Sacco and Vanzetti in Ottawa: How Media and Police are Politicizing the RBC Arson Case
As Canada is reeling from the police repression of the G20 protests in Toronto it's important time to remember that the first "G20" arrests took place weeks before the fence was even built with the targeting of three men in Ottawa allegedly for the arson of an RBC bank branch. While Common Cause remains critical of the arson I would encourage people to read the below article by Jesse Freeston of the Toronto Media Coop that puts the arrests in a historical context of anti-anarchist repression.
Sacco and Vanzetti in Ottawa: How Media and Police are Politicizing the RBC Arson Case
June 23, 2010
by Jesse Freeston
Sacco and Vanzetti come to Ottawa
On Saturday, Ottawa police announced the charging of three well-known Ottawa activists in connection with the May 18th arson of a branch of the Royal Bank of Canada. What follows is not a comment on the event in question, nor the guilt or innocence of the accused, but a condemnation of the treatment of the accused by the media and Ottawa police.
Much like Sacco and Vanzetti before them, these three are already receiving prejudicial media coverage. An inordinate amount of time and column inches are being dedicated to the activism that the three were known for. The CBC, for example, reported on Claude Haridge’s participation in a Palestinian rights march, and his attendance at the so-called 'Activism Course' hosted by former University of Ottawa professor Denis Rancourt. Rancourt has accused the CBC of insinuating this is evidence against the three.
The RBC arson was clearly a political act, as evidenced by the video that was released with it. Therefore, the politics of any suspect are a relevant discussion. But that discussion should not replace discussion about the material evidence, much less be presented as evidence in and of itself. Nor should it come at the cost of media oversight of the police investigation.
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