G8/G20 June 2010 Protest Watch

[The Bread Guy]

.... The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) have a requirement for the provision of food services to their Integrated Security Force and the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) during the operational phase of the 2010 G8 Summit in the Huntsville, Ontario area. The service is required 24 hours a day during the period from June 18, 2010 to June 27, 2010 at ten different locations. Four to five of these locations will require on-site kitchen facilities. The work will also include the set-up and take down the sites, security during set-up and take down, all required cleaning services, garbage and waste collection and disposal.

Interested Bidders must sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement prior to receiving the Bid Solicitation document. The Non-Disclosure Agreement can be obtained by downloading the solicitation attached to this Notice of Proposed Procurement. Instructions for submitting this document to the Contracting Authority are included in the downloaded document. The complete Bid Solicitation will be forwarded once the Contracting Authority receives the signed Non-Disclosure Agreement.

It is mandatory that the Bidder or a representative of the Bidder visit the work site. Arrangements have been made for site visit to be held on April 27, 2010 at 10:00 am at Deerhurst Resort, Huntsville, Ontario. Bidders must communicate with the Contracting Authority no later than 1 day before the scheduled visit to confirm attendance and provide the names of the person(s) who will attend. Bidders will be required to sign an attendance form. Bidders should confirm in their bids that they have attended the site visit. Bidders who do not attend or send a representative will not be given an alternative appointment and their bids will be rejected as non-compliant. Any clarifications or changes to the bid solicitation resulting from the site visit will be included as an amendment to the bid
solicitation ....

Not all that much more here.

 

[The Bread Guy]

This from the Canadian Press:

Toronto police will be using an old movie studio as a temporary jail in anticipation of likely arrests during protests at this June's G20 summit.

The east-end facility is about five kilometres from the Metro Toronto Convention Centre where leaders and delegations from the world's top 20 economies will be meeting on June 26 and 27.

Police say the facility will allow the timely processing of those arrested.

Its location will put it outside the two security zones that will surround the meeting ....

 

[The Bread Guy]

This from the Toronto Media Co-op site:

Activists protesting the G20 are claiming that numerous visits by police in recent weeks have involved intimidation and harassment.

According to multiple sources, in the last month police have visited university groups, political meetings, union offices and individuals involved in protesting the G20.

Police began visiting groups like the Toronto Community Mobilization Network (TCMN) on February 21, 2010 when they held a meeting for 'G8/20 Resistance in Toronto'.

According to Terrance Luscombe, a member of the TCMN, plain clothes police showed up claiming they were trying to keep channels open around the G20 to ensure nothing bad happens. “We told them that this wasn't the space.  They left and they let us know that they were going to be waiting outside the meeting the entire time in an unmarked car,” he said.

Two weeks later, police showed up to a student group general meeting at York University. Tom Keefer, a student facilitating the meeting said that two young looking police officers came into the meeting and signed in. One was from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the other was from the Toronto Police Service (TPS). The officers were asked to leave. According to Keefer, “They went away and then when the meeting was breaking up they came back in. People said ‘This is not appropriate’ and that they should leave their info and someone would contact them.”

Elley Newman, a board member of the group does not believe that the police were trying to just keep channels open. “I think they're try to figure out what people are doing for protests so they can prepare for how to deal with it and so it's easier for them to try to shut protests down.  I think it is dishonest trying to go into a safe space where people are organizing as an infiltrator. They say ‘We want to work with you’, which I don't think is realistic or the case.” ....

More on link or attached PDF if link doesn't work.

 

[The Bread Guy]

This from the Canadian Press - highlights mine:

A broad coalition of social justice and environmental groups marched peacefully through Halifax on Sunday to voice their opposition to this week's meeting of G8 development ministers.

Calling themselves the G8 Welcoming Committee, organizers said they were trying to send a message to the ministers who were gathering in Halifax this week in advance of a larger G20 meeting in Ontario this summer.

"The G8 is a symbol of a lot of the things that are wrong with our society," said Kyle Buott of the Halifax-Dartmouth District Labour Council.

"Specifically their policies on economics have caused the economic crisis that countries find themselves in and have wrecked the lives of about three billion people," he said.

