[van-announce] “THIS IS WHAT A PUBLIC DEMONSTRATION LOOKS LIKE": CALL FOR PUBLIC DEMONSTRATIONS OCT 12-13

[VancouverSolidarity WithToronto]

A CALL FOR PUBLIC DEMONSTRATIONS FROM OCT 12-OCT 13TH

“THIS IS WHAT A PUBLIC DEMONSTRATION LOOKS LIKE:
YOU MESS WITH ONE, YOU MESS WITH US ALL!”

October 8, 2010 – Toronto, Mississauga New Credit – G20 defendant Alex
Hundert was found today to be in breach of his ‘no-demonstration’ bail
condition for speaking as an invited panelist <http://vimeo.com/15096905>at
two university events in
mid-September 2010. He has remained behind bars since his arrest.

The Justice of the Peace at the Scarborough Courthouse made the
ridiculously ludicrous s.524 finding that Alex could, on a balance of
probabilities, be reasonably believed to have been in contravention of his
condition because he was supposedly engaging in the same kind of
“behaviour that he exhibited in meetings leading up to the G20.” The JP
did not even make a clear ruling on whether a public panel actually
constitutes a public demonstration.  The JP simply implied in his decision
that the public panel was similar to an organizing meeting, which he
infers to constitute a demonstration.

On that basis, the Crown is now seeking to revoke Alex’s bail entirely and
keep him behind bars. His counsel is arguing for his release, and the JP
will make a decision on his release on Tuesday October 12, 2010 in the
Scarborough Courthouse,  1911 Eglinton East.


“THIS IS WHAT A PUBLIC DEMONSTRATION LOOKS LIKE!”

*** In outrage, we are calling for demonstrations to take place across
this land from Tuesday October 12th (preferably) to Wednesday October 13th
to defend our social movements and stand up for our friends and allies
currently being targeted by never-ending state repression. ***

Possible locations for public demonstrations include your local police
station, courthouse, crown offices, or take the streets in any visible
downtown location. No mobilization is too small.

Targeting community organizers is intended to weaken our growing and
thriving social and environmental justice movement, to isolate effective
and vocal community activists, and to criminalize dissent against the
violent policies of the G20 that perpetuate environmental degradation,
militarization, labour exploitation, and theft of Indigenous lands that
wreaks misery for the world’s majority. While the panic surrounding the
G20 protests has pushed forward the criminalization of resistance, we also
continue to witness the intensification of repressive state practices and
criminalization against immigrants and refugees, Indigenous people, queer
and trans folks, and communities living in poverty.

Declaring a public panel as a public demonstration is therefore a
dangerous precedent and an attack on all of us. Unless we challenge this
ruling forcefully, it will be used against organizers all across our
movement and all communities in struggle.

We cannot be silenced or intimidated, our resistance will only increase as
we keep organizing for liberation for all people, especially those who
daily bear the brunt of police, state, and corporate oppression.  They
cannot jail our hearts.

If you are planning anything please email Harsha and Jonah at
hwalia8 at gmail.com and jonah.hundert at gmail.com so we can compile a list of
all planned actions by Sunday October 10th evening.

Also letters to Alex in jail can be sent to:
Alex Hundert
c/o Toronto East Corrections
55 Civic Road, Scarborough Ontario M1L 4J7

(It is best to include letters without attachments and clippings, which
can arbitrarily be held. Also remember letters are often read by guards
first. If you are writing, please write soon given the length of time it
sometimes takes to receive mail inside)


BACKGROUND

Hundert is currently facing politically-motivated conspiracy and
counselling charges in relation to the Toronto G8/G20 protests. He was
arrested pre-emptively at gunpoint in a violent house raid on the morning
of June 26th, before the protests began, and is being targeted as a member
of the community group AW at L and Southern Ontario Anarchist Resistance.

Several other G20 defendants remain behind bars, including Indigenous
sovereignty activist Ryan Rainville of the Sackimay Nation, while others
are punished by the criminal injustice system for being poor and unable to
afford exorbitant bail. Some face the possibility of deportation as a
means of stifling their dissent.

For the press release from today, please read
http://g20.torontomobilize.org/node/549 and for
further background information on Alex’s arrest and the numerous attempts
by the police and Crown to throw him back in jail, read this press
release: http://g20.torontomobilize.org/node/504

For ongoing G20 defence and fundraising visit:
http://g20.torontomobilize.org

For more information or questions, contact hwalia8 at gmail.com or
jonah.hundert at gmail.com   or AW at L through antiwar at peaceculture.org.