Len's News, Notes, and Stuff

Police Remind Themselves to Play Nicely with Protesters

As a follow-up to my earlier post about government and protesters living in harmony, I thought I’d share some of the comments that I saw at work today.  The following are taken verbatim, straight from an official document.

“Protests are part of everyday life, especially in Toronto. Important to consider that citizens have the right to lawful protest.”

“The policy is not to discourage protests. The aim of the Communities Relations Group is to work with them and advise the protestors of the ground rules.”

“Provide written “Freedom of Speech Expectations” to protest groups. Pre-Summit outreach to protest groups by police is a key element in the facilitation of lawful and peaceful demonstration activity.”

From my brief interactions with individuals of a decidedly activist stance, and from my informal survey of protest group websites, I get the impression that many activist groups readily compare our police forces to the Gestapo and other politically-guided secret police forces.  While I’ve had the distinct impression that some individuals within the emergency response community hold a decidedly dim view of protesters, I think that is the exception rather than the norm.

Consider the emphasis given to trying to enable peaceful protest as the right of concerned citizens in a democratic society.  There is no intent to shut anyone up.  There is no intent to limit what any particular group can say.  The only concern is to keep the protests legal – which means it does not infringe on the rights of others and does not damage property.The following is a particularly telling quote:

“Ensure that the press have access to protest sites because protestors want their issues raised.”

Sometimes the security forces will designate particular areas as “approved” protest areas.  My impression from what I’ve heard on this front is that the security agencies are trying to find logical, open spaces for protesters to congregate, without infringing on security zones – zones which the security agencies will defend with physical and legal force – and which will still give the protesters the visibility that they are looking for.

Finally, I find it interesting that mention was made regarding the protection of local businesses and property owners:

“Legal determination whether it is an unlawful assembly or not. Declaration required of “unlawful assembly.”  Do not use “riot” because it invalidates insurance policies.”

Insurance policies typically do not cover damage caused by war and riots.  So the declaration of civil disturbance as a riot has serious financial consequences that may be wholly unintentional.

It’s comfortable and convenient to put one group in the box labeled “Good Guys” and another group in another box labeled “Bad Guys.”  But it isn’t always that easy.Take, for instance the following quote:”Ethnic groups within the GTA have a history of engaging TPS to identify individuals within their communities who are likely to attempt to change a peaceful and lawful protest into an unlawful one.”Protests typically turn violent because of a limited number of troublemakers.

Most protesters just want to be heard.  As a result, many groups have learned to work with police agencies and will “out” the troublemakers in their ranks.Government, police, and protesters aren’t likely to ever become “best friends”, but they certainly can exist and act in a harmonious manner that reflects the values of a democratic society.