G20 in Toronto : A police state in defense of capitalism.
Appeal to solidarity with those arrested
Montréal, June 28th 2010 - CLAC 2010 denounces the level of police repression and violence during the Toronto G20 summit, unprecedented in the history of Canada. This violence is supplemented by the announcement of a series of policies of economic austerity (deficit reduction, tax hikes, cuts in social spending and services) which constitute forms of economic violence against people. Working people are asked to foot the bill for the financial crisis, while the banks and the financial sectors, the main culprits, got 20 trillion dollars in bailouts without any new form of regulations being imposed on them.
« The 900 arbitrary and political arrests in Toronto are unprecedented in Canada, three times more than during the October 1970 crisis. Police violated fundamental rights, detained people without formal charges, without access to a lawyer, food or water. The police are guilty of breaking and entering without a warrant, profiling, intimidation and harrassment, kidnapping and use of excessive force against protesters and journalists alike. Clearly, police state and economic violence are closely linked », explains Danie Royer, co-spokesperson for CLAC2010.
" Everyday around the world, people die because of the direct consequences stemming from the economic policies brought forward by the elites grouped in the illegitimate institution of the G20. The deficit reductions proudly announced will only worsen the living conditions of millions of people. Stephen Harper openly admitted the main objective was to please financial markets. Nothing on the environment, meagre sums for women’s health, nothing on the social consequences of the economic crisis and its impacts, especially on migrants. All to consolidate capitalism, a system which gives a minority privileges and impoverishes the vast majority of people", says Mathieu Francoeur, co-spokesperson for CLAC2010.
What we witnessed in Toronto was meant to silence dissidence and criminalize social movements. Those are well known tactics to divide populations and impose regressive policies. A new threshold has been reached in the intensification of police repression and concessions asked of populations. We appeal to all social movements to mobilize in solidarity with the victims of the repressive apparatus who only wished to express their disagreement with authoritarian, racist and antisocial measures. CLAC will hold a public demonstration on July 1st at NOON (St-Denis & Rue du Square St-Louis, métro Sherbrooke) on the streets of Montréal.
The Anti-Capitalist Convergence (CLAC 2010) is a network of groups and individuals assembled to consolidate their respective struggles on a local basis and to mobilize their communities for the G8 and G20 summits.
Information : 438-838-8498; www.clac2010.net