
Police in riot gear face down protesters during the 2010 G20 summit in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo: Jackman Chiu/cc/flickr)
To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.
Police in riot gear face down protesters during the 2010 G20 summit in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo: Jackman Chiu/cc/flickr)
The Toronto police officer who orchestrated the mass arrest of over 1,000 peaceful demonstrators and bystanders during the 2010 G20 summit was found guilty on Tuesday of discreditable conduct and unnecessary exercise of authority.
"This decision to order mass arrests demonstrated a lack of understanding of the right to protest," retired Ontario Superior Court judge John Hamilton said of Supt. Mark Fenton as he handed down the ruling.
Over the course of the G20 summit weekend, which took place on June 26-27, 2010 in the Canadian province capital, approximately 1,100 were arrested and detained after a group of "Black bloc" demonstrators reportedly broke off from the peaceful rally and began smashing windows along Queen Street.
The Toronto Star reports:
The charges stemmed from Fenton's orders to blockade protesters in so-called "kettles" twice. The first occurred on June 26, 2010, after a small group of protesters smashed windows and lit fire to police cars in the downtown core. Fenton ordered officers to "kettle," or box in, protesters in front of the Novotel hotel on the Esplanade, and more than 260 people were arrested and taken to a makeshift prisoner processing centre.
The next day, just moments after coming on shift, the upper command officer ordered police to box in hundreds of people at the intersection of Queen St. W. and Spadina Ave. during a thunderstorm.
According to various accounts, including one by Canadian author and activist Naomi Klein, demonstrators were attacked by police batons and pepper sprayed before roughly 800 were thrown in jail, where they faced a host of other abuses. The crackdown marked the largest mass arrest in Canada's peacetime history.
Most of the demonstrators were never charged.
Fenton, who is the only senior official to face a police tribunal over the incident, was found guilty of three of the five charges against him and will be sentenced in December. He faces a possible reprimand or dismissal.
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. The final deadline for our crucial Summer Campaign fundraising drive is just hours away, and we’re falling short of our must-hit goal. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
The Toronto police officer who orchestrated the mass arrest of over 1,000 peaceful demonstrators and bystanders during the 2010 G20 summit was found guilty on Tuesday of discreditable conduct and unnecessary exercise of authority.
"This decision to order mass arrests demonstrated a lack of understanding of the right to protest," retired Ontario Superior Court judge John Hamilton said of Supt. Mark Fenton as he handed down the ruling.
Over the course of the G20 summit weekend, which took place on June 26-27, 2010 in the Canadian province capital, approximately 1,100 were arrested and detained after a group of "Black bloc" demonstrators reportedly broke off from the peaceful rally and began smashing windows along Queen Street.
The Toronto Star reports:
The charges stemmed from Fenton's orders to blockade protesters in so-called "kettles" twice. The first occurred on June 26, 2010, after a small group of protesters smashed windows and lit fire to police cars in the downtown core. Fenton ordered officers to "kettle," or box in, protesters in front of the Novotel hotel on the Esplanade, and more than 260 people were arrested and taken to a makeshift prisoner processing centre.
The next day, just moments after coming on shift, the upper command officer ordered police to box in hundreds of people at the intersection of Queen St. W. and Spadina Ave. during a thunderstorm.
According to various accounts, including one by Canadian author and activist Naomi Klein, demonstrators were attacked by police batons and pepper sprayed before roughly 800 were thrown in jail, where they faced a host of other abuses. The crackdown marked the largest mass arrest in Canada's peacetime history.
Most of the demonstrators were never charged.
Fenton, who is the only senior official to face a police tribunal over the incident, was found guilty of three of the five charges against him and will be sentenced in December. He faces a possible reprimand or dismissal.
The Toronto police officer who orchestrated the mass arrest of over 1,000 peaceful demonstrators and bystanders during the 2010 G20 summit was found guilty on Tuesday of discreditable conduct and unnecessary exercise of authority.
"This decision to order mass arrests demonstrated a lack of understanding of the right to protest," retired Ontario Superior Court judge John Hamilton said of Supt. Mark Fenton as he handed down the ruling.
Over the course of the G20 summit weekend, which took place on June 26-27, 2010 in the Canadian province capital, approximately 1,100 were arrested and detained after a group of "Black bloc" demonstrators reportedly broke off from the peaceful rally and began smashing windows along Queen Street.
The Toronto Star reports:
The charges stemmed from Fenton's orders to blockade protesters in so-called "kettles" twice. The first occurred on June 26, 2010, after a small group of protesters smashed windows and lit fire to police cars in the downtown core. Fenton ordered officers to "kettle," or box in, protesters in front of the Novotel hotel on the Esplanade, and more than 260 people were arrested and taken to a makeshift prisoner processing centre.
The next day, just moments after coming on shift, the upper command officer ordered police to box in hundreds of people at the intersection of Queen St. W. and Spadina Ave. during a thunderstorm.
According to various accounts, including one by Canadian author and activist Naomi Klein, demonstrators were attacked by police batons and pepper sprayed before roughly 800 were thrown in jail, where they faced a host of other abuses. The crackdown marked the largest mass arrest in Canada's peacetime history.
Most of the demonstrators were never charged.
Fenton, who is the only senior official to face a police tribunal over the incident, was found guilty of three of the five charges against him and will be sentenced in December. He faces a possible reprimand or dismissal.