G20 Summits

from schnews, 23 July 2010: Ian Tomlinson’s son, Paul King - "After 16 months of waiting, to hear nothing is being done is a complete joke. Today they gave us no hope. This experience has broken our family apart. The DPP has told us there was an unlawful act, yet no charges are to be brought. This is no justice - everyone has failed us."

Ian Tomlinson, a 47-year-old news-vendor, was killed at the G20 protests in April 2009. His family have waited until now to find out what action the justice system was going to take. The Director of Public Prosecution Keir Starmer stated yesterday (22nd) that there would be. er, no charges brought against any police officers involved in the death of Ian Tomlinson... more

by Zig Zag, 15 July 2010, via Vancouver Media Co-op: "Despite a $1 billion security budget and some 19,000 security personnel during the Toronto G20 Summit, police appeared incompetent and confused as militants inflicted extensive property damage and torched 4 police cars. While the protests failed to breach the 6km security fencing, the attacks were a significant victory for the resistance, which had vowed to 'humiliate' the security apparatus in the weeks prior to the summit..." more

by Lesley Wood, 12 July 2010, via Toronto Media Co-op: "During last week’s G20 summit, police arrested or detained over a thousand people. With guns drawn, they kicked people awake, they threatened, pepper sprayed, TASERed, tear gassed and beat those in the streets. Although the politicians declared the policing at the summit a success, popular anger at the police is at an all time high. At such moments, it is important to look closely at the tactics and strategy that were used to police dissent, not least because the models that are considered successful, tend to spread..." more

from OCAP, via Toronto Media Co-op, 9 July 2010: "Statement from the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP) - On June 26 and 27, the political representatives of the world’s greatest thieves and murderers gathered in Toronto. They held their ‘G20 Summit’ in a billion dollar armed camp financed with public money stolen from vital social programs. They threw out some meaningless platitudes and drew up a plan around their real agenda – solving the crisis of their bankrupt system by imposing austerity and poverty on people throughout the world..." more

from gipfelsoli, 25 May 2010: "CANADA: CTV News has learned that Ottawa expects to spend $833 million on security for next month’s G8 and G20 summits. In March, the federal government had allocated $179 million for its security budget. But under new estimates that will be introduced in the House of Commons later Tuesday, these costs should increase by $654 million to a total of $833 million, officials tell CTV..." more

from gipfelsoli, 4 April 2010: "On Sunday, June 27 2010 at 5pm there will be a Demonstration Against Prison in Toronto. Anarchists are organizing the demonstration as a part of the larger mobilization in opposition to the G20 meetings. This is a statement of our perspective and intention for the demo, more details to come soon..." more

from qwertyuiop, 1 Apri 2010: "Did anyone notice the summer of rage? Like all British summers, it was disappointingly non-existent: a few letters in the guardian, a climate camp of Cath Kidston tents and, to top it all, hardly a day of sun. At the beginning of the year, the forecast was hopeful. We were told we were in the midst of a crisis..." more

from email, 22 March 2010: "The Metropolitan Police has paid damages to protesters it unlawfully arrested during the G20 protests. The force paid £6,000 in damages to Hannah McClure and Andrew Rubens who were held during a raid on a squat. The arrests came about when officers in riot gear broke up a meeting of some 60 climate camp activists during the April 2009 global summit in London. Solicitors for the pair said that others demonstrators held during the same operation would now sue..." more

from imc-uk, 18 March 2010: "The police officer charged with assaulting a protester at the G20 demonstrations in London, is due in court on Monday 22nd March. Originally due to appear at City of Westminster magistrates' court on 16 November last year, Westminster Magistrates court confirmed today that Sgt Smellie will finally face justice for his assault on Brighton woman Nicola Fisher next week..." more

via gipfelsoli, 23 February 2010: "Surpassing the Vancouver Olympics, the Pope’s visit to Toronto and even the volatile Summit of the Americas in Quebec City, officials said yesterday the G8 and G20 summits this summer will be the largest security event in Canadian history. The federal government announced last week it would host the G20 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre June 26-27, despite the city’s expressed wishes that it be at Exhibition Place. It will be preceded by the G8 in Huntsville, Ontario..." more

from gipfelsoli, 12 February 2010: "The upcoming G20 summit will reportedly be held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on what may already be one of the busiest weekends of the summer in the city. International delegates and their entourages will be gathering in the financial district on June 26 and 27th 2010..." more

from email, 31 January 2010: "Excellent news for the Space team, but remember others have not been so lucky. A number of protesters are still facing charges, whilst 1 protester is currently in prison: Mindaugus Lenartavicius XT6221, HMP Wandsworth, Heathfield Road, London, SW18 3HS..." more

from corpwatch, 3 November 2009: "The mass mobilisation against September's G20 Summit in Pittsburgh was met with a characteristically brutal response from US Homeland 'Security'. In many ways, police repression of UK protests pales in comparison to American political policing, with activists being routinely arrested under various terrorism-related charges and local and federal law enforcement agencies rolling out military style operations, complete with temporary detention facilities and costing hundreds of thousands of dollars each..." more

from BAAMBoston, 3 November 2009: "A curious property evident in the discussion of insurrection in the United States is that it gets more respect the further it occurs from home. Anarchists who would never dream of complaining that the Thessaloniki Food not Bombs is being neglected while its members amuse themselves burning banks, who could never conceive of suggesting that the Somali pirates stop seizing ships for ransom in order to start a bike repair collective, have no problem criticizing their own friends and comrades for shortchanging local projects to attend semi-annual mass mobilizations..." more

from tortuga, 3 November 2009: "In the face of a PR nightmare, Pennsylvania authorities have withdrawn all charges against two members of Tortuga accused of using Twitter to aid protesters at the G20 summit in Pittsburgh. At a hearing today, instead of oral arguments regarding a defense motion to unseal the secret 18-page affidavit authorizing the arrests of Elliott Madison and Michael Wallschlager at a motel just outside of Pittsburgh, the prosecution immediately moved to withdraw all charges against the two before the defense had a chance to argue its case..."  more