Protests, police provocateurs, masks, etc

[Signals.Cpl]

It's all part of the struggle Cpl. Sometimes ya just gotta laugh at the self-righteous goons ... speaking of which ...

Video shows Montreal police pepper spraying bar patrons

Surveillance footage ... shows several people sprayed by riot police at close range.

The footage shows customers scrambling to get inside the bar as a police officer knocks over tables and chairs.

This is becoming a real slapstick routine ...

In this and other contexts relating to criminalization of dissent in Canada, a thought has been bubbling at the back of my mind ...

Throwing a lot of dissidents in jail might seem like a solution to some people ... Harper and Charest and their supporters.

But to dissidents ... political prisoners ... perhaps it's just another opportunity to organize ...

Certainly, it's not an 'end' to anything.

In fact it's more like a beginning of real resistance.

Resistance to the G20 "austerity" agenda is at the heart of this and all protests.

I think you missed the part where chairs were thrown at the police from the patio, when you pick a fight with the police, you don't get the right to bitch about them fighting back. They throw the first punch and then duck and cover, whine to the press about the big bad cops...But then again, they seem to be your kind of people, there only to annoy those who have productive jobs.

[Signals.Cpl]

Yup, there's the fascist reality Signals.Cpl is so proud of..

Cops needlessly pepper spraying innocent civilians. Again.....

Rick, buddy I said Ill buy you a dictionary, and a history book about World War 2 as well, maybe you can begin to understand the word fascist...

[Signals.Cpl]

And they never will.

Fortunately there's more of us.

Fortunately for Canadians who subscribe to reality, not too many of your kind around... If the NDP swine get power then Canadians would be able to see just how screwed up the situation can get.

[jacee]

I think you missed the part where chairs were thrown at the police from the patio, when you pick a fight with the police, you don't get the right to bitch about them fighting back. They throw the first punch and then duck and cover, whine to the press about the big bad cops...But then again, they seem to be your kind of people, there only to annoy those who have productive jobs.

Police doing their jobs properly arrest the person responsible. They don't throw chairs and use pepper spray on innocent bystanders and trash a place of business and 'fight back' like barroom brawlers.

The person complaining was the business owner.

[Signals.Cpl]

Police doing their jobs properly arrest the person responsible. They don't throw chairs and use pepper spray on innocent bystanders and trash a place of business and 'fight back' like barroom brawlers.

The person complaining was the business owner.

Im sorry, I don't think you understood what the story was. The people on the patio were throwing the chairs not the police. You need to read some more...

[jacee]

Im sorry, I don't think you understood what the story was. The people on the patio were throwing the chairs not the police. You need to read some more...

One person threw one chair, and the cop threw it back at other innocent people on the patio and pepper sprayed them, trashed the patio and chased all the customers away. The business owner was not happy.

It's a misconduct, Corporal.

The problem here, and at the G20 and other protests is that one or a few people commit illegal acts, and the police attack a whole crowd. That's the pattern they've followed, and it isn't acceptable.

It's been happening all over North America at Occupy and other protests and that's why protesters are fighting back. Police are not preventing escalation of violence: They are causing it by attacking innocent people and people are justifiably quite angry about that.

The G20 review is about that.

The Chicago police (NATO Summit protests) today addressed that issue:

Chicago Police Chief Garry McCarthy said at the beginning of the week that his goal was to “extract” those protesters who were provocative and let others demonstrate peacefully."

One would hope that the Quebec police will figure that out soon too ... and you too.

At one of the Occupy protests an Army vet confronted the police who were attacking peaceful protesters and told them he fought in Iraq so people there could be free ... free to speak, to assemble, to protest ... and he was disgusted at what he saw them doing. Shortly after that, a large group of US veterans held their own protest and promised to provide security (against the police) for the Occupy protesters.

It isn't as simple as 'the police are always right', Cpl. The police are used to dealing with criminals, but they can't treat protesters like criminals because we're not.

Neither were most of the people partying on the patio.

And certainly the owner didn't deserve to have his business disrupted by police thugs pepper spraying innocent customers.

But I expect by now their senior officers have told them that, and taken the offender(s) off the street.

Edited May 21, 2012 by jacee

[Argus]

Clarification:

I care about Canadians, but regardless of who's in power, CorporationCanada is organized crime.

So all capitalist entities are criminals?

[Argus]

That it is..

The sad part is, they can't see how far this country has fallen with their corrupt right wing fascist government.

And you wonder why people laugh at you.

[Argus]

And they never will.

Fortunately there's more of us.

Good thing most of you are too stupid, shallow and self-centred to ever make it to a polling booth then.

[punked]

Good thing most of you are too stupid, shallow and self-centred to ever make it to a polling booth then.

The old right wing comeback to anyone disputing what the government is doing "SCOREBOARD!!!"

You know that only works when you win right? You get no opinion when you lose if that is your argument.

[Argus]

The old right wing comeback to anyone disputing what the government is doing "SCOREBOARD!!!"

You know that only works when you win right? You get no opinion when you lose if that is your argument.

