Thursday, August 23, 2007

Still on the milk carton...



It must have seemed like a terrific idea at the time.

Three guys with their faces hidden by identical kerchiefs, one of them holding a rock the size of a friggin melon, headed off towards a line of Surete du Quebec police in full riot garb. Union leader David Coles intercepted them, first demanding that they take their rock and bugger off, and then when they refused he demanded that they reveal their faces.

At this point they still had the opportunity to just walk away and blend back into the crowd again with their identities intact, as any sensible member of Black Bloc would certainly have done. Instead the video shows they approached the same police line they had earlier appeared bent on attacking and disappeared into it to be taken into custody. WTF?

And now we learn there is no publicly available paper trail documenting their arrest.

Choose One :

1) New Black Bloc tactic : Immediately surrender to the nearest policeman the first time some unarmed old guy tells you to bugger off.

2) Agent Provocateur. But for whom? The Star :

"The Mounties and Quebec provincial police deny using agents provocateurs at this week's Montebello summit, despite video evidence that suggests undercover cops tried to incite violence."

A statement that clearly shifts the blame to either CSIS or the US, and from which they will have to hurriedly back off again any moment now. I'm not sure where we go to protest American agents provocateur attempting to incite a riot in the middle of a peaceful protest miles away from the Montebello summit, but I'm pretty sure Steve and Doris won't be instigating it.

3) These are the same fuckwits who respond to either winning or losing a Grey Cup or a Tidy Bowl by smashing store windows and acting all "For the people, man!" about it, followed up by spending the next day at work wishing they were a lion tamer.

RossK first sent me the video days ago - here's one of his many good posts on this - but for a complete listing of everybody's coverage since then, Dr Dawg has the video, the stills, and a ton o links.

.UPDATE : CALL OFF THE AMBER ALERT

From the Quebec Provincial Police via RossK:

"Following the diffusion of a video extract on Internet site Youtube.com, possibly implying members of the Safety of Quebec at the time of the Summit of Montebello, the latter would like to bring certain precise details. After having analyzed its contents, in addition to taking note of the vidéos recorded by the police bodies, it is able now to confirm that these individuals are police officers of the Safety of Quebec."

Major props to Paul Manly of Nanaimo for putting up that YouTube. You can bet we never would have heard about this otherwise. And hats off to labour leader Dave Cole for having the guts and leadership to call them out without losing his cool and the smarts to hold a press conference about it.

Loved this bit from the QPP : "The police officers were located by the demonstrators at the time when they refused to launch projectiles."

Refused to launch projectiles? I dearly hope that's a translation problem and not just more Quebec Provincial Provocateurs ass-covering bullshit. This ain't over.

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14 comments:

RossK said...

Hey, Alison--

And what about those video images we have NOT seen?

(details at my place.

RossK.

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Anonymous said...

What a great image - thanks

Anonymous said...

I hope everyone isn't going to get too hung up on the damn boots - I have a pair myself - or they will turn it into the equivalent of the NaftaSuperHwy, something with some validity as part of the equation but too easily used alone to blow off the whole thing.

Anonymous said...

Great image, Alison, and a wonderful summary.

Apparently the World at Six is reporting that the Sureté is now confessing that, yes, they were their guys -- but they were just there "to observe."

But of course. I always observe that way ... WITH A ROCK IN MY HAND.

Anonymous said...

Some idiot on some blog said they were just trying to fit in.

Right, these fit young guys in black with matching boots and bandanas and rocks in their hands were just trying to fit in with a bunch of ordinary aging, unfit, peaceful protesters with no rocks in their hands.

They should stop reading the rightwing bloggers' exaggerated descriptions of protesters, and try to dress like Raging Grannies next time.

West End Bob said...

Love the image, Alison!

Excellent synopsis of the continuing story, too . . . .

RossK said...

Surete - have done a half-a mama-mia-culpa after, guess what, viewing their own videos....sheesh.

(details at my place - and everywhere by now I'm sure)

RossK

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Anonymous said...

A statement that clearly shifts the blame to either CSIS or the US, and from which they will have to hurriedly back off again any moment now.

Well you certainly nailed it:
Quebec police admit they went undercover at Montebello protest

So are we supposed to believe them now?

Anonymous said...

From Ian's link above -
"Police said the three were told to monitor protesters who were not peacefully demonstrating to prevent any violent incidents, but they were called out as undercover agents when they refused to throw objects."

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Did they watch the YouTube?
Why didn't fucking CBC call them on it?

Jennifer Smith said...

I'm sorry, but the guy on the milk carton totally looks like David Hewlett from 'Stargate:Atlantis'

¢rÄbG®äŠŠ said...

If the Sûreté argue that they were there to gather intelligence, suddenly the rocks they were carrying make sense.

RossK said...

Crustacean in the Kentucky Blue--

Me still laughin......

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Chris said...

Creekside...just a stone's throw from...uh...

Nice job tracking this Alison.

If anyone reading is a lawyer, can you say for sure whether or not the SQ broke any laws?

Anonymous said...

Chris : I can tell you for sure it's almost impossible to determine the moving line between infiltration and incitement, but in not committing any acts of inciteful violence themselves here, they're in the clear legally.

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