Posts Tagged ‘Matthew Morgan-Brown’
G8/G20 Security Highlights, 23 Jun 10
“If They’re Not With Us, They’re Against Us”
George W. Bush? Joseph Stalin? Kim Jong-Il?
No, anti-globalization protesters – this, via Twitter:
CRG police, agent provocateurs squad or just infiltrators? – http://is.gd/cZzrn #g20report #g20
And who’s this evil CRG? Toronto Police’s Community Relations Group – more here at YouTube. And what do these capitalist tools do?
…. The group works under the authority of the RCMP led Integrated Security Unit and are in place to provide timely and accurate official information to citizens affected by the G20 event. Their mandate extends to reaching out to activist and protest groups in advance of the G20 Summit to facilitate lawful and peaceful protests ….
Volunteers. In Canadian streets. With information.
Scary.
We Want Freedom (But Just for Us)!
A not-so-welcoming message on one blog attributed to a group calling itself “Fire.Works.For.Prisons”
FWFP collective will not be communicating with media before, during, or after the June 27th event.
Media (video, sound recording, photos) that covers individuals without their consent will be confronted.
Individuals whose ideas are found in the intentions of this demo are welcome, representatives of media are not.
Ouch!
“Firebomb suspects seek bail before G20″
Two of the three men charged in connection with the firebombing of a Glebe Bank want bail hearings by the end of the week, soon enough that they could be released before the start of this weekend’s G20 summit in Toronto. Clad in orange jail-issue coveralls, Roger Clement, Claude Frederic Haridge and Matthew Morgan-Brown made a brief appearance by video in an Ottawa courtroom Monday. All three were arrested Friday in connection with the May 18 firebombing of a Bank Street Royal Bank branch that caused more than $500,000 in damage. An anarchist group, Fighting for Freedom Coalition-Ottawa, later took responsibility for the bombing, which was recorded in a “catch me if you can” video posted online. The group also warned that its members would be “present” at the G20 summit ….
Anti-Capitalists: Rubber Bullets = Militarization of Police
….. The ARWEN represents yet another weapon that intimidates and violates the right of the general public to exercise democratic dissent. However, police continue to employ jargon in an effort to legitimize the use of weapons developed by military forces to be used against civilians in the streets of Canadian cities. When speaking about the possible damage inflicted by ARWEN ammunition on the human body, Ontario Provincial Police Constable Mel Tourigny expressed that, “It’s realistic to accept that there very possibly could be an injury to a person being struck by this projectile, but it’s a less serious injury because it’s deemed a non-lethal [weapon].” ….
We Know Who’s the First Arrest of the Summit Season
The Integrated Security Unit confirmed it arrested Mark Corbiere, an aboriginal-rights activist from the Kitchener-Waterloo area, and charged him with one count of marijuana possession.
Mr. Corbiere was initially pursued by police after allegations a man had broken into a facility at Allan Gardens, said Sergeant Nathalie Deschênes, a spokeswoman for the ISU.
(….)
Mr. Corbiere, quoted in news reports as being a representative from M’Chigeeng First Nation, is a member of a Facebook group called Olympic Resistance Network, and has been listed on websites as leader for the network’s Ontario chapter.
Here’s his Tweet confirming his arrest:
Being detained on gerard/mutual about 7cops #g20 1:50 PM Jun 21st via txt
I Kid, I Kid…
It appears security officials have to set the record straight on a recently-set up Twitter account:
Over the last few weeks, a Twitter feed called G20Security has sent out more than 119 entertaining tweets poking fun at the preparations for the Toronto summit. The With 142 followers, the Tweeter’s bio says only “Welcome. Please have your documents ready” and links to the official G8-G20 web site run by the government.
But Tim Burrows, of the Integrated Security Unit, says that not everyone realizes that the Twitter feed is satire. “Members of the public have actually called us and said ‘How can you be saying this stuff,’” he said. The police are big fans, he said, and read the feed every day. “It’s spectacular,” said Burrows. “It’s just hilarious.” But they have asked the person or people behind the feed to add something to their bio saying that the site is satirical ….
