G20 arrestee made significant contributions to her community, say supporters

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“Kelly is responsible for the free food program that we run every Saturday in Stratford and the harm reduction program too.”

“She is really selfless and goes out of her way to help people.”

“It’s just so amazing how someone can turn all their anger and frustration with society into something really beautiful which is what Kelly keeps doing over and over.”

“Through her actions and her work I was inspired to get involved and help out.”

These were just a few of the comments made by friends and supporters outside the College Park courthouse at a solidarity demonstration Tuesday morning for Kelly Pflug-Back, prior to her bail hearing.

Pflug-Back is charged with six counts of mischief over $5,000 in connection with the damages that occurred during the G20 Summit weekend.

But Julian Ichim, a friend and organizer with Sense of Security (S.O.S.), an anti-poverty group that runs charitable food servings, said, “Kelly is a victim of a witch hunt.”

He believes that when her photo appeared in every major newspaper as part of the G20 most-wanted list along with statements in the press alleging that she was a “ringleader” who organized the damage to shop windows and police cruisers, it interfered with her right to a fair trial.

At the time of her re-arrest, Ichim said that Pflug-Back was already out on bail and alleged that police knew where she was, making it unnecessary to add her picture to the G20 most-wanted list.

“As soon as Kelly found out (that police were looking for her) she turned herself in,” he said. “By putting her face on every newspaper, demonizing her, calling her a criminal, blaming her for every bad thing that happened is typical of McCarthyistic witch hunts.”

Tuesday’s solidarity demonstration was an opportunity for people who really know her to reveal a side of Kelly Pflug-Back that the general public is unaware of.

“She does a lot of outreach work,” said a young woman, who’s known Pflug-Back for a year and a half. “She works with people of colour and poor people. When I’ve had racial issues she’s been really supportive and understanding.”

Then a young man stepped forward and said, “She has a really deep understanding of what it means to be a positive part of a community, to bring people together and have them help each other.”

“I look at Kelly’s work as an activist, her work as an artist,” said a middle aged woman, speaking as a citizen of Toronto.

“She’s a really passionate, positive contribution to our culture and to our city. To see her scapegoated like this is really, really wrong.”

At the close of the demonstration, Julian Ichim emphasized again the positive effect Pflug-Back has had on their lives and the lives of others in their community.

“Kelly is our friend, our comrade and we won’t leave here without Kelly tonight,” said Ichim. “There is no reason for Kelly to be in jail right now.”

Then, almost two dozen supporters made their way into College Park to support Pflug-Back during her bail hearing.

Unfortunately, her lawyer, Steve Gehl, didn’t arrive at court until 1:15 pm. The case was put over to August 10 at Gehl’s request. 

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