G20 defendant Alex Hundert re-arrested, Supporters denounce criminalization
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AW@L Media Advisory
G20 defendant Alex Hundert re-arrested, Supporters denounce criminalization
Press Conference: Sat Sep 18 at 9:30 am. Bail Court at Old City Hall (60 Queen W)
September 18, 2010 – Toronto, Mississauga New Credit – G20 defendant and alleged ‘ringleader’ Alex Hundert was arrested by seven Toronto Police and RCMP police officers just outside his father’s home at 10:30 pm on Friday September 17, 2010. Hundert was returning from speaking on a panel at Ryerson University titled “Strengthening Our Resolve: Movement Building and Ongoing Resistance to the G20 Agenda.” Based on Hundert’s participation as an invited panellist at two recent events, the police are alleging that he is in violation of his existing bail condition to not participate in any public demonstration.
According to supporter and No One Is Illegal member Mohan Mishra, “We are outraged at Alex’s re-arrest. He was speaking at a panel discussion in a university classroom alongside professors, which is clearly not a public demonstration. This is yet another attempt to silence Alex, and is a strong indication of the police's intent to criminalize ideas, dissent, and effective community organizing.”
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Hundert is currently facing politically-motivated conspiracy and counselling charges in relation to the Toronto G8/G20 protests. He was pre-emptively arrested at gunpoint in a violent house raid on the morning of June 26th, before the protests began, and is being targeted as a member of the community group AW@L and Southern Ontario Anarchist Resistance.
“Though many of our members have been arrested and are facing trumped-up charges, our movements will not be silenced. We will continue to organize against the G8 and G20 leaders and their corporate villains that pillage the earth with industrial projects and profit from war,” says Rachel Avery, member of AW@L and a music student at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo.
On July 28, 2010 the Ontario Provincial Police warned Hundert that media interviews he did with CBC radio, Toronto Sun, Vancouver Media Co-op, and Rabble were similarly a violation of the no-demonstration bail condition and threatened to re-jail Hundert. A day later at a press conference, Hundert and his supporters defied this media ban and decried the harassment as a blatant violation of his right to free speech as well as a violation of freedom of the press.
The Crown has already attempted to send Hundert and his partner Leah Henderson back to jail. On August 20, the Crown had appealed Hundert and Henderson’s release from jail in the Ontario Superior Court and was seeking pre-trial incarceration. However on September 13, a Federal Court judge Todd Ducharme dismissed the Crown’s appeal.
In a previous media statement, Hundert has stated “They are targeting me and trying to send me to jail because I am part of communities that are effectively organizing across movements. Whether it is the criminalization of anarchists and community organizers like me, or the daily demonization of Indigenous peoples, poor people and migrant communities, we are living in the midst of an increasingly aggressive and openly racist Harper regime that serves only to protect property and profit, not people. We have to show them that our resolve and our solidarity can be stronger than their intimidation and repression.”
Five other G20 defendants continue to remain behind bars, including Indigenous sovereignty activist Ryan Rainville of the Sackimay Nation. His ongoing incarceration is justified by characterizations of him as a
so-called dangerous person, rather than as one who views defending the land and confronting colonialism perpetuated by G20 policies as an inherent right and responsibility. “It is a travesty that Ryan, as an Indigenous man deeply committed to protecting the land, has been targeted by the G20 security apparatus. This is part of the ongoing criminalization of Indigenous people who challenge the dominant assumption that land is to be exploited for profit,” says Indigenous sovereigntist Jen Meunier.
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MEDIA LIASON: Jonah Hundert 416 912 8593.
For media interviews Rachel Avery 519 616 5549, Mohan Mishra 416 270 8947, Leah Henderson 780 4815983
For more information contact Harsha Walia 778 885 0040 or hwalia8@gmail.com
one wonders if Germany was in denial too, in the lead up to Hitler's absolute control?
Well, yes. But it's not quite what's happening here. This is mostly just garden variety institutional authority pushback on the part of the police. If they don't believe the people they bust are dangerous they have to examine their own behaviour.
Note: I am not trying to diminish the significance of the civil liberties violations by the police.I just think if we are to deal with them we should have an accurate understanding of what is going on.
The US DOES have a serious fascist threat at the moment (the Tea Party). Canada does not. We do need to worry about an Anschluss eventually.
