The G20 Conspiracy

During the G20 meetings, events in Toronto were seen around the world. While the police accuse anarchists of conspiracy to create chaos, the true conspiracy involved the government and the police. A public inquiry is necessary to ensure that this use of force does not happen again.

In Toronto we love our police. These fine people put their lives on the line every day to serve and protect our public; most do it with integrity and honour. However, we suspect that the people in riot gear were not our police; instead they were imported to impose martial law during the G20 meetings. They were not there to protect the people but to corral them, innocent or not.

The events were staged for public consumption; plans for these activities occurred well in advance. The film studio was converted into a makeshift jail to hold people from anticipated mass arrests; the riot police had weapons and shields and tear gas and pepper spray, all ready to be used on citizens. As the warriors said in the movie Braveheart, ‘we didn’t get dressed up for nothing’.

On Saturday, men in masks identified as Black Bloc were allowed to prepare themselves in public view, then to create chaos as they rampaged through our city. I suspect that many of our police were chomping at the bit to step in; however they were ordered to stand back and not break ranks. Out of 12,000 uniformed officers, a unit of 100 could have easily stopped the carnage but they did not. Why?

I speculate that the photo opportunities created by hooligans were intended to create fear and anger, thus encouraging Torontonians to accept martial law on Sunday. Nice strategy if it works but we are not that stupid. The public will not allow this to continue; the riot gear must become as foreign as the officers who wore the suits. Toronto will not allow these tactics to become commonplace.

The window-smashing and car-burning also distracted from the key points that people were protesting in the first place. Personal freedoms were diminished and Toronto became a city under military rule. Again, we will not accept this. Yes we believe in law and order but we will not be fooled.

The people demand a public inquiry, not to whine about bumps and bruises but to insist on transparency. This is not about blaming Toronto police who acted with great discipline over the weekend; it is about refusing to be forced into complacency. We want to know who gave the orders, who were the hooligans and who wore the riot gear. It is our right to know.