Culture of Fear

Friday December 2nd 2011 - The Smash the State Report takes the @mediacoop's november in review, adds some comments, and focuses on anti-olympic actions and the use of western spy-tech against the freedom fighters of Syria, Bahrain, Iran and more. We also read pre-jail statement of anti-#austerity/pro-#indigenous #autonomy organiser and #anarchist Adam Lewis, and present a powerful piece on rape culture, before wrapping up with a run down of some discussion around the #occupytogether movement.

Wikked music and #acab

see http://conspiretoresist.wordpress.com for statements from targets of the #g20toronto police state.

http://peaceculture.org/drupal/radio/aw@lradio-2011-12-02.mp3

Press Release from the Peoples Commission:

Mohamed Harkat barred from attending dinner in his honour
Popular Forum: Whose Security? Our Security! Countering the national security agenda

Montreal, 3 February 2011 – A community dinner in Montreal in support of Mohamed Harkat – engaged in an eight-year battle against deportation to torture on the basis of secret suspicions - will have to go ahead without its guest of honour. Mohamed Harkat learned late last week that the Canadian Border Services Agency refused his request to attend the dinner, organized as the closing event of a Montreal conference on national security.

This is the recording of "Strengthening our resolve after the G20: Movement building and ongoing resistance to the G20 agenda", which was a panel discussion which took place at the WLU faculty of social work on September 17th 2010.

Full Tape:
http://www.peaceculture.org/drupal/radio/aw@lradio-2010-12-31-strengtheningresolve.mp3

Part 1 - Alex and Humera:
http://rabble.ca/podcasts/shows/awl/2011/01/strengthening-our-resolve-wlu-tapes-alex-hundert-and-humera-javed-1-3

Part 2 - Lindsay and Ojistar:yo:
http://rabble.ca/podcasts/shows/awl/2011/01/strengthening-our-resolve-wlu-tapes-lindsay-bomberry-and-ojistaryo-2-3

Part 3 - Harsha Walia:
http://rabble.ca/podcasts/shows/awl/2011/01/strengthening-our-resolve-wlu-tapes-harsha-walia-3-3

From the Community Solidarity Network:

Saturday, October 23, 2010, Toronto. Community organizer Alex Hundert was arrested this morning at his surety’s home. He has been arrested on an unfounded allegation, and one clearly designed to return Hundert to prison.

“I witnessed the alleged incident, and I’m confident that this charge is unfounded. It is a further attempt to silence and incarcerate my brother,” said Jonah Hundert, who was with Alex at the time. “This most recent attempt to vilify him will not work, and support will continue.”

first printed in The Cord October 20th 2010: http://www.thecord.ca/articles/35739

In last week's Cord, it was mistakenly printed that Sterling Stutz is a former student at WLU. While this error was an honest mistake (and quickly corrected), it is not surprising it was made. There has been a complete lack of support from the WLU Students Union and administration towards students and alumni who have been the target of the G20 security apparatus.

Alex Hundert “released” on bail; Thrown in solitary confinement and coerced into accepting outrageous bail conditions
by Alison Thomson on Friday, October 15, 2010 at 12:32am

Please forward widely.

Alex Hundert “released” on bail;

Thrown in solitary confinement and coerced into accepting outrageous bail conditions

Thursday October 15, Toronto, Mississauga New Credit - Less than 24 hours after refusing to sign outrageous bail conditions which included not expressing political views in public and non-associations intended to further isolate him, Alex Hundert was forced to consent to his release.

Please forward widely.

Alex Hundert “released” on bail;

Thrown in solitary confinement and coerced into accepting outrageous bail conditions

Thursday October 15, Toronto, Mississauga New Credit - Less than 24 hours after refusing to sign outrageous bail conditions which included not expressing political views in public and non-associations intended to further isolate him, Alex Hundert was forced to consent to his release.

Now Fear This: Ewoks, Anarchists, and Anyone Unfamiliar! Harper Address Students at WLU

Thursday October 14th 2010,

TODAY- Stephen Harper was in the concourse at Wilfrid Laurier University today to deliver a speech on what he is calling an invasion of illegal thought, actions, and people. A spokesman for the prime minister notes that “First Jews tried to invade our shores to avoid the holocaust, then Tamils try to jump the queue and exploit our broken refugee system, and now Ewok terrorists and insurgents are flooding into Canada to spread radical ideas about equality and equity. We have a long history of refusing entrance to those who claim to need help, and it this policy of refusal has created a strong Canada!"