Your argument is you outnumber the evil right. My response is, gee, how come the evil right is in charge then?

Pretty fundamental logic there.

Edited May 21, 2012 by Argus

[punked]

Your argument is you outnumber the veil right. My response is, gee, how come the evil right is in charge then?

Pretty fundamental logic there.

You can only stay in charge as long as you hold the electorate. Enjoy the next three years.

[GostHacked]

Your argument is you outnumber the veil right. My response is, gee, how come the evil right is in charge then?

Pretty fundamental logic there.

You'd have to look at society overall for the answer to that question. When good people do nothing, and say nothing, then this kind of thing will happen. And now that people are understanding they have been screwed over the past few decades (which has little to do with Harper, but eluding to a more widely systemic problem nationally and perhaps internationally.

Always hear people say something like, 'well what are you gonna do, it's the government' .. but wait WE own the government, WE control it right? It's mentality like that, that is shaping what is happening. People don't think they have a say in what happens in government aside from a federal election every once in a while.

It's people like us that have to keep them in check. If we don't pay attention to stuff, then we wonder why we are surprised with something out of the blue happens. But I guess that depends on what you pay attention to, and if you have the ability to think for yourself about what is going on, trying to understand the bigger picture here. If it's not sitting well with you, then you know deep down something is wrong. However many don't end up taking any action when they feel that way. Why? They do not feel empowered. They feel marginalized and sidelined. They feel they can't make a difference, and that is how the government wants you to be.

The other part is that people have been yelling about it, but others won't listen, no matter how much evidence you put in front of them. Some simply do not want to know what is going on, those are the people we need to engage as well.

But people who can't think for themselves are easily scared by the government when they say there are bad people out there wanting to attack us, and if we give up our rights and our privacy, our government will keep us safe.

Do you have any identification? Which is the old 'papers please'.

[jacee]

So all capitalist entities are criminals?

I'm a strong supporter of free enterprise.

Corporate control is the enemy of free enterprise.

CorporationCanada is the enforcement arm of corporate control, making and bending laws to suit the corporate bosses who have our so-called democratic politicians in their pockets ... along with billions of our tax money.

Free enterprise would function much better if we defeated the power of corporations and the 1% who corrupt politicians to their own purposes.

Edited May 21, 2012 by jacee

[Signals.Cpl]

I'm a strong supporter of free enterprise.

Corporate control is the enemy of free enterprise.

CorporationCanada is the enforcement arm of corporate control, making and bending laws to suit the corporate bosses who have our so-called democratic politicians in their pockets ... along with billions of our tax money.

Free enterprise would function much better if we defeated the power of corporations and the 1% who corrupt politicians to their own purposes.

Any suggestions how? aside for Voting NDP.

Edited May 21, 2012 by Signals.Cpl

[punked]

Any suggestions how? aside for Voting NDP.

Yes stop voting for people who take control of the country away from the people.

[Signals.Cpl]

Yes stop voting for people who take control of the country away from the people.

Yeah, and who might they be? Because the Liberals, the Conservatives, the NDP are all the same when it comes to government. Regardless who comes to power there is no noticeable change... People see that the Conservatives are on the right and the NDP are on the left but no one notices that both sides in Canada, Far left and far right are very close together, at least for the mainstream parties. If you think the NDP will change anything other then the National debt then you are kidding yourself.

[Topaz]

The Globe and Mail has an article about Canadians protesting, especially the students. The author says what most Canadians should be protesting is C-38 Bill, the budget bill that has more than 420 things in it and if we look really hard we may find the financial part. Canadians should protest this Alliance/Tory government and the way they are governing since their majority win(?) (did they). It's already been said that the Tory will get their dirty work done and hope Canadians will forget about it when the election time comes around again. I think too many Canadians are hurting from 2008 down swing and the government keeps right on hurting more with either unemployment lines, or take aways of social programs. The only way to get rid of the Harper government is for Canadians to get off their rears and vote! http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/forget-tuition-fees-if-anything-calls-for-a-riot-its-harpers-stealth-governance/article2437601/

[Signals.Cpl]

The Globe and Mail has an article about Canadians protesting, especially the students. The author says what most Canadians should be protesting is C-38 Bill, the budget bill that has more than 420 things in it and if we look really hard we may find the financial part. Canadians should protest this Alliance/Tory government and the way they are governing since their majority win(?) (did they). It's already been said that the Tory will get their dirty work done and hope Canadians will forget about it when the election time comes around again. I think too many Canadians are hurting from 2008 down swing and the government keeps right on hurting more with either unemployment lines, or take aways of social programs. The only way to get rid of the Harper government is for Canadians to get off their rears and vote! http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/forget-tuition-fees-if-anything-calls-for-a-riot-its-harpers-stealth-governance/article2437601/

Yeah because adding more social programs we can't afford is the answer. A lot is already mismanaged in those social programs that we have and needs to be reorganized to provide more efficient services when the need arises. Adding more social programs while our existing once are wasting resources and providing less services for the resources invested is the wrong answer.Clean up the waste and then see what is needed rather then adding even more programs that are wasteful.