Police maintained a heavy presence along the march route steering about 300 protesters away from shop fronts in one of the city's busiest business districts.

Security was especially tight around a dozen people wearing black hoodies and masks, but there were no incidents ....

 

[zipperhead_cop]

Elley Newman, a board member of the group does not believe that the police were trying to just keep channels open. “I think they're try to figure out what people are doing for protests so they can prepare for how to deal with it and so it's easier for them to try to shut protests down.  I think it is dishonest trying to go into a safe space where people are organizing as an infiltrator. They say ‘We want to work with you’, which I don't think is realistic or the case.” ....

Aw, boo hoo. The little social agitators can't be faceless, unidentified crowd stirrers.  Their actions might have consequences.  The City Of Toronto might just have some names to put in a law suit after it is done. 
What a pity!  What a blow for social justice!  Makes me want to chant "SHAME" over and over for no apparent reason  :

Awesome that hippies can't spot a decoy when they are presented with one though.  Yes, the dumb tools of the oppressive regime sent two clean cut white males doubtlessly in suits and mirrored aviator sunglasses as their best effort to "participate" and ****SHOCK***** they got kicked out.  Boy, those cops are dumb!  ^-^

 

[PMedMoe]

G8 protester arrested in Halifax

One protester was arrested Monday morning during a noisy anti-G8 demonstration in Halifax.

About 40 people marched down Terminal Road to Pier 21, where development ministers from major industrial countries are set to meet.

Two officers struggled with a woman when police tried to move the demonstrators to a sidewalk to clear the road, said CBC reporter Phonse Jessome.

Laurie Stacy, a protester who was standing nearby, said the heavy-handed treatment was unnecessary.

"They had asked her just to move. We said we were moving, but they didn't give her enough time. The cop in charge grabbed her by her shoulder and started squeezing and just looked at her with pure hate," said Stacy.

"She told them, 'Let go of me.' They didn't. The next thing you know three of them were on top of her on the ground."

The arresting officer told CBC News that the protester pushed him.

More on link

 

[Journeyman]

From the same link,

Protest organizers identified the demonstrator as Toni MacAfee, an education officer with the Canadian Union of Postal Workers

Do you think this "education officer" learned anything from this?


Nah, me neither 

 

[vonGarvin]

G8 protester arrested in Halifax

One protester was arrested Monday morning during a noisy anti-G8 demonstration in Halifax.

About 40 people marched down Terminal Road to Pier 21, where development ministers from major industrial countries are set to meet.

Two officers struggled with a woman when police tried to move the demonstrators to a sidewalk to clear the road, said CBC reporter Phonse Jessome.

Laurie Stacy, a protester who was standing nearby, said the heavy-handed treatment was unnecessary.

"They had asked her just to move. We said we were moving, but they didn't give her enough time. The cop in charge grabbed her by her shoulder and started squeezing and just looked at her with pure hate," said Stacy.

"She told them, 'Let go of me.' They didn't. The next thing you know three of them were on top of her on the ground."

The arresting officer told CBC News that the protester pushed him.

The text in yellow is one side of the story, eg: The Man oppressing the poor woman.  The text in red is the other side of the story, eg: the protestor pushed a police officer. 

 

[George Wallace]

More on the Halifax Protest by approx 40 pers, some wearing masks:

Cops arrest union leader at G-8 protest

An Atlantic union leader was arrested this morning during a protest of the G-8 development ministers' meetings in Halifax.

Union leaders say Toni MacAfee,  education and organization officer for the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, was arrested behind the Westin Nova Scotian Hotel shortly after 8 a.m.

Const. Brian Palmeter, spokesman for Halifax Regional Police, confirmed "we have a female currently under arrest from down on Terminal Road. (She) was arrested for assault and resisting arrest."

It's believed the woman, whom he did not identify, was arrested for an alleged assault on a police officer. No charges have been laid.

"It's certainly a drummed up charge," said Jeff Callaghan, the union's Atlantic director.

He was at the opposite side of the driveway behind the Hollis Street hotel when MacAfee was arrested at what he called a peaceful demonstration.

"When the cops grabbed her, she was actually two centimetres from a curb, so it wasn't a matter of blocking traffic," Callaghan said.

