From: "Enda Brophy" <enda_b-AT-email.com>
Date: Wed, 17 Oct 2001 09:52:32 +0800
Subject: AUT: O16 Economic Disruption Campaign, Toronto


http://ontario.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id2452&group=webcast

O16: Update From Toronto 
Tuesday, October 16, 5:37pm 
[First Draft] 

An economic disruption campaign against the 
Ontario provincial government was launched 
today in Toronto -- Canada's business capital -- 
by a coalition of more than 75 groups called the 
Ontario Common Front. The campaign is 
organized under the slogan "Fight to Win" and 
aims to oppose, through direct action, the policies 
of the right-wing Conservative government in 
Ontario led by Premier Mike Harris. 

At its highest point, about 1500 people were 
snake-marching through the city's financial 
district, disrupting business as usual, and playing 
a game of cat-and-mouse with hundreds of 
police, including the riot squad. At times, it wasn't 
exactly clear who was the "cat" or "mouse," as 
protesters out-maneuvered the police to enter into 
the financial district of the city. 

According to a source at the Common Front legal 
office, at the time of this writing, there have been 
at least 34 arrests. The arrests occurred at 
various points in the day for a variety of charges. 
Bail hearings are expected tomorrow morning, 
although 9 people have been released. 

The snake-march officially ended around 10am 
today, after moving for about three hours through 
the rush-hour streets of the financial district. It 
was at the end of the march, near Queen's Park, 
where plainclothes "strike squad" members 
grabbed several protesters for arrest. Many of 
these arrests were captured on video by Ontario 
Indymedia and Toronto Video Activist Collective. 
Most people were able to disperse in small 
groups into downtown Toronto, and are 
congregating at various spaces in the downtown 
area, including an Activist Fair at Ryerson 
University, the Indymedia offices and other sites. 

There was a clear disruption in downtown Toronto 
today, although there wasn't a complete shutdown 
of Bay Street, Canada's "Wall Street." Major 
intersections were systematically barricaded with 
overturned newspaper boxes, while subway 
station entrances were temporarily closed. Many 
buildings locked their doors for large stretches of 
time, or implemented security measures that 
amounted to the same thing. According to several 
reports, many companies and firms simply told 
their employees to stay at home for the day. 
Meanwhile, the presence of hundreds of police 
was in itself a disruption of downtown business. 

A caravan of cars originating from Eastern Ontario 
also contributed to the economic disruption, by 
radically slowing down traffic on the 401 highway, 
Southern Ontario's main artery. A group of 7 cars 
drove at a very slow 50km/h on a highway whose 
limit is 100km/h, causing traffic gridlock. 

Toronto's right-wing mayor, Mel Lastman, was 
quoted in mainstream reports describing 
protesters as "absolutely disgusting" and called 
the disruption campaign "disgraceful." In one 
television report, he described the protesters as 
"animals" and their actions as "organized 
thuggery." The police chief, Julian Fantino, joined 
in, calling the protest the "worst kind of organized 
crime." 

At one point this morning, there were as many as 
four simultaneous snake-marches. There are at 
least three other demonstrations that have been 
planned for the day. A protest by the Mobilization 
for Global Justice marched downtown without 
major incidents, and joined many other 
demonstrators at the Activist Fair at Ryerson 
University. Just earlier, the Canadian Union of 
Postal Workers (CUPW) organized a demo at 
Dundas and University streets, while other labour 
activists are planning a demo at 5pm this 
afternoon outside the Ministry of Labour building. 

The last two days were eventful in other ways as 
well. Premier Mike Harris announced this 
morning that he was going to resign for what 
most corporate media outlets speculate are 
"personal reasons." Meanwhile, yesterday about 
300 high school students in Toronto walked out of 
classes in support of the Common Front 
campaign. 

In a related story, standardized tests scheduled 
today for almost 150,000 Grade Ten students 
were cancelled after portions of the test were 
posted on the internet. Some corporate outlets 
blamed the security violation, which will cost the 
province an estimated $7.5 million, on the 
Common Front campaign. 

