Coop média de Montréal
Journalisme indépendant
Can you support independent journalists with $5? donate today!
Update on arrests at Saturday's Alliance sociale demo / Mise à jour sur les arrestations au manif Alliance sociale de samedi
Blog posts reflect the views of their authors.
Last Saturday, as approximately 50,000 people were preparing to march through the streets of Montreal against government cuts to social services, 12 people were pre-emptively arrested. There was much uncertainty around what they were to be charged with, but it seemed like they would be facing conspiracy charges similar to those laid upon organizers arrested prior to the G20 demonstrations last June in Toronto.
According to an update posted by lawyer Denis Poitras on Facebook this afternoon, though, there is no charge for consipracy. They are, however, being charged with weapons possession and some are also being charged with breach of bail conditions or probation. All have been released, and are scheduled to re-appear in court on April 29th.
Full text of Denis Poitras' post (followed by English translation, thanks to Jaggi Singh):
La situations des personnes arrêtées le 12 mars 2011 lors de la manifestation de la Coalition.
by Denis Poitras on Monday, March 14, 2011 at 6:21pm
Bon pour les personnes arrêté-e-s samedi dernier, elles ont toutes été remises en liberté et elles sont accusées de possession d'une arme dans un dessein dangereux et quelques unes de bris de conditions ou de probation.
Les personnes accusées ont toutes comme condition de ne pas communiquer entre elles sauf les colocs et les conjointes.
Petit résumé des faits (selon la divulgation de la preuve):
La police a surveillé un groupe de 16 personnes, habillées en noir et masquées, comme le Black Bloc. Le service d'ordre syndical aurait demandé à ce groupe de s'éloigner de la manifestation et les policiers ont alors décidé de les arrêter préventivement en vertu de l'article 31 du Code criminel car ils estimaient qu'elles allaient troubler la paix.
La police a trouvé dans deux sacs à dos et sur le sol, des bouteilles bières, 2 marteaux, un couteau dans une gaine, un bâton télescopique et quelques bonbonnes de peinture ainsi que plusieurs tracts faisant la promotion de la manif de COBP prévue pour demain!
Samedi pm, les policiers devaient relâcher les personnes arrêtées. Mais un changement de programme est survenu pour les accuser de complot et de possession d'armes dans un dessein dangereux et de les faire comparaître détenues ce matin!
Finalement, il n'y avait pas de preuve pour le complot d'où la seule accusation de possession d'arme...
Les dossiers reviennent pro forma le 29 avril prochain en salle 4.06.
ENGLISH TRANSLATION:
The situation of the people arrested on March 12, 2011 during the Coalition's demonstration.
So, for the people arrested this past Saturday, they were all released today and they're charged with possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, and certain were charged with breach of conditions or probation.
The accused all have a condition to not communicate with each other, except for roommates & partners.
A little overview of the facts (according to the disclosure) [translator note: these are the "facts" according to the cops disclosure]:
The police were observing a group of 16 people, dressed in black and masked, like the Black Bloc. The union marshalls asked this group to distance themselves from the demonstration and the police then decided to preventatively arrest them as per article 31 of the Criminal Code because they thought they would disturb the peace.
The police found in two backpacks and on the ground some beer bottles, 2 hammers, a knife in a sheath, a telescopic baton and some paint bombs as well as some flyers promoting the COBP demo scheduled for tomorrow!
Saturday pm, the police were supposed to release the people who were arrested. But, there was a change of plans and the the intention to charge the accused with conspiracy and possession of weapons for a dangerous purpose and to have theme appear this morning!
In the end, there was not proof of conspiracy but only a single charge of weapons possession ...
The files will be back in court, pro forma, on April 29 in room 4.06 (Palais de Justice de Montréal).
About the poster
661 words
The site for the Montreal local of The Media Co-op has been archived and will no longer be updated. Please visit the main Media Co-op website to learn more about the organization.