Great post Rootham. It entirely underscores how people internalize and normalize state repression, and dismiss it as business as usual. Fascist authoritarianism takes on many forms, and it does not for the most part happen "overnight". It happens incrementally over time. First, the public has to be made to accept police repression as a "normal" part of day to day life. Indeed the tea party mentality is fostered in this environment precisely.
G20 was a great test for this movement in our country. They were able to suspend civil liberties in Toronto for a period of several days, and then arrest and detain a thousand people who did absolutely nothing at all, while all and sundry denounced the "violent" demonstrators, of which there were a mere handful.
No. It is not usual for the courts to persecute persons for their political beliefs by imposing stringent limitations on their right to freely communicate through prejudicial bail terms, and for the police to routinely re-arrest people, even when there is obviously no flight risk, and those persons have shown no inclination to avoid the mandate of the courts.
This is obviously a process of persecution and criminalization of dissent.
No. We need to worry now! This is not something to be easily dismissed. This is a clear breach of freedom of speech and a clear attempt by the police and their owners to silence any type of movements against the state. This should be widely spread all over the Internet. Harper and his classless crony assholes have created a climate of fear. They are arresting and silencing people for speaking out. We should be more than worried. We should be protesting and trying our best to get these fascists assholes out of office asap.
This is not going to get batter, this is going to get a lot worse. Our silence gives them consent.
This is mostly just garden variety institutional authority pushback on the part of the police.
This is really a dangerous outlook. If "garden variety institutional authority pushback" includes arbitrary arrests and detainments, malicious prosecution, and armed pigs stealing people out of their home at gunpoint in the middle of the night, then we are in the wrong fucking garden.
Agree citizen, can't even believe any trivialization of this is occuring.
We need to be aware as humans that we like our ruts, and want to keep them at all costs. So much so, that we put our lives, and our freedoms in danger, time and again.
So many fail to understand the only real way to keep the rut is to be the guardians of our lives and freedoms in a true way, not a incremental acceptance of eroding of that which we have fought to achieve.
Making waves while issues are small is the only way to be.
Anyone who says differently is no student of history.
Hussan can you post a link to the story? I would like to get this sent out as widely as possible.
This is going around on Facebook.
I would like it if people would actually read to the end of the post before responding.
I am not trying to trivialize the events, quite the contrary, I am pointing out that the events and behaviour are supported by out CURRENT regime. The police are not trying for regime change, they are perfectly happy with the regime that they have. The G20 was heavy handed authority, but it was not fascist.
The re-arrest of Hundert was pretty vile and, I believe, illegal.
Things that are bad don't have to be described as fascist, Doing so causes problems when real fascists show up.
Anything more than this is thread drift, I will start a new thread.
So supension of civil liberties, and warrantless midnight armed raids and arrests, and revolving door arrests for dissidents aren't fascist. Who knew? What is fascism? An "I love Mussolini" bumper sticker?
Thanks Maysie
Those things are not unique to fascism.
They are part of democratic process I suppose?
ALEX HUNDERT BEHIND BARS FOR AT LEAST A FEW WEEKS; CROWN SEEKS TO REVOKE
HIS BAIL
(Update from AW@L & Alex Hundert Support Cttee)
"Being thrown back in jail illegitimately and maliciously in no way
dampens my resolve, in fact it only strengthens it and I am resolute to
continue fighting. I hope that while I am in jail as many people as
possible will continue building movements and building relationships
across struggles, and will continue to push back against the system and
its norms of domination." - Alex Hundert from jail, Sep 19th
September 19, 2010- Toronto, Mississauga New Credit - G20 defendant and
alleged 'ringleader' Alex Hundert appeared in court on Saturday September
18, 2010for an alleged breach of his existing bail condition to not
participate in any public demonstration. The police and Crown have made
the preposterous and unbelievable claim that Alex's two public speaking
events on university campuses in Kitchenerand Torontoare public
demonstrations.
On Saturday September 18, approximately 100 people gathered for a
courthouse rally. AW@L member Rachel Avery, OCAP member Liisa Schofield,
Anishinaabekwe (Algonquin) Indigenous sovereigntist Jen Meunier, No One Is
Illegal member Mohan Mishra, and Ryerson professor and co-panelist and
organizer of the Toronto panel event Judy Rebick all spoke powerfully and
defiantly about not being intimidated in the face of ongoing arrests and
to strengthen our commitment to this resistance.
