Dear Anarres Friends,

To be healthy, we must be able to live free of unnecessary fear, in a climate of liberty and freedom of assembly. The "security" surrounding the G20 Summit in Toronto interrupted civil liberties for all of us. Hundreds of thousands of us were denied freedom of movement in our public spaces, tens of thousands of us were searched, a thousand of us were detained, hundreds were arrested - all in contravention to our human rights. Hundreds, perhaps thousands were physically injured and most could not, or were afraid to seek out medical care. And every human being living in Canada will pay for these abuses through taxation with every snack, every tax return.

As a health practitioner, a Canadian and a human being, I urge you to take some action to prevent these abuses from taking place again. Please write a letter to your newspaper, sign a petition for an inquiry, talk about it and take it to your streets. I will be listing opportunities to lend your voice below.

Love & RRRevolution, Tracey

July 10
CANADA WIDE Day of Action
for Civil Liberties
Demand an Independent Public Inquiry
Defend Civil Liberties

MASS RALLY & MARCH

Saturday, July 10 at 1:00 p.m.
Queen's Park, Toronto

Event on Facebook: http://bit.ly/dvW2SY

During the G20 Summit in Toronto on June 26 and 27, more than $1.2 billion was spent on a reported 20,000 police and security officers, a 5-metre fence, and new weapons designed to stifle dissent and silence public opposition.

Despite threats of new crowd dispersal weapons and dubious claims that police were granted extraordinary powers of search and arrest, over 25,000 people peacefully marched to question the legitimacy of the G20 and call on Canada to take action on the economy, jobs, public services, global poverty, climate change, Indigenous rights, migrant and undocumented workers? rights, women?s rights, human rights, peace, inequality and social justice.

Under the pretext of stopping vandalism, the police descended upon peaceful protesters and confused passers-by with force that was disproportionate, arbitrary and excessive, and that included raids, rubber bullets, tear gas and pre-emptive detentions. In total, more than 1,000 people were detained based on dubious charges, in the largest mass arrest in Canadian history.

Demonstrate your opposition to the excessive use of police force and the unprecedented curtailment of civil liberties. Demand an independent public inquiry. Join the Day of Action for Civil Liberties in towns and cities across Canada and Québec on July 10, 2010. To endorse, please see the official call-out below.

CALL-OUT FOR JULY 10 DAY OF ACTION FOR CIVIL LIBERTIES

A broad cross-section of civil society organizations has called a Pan-Canadian Day of Action for Civil Liberties for July 10 to voice opposition to the excessive use of police force and an unprecedented curtailment of civil liberties during the G20 summit in Toronto.
Over $1.2 billion was spent on security that was used to limit the freedoms of people to protest peacefully and speak out for social justice during the Summit. More than 1,000 people were detained based on dubious legislation that purportedly granted sweeping new powers to the police.

Over 25,000 people marched on Saturday, June 26 to raise legitimate criticisms about the G20 and its agenda. The police use of force was disproportionate, arbitrary and excessive, and included mass arrests and pre-emptive detentions. It served to stifle dissent and distract the public?s attention from bigger questions, including: the economy, jobs, public services, global poverty, climate change, Indigenous rights, migrant and undocumented workers? rights, women?s rights, human rights, peace, inequality and social justice.

On July 10, a Day of Action for Civil Liberties will take place in towns and cities across Canada and Québec to demand an independent public inquiry into the excessive use of police force, the deployment of tens of thousands of security agents and the denial of basic rights such as the freedoms of assembly and expression.

Community members and organizations in other regions are encouraged to organize their own local events on the same day, to pressure all levels of government to support civil liberties.

For information or to endorse, email CivilLibertiesNOW@gmail.com.

ORGANISATIONS ENDORSING THE DAY OF ACTION
(this list will be updated regularly)

Canadians Advocating Political Participation (CAPP)
Canadian Arab Federation (CAF)
Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA)
Canadian Federation of Students (CFS)
Canadian Labour Congress (CLC)
Canadian Peace Alliance (CPA)
Canadian Union of Public Employees Ontario (CUPE Ontario)
Council of Canadians
Educators for Peace and Justice
Greenpeace Canada
Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL)
Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC)
Steelworkers? Toronto Area Council
Toronto and York Region Labour Council

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Amnesty International calls us to action:

Opportunities lost: peaceful protest suffered amidst heavy security measures and acts of vandalism during the G20

“Five feet away from me… Jesse fell down face first. The same officer [who punched him in the gut] then came and elbowed him in the back. The officer who was escorting me… looked over to me and said ‘Jeez, that shouldn’t have happened, shouldn’t have done that’.” journalist Steve Paikin (TVO)

Governments bear a very important responsibility to ensure security in and around events such as the G20 Summit. They have an equal responsibility to enable and protect the rights associated with peaceful protest, particularly freedoms of expression, assembly and association.

Some 900 people were detained between June 25 and 28, 2010 in Toronto. While some were connected to acts of violence and vandalism - acts which Amnesty International clearly condemns - many were engaging in peaceful protest or simply caught up in police actions while going about their daily business. Among those targeted were journalists and others attempting to document the protests and the police response. This scale of arrests in connection with protests is unprecedented in Canada.

The G8/G20 Summits were supposed to have been a chance to talk about putting human rights at the heart of global fight against poverty. Instead, the voices of thousands were silenced or ignored and the headlines dominated by images of burning police cars and broken windows.

We urgently need an independent review of the security measures adopted and the range of police actions taken in association with the G20 Summit in Toronto.

While we welcome the forthcoming review to be undertaken by the Toronto Police Service’s (TPS) Summit Management After Action Review Team, this is not an adequate response to the concerns of Amnesty International and other organizations and individuals. The TPS review is not independent, nor does it enable public participation or cover the wider range of actors involved, including various levels of government.

On July 2nd, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty announced that he did not believe the circumstances warranted an independent review of the G20 security measures. He encouraged concerned individuals to use the existing police complaint procedures. Again, this fails to take into account the full range of actors involved beyond the police or the broader public interests at stake.

Here are two things you can do right now:

1. Express your concern about the security measures used before and during the G20 Summit in Toronto. Use the form here http://www.amnesty.ca/iwriteforjustice/take_action.php?actionid=449&type... to send a message to Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

2. Raise your voice on the international human rights issues that should have been the focus during the G20 Summit. Use this link http://www.amnesty.ca/iwriteforjustice/take_action.php?actionid=440&type... to send a message about human rights and poverty to the Millennium Summit Goals (MDG) presidents.