The Crown should drop any charges remaining against activists fighting to stop Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
On Nov. 10, 2023, a month into Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza, Canadians awoke to news that the entrance of an Indigo store in downtown Toronto had been splattered with washable red paint and plastered with posters decrying the corporation’s CEO’s support for former members of the Israeli military.
A few days later, I was arrested in a parking lot, bombarded by three officers and later interacting with five more before they figured out who would bring me into the police station. They seized my car, informed me that my house was about to be searched with my partner and children at home, and proceeded to detain me for almost 10 hours. Police took photos of our bedrooms and bathrooms, and seized almost every device in my home. A week later, 10 others were arrested in pre-dawn raids, in which police broke down doors and arrested people in front of their children. We would go on to be referred to as the ‘Indigo 11.’
We were charged with mischief and conspiracy, and police claimed our alleged actions were “hate-motivated.” A week later, as Jewish peace activists protested in front of the same store, the police added criminal harassment charges.
The media smeared the protest as antisemitic despite long-known facts about Indigo’s CEO, Heather Reisman. As of April 2024, Reisman and her billionaire husband, Gerald Schwartz, owned more than 60 per cent of the company’s shares. Reisman and Schwartz are also the co-founders of the HESEG Foundation, a charity that offers scholarships to so-called ‘lone soldiers’ — who travel to Israel from abroad to serve in its military — once they finish their service. The couple has donated more than $191 million since 2005 to the charity. Reisman has faced boycotts, scrutiny and protests for more than 15 years because of this.
There have been many developments in our cases since the initial arrests. The Crown dropped charges entirely against four of the accused. Late last year, the Crown also withdrew the criminal harassment charge against the rest. Five of the remaining accused continue to fight their charges in court. One other person and I, meanwhile, pleaded guilty to mischief.
On January 8, the two of us were given absolute discharges. I believe this sentencing affirms what should have been obvious to anyone who cared to look at the facts: this wasn’t a hate crime. (more...)
I’m One Of The ‘Indigo 11.’ Here’s Why I Did It
No comments:
Post a Comment