"They actually reached out and grabbed her and pulled her back — pulled her towards the street. There are lots of witnesses who saw it and we have the whole thing on tape."

LINK


More, plus photos, on LINK

 

[George Wallace]

You can see in the photos in the Halifax Herald, that the masked thugs/anarchists/twits/whatever you want to call them have shown up and even appear to be confrontational.

 

[The Bread Guy]

1)  More of the same expected today, according to the Canadian Press.

2)  Here's an indication of how much control protest organizers have over "the masked ones" (highlights mine):

Protesters at a Halifax rally who cover their faces will be asked to take the masks off, says an organizer of the event on the eve of a meeting of G8 development ministers.

"When people conceal their identities, media attention focuses on them rather than on the point of the protest itself," said Kyle Buott, president of the Halifax-Dartmouth and District Labour Council and a key organizer of the rally.

"Anyone showing up at [Sunday's] demonstration wearing a mask or bandana covering their face will be asked to take it off."

According to the Criminal Code, wearing a mask is a crime only during the commission of another crime.

"This is the decision that the organizing committee has taken — we are going to be engaging with folks who show up at the rally to make a political argument about why that's not an appropriate tactic," said Buott, who wants to make sure the group's critique of G8 policies in the developing world is heard. The ministers from the G8 countries open a three-day meeting in Halifax on Monday ....

I guess a few people didn't seem to get the memo:

3)  After where said CUPW ed/org O appears to have spent New Year's Eve, via zcommunications.org - the Gaza Freedom March in Cairo - you'd think there'd be some understanding re:  policing and gatherings:

.... Christian Martel, of Quebec and a union leader representing Syndicat des travailleurs et travailleuses des postes, penned in on the sidewalk by police at his hotel said ":This is an illogical situation.. There is no credible reason to keep us here. We ask the authorities why they are doing this and no one can answer. They only say it is for your protection. What are they protecting us from?' The 54,000 members of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers -Syndicat de travialleurs de travailleuses des postes (CUPW-STTP) was the first national union in Canada to join the boycott, divestment and sanctions campaign (BDS) against Israeli "apartheid".

At hotel Lotus where I was permitted to speak with demonstrators another postal worker told me she had been in contact with her embassy. Toni MacAfee asked by a consular official whether she was part of the Gaza Freedom March and whether she would be demonstrating any more if released. Given the Canadian governments behavior towards Canadians in foreign custody, MacAfee reported asking bluntly "are you going to help me or not?" ....

- edited to include protests expected today (26 Apr 10) -

 

[The Bread Guy]

This, from CP24:

While arrests are made at the G8 meeting protests in Halifax, Toronto police say this city should brace for major demonstrations and disruptions during the G20 in the downtown core this summer.

Police say they're tapping social media for tips on major protests to prepare for the meeting of major world leaders in June.

Const. Wendy Drummond says police have dealt with protests organized through social media in the past, and they're taking steps to prepare for the June 26/27 weekend.

"(Social media) allows people to communicate in a lot more different ways. It's just another tool," she says. "The way we police our protests hasn't changed."

Thousands of officers are expected to be out in full force as protesters descend on the downtown core at the end of June.

Drummond says they have met with some protest groups to talk about how they plan to express themselves in a peaceful manner.

But others have not talked to law enforcement officials.

"There are some groups that don't wish to participate in these advanced conversations," she says ....

Meanwhile, Big Finance is preparing:

Two of Canada's biggest banks, the Royal Bank of Canada and Scotiabank, are considering moving their day traders to locations off of Bay Street during the G20 meetings in June, CTV has learned.

Other businesses in the financial district are asking their employees to consider taking vacation time during the meetings, with concerns that protesters may make business difficult.

"We got a notice a few days ago saying . . . you might not want to come in," a businessman told CTV Toronto, referring to the week of the G20 meetings.

Officials at the TSX say primary trading is already done off-site at an undisclosed location, but know the stock exchange could be a symbolic target for protesters, and security will be tight ....

 

[The Bread Guy]

This from MERX:

.... The intent of this letter of interest (LOI) is to provide potential suppliers with the opportunity to express their interest in Canada's requirement for Food Services (Catering) in support of a Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) operation in the province of Ontario during the operational phase of the G8 summit to be held in Huntsville, Ontario.