Today's protests brought out demonstrators from 
all over Ontario, and included contingents from 
Montreal and Quebec City. There was even a 
solidarity demonstration as far as Victoria, British 
Columbia. Today's actions are the launch to a 
long-term campaign of "economic disruption" 
called by the Ontario Common Front. Major 
protests have already been scheduled for the 
coming weeks in Sudbury, London, Hamilton and 
Guelph. 

More detailed information about today's events, 
and the Ontario Common Front campaign, is 
included below. Check 
http://ontario.indymedia.org for up-to-date reports. 


SNAKE-MARCH AT DAWN 

The main demonstration started today at dawn, 
under a constant drizzle, with a breakfast 
gathering at Nathan Phillips Square in front of City 
Hall. Before protesters arrived, however, the 
police had mobilized hundreds of members. 
According to corporate media reports, at least 500 
police were specifically deployed from 
out-of-town, with squads from the Ontario 
Provincial Police, Peel Region Police and Durham 
Region Police reinforcing the Metro Toronto force. 

The police set-up checkpoints to the Square, with 
an obvious presence of riot police. Anyone 
attempting to enter the square was subjected to 
searches without explanation Several objects 
were confiscated, including gas masks and 
goggles, and even bandannas soaked in vinegar 
and bike helmets. Any object that could seemingly 
be used for self-protection was summarily 
removed by the police. 

Street medics in particular were targeted. Various 
eyewashes and decontamination solutions were 
poured out of bottles, and members of the 
Toronto Medics reported that they had their 
medical scissors confiscated. At least three 
medics were arrested at the Square before many 
people had even a chance to gather. According to 
eyewitnesses, the medics refused to consent to 
the searches whose legal grounds were, at best, 
highly questionable. 

At another point, as protesters attempted to gather 
in the square, one man was suddenly 
gang-tackled by at least 25 riot squad members, 
with at least as many pushing back other 
demonstrators. The arrestee was thrown to the 
ground and beaten with batons before being 
placed into a van. He was wearing a gas mask 
and helmet, which was the apparent reason he 
was targeted for the arrest and beating. 

Despite the clear intimidation tactics that began at 
dawn, hundreds managed to enter into the 
Square, while another large group of about 
two-hundred, made up mainly of demonstrators 
from Montreal and Quebec City, waited at another 
location. They were constantly followed by van 
loads of riot police, and did not want to risk 
entering the square, or subject themselves to 
searches. 

At Nathan Philips Square, a breakfast of eggs, 
potatoes and toast was served to the background 
of music from an outdoor sound system. After 
speeches from various Common Front members, 
including high school students, the snake-march 
began. 

>From the get-go, lines of riot police attempted to 
prevent the march from crossing into the main 
financial area. In several corporate media reports 
yesterday, various police officials bragged that 
they would prevent protesters from getting close 
to the district. 

The principle behind the snake-march is to 
maintain a highly mobile, fast-paced presence of 
protesters that is flexible enough to change 
direction, and sub-divide if necessary. The tactic 
worked, as the main march regrouped, and 
maneuvered its way into the downtown area 
where all the major banks have their own 
skyscrapers. 


DISRUPTING THE FINANCIAL DISTRICT 

The snake-march left in its wake barricades 
comprised of newspaper boxes, and 
spray-painted graffiti. The boxes were eventually 
removed, but graffiti still covers the usually 
sanitized spaces downtown. One graffiti at the 
Royal York Hotel read, "Resistance of the heart, 
against business as usual." 

It was at the Royal York, on Front Street, that the 
snake-march was at its peak. In front of the hotel, 
one masked protester climbed onto the hotel 
awning, with his affinity group members blocking 
security guards who were trying to intervene. On 
the awning, he spray painted "Stop Murder" onto 
the American flag, and tried to burn it. The large 
group of marchers that had congregated cheered 
loudly, and ensured that the masked protester 
was able to get away into the crowd. 

