OVER THE EDGE
September 26 - October 10, 2007

The Quebec Montebello Summit SPP Protest
Part 2 of 3 — The Stunning Police Confession

JEREMY JOHNSON

Srare Writer

Questions intensified after two days of continuous pressure.
The police force in charge known as Surete Quebec finally
issued a press telease on the matter. The official response sent
shockwaves throughout the media. The police admitted that
the three men in question were, in fact, undercover police of-
ficers. In fact, the police also suggest that undercover police
officers dressed as protestors in rallies are common. However,
the official response also suggested that they were there, like
other operations, to maintain order.

Amidst calls for an investigation, Stockwell Day, the Min-
ister of Public Safety, also addressed media saying that he
would not call an investigation to the matter. He says that the
police assured him that they are not engaging in activity to
provoke or incite violence and that he is “satisfied with that.”
Stockwell Day also suggested to the press that Quebec police
have a public complaints system and that the matter can be
referred to them.

One official remarked that, perhaps the only reason they were
quickly spotted as police officers was because they were the
only ones trying to maintain order in the first place. Of course,
this notion ran contrary to the video posted on YouTube, let
alone what many who were at the protest were suggesting all
along. As one could expect, this move only served to add fuel
to the fire. The CEP issued a press release of their own.

“The fact is that these three police officers jeopardized the
safety of everyone in that protest, not to mention the safety of

the three political leaders, by trying to incite violence during
the summit.” David Coles said in the press release, “Quebec
police can deny that all they want but they cannot deny that
their officers were masked, were armed with rocks and were.
aggressive to me, members of my family and to other demon-
strators”

“We all know that constables and sergeants of the Quebec
Police Force do not make these decisions on their own. What
the Canadian public needs to know is who ordered them to do
it.” Dave further said, “Was Stockwell Day in charge of secur-
ity at Montebello? If he was, he should take responsibility for
what happened. If he wasn’t, frankly, he should resign. For
him to try and put the blame on three police constables by re-
ferring the matter to a police complaints process is a cowardly
act that would be laughable were it not so irresponsible.”

“This is the face of it” Dave Coles said during a press con-
ference, “where people can’t even ask a question without hav-
ing to face these kinds of goons. It’s time that all the secrecy
and backroom deals end.”

“The Government of Canada wants to diffuse our questions,”
he further said, “and what other way to escape the spotlight.or

the light of day by trying to make it look like this is some -

sort of radical group trying to create a confrontation instead of
dealing with the hard questions civil society, our union, ask?”

While demands for an investigation are ongoing as of this
writing, one report suggests that one of the men in question is
facing internal discipline.

A police official suggested that the rock was actually simply
given to him by an extremist protestor, but never had any in-
tention to use the rock.

While protestors are demanding that more action be taken
to police the police, Marlene Jennings chimed in on the issue.
She says that the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police)
were in control for all security regarding the Montebello sum-
mit meaning that whatever police force was also involved, the
RCMP should have been overseeing the ongoings. The polit-
ical justice critics demanded that the public complaints com-
mission investigate the matter.

Some say that some sort of legislation should be put in place
that says that getting police officers to provoke violence is an
improper use of resources.

Libby Davies, an MP for the NDP said the video evidence
raises “hugely serious questions” about the role of the police at
contentious international meetings. “I think we need to know -
who authorized this, how high up does this go?”

Catherine Nolin is an assistant professor in UNBC’s Geog-
raphy program. When asked if a situation like this was a first,
she responded by saying, “I don’t think this is a first.” She has
been following this protest, much like the other protests that
occur, closely. “I recommend [checking out] the website of the
Council of Canadians [www.canadians.org] who are the main
group who identified this meeting in the first place (since there
was little formal notice of it) and the peaceful protest of the
event and the plan to not hear from the people opposed to the
‘private’ discussions.”

While the reports agree that protestors were, in fact; there
for different reasons, those reasons gained little attention. The
“hard questions” that are being asked will be covered in the
third part of this article, to be printed in the next edition of
Over the Edge.

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