In court, Alex appeared briefly, just to set another date for Tuesday
September 21 at the 2201 Finch courthouse. On Tuesday again, he will only
appear briefly to schedule a 3-day hearing for sometime in the next few
weeks, where the Crown will try to argue that he was in breach of his bail
conditions. The Crown is also seeking to revoke Alex's bail entirely and
keep him behind bars till trial.
For Alex's court date on Tuesday, we are not organizing a call for mass
court support. Since this is a quick court appearance, we would like to
suggest to allies to instead stand alongside the ongoing movements and
daily struggles in our city. In particular, we would encourage you to
attend "No More Migrant Worker Deaths Protest" for migrant workers rights
and safety. With the recent work-placed related deaths of two Jamaican
agricultural workers Ralston White and Paul Roach, Justicia for Migrant
Workers is organizing a public protest (an actual demonstration) later in
the week on Friday September 24th at the Ontario Ministry of Labour (400
University Avenue) at 1 pm. (See http://bit.ly/cHp3sm and
http://bit.ly/b5Yi4s for more)
Alex has often reminded us "They are targeting me and trying to send me to
jail because I am part of communities that are effectively organizing
across movements. Whether it is the criminalization of anarchists and
community organizers like me, or the daily demonization of Indigenous
peoples, poor people and migrant communities, we are living in the midst
of an increasingly aggressive and openly racist Harper regime that serves
only to protect property and profit, not people."
The most recent attempt to silence Alex is a strong indication of the
police's intent to criminalize ideas, dissent, and effective community
organizing. (For further background information on Alex's arrest and the
numerous attempts by the police and Crown to throw him back in jail, read
this press release: http://g20.torontomobilize.org/node/504)
We insist that Alex and the five remaining G20 defendants behind bars be
released immediately, that all G20-related charges be dropped, and that
all prison walls and border walls and apartheid walls be torn down. We who
strive and struggle for Indigenous sovereignty, migrant and ecological
justice, or economic equality are perceived as threats to the state
because of our ideas and our efficacy. We will not be defeated by their
attacks; our communities, our visions, our solidarities are stronger than
their repression. Free the People, Defend the Land!
LETTERS TO ALEXIN JAIL CAN BE SENT TO:
Alex Hundert
TorontoWest Detention Centre
111 Disco Rd, Box 4950
Toronto(Rexdale), ON M9W 5L6
(It is best to include letters without attachments and clippings, which
can arbitrarily be held. Also remember letters are often read by guards
first. If you are writing, please write soon given the length of time it
sometimes takes to receive mail inside)
For more information or questions, contact or
hwalia8@gmail.com or AW@L through antiwar@peaceculture.org.
ARTICLES:
Toronto Star "Alleged G20 ringleader arrested after taking part in
university panel":
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/torontog20summit/article/863322--alleged...
Media Co-op "Alleged G20 co-conspirator re-arrested after speaking at
Ryerson University":
http://www.mediacoop.ca/story/alleged-g20-co-conspirator-re-arrested-aft...
Rabble "The re-arrest of Alex Hundert - Why the police should be charged
with obstruction of justice"
http://www.rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/statica/2010/09/g8g20-communiqu%C3%A...
Michael Parenti: Fascism in a Pin-Striped Suit
Double-post
We might do well to stop thinking of fascism as being a simple either-or condition. The political system of any one country encompasses a variety of uneven and seemingly incongruous institutional practices. To insist that fascism does not obtain until every abomination of the Nazi state is replicated and every vestige of constitutional government is obliterated is to overlook, at our peril, the disturbingly antidemocratic, authoritarian manifestations inherent in many states that call themselves democracies.
Exactly. Fascist acts are still fascist. Fascist tendencies exist all the time in fact. It never disappears. It can be contained and controlled, but it never goes away. There is not some magical point at which a state goes over from being "democratic" to being "fascist". Indeed, and important point here is that fascism in Germany did not primarily manifest itself as the authoritarian application of draconian legislation, but as the application of power, despite law, and without rules ordered by bureaucratic fiat, not policy or new laws.
Nazi appointed judges decided what law to apply and how to apply it, without reference to written law at all.
Here's a video of the gathering/press conference outside of court on the morning of Saturday Sept 18, the morning after his arrest.