While the police didn't deploy the weapons at their 
disposal, including horses or pepper spray, there 
were several confrontations and scuffles. In one 
incident that took place at the corner of Bay and 
King streets, one older man was beaten by riot 
police. He was seemingly under arrest, but was 
"unarrested" by demonstrators. He was treated by 
street medics, and was bleeding heavily from his 
head as a result of police blows. 

The threat of disruption acted as a disruption in 
itself today. An internal memo from the First 
Canadian Place bank tower was obtained by the 
Ontario Common Front. In that memo, the senior 
property manger warns his clients, "Normal 
building operations will definitely be disrupted on 
Tuesday until all threats of violence and/or 
vandalism have passed." 

Another memo from Bell Canada, which has 
several offices in the districts, declared a "Limited 
Condition Orange Alert." There were many reports 
of cancelled meetings, and companies simply 
telling their employees to stay at home for the day. 


HIGH SCHOOLS AND HARRIS 

Today's demonstrations coincided with Premier 
Mike Harris' announcement that he would resign 
after more than 6 years in power. The widely cited 
cause for his departure is "personal reasons" as 
Harris attempts to reconcile with his wife. 

However, recently some of the more extreme and 
obvious consequences of the Premier's policies 
have been blowing up in his face. Examples 
include the murder of native activist Dudley 
George at the hands of the Ontario Provincial 
Police at Ipperwash, as well as the tainted water 
scandal at Walkerton. In both instances, links 
have been made directly to the Premier's office. 

The Harris resignation was celebrated at the 
demo today, but was observed with caution by 
many others. Many organizers see the resignation 
as an attempt to make cosmetic changes to the 
Conservative Party, while maintaining the 
hardline, far-right economic agenda of cutbacks, 
corporate tax-cuts and attacks on the poor. 

One Harris policy, standardized school testing, 
was also making headlines today. Today over 
150,000 students in Grade 10 all over Ontario 
were to take compulsory literacy tests. Those 
tests had to be cancelled after portions of the 
exam were posted on the internet. One media 
outlet blamed the security breach, which cost the 
province $7.5 million, on activists from the Ontario 
Common Front. 

One strong component of today's snake-marches 
were the high school flying squads, comprised of 
students who walked out of classes yesterday. 
There was one arrest of a high school organizer 
at the protests yesterday. Karen Silverwoman is 
still under detention as she refuses to sign 
"non-association" conditions that prevent her from 
dealing with other organizers from the Ontario 
Coalition Against Poverty. 

Meanwhile later in the day, buses arriving from 
Quebec City and Montreal were subject to a 
special welcome by over 20 police officers and 
the head of Metro Toronto Police Intelligence. 
Police officials filmed everyone on the buses, and 
proceeded to enter the buses without permission. 
The police also prevented Quebec City activists 
from disembarking until they were able to find 
their video camera to film the arriving protesters. 
Police repeatedly refused to provide reasons for 
their searches. 


FIGHTING TO WIN 

While the goal of shutting down Bay Street was 
not achieved today, there was a clear disruption of 
business as usual. Moreover, with the police 
vowing the prevent protesters from even entering 
the financial district, as well as the chill after 
September 11, the very fact the demos still 
happened were victories in themselves. 

Today's protests are just the start of a long-term 
campaign of economic disruption. The principle is 
that to make real change to the policies of the 
provincial government, their financial backers and 
supporters must be targeted. 

More protests are scheduled as soon as this 
Friday in Hamilton, with other protests in Sudbury, 
London and Guelph. Updates will be posted on 
ontario.indymedia.org. 



- reported by Jaggi Singh for Ontario Indymedia, 
Montreal Indymedia and CMAQ 
[This article is a first draft. and is based on 
eyewitness reporting, as well as reports from 
other direct participants.]
-- 

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