2010 G20 Toronto summit protests
Public protesting and demonstrations began one week ahead of the 2010 G20 Toronto summit, which took place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on 26−27 June. The protests were for various causes, including poverty and anti-capitalism.
Protests mainly consisted of peaceful demonstrations and rallies but also took the form of a riot as a group of protesters using black bloc tactics caused vandalism to several businesses in Downtown Toronto. More than 20,000 police, military, and security personnel were involved in policing the protests, which at its largest numbered 10,000 protesters.[1][2] While there were no deaths, 97 officers and 39 arrestees were injured, and at least 40 shops were vandalised, constituting at least C$750,000 worth of damage.[3][4]
Over 1000 arrests were made, making it the largest mass arrest in Canadian history.[4] In the aftermath of the protests, the Toronto Police Service and the Integrated Security Unit (ISU) of the G20 Toronto summit were heavily criticized for brutality during the arrests and eventually went under public scrutiny by media and human rights activists. There has been legal action in the form of a class action lawsuit towards the Toronto police on behalf of all of those who were arrested despite the Toronto Police's several attempts to stop court proceedings by appealing the case. As of November 10, 2016 The Supreme Court of Canada ruled that it will not hear the Toronto Police Services Board's appeal. As a result, a class action lawsuit was able to proceed on November 25, 2016 towards trial.[5] On August 17, 2020, The Canadian Press announced that the lawsuit had resulted in a $16.5 million settlement. Those arrested were each awarded dollar amounts ranging from $5,000 to $24,700.[6]
Early events[edit]
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and members of the Joint Intelligence Group (JIG) began approaching activists in February 2010. There were visits to organization offices, meetings, and activists' houses.[7][8] It was later revealed via Freedom of Information requests that "at least 12 undercover officers infiltrated groups" spanning Vancouver, southern Ontario, Toronto, Montreal, and Ottawa, in one of the largest-ever such operations internal to Canada.[9][10][11][12][13]
A Royal Bank of Canada branch in Ottawa was firebombed just before dawn on May 18, 2010.[14] The attackers posted video on YouTube showing a large fireball igniting inside the bank. The video then listed the manifesto of a previously unknown group calling itself the FFFC. The message stated that the attack against the bank was because of the growing suffering of Vancouver's poor in the shadow of RBC's major sponsorship of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and Paralympics in Vancouver and Whistler, British Columbia and claimed these events were held "on stolen indigenous land."[15]
In addition to social issues and aboriginal land claims, the video claimed the actions were sparked by environmental and deforestation related concerns surrounding the Alberta tar sands projects in "Canada's" prairies, in which the video claims RBC is substantially involved and which G8/G20 decisions furthered.[16] The attackers also stated their intention to be present during the G8 and the G20 Toronto summits the following month.[17]
The projected recurrence of such acts of violence and the escalating rhetoric of anti-summit protest plans caused the G8/G20 Integrated Security Unit (ISU) to increase its security measures.[18][19] The attacks were quickly and widely criticized by the media, politicians, and other protest groups[20][21]
Three suspects were arrested on June 19, 2010; with one, Roger Clement, being convicted in December 2010 while charges against the other two were stayed for lack of evidence although only one of those two faced charges for the arson, while the other's charges were for a separate vandalism of a different RBC ATM. Clement, a 58-year-old retired federal government employee, formerly working for the Canadian International Development Agency, eventually received a 3½ year prison sentence, that included 6 months for vandalism of another RBC branch in February 2010.[22] An undercover police agent who had infiltrated the local activist community was revealed during the fire-bombing trial.[23]
Initial estimates of the damage, immediately following the attack, set the price-tag at around $300,000 and projected that the bank would be closed for several weeks. At the time of Clement's trial, reports stated that the branch was closed for months with total costs of $1,600,000.[16][17][24]
An individual was arrested for vandalism on May 28, after being caught spray-painting anti–G20 slogans on windows and automated teller machines in Downtown Toronto.[25] Two individuals were arrested in London, Ontario after attaching posters to public property encouraging disruption of the G20 summit and canvassing protests.[26]
Key groups which organized early in opposition to the summit included Canadian Labour Congress, Council of Canadians, Greenpeace, Ontario Coalition Against Poverty, Ontario Federation of Labour, Oxfam and the Toronto Community Mobilization Network.[27]
