Defendant to ask that all bail conditions are rescinded, including ban on demonstrations

When: Tuesday, November 30, 10am
Where: Ontario Superior Court at 361 University Avenue
between Dundas & Queen Street
(for exact courtroom location, look for “Singh, Jaggi” on the court roll)

If you oppose the restrictive bail conditions imposed on all G20 “conspiracy” defendants – ban on demonstrations, house arrest, non-association, ban on passports and cellphones, and more -- we ask that you attend court in large numbers this TUESDAY.

Contribute to the G20 Legal Defence Fund in Québec!
Our solidarity is stronger than their repression

It’s been two weeks since we launched the “5000 x 5$” campaign to raise money for the G20 Legal Defence Fund in Québec. Thanks to everyone who has supported this campaign so far. We continue to ask for your support in promoting and contributing to this campaign, especially in the next few weeks as we attempt to meet our fundraising goal of $25,000 by December 17. Updated information is included below.

Montreal, November 11, 2010 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

After Toronto, the leaders of the world’s economic superpowers will meet in Seoul the 11 and 12 of November for yet another G-20 Summit. On this occasion, there will be gatherings everywhere around the globe to denounce capitalism, misery and poverty. As underlined by Mathieu Francoeur, spokesperson for the CLAC: “In order to replenish the coffers of the State, robbed by the banks’ and big enterprises’ embezzlement of public funds, the criminal institution that is the G-20 found as sole solution to this crisis the imposition of measures ensuring the continual impoverishment of workers and most deprived everywhere around the world.”

Anti-capitalist demonstration against the G-20
Friday, November 12th, 2010
Meeting point at 5:00 PM, Cabot Square, Montréal
(Atwater & St-Catherine west)

On the heels of Toronto, the world’s biggest capitalists will meet again in Seoul on November 11th and 12th for another G20 summit. Rallies will be held all over the world to denounce capitalism, misery and poverty.

While we face an economic, social and environmental crisis, Prime Minister Stephen Harper promotes the « stabilization of financial markets », imposing austerity measures that go against the interests of workers, the unemployed and the poorest of the planet. In response, we take to the streets to demonstrate our rage against the capitalist system and show our refusal to submit to those who enrich themselves on our backs through theft, exploitation and repression!

This march will also underline our solidarity with the dozens of people still facing charges from the demonstrations held in Toronto against the G20 summit last June. Months later, the Canadian State continues to criminalize and suppress the voices of dissent. We invite all people, families and communities who believe in a better future, to join us in denouncing capitalism, the G20 and political repression!

In addition to this child-friendly event, we invite groups to join the resistance to the G20 by organizing autonomous actions during the G20 Summit in Seoul taking place from November 11th to the 12th.

Spread the word!
An invitation from the
Convergence des luttes anti-capitalistes 2010 (CLAC2010)
WWW.CLAC2010.NET –

The Crown’s Crackdown Can’t Stand Up to the Facts

Montreal, October 14th, 2010 -- The Anti-Capitalist Convergence (CLAC) is overjoyed at the Crown’s decision to drop its charges against the almost one hundred demonstrators who were arrested this past June during the people’s protests against the G20 Summit in Toronto.

Remember that several dozen people from Montreal who had taken advantage of transportation and lodging organized by the CLAC, found themselves arrested, detained and facing conspiracy charges following a brutal police raid on the University of Toronto gymnasium on June 27th. Lacking any evidence to back up its case, today the Crown Prosecutor announced that the conspiracy charges would be dropped against these people who were arrested at the gymnasium.

The CLAC is also pleased to announce that charges have been dropped against three of its members, who were “preventatively” arrested on the morning of June 26 and detained for over 72 hours on the basis of these makeshift charges.

This latest about-face by the Crown constitutes an implicit admission of defeat; it shows how flimsy the charges are and how scandalously the police behaved during the security operations around the Summit. It is now clear that the mass arrests at the gymnasium, like the vast majority of the arrests during the Summit, were arbitrary and uncalled for, and were intended to terrorize the demonstrators and to discourage them from exercising their right to protest in the future.

In that vein, the CLAC would like to remind people that the Crown is persisting in its prosecution of twenty organizers that it is wrongly accusing of being the “ringleaders” behind the events of June 26th. There are two CLAC members amongst these scapegoats; they are facing three charges of conspiracy and are currently subject to draconian bail conditions including house arrest.

Alex Hundert of Toronto is one of the twenty people facing conspiracy charges. He was arrested for a second time at his sureties’ home on September 17th for having, according to the Crown Prosecutor, breached his bail condition of “not organizing or attending any public demonstrations.” Earlier that day, Hundert had taken part in a panel discussion at Ryerson University about resistance to the G20. During a second bail hearing that took place on October 6th and 7th, an Ontario Justice of the Peace ruled that by displaying “the same kind of behaviour as he did in meetings prior to the G20,” Hundert had indeed breached one of his bail conditions. It seems that speaking at a university talk in Canada is now to be considered a “public demonstration.” This is a total aberration, a direct attack on the most basic form of freedom of expression: someone is being held in prison for having simply expressed his ideas in public! Recently, at Alex’s last bail hearing, the crown tried to impose harsher conditions, attempting to stop him from expressing his political opinions in public, or in the media. He refused these conditions and remains behind bars until he can appeal them. Besides Alex Hundert, four other people remain behind bars on charges stemming from the G20.

More than three months after the events in question, the police continue to carry out targeted arrests and to issue warrants, and all this is of course being done at the taxpayers’ expense. It is obvious that this judicial and police crackdown, like the strict bail conditions imposed on the accused, are on a completely different scale than the actual crimes observed. Given this pathetic and merciless witchhunt, we can only conclude that the State’s real goal is to criminalize and freeze dissent.

