Category Archives: Toronto G20

Toronto G20 a year later: when Canada became a police state

By Craig McKee

In true Orwellian fashion, masked rioters were allowed free reign to go on a destructive rampage while peaceful protesters were beaten, rounded up and denied any semblance of their civil rights.
The scene was Toronto, Canada’s largest city, and the event was the G20 Summit held June 26-27, 2010. The event – for which security cost in the vicinity of $1 billion – led to the largest mass arrest in Canadian history. It was an exercise in crushing dissent, and it left the impression that those in power are only willing to support free speech until people most need to exercise it.
While police were allowing the masked Black Bloc rioters to destroy anything they wanted, they weren’t shy about beating and arresting peaceful protestors. In fact, they arrested many who weren’t even protesting, but who were just trying to walk down the street. One journalist, despite identifying himself, was punched Continue reading