[antiwar-van] Fire This Time activists brutalized and assaulted by Transit Police and RCMP!

[Tamara Hansen]

September 4, 2012
 
FIRE THIS TIME
ACTIVISTS BRUTALIZED AND ASSAULTED BY TRANSIT POLICE AND RCMP!
STAND AGAINST
POLICE BRUTALITY!
STOP HARASSMENT
AND ASSAULT OF POLITICAL ACTIVISTS!
OPPOSE
SUPPRESSION OF FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION!
 
Campaign updates
and videos of the assault available here: 
 
 www.youtube.com/firethistime
stopassaultonpoliticalactivists.wordpress.com 
 
On August 31,2012,
at Metrotown Skytrain Station near Vancouver, Canada,  Transit police officers and the RCMP
assaulted, handcuffed and removed three activists that were peacefully
distributing the Fire This Time newspaper (FTT).  Because FTT is a non-commercial, free social
justice newspaper, the officers had no legal ground to stop the distribution.  It is clear that the aim of the assault was to
intimidate and harass social justice activists which is political targeting as
FTT publishes many articles against war and in support of social justice
struggles in Canada, from Indigenous rights to labour organizing.  This was an attack on our fundamental civil and
democratic rights which include freedom of expression and the right to organize
and demonstrate without violence and intimidation.  It is also a case of police brutality, which
is a disturbing trend growing in Canada.
 
AUGUST 31: Fire
This Time Activists Brutalized and Assaulted by Transit Police and RCMP
 
On the day of the
assault, we were distributing the FTT newspaper without incident at the
Metrotown Skytrain Station.  After an
hour, two transit police officers arrived and immediately began telling the
four of us that we needed to leave the station and stop distributing. We showed
the officers and read aloud the publicly posted Transit rules available on
large boards in every skytrain station.  These rules state that, "printed material
for non-commercial purposes will be permitted on transit properties, other than
transit vehicles or fare-paid zones," provided distribution does not impede
transit traffic or operations.
 
The police insisted
that it did not matter what the posted rules state and that there are other rules
that are not posted. When we asked what those rules are or how they applied to
this situation, they refused to answer.  Instead, the police stated that because they
were asking us to leave the station and wewere refusing, this was
justification for our arrest. This sort of Catch-22 argument never answered the
fundamental question as to why they demanded we leave in the first place!  
 
Drawing the
attention of many passers-by, who took videos of the escalating police harassment,
we continually asked the police, “Why are we being arrested?” “What have we
done?” “What laws have we broken?” These questions were never answered. Soon,
Shakeel had his arm wrenched behind his back by the officer putting him in
handcuffs.   During this assault, Mike, another FTT activist,
began filming with his phone. Once the officer realized the assault was being
filmed he responded by grabbing Mike's arm and putting him in handcuffs as well.
The officer attempted to take away Mike's phone, but he was able to pass it
another FTT activist who was consulting with a lawyer and documenting the
assault. 
 
At the same time,
another officer was harassing Thomas, the FTT activist who had been explaining
the posted Transit rules. Holding tightly onto a stack of FTT newspapers,
Thomas continued to ask the officer "Why are you doing this?" The
officer ignored this question, threatening him with arrest and saying he would
"hurt" him if he tried to move away.  In response to Thomas' peaceful questioning,
the officer grabbed his neck, pushed pressure points on his head and slammed
him into a corner. 
 
When back-up
Transit and RCMP officers arrived, they made the total officer count more than
ten, and took Mike and Shakeel out of the station in handcuffs. On the street outside
of the station, both had their bags searched without consent and were put in
the back of two RCMP patrol cars. Thomas was kept in the station and continued
to ask the officer what laws he had broken and why he was being arrested until
he was viciously rammed up against the stair railing by three officers, tackled
to the ground, handcuffed, and taken out of the station. During this, Thomas
was told he was being arrested for “creating a disturbance”. Thomas was put in
the back of an unmarked SUV.
 
After some time in
the vehicles Thomas, Mike and Shakeel were each told separately that they would
be released without any charges but banned from the Transit system for 24
hours. It was clear that the police officers had no reason for arrest, as
Thomas, Shakeel and Mike had broken no Transit rules and had been targeted
because of the political nature of the FTT newspaper. 
 
Thomas, Shakeel and
Mike were separately driven to a Burnaby Community Police Station and released.
All three of us had to visit the Emergency Room for medical treatment following
the assault.
 
Following the
harassment and assault, we were never issued a ticket or any written
documentation.  We were never told on
what basis we were asked to leave the Skytrain station in the first place. During
this incident 150 of our newspapers were taken and we have video footage of a
police officer holding some of them. Immediately upon his release from police
custody, Shakeel checked his phone for the video footage he had taken during
the assault and it was not there. This video had been erased during the time
that an RCMP officer had his phone.  
 
This was not an
isolated incident, but the culmination of four months of repeated harassment of
FTT activists distributing the newspaper. However, in most cases Transit
officials and police officers were forced to allow us to continue distribution
after we pointed out the publicly posted Transit rules and defended our right
to continue distribution. The August 31 assault was an escalation of this
campaign of harassment and intimidation. We have video footage available for many
of these incidents.
 
Stand Up for
Democratic Rights!
 
Why is it that after
over an hour of harassment and brutal assault we were released without charges and
without being told that we were in violation of any Transit rules? Without a
doubt if police had had any justification or valid legal reason they would of
pursued further action or charges. This makes it clear that the police and
transit authorities were politically targeting Fire This Time activists. 
 
This assault on our
democratic rights is happening in the context of the new era of war and
occupation. Since September 11, 2001 the U.S. and its imperialist allies
including Canada have begun a new era of increasing war and occupation; from the
continued occupation of Afghanistan to the bombing and war against Libya and
now threats, sanctions and covert foreign intervention in Syria and Iran.
Whenever imperialist governments like the U.S. and Canada wage brutal and
devastating wars abroad it is always accompanied by a crack-down against those
who defend social justice and protest war at home. As an independent social
justice newspaper, Fire This Time spreads a message against this war on working
and oppressed people at home and abroad. This assault and continued harassment
is an attack on our democratic rights and freedom of speech and expression in
order to silence independent voices for peace and social justice. 
 
Incidents like
these remind us that if we do not defend our rights we lose them.  We will vigorously defend not only the right
of our organization to organize and publish its ideas, but the right of all
poor and working people to do the same even if they contradict the current
government's policies and practices. We absolutely refuse to be intimidated by
violence and harassment, and call on all peace and social justice loving people
to join with us in defending our fundamental democratic rights.  United we can defend and extend the rights
past generations fought so hard to establish! United we can win!  
 
We must join
together to demand: 
 
STAND AGAINST
POLICE BRUTALITY!
STOP HARASSMENT
AND ASSAULT OF POLITICAL ACTIVISTS!
OPPOSE
SUPPRESSION OF FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION!
 
www.youtube.com/firethistime
stopassaultonpoliticalactivists.wordpress.com 
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