This week the leaders of the US, Canada, and Mexico are holding a summit in Montebello Quebec. The summit has drawn many protesters concerned about eroding labor rights, environmental protection, immigration, human rights, and a ton of other issues around corporate globalization.
One thing the police, corporate media, and government PR flacks use to discredit protesters is a claim that they are all violent thugs with nothing constructive to contribute to the debate. This time video activists managed to catch the provocateurs on video.
The man in the suit is Dave Coles, the president of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers union of Canada. He stops three provocateurs who have rocks in their hands and intent to start throwing them at the police. Once the three have been prevented from starting a violent confrontation and exposed as police they slipped behind the police lines.
The CBC news has an article on the incident with an assessment of the validity of the provocateur claim.
Retired police officer believes masked men were cops.
Doug Kirkland, a retired Ottawa police officer formerly in charge of overseeing demonstrations for the force said after viewing the video, he questions who the masked men really are.
“Were they legitimate protesters? I don’t think so,†said Doug Kirkland.
“Well, if they weren’t police, I think they might well have been working in the best interests of police.”
He added that if the situation was as it appeared, he did not approve of the tactic. “It’s pretty close to baiting,” he said.
There’s a lot more coverage of the protests, the issues behind them, and the case of the provocateurs on Montebello Indymedia.
4 Comments, Comment or Ping
ZEITGEISTmovie.com. Watch it. America, Mexico, and Canada are being merged into ONE Country. It’s called The New World Order. Better wake up, Folks. Wake up FAST.
August 22nd, 2007
That strategy has been used many times before in our country, Kenya. the govt hires hecklers who pose as protesters, and cause chaos
August 22nd, 2007
We saw this tactic in Windsor during the OAS demo in 2000, where police dressed as homeless people, for unobtrusive surveillance and easy intervention. In 2001 during the FTAA in Quebec City, police dressed as protesters to gain close proximity to Jagghi Singh, who was directing the peaceful march into its red and green streams, in order to “kidnap” him (he was thrown into an unmarked vehicle and not heard from for some time). Of course, this has been a well used tactic by North American state enforcers since the 60s and the countercultural revolution.
August 22nd, 2007
Sign of the times: Riot Police are the time of NOW.
August 22nd, 2007
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