Comment 63856

By Robert D (anonymous) | Posted May 20, 2011 at 12:21:54 in reply to Comment 63792

I disagree that the system is designed to operate in a manner whereby thousands are arrested and few are charged. That's not the way it applies on a daily basis in Canada, and I think the day to day functioning is more indicative of what the system is designed for.

Perhaps you see this as an "exceptional situation" where such methods were warranted. This is where I see the slippery slope. If the G20 is an excuse for the police to arrest a greater number of people with little or no evidence to back up the charges, what's next? Protestors in front of Parliament Hill? Libyan-Canadians protesting in front of the Libyan Embassy? People planning a protest?

Perhaps it won't get quite that far in the near term, but if we want our right to peaceful protest to mean something, then we have to question situations where so many arrests are made but so few charges laid, if for no other reason than to ensure that such situations remain exceptional.

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