On the other hand…
August 22, 2007 · By Joel
I know this is not going to make me very popular with certain commenters here, but I do think it’s pretty clear that this video does show three cops (whether Quebec provincial police or RCMP is unclear) caught in the act as provocateurs.
See for yourself.
I tend to agree with you on this one. Hate to say it, but nothing about those three protestors strikes me as legitimate. From their attitude, to their posturing, to the ease at which they got the cops to arrest them, to the fact that there is no record of those three being arrested… even the fact that all three seemed to be wearing the exact same type of boots as the cops (I can understand one wearing the same boot, but all three? sorry). It looks awfully suspect.
While I think the protests in general were silly, it’s hard to believe that these guys were legitimately there to protest. I tend to agree that it is likely the cops were looking at finding some easy, sure-fire way to start rounding up the protesters and that this seemed like the easiest way.
No kidding, Joel.
Law & order conservatives should be the first to condemn stupid police activities like these, not condone them.
All these professional welfare collectors were out making asses of themselves during this meeting. And now the police have managed to turn a negative spotlight on themselves? Amazing.
No kidding. Three stooges go right to the front of the protest with rocks in hand and just give themselves up to be arrested.
How stupid. As police provocateurs, the least they could have done is retreat and not play out such an obviously phoney arrest.
I hoped that their might be some common ground here between both ends of the political spectrum on this matter, and I believe that everyone shares the same belief that it is a sad affair. I do worry, however, that the reason that people consider it sad is still divided down the middle - on the one hand, and I hope I’m wrong, but it seems some commenters here are more upset about the fact that they were caught. It should be remembered that provoking/inciting is behaviour that goes past the line of undercover conduct and treads dangerously close to deception and entrapment.
I think everyone can be rightfully upset about this. The right to protest is important in a democracy, and whatever people think of the protesters themselves, the police action - particularly trying to provoke vandalism or destruction of property - goes way overboard. For shame.
Just posted a similar comment at SDA after watching the video. The three in question do not stand out as being police. They are three white guys, like many other there. Based on the violent reaction by the CEP President Coles and his masked thugs, it looked like the riot police were helping the three escape from being attacked further.
Also noted, the CEP Union represents communications brothers like TorStar and CTV, those unbiased reporters of political matters. It may explain why the press conference was all kissy kissy rather than having any questions about the physical actions of Coles and his masked cohorts.
I don’t think for one minute the planted cops wanted to incite violence.
I think it was a pathetic attempt by the 3 cops to infiltrate the protesters to head off potential violent acts by a small number of protesters.
Bad tactics. Here comes the inquiry.
“I think it was a pathetic attempt by the 3 cops to infiltrate the protesters to head off potential violent acts by a small number of protesters.”
But if so, why were they carrying rocks around? And the protesters, if they are to be believed, claim that the cops were egging them on, not discouraging the use of violence.
[...] you whack their peepee when they’re bad, you have to give them their props when they’re good.On the other hand, commenters “SteveJ” and “Louise M” over there are, sadly, stupid as shit. Oh, [...]
“Based on the violent reaction by the CEP President Coles and his masked thugs, it looked like the riot police were helping the three escape from being attacked further.”
I don’t buy that for a second. Protestors who use violence expect to be injured and are not afraid of being so. Look at any other protest that erupted into violence and you’ll see that the protestors didn’t simply leave at the first sign of intimidation. Are you saying that violent protestors are more likely to flee a man in a business suit yelling at them than cops in riot gear who not only yell at them but push them with shields?
All Coles did was intimidate them. He pulled on their masks and tried to make them drop their rocks. But did he hit them? No. Did he pepper spray them? No. Did Coles actually physically “attack” them? Not in the least. So, what were these “protestors” afraid of?
Sorry, but that argument simply doesn’t fly. Those protestors were hardly being attacked as you put it, certainly nowhere near the level of injury that violent protestors are ready to endure. So the real question is, what were they trying to escape from? All that Coles and his people were doing was trying to disarm and expose who exactly these “protestors” were, so obviously they weren’t afraid of being hurt so much as being exposed.
The only question is why were they afraid of being exposed?
Holy crap…Joel, George Freeman, Aaron, CC, me , and stage left all agreeing on something…
I think I need to lay down.
Gone on ya fellas for your honestly…like I said elsewhere not only are these guys cops they are really dumb cops and bad actors.
I get this warm and fuzzy feeling knowing that my taxes went to pay the salary of a civil servant to incite civil disobedience.
And…it’s official. They were Quebecois cops.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story.....bello.html
Their story seems a little suspect too..they were identified because they refused to throw anything? Then why was one of them carrying a rock? There should be an investigation into whether they crossed the line into instigation.
I think we posted at almost the same time Abattoir.
See the new thread here.