Skip to content


Urgent Need for NATO 5 Support

Hello!

We are calling on comrades around the world to help raise awareness of the
NATO 5 cases and support funds for the defendants on the one-year
anniversary of their preemptive arrests. Between May 16 – 21, the one year
anniversary of their arrests, plan a fundraiser or solidarity action in
support of the NATO 5!

If you are unable to plan an entire event, you could always pass the hat at
a meeting, or even help us promote our WePay.

While their lawyers are working pro bono, the NATO 5 require upwards of
$30,000 for expert legal costs, court costs, data retrieval, etc. Any
donation amount helps!

For more information, check out the information on the Week of Solidarity
on our website:
http://nato5support.wordpress.com/international-week-of-solidarity-with-the-nato-5/

Or go to our WePay:
https://www.wepay.com/donations/nato-5-defense

In solidarity,
NATO 5 Defense Committee

Posted in Repression.


Dane Rossman to be Extradited to Canada

From Support Dane Rossman

On the morning of April 17th, Federal Magistrate D. Thomas Ferraro ruled that Dane Rossman is to be extradited to Canada to face two charges stemming from the G20 protest in Toronto in 2010. The court ruled that there was probable cause to extradite based on several photos. As soon as the State Department certifies his extradition, Dane will be taken to Toronto in the custody of Canadian authorities.

Because of recent suicide attempts at the CCA facility where Dane is being held, his entire section has been on lockdown and he has not been allowed out of his cell for several days. He and his fellow inmates have been unable to call their friends and family, exercise outside, shower, or use the microwave. This absurd response by prison authorities is indicative of the collective punishment policies that define prison life. The fact that prison authorities have decided to respond to suicide attempts inside their facility by making life inside even more intolerable, ostensibly in order to help those incarcerated, is demonstrative of the evident truth that these institutions cannot ultimately be reformed but only dismantled.

Dane will remain incarcerated until his extradition and then will likely remain in jail in Canada. Please continue to support Dane as he continues his legal process by donating to his defense fund, and check back for more updates including how to write to him in Canada.

Posted in G20 Update, Repression.


Coalition Justice for Levi at the Supreme Court in Ottawa this Friday

THIS FRIDAY – Case appearing before the Supreme Court of Canada calling for police accountability! We want justice for our communities, not police impunity!

Please support the Coalition Justice for Levi who are facing off at the Supreme Court of Canada this Friday – the OPP (Ontario Provincial Police) are appealing the unanimous provincial ruling in favour of the families. Please donate and help spread the indy go go campaign. http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/let-s-stop-police-impunity-in-canada

WE WANT JUSTICE FOR OUR COMMUNITIES, NOT POLICE IMPUNITY. Goliath has a big budget and a badge… So David needs solidarity and support in order to prevail. This is a story about people deciding to take action to make sure that governments and that police are accountable to the people in Canada.

Summary:  The Coalition was formed after the police killing of Levi Schaeffer to create a supportive personal and political network of solidarity for the Schaeffer family as they joined forces with the Minty family. Continued…

Posted in Repression, Southern Ontario.


Repression News Briefs from January 1st to March 15th, 2013

Published in The Peak | Line 9 Vol 52 Iss 4 April 2013

By Bryan Hill (Guelph Anarchist Black Cross)

January 3rd

Chile: José Miguel Sanchez (52 years) was transferred from the High Security Prison to Colina II Prison. José was beaten upon arrival and put into the punishment section. José is serving a 20 year sentence for armed revolutionary activity against the Pinochet dictatorship in Chile.

January 11th

Toronto, ON: Eva Botten, from Vancouver, was found guilty of six counts of mischief over 5000 dollars and one count of disguised with intent. Charges stem from the black bloc action that occurred during the G20 Summit in Toronto in June 2010. Eva’s sentencing hearing is set for March 28th, 2013.

Brooklyn, NY: Hacker Aaron Swartz, who started RSS feeds, and Reddit, and worked on a number of internet social projects,committed suicide. Aaron was facing criminal charges for downloading millions of copyrighted academic articles and publishing them to the internet. The added stress of these charges contributed to his death.

January 12th

Penetanguishene, ON: Four units at the Central North Correctional Centre participated in a lock-down refusal to protest the loss of a half hour at the end of every day on the range. Fifty to sixty guards stormed the range, beat and handcuffed one prisoner. Alex Hundert, a prisoner in on G20 related charges, was placed in segregation for 6 days after the incident. After 6 days in the hole, Alex was sent back to the hole, this time for being a security threat to the prison. He spent a total of 5 weeks in the hole.

