All of this caused frustration to boil, as did the fact that when demonstrations did take place they were suffocated by throngs of police in riot gear and in some cases dangerously "kettled."
As we all saw with our own eyes or on video, peaceful protesters were attacked with rubber bullets, tear gas, and pepper spray. At Queen's Park riot police plowed into groups of people sitting on the grass flailing their batons and kicking protesters to the ground.
I could go on listing these abuses but this would turn into a giant therapy session, not a fundraiser, and we don't want that.
In all, over 1,100 people were arrested -- the largest mass arrest in Canadian history.
Roughly 800 of them were jailed.
From them we have heard many reports of beatings (including beatings of people in handcuffs). Of racist, sexist, and homophobic slurs and threats, of people being screamed at for speaking in languages other than English. Of strip searches of women by male officers, of groping by police, sexual solicitation, rape threats.
We also heard about the shocking detention conditions: people crammed into cells, unable to lie down. Medicines were denied, as was the right to counsel.
I heard from women who were not given sanitary napkins, from others who were denied water and food for longer than a day.
We all owe a great debt of thanks to Canadian Civil Liberties Association and the National Union of Public and General Employees for the hearings they have been holding over the past few days. Providing a space for these stories to be told; doing the job our government won't.
Before I came here I read some of the testimony from today's hearings, and I have to tell you that it is very painful to read, because the memories and the sense of helplessness come back.
Just a few hours ago a man named John Pruyn testified. I want to share with you what he said. He said he was arrested and cuffed and while cuffed police pulled off his artificial leg. Then they ordered him to put it back on, which he obviously could not do with his hands tied. Then they laughed, dragged him off and hit him, telling him he should never have come."
It goes without saying that no one deserves this kind of treatment, no matter what they did.
But the fact is that the vast majority of those arrests were a complete farce. The proof is that almost all the charges were dropped. In other words, arrestees were abused in this manner simply because they went to a protest -- or in some cases because they walked by or near one. Or because they were wearing black. On Queen Street in Toronto. I mean, please.
It was a relief when hundreds were released and charges were dropped.
But the G20 assault on democratic rights did not end there.
The reason we are here -- the reason there is such a pressing need to raise legal defense funds -- is that the abuses are ongoing.
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