[van-announce] Mass Arrests at UBC - Update

[Mike Krebs]

April 5th, 2008
Students for a Democratic Society - UBC
Press Release: Musical Concert Against Commercial Development at UBC
Ends in Mass Arrests; Students Demand Public Inquiry

UBC students are calling for a public inquiry into the behaviour of
the RCMP and UBC Campus Security as police made mass arrests at a
musical concert against commercial development at UBC. The event,
KnollAid 2.0, was meant to be an awareness-raising musical concert
against the planned construction of a poorly planned underground bus
loop and the commercialization of the centre of campus. Students have
been outraged at the lack of meaningful consultation and undemocratic
actions of the administration in developing this space. The focus of
the musical concert was the grassy knoll, a centre of social life at
UBC that is slated for destruction by the UBC administration.

 As the event wound down, Campus Security, the RCMP, and the Fire
Department arrived and successfully put out a bonfire that had been
created by some of the concertgoers. In the process, Campus Security
and the RCMP arrested two individuals for allegedly interfering with
the firefighters. Students peacefully protested what they saw as the
wrongful arrest of one of the individuals by locking arms with her and
sitting down. They then convinced the police officer to remove her
handcuffs and she was released. Immediately after, they surrounded the
police cruiser and attempted to convince the police officer to release
the other student who was being detained.

Over the course of the next two hours, well after the original
situation with the bonfire was under control, over 18 police vehicles
and 30 police officers descended on UBC campus. They included members
of the Vancouver Police Department, Richmond RCMP, and Transit Police.
These reinforcements verbally threatened to use police dogs and tasers
to disperse the protestors. Around midnight, they descended upon the
protestors peacefully protesting infront of the police cruiser. They
also indiscriminately arrested many bystanders, including an
individual who stumbled upon the scene while biking home. They trained
tasers on students who were already being forced into the ground by
multiple police officers. One individual was handcuffed and detained
immediately after giving an interview with CBC news. Observers were
shocked at the confrontational attitude and brutal tactics of the
police.

   Since then, the RCMP has attempted to cover up their behaviour by
distorting the timeline of events and outright lying. RCMP
spokespeople are claiming that police backup was called because they
were unable to put out the bonfire. In fact, the additional RCMP
detachments were called well after the original situation was under
control. They are claiming only one individual was arrested while they
were putting out the bonfire. In fact, two individuals were arrested
but one was released. They are claiming that the situation was
dangerous until the additional officers came and made the mass
arrests. In fact, the RCMP officers on the scene stood around and
exchanged friendly chatter with students while they waited for two
hours for reinforcements. They are claiming that they issued multiple
verbal warnings. In fact, not a single warning was issued in the two
hours that the RCMP waited for reinforcements, and immediately before
the arrests they asked a student to issue a single!
 verbal
warning before issuing a single verbal warning themselves. Only a
public inquiry can establish why the RCMP is distorting the events of
April 4th in this manner.

   Students are also demanding that the UBC administration initiate an
internal inquiry into the behaviour of Campus Security. At the
concert, many witnessed them using force while assisting in the arrest
of the two students. When witnesses asked them about it afterwards,
the Campus Security officers denied any involvement. Campus Security
has a long history of harassing and intimidating students peacefully
protesting the commercialization of campus.

Press Contacts:
Steven Klein, UBC Student and witness of the arrests - 604-240-1344
Tristan Markle, AMS VP-Admin - 778-836-9877
Margaret Orlowski, UBC Student - 604-781-3195