- Did the various military and police forces in charge
of security for the SPP Summit in Montebello this past weekend deploy
agents provocateurs in order to instigate violence? There is mounting
evidence that this is the case.
-
-
-
- How likely is it that Security Quebec and two masked
anarchists buy identical shoes?
-
-
- There is mounting evidence that this is the case. Many
people have already seen powerful video evidence posted to the YouTube
website by independent journalist Paul Manly. The five-minute clip shows
a remarkable scene near one of the green zone police lines, where a set
of three 'provocateurs', dressed as protesters and wielding rocks, are
confronted by a group of trade unionists and young protesters, who suspect
them of being police agents. That video is here:
-
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=St1-WTc1kow
-
- There are several very suggestive elements in that video,
notably the fact that when challenged by the crowd, the obviously uncomfortable
trio do not deny they are police or otherwise identify themselves and
instead move slowly to the safety of the line of riot cops. Once there,
and briefly exposed, there are several seconds where it is very clear
that the individual closest to the SQ riot cop speaks quietly and calmly
to him, out of earshot of the others. Shortly afterward, all three move
past the same officer, and are then taken to ground, handcuffed, and arrested?.
At no point do they identify themselves, or deny being police.
-
- New photo evidence
-
- A new and potentially important set of photos have now
become available, posted to the CUPE website at:
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- http://www.cupe.ca/gallery/montebello-monday?page=4
-
- In two of the photos, the soles of the boots of the three
individuals (two of them viewable at photo #31, and the other at #32)
all show identical yellow oval markers in the centre, and these markers
just happen to be identical to those on the soles of the SQ riot cops.
-
- Considering the combination of the Paul Manly (YouTube)
video and these photos, and adding this to the fact that the police appear
to be denying that these three individuals were even arrested, the evidence
that this trio were paid provocateurs certainly appears overwhelming.
-
- Following the posting of the Manly video, a reporter
with the Canadian Press quickly picked up on this story, and filed an
early wire story, an expanded version of which was posted to the website
of the Toronto Star several hours ago:
-
- http://www.thestar.com/News/article/248608
-
-
- Police accused of using provocateurs at summit
- CANADIAN PRESS
- 8-22-7
-
- OTTAWA -- Protesters are
accusing police of using undercover agents to provoke violent confrontations
at the North American leaders' summit in Montebello, Que.
-
- Such accusations have been made before after similar
demonstrations but this time the alleged "agents provocateurs"
have been caught on camera.
-
- A video, posted on YouTube , shows three young men, their
faces masked by bandannas, mingling Monday with protesters in front of
a line of police in riot gear. At least one of the masked men is holding
a rock in his hand.
-
- The three are confronted by protest organizer Dave Coles,
president of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada.
Coles makes it clear the masked men are not welcome among his group of
protesters, whom he describes as mainly grandparents. He urges them to
leave and find their own protest location.
-
- Coles also demands that they put down their rocks. Other
protesters begin to chime in that the three are really police agents.
Several try to snatch the bandanas from their faces.
-
- Rather than leave, the three actually start edging closer
to the police line, where they appear to engage in discussions. They
eventually push their way past an officer, whereupon other police shove
them to the ground and handcuff them.
-
- Late Tuesday, photographs taken by another protester
surfaced, showing the trio lying prone on the ground. The photos show
the soles of their boots adorned by yellow triangles. A police officer
kneeling beside the men has an identical yellow triangle on the sole
of his boot.
-
- Kevin Skerrett, a protester with the group Nowar-Paix,
said the photos and video together present powerful evidence that the
men were actually undercover police officers.
-
- "I think the circumstantial evidence is very powerful,"
he said.
-
- The three do not appear to have been arrested or charged
with any offence.
-
- Police confirm that only four protesters were arrested
during the summit ? two men and two women. All have been charged with
obstruction and resisting arrest.
-
- Veteran protester Jaggi Singh, who is helping to circulate
the video as widely as possible, said all four of those arrested are
known to organizers and are genuine protesters.
-
- "But we see very clearly in that video three (other)
men being arrested . . . How do (police) account for these three people
being taken in, being arrested? Where did they go?" Singh said.
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- "I have no hesitation in saying they were police
agents . . . and they were caught red-handed."
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- Singh, a member of the Montreal-based No One is Illegal,
believes the agents were meant to provoke a confrontation and give the
police an excuse to use some of their "toys," such as tear gas
and rubber bullets.
-
- "To a certain extent it's self-fulfilling logic.
You provide police with this kind of equipment and they end up using it
and one way to justify it is to plant some people that toss a rock or
two."
-
- Neither the RCMP nor the Surete du Quebec would comment
on the video or even discuss generally whether they ever use the tactic
of employing agents provocateurs.
-
- "I cannot answer your question because I don't have
the information," said Const. Kane Kramer, a spokesman for the RCMP
at the summit.
-
-
- Further info on this can be seen in Stuart Trew's piece,
which can be seen at:
- http://ottawa.indymedia.org/en/2007/08/5315.shtml
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