Photo by Willie Wilson
This morning, I was very saddened to learn that during last Friday’s demonstration, undercover Montreal Police officers wearing masks and civilian clothing threatened demonstrators by pulling out a firearm.
I am also touched by the fact that one of these officers savagely attacked student Katie Nelson on the same date.
The wearing of the mask by a police officer while on duty is a direct violation of Regulation P-6. This comes as a considerable surprise given the fact that the Montreal Police and Mayor Coderre systematically justify their extremely violent interventions on peaceful protesters by the fact that some of these protesters also wear masks.
Furthermore, there will be NO credible OR independent investigation to shed light on the events in question. Such a situation cannot be tolerated.
Moreover, the police officer who allegedly assaulted Ms. Nelson has still not been questioned.
As a result, the Minister of Public Safety has a duty and responsibility to intervene as soon as possible to resolve the sad events of last Friday. Restoring trust between demonstrators and police officers will require robust disciplinary measures and drastic changes to the practices used to supervise demonstrations must be a priority for the department.
Source: http://bit.ly/1S9bVan
According to The Link Newspaper last night undercover police infiltrated an anti-austerity demonstration. Some protesters have indicated on social media that the officers were dressed as « Black-Block. »
When Concordia student Katie Nelson confronted the officers about their identity they allegedly pushed her to the ground inflecting multiple injuries for which she was hospitalized.
Following the incident the undercover officers are said to have pulled a gun on the protesters while other officers formed a kettle. Later on in the evening, additional under-cover police were spotted arresting a protester and using pepper spray.
I look forward to reading more about last night’s events as more information becomes available.
