ACTION ALERT: Demand answers about 'agent provocateurs' in Montebello

August 23, 2007

As reported by the Globe and Mail, "Organizers of a peaceful protest at this week's Montebello summit want answers from the Prime Minister about three demonstrators whom they say were police agents. Dave Coles, president of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers union, says the three were trying to provoke violence...The men, who had their faces masked by bandannas, eventually got through police lines where they were whisked away. But there is no record of their arrests and police have refused to comment on the matter...Activists say they believe the three were planted in the crowd to provoke a confrontation to give police justification for moving on the peaceful protesters."

The 5 minute video, filmed by a Council of Canadians chapter activist, can be viewed on YouTube.

Dave Coles has said, "The Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union believes that the security force at Montebello were ordered to infiltrate our peaceful assembly and to provoke incidents...Are Canadian citizens going to have to face these kinds of provocateurs just because Stephen Harper seems to think we're some sort of loony-left group? Quite frankly, that's insulting and we don't accept it and we want answers from him."

Council of Canadians chairperson Maude Barlow said, "This is a very serious charge that our government has to take seriously."

New Democrat MP Libby Davies said the video evidence raises "hugely serious questions" about the role of the police at contentious international meetings. "I think we need to know who authorized this, how high up does this go?""

Liberal justice critic Marlene Jennings said the evidence is "quite incriminating" and called on the two police forces to "clear this up."

DEMAND

E-mail Prime Minister Stephen Harper at pm@pm.gc.ca and Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day at day.s@parl.gc.ca and demand answers from them. It is not acceptable for the prime minister's office to simply say "the PMO is not involved in security for events" and for the public safety minister to just refer the questions to the RCMP.

SAMPLE LETTER

Prime Minister,

As a member of the Council of Canadians, I am very concerned that security officials may have tried to provoke violence at the recent Security and Prosperity Partnership summit in Montebello. The Canadian public deserves answers to the following questions: What have you asked the police about this troubling incident? Were these individuals police officers? If so, who authorized this action? If not, why is there is no record of their arrest and what steps have been taken to identify the three individuals? I await your prompt reply.

Sincerely,

For more information on the Council of Canadians' campaign against the Security and Prosperity Partnership, along with a wide range of analysis and background materials on this issue, please go to IntegrateThis.ca.

Brent Patterson, Director of Organizing and Campaigns, The Council of Canadians

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