The requirement involves the provision of Food Services (Catering) for the RCMP Barrie Unit Command Centre (UCC). For security reasons we cannot identify the locations or numbers of meals require in this LOI, as it would give an indication of the size of the security force. The requirement is significant during the period of June 18th through June 28th 2010 ....

 

[The Bread Guy]

This, from prisonplanet.com:

.... More than anything, it is protests and the threat of terrorism which are used to justify these huge security operations. The deployment of the military alongside police is increasing with their roles seemingly interchangeable. Police tactics and training have become more militarized. New weapons and technology first developed for the military are often being incorporated into police departments. At last year’s G20 summit in Pittsburgh, the LRAD which is capable of emitting painfully loud blasts of sound was turned against protesters. This illustrates a more aggressive approach in trying to control public dissent. Events such as the G20 have become a testing ground for new police state measures and a trial run for a military style occupation ....

 

[vonGarvin]

You have GOT to be shitting me...

 

[stukirkpatrick]

all I have to do is read the ads at the end of that article to see the truth in it all:

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clearly I've been on the wrong side this whole time!  repent!  repent!

 

[The Bread Guy]

You have GOT to be ******** me...

Just a taste of what  some of the "protesters" seem to think (or believe enough to write with their name attached).

Meanwhile, think of it as "distributed protest" - this from the Globe & Mail:

Anti-globalization protestors will have their voices heard by world leaders in Toronto this summer -- by video link.

Security agencies are routing dissenters to Trinity Bellwoods park on Queen Street West, three kilometres from the G20 meeting at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

An RCMP spokeswoman, Sergeant Michele Paradis, said a video link at the park will pipe the protestors' grievances in to the high-security bubble surrounding the centre where world leaders will gather during the June weekend.

"I don't know if it will be closed circuit, but there will be a feed in," she said.

Portable toilets will also be provided to the public in the park.

A protest zone will also be set up for the earlier G8 summit in Gravenhurst, Ont., but no venue has been decided as yet.

A coalition of labour and activist groups are planning a three-hour march from Queen's Park to Trinity Bellwoods on June 25. Organizers hope 5,000 people will march ....

 

[The Bread Guy]

This, from the Canadian Press (highlights mine):

The RCMP is looking for some essential equipment to help flush out problems at this summer's G8 summit near Huntsville, Ont. — almost 600 outhouses.

The Mounties want to have 596 porta-potties, each with minimum two-ply toilet paper, distributed around the posh Deerhurst Lodge resort, where leaders of the world's biggest economies gather for talks June 25-26.

But the single-seaters, which include disposable seat covers, are not for any of the world's leaders. Instead, they're reserved for the thousands of government workers who will need washroom breaks as they prepare for the event throughout June.

And in a gesture of conciliation, 10 of the comfort stations have been set aside for the anti-G8 protesters expected to gather in the designated "free speech area" near the meeting site.

The official, cordoned-off location for such protests has not yet been chosen, and RCMP won't say how many demonstrators they expect ....

According to the attached Statement of Work (since Canadian Press doesn't seem to want to share), I don't see anything saying the 10 in the "Free Speech Area" will be for the protesters - I'm guessing that they'll be for the security staff there.  Maybe we'll see a MERX posting for the protesters to take care of their own logistics? 

Here's the links to the calls for shuttle flights to TO Island and for "Utility Terrain Vehicles" also mentioned in the CP story.

 

[zipperhead_cop]

This illustrates a more aggressive approach in trying to control public dissent. Events such as the G20 have become a testing ground for new police state measures and a trial run for a military style occupation ....

Well there you go.  At least they know they are assisting in field testing public order tactics and are volunteering to be UoF subjects.  How very community minded of them to take a direct interest in making their local police the best they can possibly be!  I think we have these guys all wrong. 

Maybe the military can help out with the port-o-john situation and send over some used ones from KAF.  The Afghan style ones...  >

 

[mellian]

Uh, I am so out of the loop that I did not realize that was happening this past weekend. Then again, have not been paying attention to those emails much lately.