[IPSM] El Salon Police Riot: A call for your support (and funds)

[Jaggi Singh]

From: Break the Chains! <elsalonpoliceriot at gmail.com>

[Three individuals still face criminal charges related to the "El
Salon Police Riot" of April 2006. Please support their legal defense
by considering a contribution to the El Salon Police Riot legal fund,
and by attending upcoming court dates. More info below ...]


Last April 19, 2006, at least 50 Montreal police officers intervened
to end a Palestinian political prisoner event at El Salon on
St-Laurent Boulevard. The event, called "Break the Chains," included
poetry, films, speeches, as well as several music acts, and was part
of a national tour raising awareness about Palestinian political
prisoners by the Sumoud group in Toronto.

The Montreal event was organized and supported by Books to
Prisoners-Montreal, the Coalition Against the Deportation of
Palestinian Refugees, Indigenous Peoples Solidarity Movement,
International Solidarity Movement (ISM), Montreal Anarchist Black
Cross, No One Is Illegal-Montreal, Solidarity for Palestinian Human
Rights (SPHR) at McGill and Concordia and the Twelve Months PP/POW
Calendar Project.

The "El Salon Police Riot" was a brutal police overreaction. That
night, three people (Meg, Nazila, and Stefan) received tickets, while
two others (Amanda and Jaggi) were charged with obstruction. Nobody
went to jail, despite the use of upwards of 50 cops at a poetry event,
and everyone was released and back on St-Laurent Boulevard within two
hours.

You can read by-stander accounts posted to CBC Montreal at the following link:
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2006/04/20/qc-reax20060420.html

[The original article is at:
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2006/04/20/qc-brawl20060420.html
]

Photos showing the police intervention are linked at:
http://gallery.cmaq.net/sumoudevent

There were several complaints about the police's conduct on April 19.
The police response was to add assault charges to Amanda and Jaggi
many months later, as well as to charge Ahmad of Toronto with four
counts of assault police, almost six months after the fact. Clearly,
the charges have been added to make a disproportionate police
intervention seem justified.

Ahmad's trial begins next week. Jaggi's trial has already begun and
will continue in August, and Amanda will learn her trial dates later.
[At trial, it's been confirmed that at least 50 cops were deployed on
April 19; moreover, the police are claiming that their radio system
"wasn't working properly" on April 19, 2006, which means the police,
conveniently, cannot provide audio tapes of their correspondence that
night.]


--> DONATIONS FOR LEGAL DEFENCE!

Neither Ahmad nor Amanda qualify for legal aid (Jaggi is representing
himself). They need to raise money for their legal defence (as well as
travel expenses for Ahmad from Toronto).

The current fundraising goal is $3000. If 30 individuals or groups can
donate $100 each, we've reached our goal. Whether you can spare $10,
$50, $100 or more, your donation is appreciated.

If you can donate, please get in touch at elsalonpoliceriot at gmail.com
to let us know, and send a cheque to the following address:

QPIRG-Concordia
1500 de Maisonneuve West, #204
Montreal H3G 1N1

Please make the cheque out to "QPIRG-Concordia" with "El Salon"
clearly marked in the memo line.

Please contact elsalonpoliceriot at gmail.com to let us know you've made
a donation, and to arrange alternative arrangements to donate.


--> COURT SUPPORT

Ahmad's trial begins next week. Jaggi's continues in the summer, and
Amanda will know her court dates shortly. Meg and Stefan are fighting
their tickets. Nazila was declared "not guilty" because her arresting
officer didn't show up to court.

All defendants are actively fighting their charges, and would
appreciate your support in court. The original event that was raided
on April 19, 2006 ? a fundraiser for Palestinian political prisoners ?
brought together more than 100 individuals from various groups and
communities. It's important that we show that strength again in court.

Ahmad's trial is next June 12 and June 14 at Montreal's Municipal
Court. Contact elsalonpoliceriot at gmail.com for more details.


-- The El Salon Police Riot Defendants