But we refuse to be silenced! In solidarity with the popular mobilizations against the next G20 Summit in Seoul this coming November 11 and 12, the CLAC is organizing an anti-capitalist family-friendly demonstration at Cabot Square, on November 12th at 5pm.

******

Here is a live report of the gymnasium arrest from CBC : http://bit.ly/9z7uD2

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, September 28th, 2010.

The 24th, 27th, and 28th of September saw several court appearances of those arrested and accused during the G20 in June as part of the largest mass arrest in Canadian history. Following these arrests, approximately 300 people are facing criminal charges for their involvement in the anti-G20 movement.

Alex Hundert Locked Up for Taking Part in a Discussion Panel and Anarchism on Trial in the Case of Juan Pablo Lepore

Montreal, September 20, 2010 – Juan Pablo Lepore was arrested in Montreal on September 2nd, and is has been charged with mischief in connection with the G20 summit. Given that the Crown refused his release at his first court appearance, Juan was back in court on September 17th, attempting once again to secure his release while awaiting trial.

Juan Pablo Lepore, 28, was arrested in Montreal on September 2nd for accusations of mischief at the G20 Summit in Toronto this June. The crown has refused his release on bail during his first appearance on Friday, September 3rd. Juan is still detained and his next appearance in court will be Friday, September 17th.

"Juan has passed 15 days in prison and could spend months more, all because he is suspected of having committed a misdeameanor that, lets remember, was political in nature. The bail conditions imposed on G20 detainees are scandalous for a judicial system claiming to be democratic!" exclaims Marie-Ève Blais, member of the Friends of Juan Committee that was created after his arrest. Juan Pablo is an Argentinian documentary film-maker and independent journalist, visiting Canada for several months. He grew curious about this country while collaborating in Argentina on an documentary with the Canadian Nicolas Van Caloen, and came to visit Nicolas here, while returning occasionally to Argentina for professional occasions.

"All these arbitrary detentions aim to justify the colossal security expenses for the G20, they are red herrings. We hope to see Juan and all the other detainees freed as soon as possible" concludes Nicolas Van Caloen, friend and media collaborator of Juan. Juan went to Toronto in June to document the resistance movement to the G20, publishing to the alternative online medias www.cmaq.net and http://2010.mediacoop.ca.

Juan dedicates his work as a videographer and journalist to the documentation of resistance movement converging, like in Toronto in June, to demonstrate against the criminal policys implemented by institutions like the G20, the IMF or the World Bank. He also documents the daily resistance of Argentinian communities facing the consequences of the same policies, notably in his documentary project Semillas (Seeds): "We try to spread these seeds at the right moment to aid resistance groups that are constructing a new society based on social and environmental justice, horizontality, solidarity between peoples and the defence of the Earth."

-- The Friends of Juan Pablo Lepore
*Media contacts:
Nicolas Van Caloen: 514-621-8149 in Toronto Friday
or in Montreal:
Marie-Ève Blais: 514 746 0196
Mathieu Francoeur: 438 838 8498
Info: , www.clac2010.net

[PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY]

Hello,

This message is to ask you to contribute financially to the liberation of Juan Pablo Lepore, the last person to have been arrested following the G20 events. Since he has been arrested, he's been detained and we obtained a short extension to raise some money to bail him out. We have currently about $3000 and we need $5000, so WE NEED YOUR HELP.

Juan Pablo is an Argentinian documentary film-maker and independent journalist visiting Canada for several months.

Juan Pablo Lepore, 28, was arrested on the morning of September 2 in Montreal, for participating in the G20 Summit in Toronto this June. Juan Pablo was transferred to Toronto the same night and appeared in court Friday morning. The crown has refused his release.

"It's stunning to refuse Juan a release on bail, because every day the Canadian legal system allows defendants their release before trial even though they are accused of more serious crimes than Juan. It's clear that if you're poor, and you can't offer cash or assets as a guarantee, you don't have the same rights," said Marie-Ève Blais, one of the members of the "Friends of Juan Pablo Lepore" committee that has formed since his arrest.

The police is trying to convert this arrest into another trophy to justify the unprecedented inter-provincial police deployment before, during, and after the G20 meetings. Recall that during the appearance of many Quebecois arrestees in Toronto on August 23, the Crown produced a remarkable lack of evidence.

Juan Pablo is an Argentinian documentary film-maker and independent journalist, visiting Canada for several months. He grew curious about this country while collaborating in Argentina on a documentary with Canadian resident Nicolas Van Caloen, and came to visit Nicolas here, while returning occasionally to Argentina for professional work.

He has spent most of his time visting Montreal, but travelled, like many Canadian residents, to Toronto last June to document the movement opposing the G20, publishing on online alternative media outlets including 'cmaq.net' and '2010.mediacoop.ca'.

Juan dedicated his work as a videographer and journalist to the documentation of resistance movement converging, like in Toronto in June, to demonstrate against the criminal policies implemented by institutions like the G20, the IMF or the World Bank. He also documents the daily resistance of Argentinian communities facing the consequences of the same policies, notably in his documentary project Semillas (Seeds): "We try to spread these seeds at the right moment to aid resistance groups that are constructing a new society based on social and environmental justice, horizontality, solidarity between peoples and the defence of the Earth."

"The criminalization of Juan Pablo Lepore is proof that the waves of arrests following the G20 aim to discourage political engagement by people angered by our system's injustices," concludes Nicolas Van Caloen, Juan's friend and media partner.

-- Friends of Juan Pablo Lepore