Report Finds Police Worldwide Criminalize Dissent, Assert New Powers in Crackdown on Protests

[applegrove]

Report Finds Police Worldwide Criminalize Dissent, Assert New Powers in Crackdown on Protests

M. Democracy Now

http://m.democracynow.org/stories/13932

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In a major new report, the International Network of Civil Liberties Organizations details a global crackdown on peaceful protests through excessive police force and the criminalization of dissent. The report, "Take Back the Streets: Repression and Criminalization of Protest Around the World," warns of a growing tendency to perceive individuals exercising a fundamental democratic right — the right to protest — as a threat requiring a forceful government response. The case studies detailed in this report show how governments have reacted to peaceful protests in the United States, Israel, Canada, Argentina, Egypt, Hungary, Kenya, South Africa and Britain. The report’s name comes from a police report filed in June 2010 when hundreds of thousands of Canadians took to the streets of Toronto to nonviolently protest the G-20 summit. A senior Toronto police commander responded to the protests by issuing an order to "take back the streets." Within a span of 36 hours, more than 1,000 people — peaceful protesters, journalists, human rights monitors and downtown residents — were arrested and placed in detention. We are joined by three guests: the report’s co-editor, Abby Deshman, a lawyer and program director with the Canadian Civil Liberties Association; Anthony Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union; and Hossam Bahgat, an Egyptian human rights activist and the founder and executive director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights.

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: We turn now to a major new report detailing the global crackdown on peaceful protests, both through excessive police force and the criminalization of dissent. The report is called "Take Back the Streets: Repression and Criminalization of Protest Around the World." It was put out by the International Network of Civil Liberties Organizations. The name of the report, "Take Back the Streets," comes from a police report filed in June 2010, when hundreds of thousands of Canadians took to the streets of Toronto to nonviolently protest the G-20 summit. A senior Toronto police commander responded to the protests by issuing an order to, quote, "take back the streets." Within a span of 36 hours, over a thousand people—peaceful protesters, journalists, human rights monitors and downtown residents—were arrested and placed in detention.

AMY GOODMAN: According to the report, what happened in Canada is emblematic of government conduct in the face of protest around the world: the tendency to perceive individuals exercising a fundamental democratic right—the right to protest—as a threat requiring a forceful government response. The case studies detailed in this report show how governments have reacted to peaceful protests in the United States, in Israel, Canada, Argentina, Egypt, Hungary, Kenya, South Africa and Britain.

For more, we’re joined by co-editor of the report, Abby Deshman, a lawyer and program director with the Canadian Civil Liberties Association. We’re also joined by Anthony Romero. He is executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, author of the book In Defense of Our America: The Fight for Civil Liberties in the Age of Terror. And still with us, Hossam Bahgat—he is the founder and executive director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights.

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[gopiscrap]

1. Fucking fascists

one of the reasons why I can't stand cops.

[applegrove]

2. The police have their orders. They are civil servants. It is the

1% that have changed the policing culture in the last 30 years. I live in Ottawa and went to a few demonstrations. The police used to stand back and watch, respectful of the right people had to demonstrate. In 1995 we had neocons in power in Ontario. Went to a demonstration, peaceful, spontaneous, and the police were video taping demonstrators... which is like a challenge to people to break the law. Nobody did. Except that it was a spontaneous demonstration. Later on there were G7 demonstration just outside of Ottawa and the police dressing up as demonstrators and tried to incite people to get violent. Definitely social engineering going on there. The police were going for a certain outcome with the agents provocateurs ...which was likely the outcome the 1% wanted. So they could say "you can't trust these lefties, don't negotiate with them, they are violent". And it worked. Left has been kept out of negotiations on trade deals and other agreements. Whereas in places like Germany and Singapore the labour negotiates with business and government to do joint ventures. You don't see labour involved here or in the USA. Like the 1% wanted to create a more black and white world in their war on the middle class. Where all the big decisions would be made to favour the 1%. The police are just servants.

That being said there was a big demonstration on Parliament Hill by Tamils in regards to losing the war in Sri Lanka a few years ago. The police facilitated. The people got their say. And it worked. My brother had a roommate who was a Chinese national. He was visibly anxious the whole time the Tamil demonstrations went on. He thought it meant revolution and a violent one at that. Thank god we are not like the Chinese is all I can say. There is a world of difference between us and them.

[gopiscrap]

3. yes but you don't have to become a cop

[applegrove]

4. Well we don't agree.