G8/G20 Anniversary Commentary

A year has passed since martial law was imposed in Toronto during the G8/G20 Summit. Far more people were arrested during it than were arrested in October 1970 when Trudeau enacted the War Measures Act. The mass arrests were in addition to countless on the spot interrogations and illegal searches. Most of those arrested found themselves held in make-shift cages without access to lawyers, medical care or adequate water and food. Intimidation and blatant harassment, including sexual harassment, of those who were held was widespread.

Since then only a small minority of those who were detained by the police have even been brought to trial let alone convicted. By contrast practically no one who was in any way responsible for all of this overt political repression has been made accountable for what took place and there is no short term prospect that they will be. Only a full and truly independent public inquiry concerning the events will rectify this situation.

What took place a year ago has had profound consequences. Public opinion regarding the events has shifted dramatically. Notably support for the actions of the police has plummeted. Attitudes towards the police among many young people in Toronto have changed perhaps irreversibly leaving the police with a huge credibility problem among the youth in the city.

These things duly noted none of what took place came as a surprise to this observer and participant in the events. I anticipated what happened.

Nine years earlier I had witnessed first hand the actions of the riot police in Quebec City during the summit to promote a Free Trade Agreement of the Americas. Rubber bullets and over 4500 canisters of tear gas were fired at protesters back then. A year before I saw Windsor turned into an armed camp full of riot police during a meeting of the Organization of American States. There I witnessed young people engaged in non-violent civil disobedience having pepper spray blasted into their faces.

I can only conclude that last year's massive repression typifies what to expect whenever people seriously mobilize against corporate interests in this age of capitalist austerity.