Author Topic: Ban summit agents provocateurs  (Read 3495 times)

nestopwar

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Ban summit agents provocateurs
« on: June 19, 2010, 09:44:33 AM »
Ban summit agents provocateurs:
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Last Updated: Friday, June 18, 2010


By Amber Hildebrandt, CBC News
An organizer of the People's Summit, described as a counter summit to the
G8 and G20, is urging officials not to use agents provacateurs during the
summits. (CBC)

Activists and labour organizations are calling for Prime Minister Stephen
Harper to rule out the use of agents provocateurs during the G8 and G20
summits.


Pointing to the 2007 Montebello summit of North American leaders, where
Quebec police admitted that three of their officers disguised themselves
as demonstrators during protests, the People's Summit urged officials to
prohibit any attempt to incite violence to justify what they dubbed a
"billion-dollar boondoggle."


Quebec police denied allegations they used the officers to instigate
violence at Montebello.


"The state is, in fact, doing criminal activity if they don't rule out agents
provocateurs," Christine Jones, co-chair of the Canadian Peace Alliance,
said at the launch of the People's Summit on Friday morning.


Controversy over the use of agents provocateurs came to a head Friday
after labour leader Sid Ryan was quoted as saying earlier this week police
might try to incite violence during the G20 protests to justify the security
costs.


The president of the Ontario Federation of Labour refused to step down,
sending out a press release saying his concerns were far from
groundless.


"I am very concerned that there could be political pressure from the
federal Conservative government to use police to provoke a situation that
will lead to arrests ? purely to justify the enormous security costs of the
G20 summit," Ryan said. "And frankly, that should be a concern for the
police union as well."


The Toronto Police Association's union head, Mike McCormack, was swift
to condemn the remarks as "idiotic, irresponsible and inflammatory," and
called on Ryan to resign for defaming the police.


Both the Ontario Federal of Labour and the Council of Canadians are
calling on the prime minister and the Integrated Security Unit, responsible
for security at the summit, to promise not to use agents provocateurs.


But when asked about whether the activist organizations would condemn
violent protest tactics themselves, the People's Summit organizers
wavered.


The People's Summit ? self-described as a counter-conference to the G8
and G20 ? is bringing together an estimated 1,000 activists for a weekend
of workshops and seminars on issues and protest tactics.


"We are encouraging people to participate peacefully in the protests,"
said Marya Folinsbee, co-ordinator of the People's Summit, but she
refused to condemn violent acts by protesters.


She described the workshops as a "space to get educated and agitated
about social justice."


Topics covered by the weekend workshops, to be held at Ryerson
University, include knowing your legal rights in a demonstration,
do-it-yourself radical street bands and a look at various protest tactics.