When Bush was in Canada selling America to Mexico earlier this week, Canadian labor unions protested the secret negotiations between the three countries’ leaders. And whenever there’s a big political protest, there are cops in disguise — usually as “anarchists” — trying to start shit so that the uniformed cops can smash skulls and shoot their water cannons and rubber bullets and tear-gas cannisters at the real protesters who were just peacefully protesting. What was interesting about this week’s agents provocateurs is that they got caught on video and the video was immediately seen by hundreds of thousands of people all around the world and for possibly the first time ever, a police department has been shamed into admitting that it plants disguised cops in protest crowds to stir up shit. If you haven’t seen it yet (or even if you have), here’s the CBC report including the good parts from the YouTube video:
The matching cop boots are cute, aren’t they? It’s especially cute how the one cop put duct tape and spray paint on his new cop boots. Poseur!
There was absolutely no way to squirm out of this one, so the police in Quebec were forced to admit they do what everybody knows cops do:
With the proof caught on video, Quebec provincial police were forced to admit yesterday that three undercover agents were playing the part of protesters at this week’s international summit in Montebello.
Quebec police admit agents posed as protesters [Toronto Star]
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Quebec police admit agents posed as protesters
Deny role of undercover officers was to provoke violence at summit of North American leaders
Aug 24, 2007 04:30 AM
Steve Lambert
Sidhartha Banerjee
Canadian Press
MONTREAL–With the proof caught on video, Quebec provincial police were forced to admit yesterday that three undercover agents were playing the part of protesters at this week's international summit in Montebello, Que.
But the Quebec police force denied they were attempting to provoke protesters into violence. Rather, they said the three were planted in the crowd to locate any protesters who were not peacefully demonstrating. Police said the trio's cover was blown when they refused to toss any objects.
"At no time did the Quebec provincial police officers act as agents provocateurs or commit criminal acts. Also, it is not part of the policy of the police force nor is it part of its strategy to act in this manner. At all times, the officers responded to their mandate to maintain law and order," the Sûreté du Québec said in a news release last night.
The police said after viewing a video clip from YouTube.com and video shot by police officers, they were able to confirm the three were Quebec provincial police officers.
Earlier, both Quebec police and the RCMP denied any of their officers were involved.
Earlier yesterday, Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day rejected opposition calls for an inquiry into the role of suspect agents at the North American leaders summit.
"If people have concerns ... there is a complaints process for the RCMP. There is also one for the Sûreté du Québec. This incident happened in Quebec, so I imagine people could also file under that complaints process."
Day's words did little to appease Dave Coles, the union leader who confronted the three men on the protest line and accused them of being cops.
"We're going to talk to our legal counsel and we'll decide (Friday) what our next action is going to be," said Coles, president of the Communications Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada.
The three officers, sporting bandannas, showed up on the front lines of a protest at the summit. One carried a large rock.
party time!
special
chatty
sad
energetic
down
incredulous
lazy
d'oh