Joint lawsuit planned for G20 arrestees

Joint lawsuit planned for G20 arrestees - thestar.com
Overwhelmed with calls, Civil Liberties Association is working on suing police forces.
...

More than 1,000 arrests were made relating to the G20 summit and
multiple reports have emerged alleging peaceful demonstrators or even
bystanders were caught up in the mass arrests — most notably, at the
Esplanade’s Novotel Hotel on Saturday, where demonstrators tried to
stage a sit-in, or at Queen St. and Spadina Ave., where a large crowd
was boxed in and detained for several hours in the rain.

All arrests this weekend were made under the criminal code and not
the Public Works Protection Act, according to the province.
...
More calls for a public inquiry

Blair has announced an internal police review, but there are growing
demands for a public inquiry, with the Public Service Alliance of
Canada, Greenpeace and 121 signatories from the York University faculty
recently joining the chorus of voices asking for an independent probe.
The Criminal Lawyers’ Association is also calling for an independent
fact-finder to probe the circumstances surrounding the G20 arrests and
NDP critic Don Davies (Vancouver Kingsway) has requested the House of
Commons public safety committee be recalled to study issues surrounding
summit security.
...

Of 1,090 people detained over the G20 period, 714 were charged with
“breaching the peace” and taken into custody, according to police
spokesperson Const. Tony Vella. All were eventually released
unconditionally. (Some 113 were released at the scene of the arrest with
no charge.)

According to section 31 of the criminal code, officers can arrest
anyone found to be “committing the breach of the peace or who, on
reasonable grounds, he believes is about to join in or renew the breach
of peace.”

But according to criminal lawyer Paul Calarco, there is “no
legitimate basis” for many of this weekend’s arrests.

“Wearing a black t-shirt is not any basis for saying reasonable

grounds (for arrest),” he argued. As for arresting peaceful
demonstrators en masse, “that is not a proper use of Section 31. That is
an intimidation tactic,” he said.

“Standing on the sidewalk and exercising your constitutional rights

is not a breach of the peace.”

A further 263 of those arrested were charged with criminal offences

— some because they had pocket knives or similar common items in their
backpacks — and were sent for bail hearings.

Some people who were arrested will probably argue their Charter

rights were violated, said Jonathan Dawe, criminal lawyer with Sack
Goldblatt Mitchell. He pointed to reports of people being denied their
right to legal counsel or to not be arbitrarily arrested or detained.

“I can’t imagine how (police) could not have known that what they
were doing is unlawful,” Dawe said. “I’m shocked at what seems to have
been a wholesale decision on the part of the police to abandon the
Charter.”

More commentary:
Impolitical: G20 Lawsuits on the way

News of the Restless: Authoritarians: Canada haz 'em

G20 Toronto - Demand for Public Inquiry Continues to Grow

Amnesty International, The Canadian Civil Liberties Association and the NDP, Liberals and Bloc, and members of the ever-growing Facebook group Canadians Demanding a Public Inquiry Into Toronto G20 (currently at 27,000+ members), CUPE, The Canadian Labour Congress, and many others are calling for a public inquiry into the actions and inactions of the police and other security and rights issues during the G20 weekend in downtown Toronto.

UPDATE: Joints lawsuit planned for G20 arrestees - Toronto Star
Blair has announced an internal police review, but there are growing demands for a public inquiry, with the Public Service Alliance of Canada, Greenpeace and 121 signatories from the York University faculty recently joining the chorus of voices asking for an independent probe. The Criminal Lawyers’ Association is also calling for an independent fact-finder to probe the circumstances surrounding the G20 arrests and NDP critic Don Davies (Vancouver Kingsway) has requested the House of Commons public safety committee be recalled to study issues surrounding summit security.


The CCLA has a petition you can sign that they will be sending to the provincial and federal governments to ask for a public inquiry.

Canadians Advocating Political Participation (CAPP) Demands Public Inquiry.

There is a rally in Toronto at Queen's Park, Thursday July 1, 2001 at 5:30pm to call for a public inquiry. Facebook group for the rally at this link.

On July 17th from 1-3pm, there will be nation-wide rallies to call for a public inquiry as well as to let government know that we will stand up for our rights. Facebook link: G20 Protest: Defend Your Rights.

G20 Toronto Protests - Sunday June 27, 2010 - Mid Afternoon Update

12:48pm - police break up protest outside the Eastern Ave detention centre with batons and rubber bullets and tear gas.

Just after 1pm a bicycle rally began to gather at Spadina and Bloor

1:17pm - police are at the downtown bus terminal asking to see the ID of some of the young people leaving Toronto.

Prayer vigil at Church and King. People sitting peacefully and handing out prayers. They plan to march to the security perimeter fence on Wellington and sit and pray. So far the group is about 150 people.

By 1:20pm the bike rally at Spadina and Bloor has grown from about 50 cyclists to about 400. The bike rally heads through U of T campus.

from the Toronto Star blog:
1:53 p.m Civil Liberties group says rights violated

The Canadian Civil Liberties Association says it is concerned about the conditions of detention of those arrested in this weekend's G20 demonstrations.

Many people are being denied access to lawyers, they are unable to contact their families and the organization has heard that there are no plans for prompt release, the CCLA says.

Toronto police do not appear to be making serious attempts to provide access to lawyers or information, the group says, branding this as a serious violation of basic rights of hundreds of people.

The CCLA also questions whether the policing is proportionate to the threat.

2:16 p.m. Amnesty International wants independent inquiry

Amnesty International is asking the Canadian and Ontario governments to launch an independent review of the security measures for the G8 and G20 summits.

The international human rights groups wants the review to look at the impact of security measures, including decisions about the locations for the summits and the protection of human rights, including freedom of expression and assembly.

They also want a review of how police operations and the use of legal provisions under the Public Works Protection Act have affected the rights of thousands of people living, working and operating businesses within and near the G20 security zone.

2:58pm - Prayer group now stopped at King and Bay. All peaceful. The police are giving them space.

More from the Toronto Star blog:

2:37 p.m. Getting used to police searches

About 15 police officers stationed at the southwest corner of Queen and Bay Sts. are stopping and searching males with backpacks.

For Caleb Eisen of Welland, who is here visiting a friend, this afternoon's search was his third this weekend.

The 16-year-old says he was nervous the first time but is now used to it, and even laughed and joked with police as they went through his belongings.

He's visiting friend Samuel Ng, 19, of Toronto. Another friend, 18-year-old Marshall Biller of Fort Erie, has also been searched three times this weekend.

The trio say they haven't been involved in any protests.

Sources:
http://torontoist.com/2010/06/live_g20_sunday.php#1129AM-27

http://thestar.blogs.com/g20/