Mark Calzavara
The CBC reports, “The Ontario Federation of Labour, Amnesty International, the Council of Canadians and individual activists held a news conference Friday to say a series of reports and inquiries into the G20 weekend aren’t enough. They want a full judicial inquiry that looks not only at alleged police abuses during the international summit, but at the politicians who directed the police and the summit itself.”
Council of Canadians Ontario-Quebec organizer Mark Calzavara said at the media conference, “Police repression of protest is the direct result of the unnecessary cuts that the G20 nations are forcing on the rest of the world. They cut taxes for the rich, they cut support for the poor and they cut down the inevitable protesters who speak out against them. We can reverse this downward spiral and work towards real democracy by holding the authorities responsible for their actions.”
CityTV reports, “(York University professor David McNally), along with representatives from the Ontario Federation of Labour, Amnesty International Canada, Council of Canadians, and No One is Illegal – Toronto, called for a comprehensive public inquiry into G20 policing and the abuse of civil liberties.” The Canadian Press adds, “They want a full judicial inquiry that looks not only at police abuses during the international summit, but at the politicians who directed the police and the summit itself.”
The Council of Canadians first called for a full public inquiry into the G8/G20 summits on June 28, 2010.
To see a clip of Mark speaking at the news conference, please go to the 4-minute point of this video, http://rabble.ca/rabbletv/program-guide/2011/06/best-net/civil-society-speaks-anniversary-g20-toronto.
