

Thousands of Toronto Tamils formed a human chain on Monday around the downtown core to call attention to the civil war in Sri Lanka and call for Canada to pressure the Sri Lankan government to engage Tamil rebels in ceasefire talks.

During the protest, an untold number of men, women and children of all ages waved the red flags of the Tamil Tigers, the militant group that has led the fight for an independent Tamil nation in the north of the South Asian island.

Source: CBC News

Toronto Tamil Protest

Thousands of people from Toronto's Tamil community have gathered downtown to form a human chain through the core of the city to protest the civil war in Sri Lanka.

The protesters are forming a human chain that will start on Front Street, go up Yonge Street to Bloor Street, and head west down Bloor to University Avenue, where it will turn south back to Front.

The protest is meant to draw attention to the attacks by the Sri Lankan military on Tamils in that country's bloody civil war.

Full Story at CTV News

Photos copyright: markdaye photography