Comment 63785

By Robert D (anonymous) | Posted May 19, 2011 at 15:32:24

The handling of hte G8 and G20 summits, including the extensive number of arrests and relatively few charges is something that should garner the attention of every Canadian. I'm surprised it's not more of an issue frankly.

Canadians have a right to peaceful protest, yet it's a thin line between protest and the crime of unlawful assembly, which is what many protestors were arrested for (but not charged with afterwards). Go look up section 63 of the criminal code on CANLII, and see what a fine line we walk. Police make the call as to when a protest crosses that line, but ultimately the courts determine if they were right, and where that line is supposed to be. When police officers ignore the courts, or try and move the line forward unilaterally, we end up with the situation here - lots of arrests but few charges because the Crown knows they don't have a chance of a successful prosecution.

The fact that so many protestors were arrested but not charged leads me to believe the police made many arrests as a preventative measure "to ensure that trouble didn't happen". It's a dangerous slippery slope, and one that we ought to recognize and discuss, not ignore.

The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.

Permalink | Context

Events Calendar

There are no upcoming events right now.
Why not post one?

Recent Articles

Article Archives

Blog Archives

Site Tools

Feeds