Some tidbits from @G20Security:
and my personal fave:
Bang Bang!
Canadian police launched a hunt Tuesday for a small black car believed to be involved in shots fired in a restricted zone where G20 leaders will meet this week in downtown Toronto, police told (Agence France-Presse). Off-duty officers heard the shots ring out at 3:30 am near King and Simcoe Streets, Toronto police Constable Wendy Drummond said. “A small black vehicle was seen leaving the scene,” she said. No one was injured, and “there is no information at this point to suggest that it had anything to do with the G20,” she said. “It appears the shots were fired into the air,” she added. Shell casings were found at the scene ….
For more from all sides,
check out the page o’ links here.
G8/G20 Security Highlights, 21 Jun 10
A bit more information is coming out about the men charged with the Ottawa bank firebombing, via the Ottawa Citizen:
…. Police arrested Claude Frederic Haridge, 50, on his way to work near Hunt Club Road Friday. Haridge, an engineer, has been building circuit boards since he was 14, when he used to salvage parts from the garbage and cart them home in a little wagon …. Haridge, described as a friendly neighbour, is a former student of ex-University of Ottawa physics professor Denis Rancourt who taught a controversial course on activism before he was let go by the university. In 2007, the university de-registered twin 10-year-old boys who had enrolled in Rancourt’s Science in Society class. Haridge, a fellow student, rose to the defence of the twin boys. He wrote letters to the school in support of his young classmates. Haridge has also sent letters to newspapers critical of government. And he has demonstrated against Israeli attacks on Palestinians ….
Roger Clement, 58, was also arrested and faces arson charges. Clement is a retired public servant, whose last job was at the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) …. The Citizen tracked down and met with Clement on May 26. The late-night meeting took place on Bank Street and Clement arrived with an entourage, which included a third firebombing suspect, Matthew Morgan Brown, the youngest of the trio, and believed to be in his early 30s. Morgan Brown is a well-known activist. He has been arrested during prior protests at the 2007 Montebello Summit and during a 2004 visit to Ottawa by former U.S. president George W. Bush …. Until the retired public servant was arrested, he spent some of his free time at a coffee shop in Chinatown, considered a meeting place for Ottawa’s anti-establishment network, which protests big business, world government summits, and cuts to welfare ….
On a related note, a bit of alleged “solidarity action” in Montreal (PDF of post and comments at Scribd.com here) to show support for the three arrested in Ottawa (highlights mine):
Yesterday morning (Friday) the police arrested 3 people in Ottawa, saying that they are our dear ones, the FFFC. Yesterday evening, we broke windows and wrote our solidarity on the wall of the RBC on Sherbrooke, corner Victoria. Innocent or guilty, we are in solidarity with the arresteds. Fuck the banks. Fuck the police. Fuck the prisons. No repression without response. Solidarity means attack.
-The Support Committee – Night Tendency
[Keep it simple my friends...]Hier matin la police a arrêté 3 gens à Ottawa, disant qu’ils sonts nos chéris, le FFFC. Hier soir, on a cassé des vitres et écrit notre solidarité sur le mur du RBC sur Sherbrooke, coin Victoria. Innocents ou coupables, on est solidaire avec les arrêtés. Fuck les banques. Fuck la police. Fuck les prisons. Aucun répression sans réponse. La solidarité, ca va dire l’attaque.
Hmm, can’t see why things like the highlighted bits would worry anyone – just peaceful protest, right?
Some security guards nervous? (Highlights mine)
…. Tear gas, rocks and eggs filled with urine are only some of the safety risks guards take if they go into work next weekend. Sunil Ram, CEO Executive Security Services International – a private firm working both summits, has spoken with security guards who have voiced uncertainties. He said some have scheduled their vacation time during the summit, while others might call in sick. “They just don’t want nothin’ to do with it. It’s just going to be too volatile of a situation, very unpredictable,” he said. “They don’t want any part of it because of the unknown factors. So, they just want to stay home.” ….
