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Post G20 protest reclaims contested streets

The city’s a long way from closure on G20 policing, but Saturday’s 2000-strong demo seeking a public inquiry was certainly on the way to satisfying.

Like a mass sanctifying ritual, marchers took back the city, corner by corner, starting with Queen’s Park, the site two weeks ago of mounted police attacks.

Activist and Rabble-founder Judy Rebick told the amazingly heat-resistant crowd: “Every official in this city and in this country said there will be no public inquiry. Today there are three inquiries being called.

“But it’s not enough. We want an inquiry at the provincial and federal level to point the finger at who gave the order to turn our city into a police state.”

As police in shortpants looked on, offering bemused commentary from the periphery, the Civil Liberties Association’s Nathalie Des Rosiers reminded protesters that the constitution and Charter rights weren’t “on holidays” during the G20, and Ontario Federation of Labour head Sid Ryan warned about the danger of losing civil liberties little bits at a time.

“We want to see who was making the decisions,” he said. “We want to see the face of the men who took away civil liberties.”

Lisa Walter, a journalist with the alternative publication Our Times spoke of her own detention with another colleague and how one reporter was threatened with rape. (To which the female officer standing near me sardonically replied: “Oh yes – this is official policy.”)

Then it was time to head towards cathartic Queen and Spadina, the scene of that fateful Sunday night entrapment. Along the way, under the unforgiving sun, marchers reassured passersby that this, indeed, “was what democracy looks like.”

I didn’t expect it, but what a rush it was reaching the intersection. Marchers sat down on the spot, sort of exorcising the rainsoaked incarceration of 14 days past.

And then, on to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre for the final repossession.[rssbreak]

Photos by R. Jeanette Martin

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