*Media Contact: Dan Kellar antiwar@peaceculture.org*
WHAT: “THIS IS WHAT A PUBLIC DEMONSTRATION LOOKS LIKE!”
WHEN: Tuesday October 12 2010, 12:30 PM march, 1:00 PM rally
WHERE: Converging at the Amphitheatre at WLU and marching to the Police Station.

Waterloo, Grand River Territory – Today, in several cities across Turtle Island, the state security apparatus will be reminded what a public demonstration looks like, responding in outrage to the bail decision that has left activist Alex Hundert behind bars for speaking at a panel discussion. Concerned communities are heading to the streets after G20 defendant/target and AW@L activist Alex Hundert was, on Friday October 8th, found to be in breach of his ‘no-demonstration’ bail condition for speaking as an invited panellist at two university events in mid-September 2010. It seems the so-called justice system needs to be reminded what a public demonstration looks like, so today in Waterloo AW@L will undertake that task, alongside our friends and allies.

-FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE-

Crown unreasonably delaying jailed G20 defendant Alex Hundert breach hearing

October 6, 2010 - Toronto, Mississauga New Credit - G20 defendant Alex Hundert appeared in a Scarborough court today over the allegation that he breached his existing bail condition to not participate in a public demonstration. Hundert was arrested on September 17th after speaking at a panel discussion at Ryerson University. He has remained in jail since his arrest.

today after the Historians Against the War teach-in at UW, an organizer noted that if this was in the 1960s, there is no way the general public would tolerate any complicity in torture (not that they would have been aware of it, but thats a whole different time - a time before the internet...). now, the organizer continued, if you watch more than an hour of television a week, you will more than likely witness torture. the project to have it normalized to desensitize has worked, and that is fucking horrifying!

from our good friends and allies at the Peoples Commission:
Over the past decade, we have, through strong public campaigns and legal action, won real victories in the campaign against security certificates. Most significantly, two of the detainees – Adil Charkaoui and Hassan Almrei - were freed from this nightmare last year. But despite no longer being shackled by house arrest and the threat of deportation to torture, their names remain sullied by the unfounded allegations which made their lives hell.

And for the other three men and their families, the fight continues.

From the Community Solidarity Network
Thursday, September 30th

Toronto- The Toronto Police arrested Jaroslava Avila, a Political Science student at University of Toronto, at 10pm Wednesday night on G20 related “conspiracy” charges. Jaroslava was arrested outside Queen’s Park subway station as she was making her way back home after attending an event organized by Health for All - a health advocacy group - at the University of Toronto.

September 27th 2010. Toronto - Today, over 250 people will be receiving the beginnings of disclosure on accusations including conspiracy, mischief, and assault from the G20 Convergence this past June—accusations that are a criminalisation of dissent and an intensified targeting of activists and community organisers. The release of today’s disclosure will begin to show us the lengths the state will go to stifle dissent.

These court proceedings are a way for the state to punish those who dare to challenge it. Unfortunately what will not be disclosed today is any plan to hold the 19000 state security agents to account for their aggressive and illegal actions that week, or to bring community justice upon the G20 politicians and their corporate manipulators whose austerity agendas devastate cultures, and ecosystems around the planet.

*please post and forward freely*

De-mystifying the “Project Samossa” arrests
From: Community Advisory from the People's Commission Network

Montreal, September 2010

The recent arrests associated with the RCMP’s offensively named "Project Samossa" have generated a lot of questions and uncertainties in communities targeted by Islamophobia and racism. This community advisory is aimed at providing information and advice to address some of those questions. We hope that it will contribute to confident resistance to profiling, marginalization and criminalization.

Questions

1. What is the Canadian Anti-Terrorism Act?
2. What does it mean if individuals are arrested on terrorism-related charges?
3. Why are they in prison if they haven’t been found guilty of anything?

-For Immediate Release -
*Media Contact: Dan Kellar 519-616-4462*

September 15th 2010

KITCHENER—Today, AW@L has released a statement about the G20 summit held in Toronto in June, specifically concerning policing and political targeting of activists and community organizers. During the G20 summit, over a thousand people were detained—the largest mass arrest in Canadian history—and the city of Toronto was swarmed by 19 000 security officers, including Toronto police, the RCMP, and over 100 Waterloo regional police. More than two months after the G20 summit, there is no indication that the police will be held accountable for their illegal actions, and it is becoming obvious that the agenda of the G20 is one that only serves a small minority world’s people.