[antiwar-van] SEPT 19: Vancouver Committee to Defend Freedom of Expression - Meeting Tonight

[Kira Koshelanyk]

Vancouver Committee to Defend Freedom of Expression
Public Meeting
Wednesday, September 19
7pm
Joe’s Café (Large North Hall)
1150 Commercial Drive @ Napier Street

On Friday, August 31 over ten Transit Police and RCMP officers participated in the assault, handcuffing, and forced removal of three peaceful Fire This Time newspaper distributors from the Metrotown Skytrain station. All three were released without charges later that night and visited hospital emergency rooms with various injuries.

Since the assault, growing public outcry has led to the formation of the Vancouver Committee to Defend Freedom of Expression at a large public meeting on Tuesday, September 11. The committee members  include members of various political parties and organizations, trade union members and executives, as well as community members outraged by the blatant attack on civil liberties and democratic rights. David Eby, Executive Director of the BC Civil Liberties Association, has also expressed strong support of the campaign defending the 3 assault victims, “It's a classic civil-liberties, free-speech issue,” he told the  Georgia Straight newspaper.

Hundreds of thousands of people have read about the case in two important articles on the Georgia Straight website and in the print edition:

TransLink curbs free speech, September 13, 2012
http://www.straight.com/article-776946/vancouver/translink-curbs-free-speech

Activists say police assaulted them for handing out newspapers at SkyTrain station, September 10, 2012
http://www.straight.com/article-775231/vancouver/activists-say-police-assaulted-them-handing-out-newspapers-skytrain-station

Video evidence detailing the assault has also been viewed thousands of times on the internet, despite the fact that the footage documenting the entire incident was erased from the phone of one of the assault victims while in the hands of RCMP officers. The videos are available at: www.youtube.com/firethistime

The Vancouver Committee to Defend Freedom of Expression will meet to discuss the most recent developments in the case and to organize for the upcoming actions in the growing campaign to defend Fire This Time and of all our civil liberties and democratic rights. Please join us in this important fight!

Vancouver Committee to Defend Freedom of Expression
http://stopassaultonpoliticalactivists.wordpress.com/
vancouverfreedomofexpression at mail.com | 778-889-7664     
 		 	   		  
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