Canadians left scratching heads post G20
By John Liedtke
Lance Writer
July 13, 2010
 Tens of thousands demonstrated at the G20 summit where world leaders met to discuss the economic prospects for the coming year. Many interests were represented in the protests, ranging from socialists and feminists, to environmentalists and intellectuals alike.
The conference, which was heralded by the leaders as an overwhelming success, is being questioned by an overwhelming amount of Canadians.
Although the conference arguably places Toronto on the global map, the opposing view is that the $1 billion used for security was unnecessary considering the Pittsburgh conference in 2009 had an official price tag of only $18 million in security, and Seoul’s, which is set for 2011, has been established below the 2010 Toronto summit costs.
The peaceful protest quickly turned violent when two police vehicles were abandoned and then vandalized. The rubber bullets that were fired into protestors at Queens Park, the presence of tear gas equipped grenade launchers and LRADs (Long Range Acoustic Devices) caused people to question the expectations of the police.
The 1939 Public Works Act was amended by five members of Ontario Legislature, granting the Police overreaching power. This allowed authorities to arrest, search, seize, fine or detain any persons police felt intervention was necessary.
The law, which came into effect the day before the summit, and expired the day after, will not be recorded in the law books until mid-July, weeks after the summit.
Toronto Police Chief Blair explained that there were fliers posted around Toronto to inform local citizens of the law. Moreover, there is still debate over whether or not the law in fact was passed, existed, or justified.
Many believe that these events are not, and will never be free from rioting tactics. Thus, the question of whether or not they are indeed a benefit to the hosting nation arises. If rioting and destruction can be anticipated, the claim that these events should not be held in major urban centres seems justified.
Shane Gelinas, independent photographer, followed the Black Bloc group, a protesting tactic of wearing black attire in order to hide their identities while causing destruction for explicit purposes.
He found that only large corporate entities were targeted, "the only exception to the corporate destruction were three independent stores," stated Gelinas, "which the Bloc felt justified in targeting." These stores included Zanzibar, a strip club, a jewellery Store and a leather store.
He added that it was not ‘mass-panic, or hysteria’, but rather organized tactics designed to protect the safety of police and protesters involved.
Rather than causing riots and needless destruction, self-policing was seen within the Bloc.
A group of peaceful protesters, the Bike Bloc, protested at the Detention Centre (Toronto Film Studios). The bikers initially created a blockade which temporarily stalled police traffic. "The police were stopping and searching everybody, everywhere. Our 'Rule of Law' was lost somewhere along Bay and King that day," commented one biker out of hundreds. "[The police] were recording names, addresses, just about any information they could and informing us that if we were caught again, we’d be tried as the organizers."
Another member of the bike block stated that some police claimed the bike blockers were members of the Black Bloc.
Many speculate that some of the violence was instigated by police inaction to violent protesting, including the idea that police cars were left burning as an enticement for further rioting.
It was proven that at the Montebello conference in 2007, the Quebec provincial police sent in agent provocateurs, police dressed as Black Bloc protesters to incite a riot.
The events that took place during the summit have been made public by the hundreds of eyewitnesses who captured the protest first hand via video. A search of ‘police’, ‘abuse’, ‘Toronto’, and ‘G20’ will yield hundreds of results.
These results range from videos of police rushing a group of roughly 100 peaceful protestors after singing the Canadian national anthem in the street, to a York Regional Police officer explaining to a student who refused to submit to a full search of himself and his belongings that "this ain't Canada right now. This is G20 land, and there are no civil rights here."
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