Investigation and charges against police[edit]
Babak Andalib-Goortani[edit]
In 2013, Andalib-Goortani was convicted of assault with a weapon for his role in Nobody's beating.[115] The trial judge, Ontario Court Justice Louise Botham, commented that "a police officer is not entitled to use unlimited force to affect an arrest."[116] Botham, who was brought in to Toronto from Brampton to hear the case, subsequently sentenced Andalib-Goortani to 45 days in jail.[117] In her ruling, Botham indicated that the sentence was heavy influenced by video of Andalib-Goortani, along with a number of other officers whose disciplinary charges were dismissed, punching, kneeing, kicking, and striking the victim with a baton; stating that the period of incarceration was necessary to uphold the public's faith in the justice system.[117]
Less than 10 minutes after Botham announced the sentence in her Brampton courtroom, a Toronto court granted bail to Andalib-Goortani pending appeal.[118] While Andalib-Goortani awaited appeal of that assault conviction, another assault with a weapon charge, for a G20 attack on journalist/blogger Wyndham Bettencourt-McCarthy, was thrown out when the photograph taken while she was about to be hit with the baton, showing a riot-geared officer which another officer was ready to testify was Andalib-Goortani, was ruled inadmissible because the photo had been obtained through an anonymous website posting and the photographer could not be called to testify.[119][120][121]
Some 16 months after being sentenced to jail time and released on bail, Toronto Superior Court Justice Brian O'Marra overturned the sentence and, without providing reasons for his decision, instead ordered that Andalib-Goortani do 75 hours of community service with one year's probation.[122][123] In November 2015, retired Toronto judge Lee Ferrier, presiding over the Toronto Police Service's disciplinary hearing of Andalib-Goortani, docked Andalib-Goortani five days pay for the incident, thus returning the officer to patrol the streets of Toronto.[124]
David 'Mark' Fenton[edit]
In 2014, Toronto Police Superintendent Mark Fenton, was charged with unlawful arrest and discreditable conduct in relation to the kettling incidents and faced a disciplinary hearing.[125] Fenton was one of two major incident commanders, in charge of the Major Incident Command Centre during the summit, and was the one on duty when he ordered the kettling of protesters both at the Novotel on the Esplanade and at Queen and Spadina.[126]
On August 25, 2015, more than five years after the Toronto G20 incidents leading to the charges, Fenton was found guilty of two counts of unlawful arrest and one count of discreditable conduct, disciplinary charges under the Ontario Police Services Act, in relation to the "kettling" of protesters and passers-by at the intersection of Queen Street and Spadina Avenue and at the Novotel hotel on the Esplanade.[127] In rendering judgment, retired Ontario judge John Hamilton explained that "Legitimate protesters … had the right not to be subject to arrest for making noise, chanting and sitting in the public street.".[128] Hamilton indicated that he believed Fenton was committed to serving the public, but that he did not properly understand the constitutional right of the public to protest.[129] In addition to the unlawful arrest convictions, Hamilton deemed Fenton guilty of discreditable conduct resultant from keeping people corralled in the streets during a severe thunderstorm while his duty was to protect them from such harsh weather; however he found him not guilty of the same charge in relation to the Novotel because those unlawfully arrested did not suffer similar hardships.[129] Fenton was found not guilty on charges of unnecessary exercise of authority relating to the treatment of protesters after they were arrested and taken away because another officer of equal rank was in charge of the Prisoner Processing Centre; that officer was never charged.[130][131]
Sentencing concluded on 15 June 2016. Regarding count one (the Novotel Misconduct) Fenton was given a formal reprimand. Regarding count two (the Queen and Spadina Misconduct) Fenton was sentenced to the forfeiture of 10 vacation days. Regarding count three (the Queen and Spadina Discreditable Conduct) Fenton was sentenced to the forfeiture of 20 vacation days.[132]
Seeking a reduced sentence, Fenton subsequently appealed the decision to the Ontario Civilian Police Commission. But, after six months' deliberation, the Commission handed down a decision doubling the sentence from 30 to 60 paid vacation days. "There appears to be little or no relationship between the obvious seriousness of the misconduct and the penalty imposed," the panel wrote. "It is difficult for us to conceive how convictions for the mass arrests, found to be unlawful, of hundreds of individuals in contravention of their Charter rights are not at the more serious end of the spectrum of misconduct." The panel also noted that Fenton had been left to twist in the wind by his G20 superiors, including by former police chief Bill Blair.[133]