Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters have been detained, arrested or charged since October 2023. Only two have been convicted, while most have charges withdrawn, stayed or discharged.
In late December, Ontario Solicitor General Michael Kerzner sent a letter to the Toronto Police Service (TPS) calling for a crackdown on what he described as “hate, intimidation and harassment-motivated offences.” In the letter, Kerzner specifically cited Palestine solidarity demonstrations, describing a peaceful demonstration inside the Eaton Centre as a “mob intimidation and harassment,” and denouncing protests near Bathurst and Sheppard.
In response, TPS Chief Myron Demkiw highlighted the fact that police have arrested more than 460 people and laid more than 1,000 charges related to protests and potentially hate-motivated offenses over the past two years.
Legal experts worry that this type of pressure will encourage TPS to further criminalize protest movements and limit civil liberties. “Any left-wing protest is packed to the brim with police ready to brutalize and harass participants,” criminal defence lawyer Matthew Campbell-Williams told The Grind. He describes Kerzner’s letter as “ridiculous,” pointing out that the vast majority of the charges laid against protesters at Palestine or Indigenous solidarity rallies have not been held up in court. “The reason is very clear: they are criminalizing protests with bogus charges to scare people from speaking up,” Campbell-Williams says. (more...)
No comments:
Post a Comment