What appears to be a new (first Tweet available posted Saturday), pretty active Twitter feed from @FortressToronto is sharing pretty detailed information:
Speaking on the Sunday news shows, Canada’s Treasury Board President Stockwell Day puts it into perspective:
“I think it shows the unfortunate power that a small group of thugs has,” Day told CTV’s Question Period on Sunday. “And when I’m talking about thugs I’m talking about thugs, I’m talking about the anarchists and the violent groups who have already indicated that they’re going to be there and they’re going to cause trouble.”
For more from all sides,
check out the page o’ links here.
G8/G20 Security Highlights, 20 Jun 10
Rabble.ca has posted this assessment of who’s going to be protesting:
So here I was sitting in the newly opened convergence space hosted by the Toronto Community Mobilization Network at 1266 Queen Street West (Toronto) and we’re all drinking tap water and listening to some great tunes and I’m thinking: yup, look at us scary anarchists doing scary things like spoken word performances, serving food to each other and napping quietly in the corner.
Yes, polite society should be very afraid! Here come the Berserkers tearing young saplings from the ground and whipping them at the police …..
In fact, we are so scary that the United States has issued a travel advisory for next weekend stating, “even demonstrations that are meant to be peaceful can become violent and unpredictable. You should avoid them if at all possible.”
I mean, according to the police – who of course will all be wearing their kid gloves during the demonstrations and cannot be blamed if police riots break out; hmmmm….I mean, wait a minute…. aren’t they called POLICE riots and not PEOPLE riots for a reason? ….
Further reinforcement of the “it’s not our fault if there’s violence” message?
Some of the initial media coverage of the Ottawa Police Service arrest and charging of three men in connection with the RBC bank firebombing in Ottawa is starting to use the “T” word:
…. “Their actions do speak for themselves and their willingness to post it publicly is alarming as well,” said Ottawa Police Chief Vern White at a news conference on Saturday morning. White also continued labelling the incident as an act of domestic terrorism, and said he was “confident” the Crown may still end up with terrorism charges. RCMP assistant commissioner Francois Bidal appeared to suggest more charges were still possible. “We will leave no stone unturned in uncovering the evidence we have before us now,” he said. But Lawrence Greenspon, the lawyer representing Clement, criticized those remarks. “Pre-trial comments that attempt to characterize offences are not helpful to the administration of justice,” he said. “There’s no talk of terrorism by anybody except our Chief of Police,” Greenspon said, adding that the charges laid so far relate strictly to property damage …. (CTV.ca)
…. Police say the investigation continues and are determining whether they can lay charges under the Anti-Terrorism Act. The law has been used only a handful of times since Parliament passed it in 2001. Terrorism charges can only be laid with the consent of the federal Attorney General, and police wouldn’t say whether they’ve initiated conversations to this end …. (Globe & Mail)
…. Asked whether he continued to consider the act domestic terrorism, White said: “I do stand by that label.” But he added that determination is the investigative responsibility of the RCMP …. (Canadian Press)
…. In the past, Chief White has characterized the firebombing as domestic terrorism, and he stood by that description Saturday. But he said no terrorism charges have been laid so far, and it will be up to the RCMP to decide whether they should be …. (CBC.ca)
All are to be considered innocent until proven guilty in our system, and I’m happy to let the police and courts do their thing. Here’s how the Criminal Code of Canada defines “terrorism”, and here’s my quick-and-dirty assessment of the law in light of events we read/hear at Army.ca.
I await with interest how the legal process unfolds.
For more from all sides, check out the page o’ links here.
G8/G20 Security Highlights, 19 Jun 10
Suspects arrested, charged with RBC bank machine firebombing last month – this, from the Ottawa Police Service:
…. three men have been charged as follows:
Roger Clement 58 years old, of Ottawa
RBC Arson – 18th of May 2010
Arson Causing Damage
Possession of incendiary material
Use explosives with intent to cause property damage
Mischief(….)
