Dr. Dawg

Les événements de mai/juin

| Disqus Comments


red square by Malevich.jpg

Police state repression is escalating in Quebec:

The spectacle of gangs of riot police clad in ominous black dispersing clouds of tear gas and pepper spray, wading into crowds swinging truncheons, boot stomping the hapless victims they manage to seize, firing rubber bullets and throwing percussion grenades, and dragging dozens off to jail are images long associated with police state repression. And it is being done to our children on the streets of our cities. So far the physical casualties have not been deeply tragic: split scalps, minor concussions, bruises and contusions, a few broken bones, a lost eye, and relatively minor property damage. But that could change in an instant as Quebec Premier Jean Charest continues to roll out the police state to the applause of far too many Canadians, and to the cheers of much of the established media. All it takes is one trigger happy cop, or one over-zealous truncheon blow, encouraged by the calls for repression and the chorus of denunciation directed against the students.

During the current demonstrations, spoiled rich kid Jacques Villeneuve gets plenty of corporate media air time as he denounces students for “loafing about.” You can get arrested for carrying an umbrella. For sporting a red square on your backpack. Or just because. Peaceful demonstrators and bystanders are beaten, illegally confined (“kettled”), shoved around, falsely arrested and sprayed like bugs when cops get the urge. Even criticizing the police can apparently result in your being dragged away from your place of work by uniformed thugs.

It’s at times of crisis that we learn who our friends—and our enemies—are. The brutalization of our children by the forces of “law and order” (whose law? whose order?), and the suspension of civil liberties in Quebec, demand a firm response from anyone with a conscience.

In parallel with Stephen Harper’s virtual suspension of Parliamentary process after a possibly rigged election, the Quebec conflict is starting to look a lot like a proving ground. Can’t happen here? It already has. And it may be coming soon to a street near you.

Return to the home page

blog comments powered by Disqus

About this Entry

This page contains a single entry by Dr. Dawg published on June 10, 2012 10:19 AM.

OK, I claim my ten camels was the previous entry in this blog.

The Quebec police state is the next entry in this blog.

Find recent content on the main index or look in the archives to find all content.

Powered by Movable Type 6.3.6