Christina Xydous, one of three activists being tried in Quebec Superior Court on charges of participating in a riot, wept yesterday as she told the jury she had no idea why she was charged in the first place.
"It was the first time I was arrested in my life," the usually poker-faced Xydous said.
"This entire process scares the hell out of me. I can't talk. I can't say anything. I don't feel I did anything wrong."
Xydous, Jaggi Singh and Jonathan Aspireault-Masse were charged after a protest against G20 finance ministers on Oct. 23, 2000, in front of the Sheraton Hotel on René Lévesque Blvd.
Her memories of the event were vague but tinged with fear. She spoke of being summarily pulled out of the pickup truck she was driving by a police officer in civilian clothes, whom she termed "undercover." She said she couldn't recall stones being thrown, or whether any of those arrested were dressed in black.
Cross-examined by prosecutor Kathleen Caron, Xydous said she couldn't remember whether there was a system to regulate who could get on the truck bed.
Xydous said the Canadian Federation of Students rented the truck so that music and speeches could be broadcast from it during the demonstration.
All she was doing was driving the truck, Xydous said. She did not notice projectiles being thrown or any fires that were set, and she stressed she didn't know any "men in black," although she recognized the sign they were carrying: "It's A for Anarchist," she said.
Defence witness Amy Van Drimmelen said she'd been in Montreal only two days when she heard about the demonstration.
"I heard it was a festive event and a protest against the G20," she told the jury.
When she got there, Van Drimmelen testified, people were dancing and singing. At one point, she said, she went around a corner and saw some "kids" trying to light dumpsters on fire. She watched for a bit and then "things began to get crazy," as riot police in helmets and other officers mounted on horses arrived on the scene.
Van Drimmelen said she knew there was paint being thrown because she and others were spattered. She said it was easy for her to leave because she wasn't pinned between the police and the hotel.
Singh is representing himself at the trial, scheduled to last two more weeks. Xydous and Aspireault-Masse are being defended by lawyer Pascal Lescarbeau.
lfitterman@thegazette.canwest.com
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