Sunday, November 13, 2011

No 'Occupy' Satellite at Queen's Park

It was almost a go, until police, donning kid gloves and treading e'er so gently, shut it down:
An attempt to create a satellite branch of the Occupy Toronto protest at Queen’s Park was shut down by police Saturday evening.

The dismantling of the short-lived occupation was amicable. Toronto police Staff Sgt. Walter Brasca said protesters left peacefully and were given a ride back to St. James Park.
The protesters had set up two tents in the shadow of the provincial legislature building.  
Protester John Erb said left he the main site at St. James Park with a group of four fellow occupiers late Friday night, carrying a bold red and white sign saying “Occupy The World.”

Jeff Bezaire had been planning to bring his tent over too. “We can evolve the old park into something bigger and better here,” he said. “It’s an extension to the old park, that’s not going anywhere.”

For Erb, it was also a way to get the province to stop “burying their heads in the sand” about the movement. Premier Dalton McGuinty is leaving the dirty work to Mayor Rob Ford, he said.

When police arrived at the camp earlier Saturday, it appeared as if they would let protesters stay.

“We did not just order them to leave,” said Const. Geoff Henderson. The issues here are “very sensitive” and will be discussed with our superiors and Queen’s Park, he said...
Sounds like police were a whole lot more "sensitive" to these Occupy types than they were to a trio of non-Khomeinist bloggers.

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