Earlier this week in Montebello, Quebec, Dave Coles from the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union sabotaged the security plans for the summit on the Security and Prosperity Partnership, and sparked an important debate about how Canada's police state does its business. Brother Coles calling out of three Surete du Quebec officers masquerading as protesters lit up YouTube postings and had Internet activists carefully scanning photos to notice that the "protesters"were wearing the exact same SQ-issued boots as their riot police counterparts. Their fascist little jig being up, the SQ was forced to admit that they had tried to infiltrate what was a peaceful protest being staged by middle-aged union members.
Those of you who remember the Oka incident will appreciate when this page says these kind of tactics are "par for the course" (insert rimshot here) for the Surete du Quebec. From helping Maurice Duplessis to bust the Asbestos Strike of 1949 to firing rubber bullets a teddy-bear launching protesters at the 2001 Summit of the Americas in Quebec City, the SQ never fail to serve and protect...the rich and powerful while trampling on the rights of everyone else. Who polices the police? Public Safety Minister Stockwell, the cabinet minister responsible for summit security, doesn't really care, and says Monday's incident should be left to an internal police investigation.
The timely intervention of Brother Coles and its distribution through the Internet shows what happens when experienced Union leadership and today's technology are combined: we can prove the empire has no clothes, even if they're wearing the same boots.
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