Church activists and union representatives have organized themselves into "witness teams" to monitor police actions and protect the public's right to demonstrate at this week's G8 protests in Ottawa.
About a dozen witnesses wearing purple T-shirts bearing the words "Witness/TÈmoin" marched with 150 demonstrators during yesterday's peaceful anti-G8 march in downtown Ottawa. The march went from the National Gallery through the Byward Market to Confederation Park.
Jamie Kneen, a spokesman for Global Democracy Ottawa, said the march was an opportunity to say something to Prime Minister Jean ChrÈtien about the effects of globalization before the G8 summit in Kananaskis, Alta.
Formed at the Quaker meeting house on Fourth Avenue on June 6, the witnesses include Quakers, Unitarians and members of the United Church. The teams believe they can protect demonstrators from police violence by reporting on the actions of officers in case protesters complain to the Ottawa Police Services Board. The witnesses will attend G8 protests in Ottawa on Wednesday and Thursday.
"The actions of some of the police on Nov. 16 and 17 during the G20 demonstrations were deplorable," said Bob Thomson, a member of the group's steering committee. "The witnesses will be monitoring their actions with the hope that our rights to lawful demonstrations will be respected and that the trust damaged in November might eventually be restored."
Aileen Leo, a spokeswoman for the group, said the witnesses will be present to make sure police are accountable for their actions.
"We are not participating as demonstrators, but we are taking notes on how police are behaving and what they are doing as we walk," Ms. Leo said.
"Last fall, protesters were arrested without charge and not allowed to see a lawyer while they were in jail. A lot of people who were demonstrating peacefully were subjected to pretty aggressive and intimidating police behaviour. We want to make sure that doesn't happen again."
Ms. Leo said she was pleased yesterday's march was peaceful. She said she was surprised at news reports saying police have cages for up to 250 people at an undisclosed location if needed for mass arrests.
Ottawa police Staff Sgt. Monique Ackland said the witnesses are not a problem for police if they just want to know what happens at the protests.
"It is a free country and this is a democracy," said Staff Sgt. Ackland. "We are there to facilitate their demonstration and don't have a political preference here.
"We want demonstrators to get their message out in a peaceful and lawful manner. Everybody should be able to exercise their right to be at home, demonstrate or go to work safe and secure in the knowledge that everything is going to be OK."
About 15 police officers on foot or mounted on bicycles accompanied the demonstrators without incident during yesterday's march.
Police controlled traffic at intersections as demonstrators marched to a "Freedom Fair" at Confederation Park, where they sat on the grass, listened to music, had their faces painted.
Police do not know if demonstrations in Ottawa next week will be as peaceful as yesterday's. Take the Capital, the organizing committee of those protests, has refused to condemn violence.
Demonstrators are expected from as far away as Vermont and New York for Wednesday and Thursday's demonstrations, according to Jay Fothergill, a spokesman for Take the Capital's housing committee.
But so far, the border crossing at Cornwall appears quiet.
"We haven't identified any change in the traffic flow," said Rod Hart, chief of operations for Canada Customs border services. One night last April, hundreds of protesters disrupted traffic for hours as they marched through the Cornwall crossing, headed for the Summit of the Americas in Quebec City.
They were invited to cross the international bridge that joins portions of the Akwesasne reserve by a small group of native supporters.
FAIR USE NOTICE: This page contains copyrighted material the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. NoNonsense English offers this material non-commercially for research and educational purposes. I believe this constitutes a fair use of any such copyrighted material as provided for in 17 U.S.C § 107. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner, i.e. the media service or newspaper which first published the article online and which is indicated at the top of the article unless otherwise specified.