U of T Students’ unions and campus organizations Condemn Police Violence
Early Sunday morning, police raided the Graduate Students’ Union (GSU) building at the University of Toronto and arrested approximately 70 billeting activists. Students’ unions, campus groups and labor organizations at U of T condemn the G20 Integrated Security Unit (ISU) for this and other raids, and demand that all detained activistsand community members be released immediately.
Signatory organizations announced on June 22 that our offices would remain open during the G20 summit despite the University administration’s decision to close the campus. The administration did not consult students, faculty or staff in making this decision. As independent organizations, we remained open to defend freedom of speech and academic freedom, and to oppose the fear mongering and intimidation that pervaded media and workplaces in the weeks preceding the summit; ISU officers visited some of our offices and events to intimidate students and staff on multiple occasions.
As we noted in our initial public statement, we were concerned that protesters would be targeted with police violence and violation of civil liberties. What the world saw during the summit was worse than anticipated: with more than 800 people detained, we are witnessing the largest mass arrest in Canada since the War Measures Act of 1970, when 465 people were arrested and held without charge.
We call on the University of Toronto to promote civil liberties, follow due process, and join us in condemning the Integrated Security Unit’s senseless acts of aggression. We defend the right of all campus organizations to associate with individuals and groups that are not affiliated with the University of Toronto. We publicly call for the release of all political detainees of the G20 summit protests.
University of Toronto Students’ Union
Graduate Students’ Union
Association of Part-time Undergraduate Students
CUPE 3902
Ontario Public Interest Research Group – Toronto
CUPE 1281
For more information, please contact:
Adam Awad, UTSU, 416-823-2672
Patrick Vitale, CUPE 3902, 647-222-3902
Clare O’Connor, OPIRG-Toronto, 416-926-8083
Anton Neschadim, GSU, 416-897-2789
Faraz Shahidi, OPIRG, 905 484 0570
http://www.mediacoop.ca/newsrelease/3929#comment_jump
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The G8/G20 meetings took place in Ontario from June 25-27, 2010. Toronto-based organizations of women, people of colour, indigenous peoples, the poor, the working class, queer and trans people and disabled people organized a peoples convergence with 40,000 people taking to the streets, standing up for justice in collaboration and solidarity!
Activists, community members, inspired and outraged individuals came together as a movement to demand justice for people and the planet. Over a week of mobilizations, events, workshops and direct actions took place in the face of state and police repression, violence and infringements on rights and freedoms.
We must continue to mobilize and build greater solidarity among our communities- an important part of this is supporting all those arrested during the G20 summit, including our allies still in detention, and those released on bail.