Speakers:
0:06 - Mohan Mishra (OCAP)
1:22 - John Norris (Alex's lawyer)
2:38 - Rachel Avery (AW@L)
5:02 - Liisa Schofield (OCAP)
8:26 - Judy Rebick
11:30 - Jen Meunier (anishnaabe friend and ally)
Toronto Pigs Arrest Prominent Indigenous Rights Organizer on G-20 Related Charges
http://mostlywater.org/node/96927
"The expensive and unnecessary G20 fiasco centered in Toronto on Wednesday night as prominent indigenous rights activst Jaroslava Avila was arrested at Queen's Park Station by nearly a dozen police officers at 10 PM.
The arrest follows on the heels of the arrest of Alex Hundert, a community organizer based in Toronto also charged with G-20 related 'conspiracy' for attending a panel discussion at Ryerson University.."
Persecution masquerading as prosecution. Clearly the attempt is to 'chill' the activist community. These people need your support, and the police your condemnation
Alex Hundert Appeals Gag-Order - AWOL Denounces Ongoing Targeting
http://g20.torontomobilize.org/node/583
"Oct 20, 2010, Toronto - G20 defendant Alex Hundert appears in an Ontario Superior Court today to submit an application for review of his restrictive bail conditions..
These conditions include non-associations with a large number of friends and fellow social justice activists, as well as the imposed restrictions of no direct or indirect posting to the internet, no assisting, planning, or attending any public meeting or march and no expresson of views on a political issue...
While we prepare for future mobilizations, please feel free to voice your dissent directly to [ONT] Attorney General Chris Bentley"
cbentley.mpp@liberal.ola.org
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
[Please note this release is regarding G20 defendant Alex Hundert but was
not written by, for, or on behalf of Alex Hundert, as per his egregious
and unjust bail conditions to not express any political views and no
indirect posting to the internet.]
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Dear Friends and Community,
As many of you know Alex Hundert was arrested on October 23, 2010. He has
been charged with attempt to intimidate a member of the judicial system.
We know that this is another attempt to incarcerate Alex, instil fear into
our communities, and to continue to repress those that speak out against
injustice, oppression, and colonization.
The support Alex has received has been inspiring. He is aware of the
resources he is drawing on from friends, family, and the activist
community, and hopes that a balance can be found, and work on Indigenous
sovereignty and land defence, as well as migrant, economic, and
environmental justice can continue.
Alex's legal proceedings are complex to say the least. What we know is
that, he will continue to be incarcerated for at least the next several
weeks.
Here are some ideas on how to continue to support Alex, and all G20
defendants.
1. Continue to organize on local issues, and remain committed to them.
2. Continue to support other G20 activists that are in prison, including
Indigenous Sovereigntist Ryan Rainville who has a court date October 26,
10am. 361 University Avenue.
3. Write him a letter. Please note, that his current non association
conditions mean that if you are reasonably assumed to be a member, or
could be thought of as a member of SOAR, AW@L, or No One Is Illegal, you
cannot write him a letter.
Alex Hundert
c/o Toronto West Detention Centre
111 Disco Rd
PO Box 4950
Rexdale ON M9W5L6
4. Donate and encourage others to donate to the G20 legal defence fund.
http://g20.torontomobilize.org/
you know how outrageous this situation is that it even bothers a far right conservative like Mark Steyn:
http://www.steynonline.com/content/view/3527/128/
Miles Hopper, unintentionally, reminds us of why the campaign to restore free speech to Canada and to Europe, and to preserve it in the United States, is so important. He writes, with all the blithe ignorance of Trudeaupia's child, that "Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms protects virtually all manner of opinion and expression, and has been doing so for more than a quarter century."
Actually, it does no such thing ... As to the protections it affords, perhaps the complacent Mr Hopper should ask Toronto leftie Alex Hundert, who languishes in jail because he refuses to accept a bail condition requiring him to refrain from "expressing political views in public". I wouldn't accept it, either. Mr Hundert is an idiotic anarchist, and I couldn't be less interested in hearing his political views, but that's the point of free speech, isn't it? I can't hoot and jeer at Mr Hundert's opinions if the government pre-emptively bans them - and thus in that sense the state is shriveling my freedom as well as his. An open-ended speech ban is not a bail condition pending trial so much as the Red Queen's "sentence first, verdict afterwards".