A photo Journalist describes his experience following the black block as they rampage through the streets of Toronto during the G20 Summit. 20,000 police and security officials and a $1 billion security budget were not enough to stop 75-100 black block anarchists from smashing windows and torching police cars during a 1.5 hour rampage. The Black Block were able to rampage through the street for 24 blocks until they reached the ‘official protest zone’ where they quickly changed clothes dispersed through the crowd of peaceful protesters and then left the site. The police were fully aware of the rampage and watched the black block from a distance at a number of locations. It wasn’t until they had dispersed into a crowd of peaceful protesters who thought that they were in a sanctioned area that the police took action beating innocent people with batons and spraying them with pepper spray. Why was this allowed to happen? Police abandoned police cars at Bay and King when they didn’t need to, why? Was this allowed to happen so the Harper government could justify an outrageous security bill when there was no credible terrorist threat (according to CSIS [Canadian Security Intelligence Service — Ed.])? Who led this group of vandals? Were they infiltrated by government paid provocateurs as was the case in Montebello where police with masks and rocks attacked their own riot squad?
Who Are the Black Bloc?
G20: Toronto Black Block Get Green Light to Rampage?
5 comments on this article so far ...
Don Hawkins said on June 29th, 2010 at 8:18am #
I smell a rat a very clever rat indeed.
diane said on June 29th, 2010 at 2:45pm #
oh how I mourn the demise of an eclectic education
Anatole France wrote a book over 130 years ago called Penguin Island, which pretty much foresaw the activities of the black block anarchists. I find this petty bourgoise crying about peaceful demonstrators a bit much, who made them the boss of the wash.
Yes there are probably government agents among them, but I feel they are also representative of a social movement of the left, and should be equally acknowledged.
You cant make a cake without breaking eggs, and you cant have a revolutionary movement that only reflects middle class values.
Dianeobserving said on June 30th, 2010 at 8:31am #
Not so clever rats… if you want additional eyewitness reports and rational commentary from long-time Canadian activists and journalists on this, try http://www.straightgoods.com.
It’s a connected, recorded world out there, sorry Stevie, ya can’t control what everyone sees all the time. Like your black-clad cops roughing up young woman trying to quietly walk “the wrong way” down her neighbourhood street. or the older gent wearing a blue jogging outfit out for a walk in his local park forced along in front of “the line”. Like all bullies, you’re REAL tough in large numbers…
Apparently the police abandoned those cars, open, with gear in plain sight. What did they THINK would happen? Or more likely, what had been arranged to happen?
Watching “the chase” live on on CBC myself, it was remarkable how many riot-gear clad police officers seemed to require frequent rests and attention from paramedics. As in, the officers who signed up for this duty may not have realized they would be sent out to pointlessly herd ‘protesters and anarchists’ all over Toronto in the humid heat of a Southern Ontario summer. But obviously Harper, who lives in an air-conditioned bubble while in Ottawa and comes from dry-heat Calgary wouldn’t think to consider how stupid it is to challenge Canadian elements, hot or cold.
This was obviously a military-style “exercise” in urban crowd control tactics. Hope it was worth CDN$1billion. I’ve lived in urban Southern Ontario all my 50+ years, but only in the last decade have I seen so many overt attempts get Ontario citizens accustomed to full-gear/arms combat and riot squads in their midst as “normal”. All that’s missing is goose-stepping parades and making the “papers please” roadblocks everyday fixtures.
Strangely, I feel less and less “secure” at the increasing presence and out-of-control behaviour of such militarized goons. These are the same cops who hand out speeding tickets in Dog River (fictional place, but you get my drift) … give them riot gear and orders to push anyone and everyone as commanded? Bad plan long term. Right now, the peaceful activists hold sway, but keep cracking innocent heads and that may change.
Don Hawkins said on June 30th, 2010 at 8:59am #
Who led this group of vandals? Were they infiltrated by government paid provocateurs — as was the case in Montebello where police with masks and rocks attacked their own riot squad?
The oldest trick in the book and where do you learn such things? Think on the job training it starts at the top and trickles down. Oh a rising tide raises all boats and in twenty twenty some Countries and in twenty thirty more Countries. Oh climate change is a hoax Glenn Beck said so on Fox New’s the fair and balanced channel here in the States last night remember the e-mails with masks and rocks attacked their own riot squad and the tea party here in the States that’s kind of what they do they just don’t know that. Yes they attack themselves as a few do what? Such clever little rat’s the few.
observing said on June 30th, 2010 at 10:05am #
Don’t be looking for any real info about provocateurs and “tactics” from the gov’t or police. On the plus side, most of my friends and neighbours seem to “get it” that the G20/8 and its “security” was Little Prince Stevie showing off for his politico-corporate buddies. On the taxpayer dime.
Harper has long been the most controlling and secretive PM Canada has ever seen. At the behest of Canadian and US-based military/corporatists he is increasingly consolidating all political/legislative power within the Prime Minister’s Office and the Big Two party structures. Sound familiar? It should.
So soon Canadians get to “choose” between Harper (a wanna-be US citizen Republican) and Ignatief (a silver-spoon de facto US citizen supported by Republicans).
Either will spend billions of Canadian tax dollars to ensure security and financial growth for the political/corporate elite. At the expanse of the rest of us and our civil, legal rights. Just like in the US…
Ya, the world hates the US “because of your freedoms”… Newsflash… the ROTW hates the US because its primary exports are death, destruction, impoverishment and exploitation.
What’s a few torched police cars, plus beaten up young women and old men between international “progress” partners?