Matthew Morgan – Brown 32 years old, of Ottawa
RBC Arson – 18th of May 2010
Arson Causing Damage
Possession of incendiary material
Use explosives with intent to cause property damage
MischiefClaude Haridge, 50 years old, of Ottawa
RBC Arson – 18th of May 2010
Careless storage / handling of ammunition
Fail to comply with undertaking ….
They’re all back in court later this month – more from the Canadian Press and here at the National Post.
It’s “Protest School” in Toronto – this from CTV.ca, emphasis mine:
A counter-summit in Toronto meant to challenge the G8 and G20 was dubbed “protest school” by organizers on Friday, as they shied away from denouncing violent action by demonstrators …. “People protest in various ways. Again, we’re simply organizing a conference,” said Dylan Penner, a committee member at the summit and media officer for the Council of Canadians …. While classes such as “direct action training” and “digitally mediated surveillance: rights and resistance” are on the agenda, the committee said the event is meant to be a peaceful weekend of learning …. (Marya Folinsbee, the co-ordinator of the People’s Summit) was a…. quick to point out that many of the workshops encouraged peaceful protest, such as “communication skills for activists,” which teaches protesters “how to de-escalate an angry movement.” But there are also workshops planned for debating and discussing a “diversity of tactics” during the G20 and G8 summits …. “It is really cloudy, and it is really complicated to work in solidarity with each other when these issues are still on the table,” she added ….
So, condemning violence and vandalism is “cloudy” is it? Interestingly, the organizers of the protests have gone as far as developing a policy for dealing with those who want to fight the man, but may have been accused or convicted of sexual assault – one line stands out for me:
Perpetrators of Sexual Assault, Abuse and Harassment are not welcome in G8 & G20 Resistance Spaces!!!
I’d be happy to hear from anyone who can explain why such people “are not welcome” in the crowd, but those who would commit violence and/or vandalism are. Simple question.
Part of the CTV.ca article above mentions one of the message tracks being transmitted by protest organizers:
(Marya Folinsbee, the co-ordinator of the People’s Summit) accused “the state” of being the real perpetrator of violence, as she deflected questions about whether or not organizers of the counter-summit would hold protesters accountable during the G20 …. Penner said protesters have been demonized, and fear-mongering has made the public nervous about violence during the G8 and G20. The committee for the People’s Summit also suggested violence in past summits has not come from protesters, but from agent provocateurs. “The state is, in fact, doing criminal activity if they don’t rule out agents provocateurs,” said Christine Jones, co-chair of the Canadian Peace Alliance as she spoke at the news conference Friday ….
This is a message stream making its way out in a variety of ways recently – even picked up from the same news conference and shared by CBC.ca (note the same “money clip” from Christine Jones)
Activists and labour organizations are calling for Prime Minister Stephen Harper to rule out the use of agents provocateurs during the G8 and G20 summits. Pointing to the 2007 Montebello summit of North American leaders, where Quebec police admitted that three of their officers disguised themselves as demonstrators during protests, the People’s Summit urged officials to prohibit any attempt to incite violence to justify what they dubbed a “billion-dollar boondoggle.” Quebec police denied allegations they used the officers to instigate violence at Montebello. “The state is, in fact, doing criminal activity if they don’t rule out agents provocateurs,” Christine Jones, co-chair of the Canadian Peace Alliance, said at the launch of the People’s Summit on Friday morning ….
The message gained a bit of traction this week when Syd Ryan, representing the Ontario Federation of Labour, said the same thing..
Are they planting seeds out there so that if/when violence occurs, it’ll already be embedded in people’s minds that it must be the cops’ fault?
QMI/Sun Media has this quick guide to the protest groups and what they seek.
A new spot to check out what other-than-mainstream “media” are sharing about the Summit protests, here at 2010.mediacoop.ca. Apparently, any Flickr photo or Twitter post tagged with #g20report will automatically end up posted there. I’ve added it to my list o’ “news of all kinds” links here.
