Yesterday, the news of Toronto police’s new weapon hit the press. Toronto get ‘sound cannons’ for G20: Long-range acoustic devices can be used for crowd control
Let me say again, I’m not calling this a “sound cannon”. Let’s be honest here, “cannons” = “weapon” so I’m calling these things what they are: “sound weapons.”
The Toronto Community Mobilization Network released a statement yesterday criticing the police’s purchase of the four devices.
Quote: “In previous G20 summits, police have been armed with TASERS, stun grenades, and other devices for crowd control. “G8 and G20 countries are causing people to live in fear every day through war and occupation, poverty, and lack of access to social services. By purchasing sonic cannons, security forces are imposing one more way for people to live in fear,” says Farrah Miranda of the Toronto Community Mobilization Network.
Sound gun technology has been deployed in Iraq as an anti-insurgent weapon, and the sonic weaponry is also being used on protesters in Honduras. Seattle Weekly reports that this weapon could easily be used as a torture tool if one doesn’t already think this is its only use.
Yesterday, the Council of Canadians also released a press statement that it plans to distribute free ear plugs to protect community from police’s sound cannons.
Quote: “Saying a sound cannon is a tool for communications is like saying waterboarding isn’t torture, just a tool for encouraging dialogue,” said Mark Calzavara, the Regional Organizer for the Council of Canadians.
“These weapons affect a large area are used without accountability. The victims won’t know who fired them and won’t be able to prove they were targeted. At last year’s G20 meeting in Pittsburgh the police used these sound cannons to assault protestors and even the weapon’s manufacturer said it was abusive. This is meant to intimidate people and make them too scared to protest. They have spent over a billion dollars on security for this event now and it is clearly violating our charter rights.”
Your tax dollars at work.
#30#
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