Continued…

Posted in Prison Resistance, Prisoner Resistance, Repression, Southern Ontario.

Tagged with , , , , .


Eva Botten Sentenced

Today, March 28th, Eva was sentenced to 10 months, followed by 2 years probation.

Start writing letters!

Eva Botten
C/O Vanier Centre for Women
655 Martin Street
Milton, Ontario L9T 5E6

Arrested in the fall of 2010, Eva is an activist from BC who was found
guilty of 6 counts of mischief over $5k and 1 count of disguise with intent
this past January 2012. The Crown alleges she caused over $300k of damages
to corporate targets, police headquarters and banks, during the 2010 G20 protests in Toronto.

 

Posted in General.


Alex Hundert Released!

re-posted from Conspire to Resist

March 26th, 2013

Alex Hundert was released from jail in Penetanguishene, ON this morning. Alex served 9 months (in addition to time served) in custody for counseling mischief over $5,000 and counseling to obstruct police, at the G20 in Toronto in June 2010.

Thank you to everyone who sent letters, reading materials, & postcards!

Also check out Alex’s blog

Welcome back Alex!!

Posted in G20 Update.


G20 Sentencing Monday – Support BC Activist Eva Botten

http://g20.torontomobilize.org/node/816

G20 Sentencing Monday – Support BC Activist Eva Botten

*Monday March 25 @ 1pm*
*Ontario Superior Court (361 University Ave – near St Patrick Stn) *
*(look up Botten at the desk for room number)*

Arrested in the fall of 2010, Eva is an activist from BC who was found
guilty of 6 counts of mischief over $5k and 1 count of disguise with intent
this past January 2012. The Crown alleges she caused over $300k of damages
to corporate targets, police headquarters and banks.

Eva would appreciate your support at her sentencing this Monday.

The prison industrial complex likes to isolate individuals and prevent
communication with those on the outside. Jail time in Ontario will mean
extra support is needed to help Eva stay in touch with her family and
community in BC. Love and solidarity from Southern Ontario is also needed
and welcomed.

[Prior to sentencing Eva still faces bail conditions, including
nonassociation with many people such as those who belong/belonged to AW@L,
SOAR and No One Is Illegal. If you think this might be you, please still
come to court! but wait for her lawyer to be present if you are going to
talk to her. After sentencing, this no longer applies so stay tuned for
updates on where to write her.]

Check out http://web.resist.ca/~vancouverg20support/updates.php for more
info on Eva’s case, updates and how to donate funds.

Posted in G20 Update, General, Repression.


Support Dane Rossman

Support Dane Rossman website

Early on the morning of Thursday, February 21st, U.S. Marshals arrested Dane Rossman at his home in Tucson, AZ on a provisional arrest warrant issued by the U.S. Attorney’s office, acting on a Canadian extradition request. Dane is one of five Americans sought in Canada for alleged offenses stemming from the G20 summit.

    On June 26th and 27th, 2010, tens of thousands of individuals gathered in Toronto to protest the G20 summit. The G20 is a group of finance ministers and central bank governors from nineteen powerful countries plus the European Union. During the 2010 summit, Canadian authorities specifically targeted people involved in migrant justice, indigenous solidarity and anarchist organizing for prosecution. Dane was arrested along with over 1,100 other protesters in the largest mass arrest in Canada’s history.  He was processed and released without charges. Now, three years later, he is facing three charges related to alleged property damage.
    Dane is a dedicated social justice advocate, humanitarian aid volunteer, and student. He has spent the past several years in Arizona providing humanitarian relief on the US/Mexico border, and organizing against racist profiling laws and mass incarceration.
    The extradition of an individual from the U.S. to Canada for property damage is almost unheard of. Dane’s extradition is political in nature because it is meant to create fear and criminalize dissent. As long as global institutions exploit our communities for profit, people will cross nation-state boundaries to protest and make known the suffering in their home communities.
   Dane is currently being held at the federal Corrections Corporation of America facility in Florence, AZ, a private prison where most of his fellow inmates are being held on immigration related “offenses”. As Dane’s supporters and friends, we extend solidarity to all those who face state repression, those in prison due to G20 protest charges, and those incarcerated for crossing nation-state boundaries. Dane has an extradition hearing set for April 16th, 2013.
    Check [website] for further updates on his case and please consider donating to his legal defense fund.

Posted in G20 Update, General, Repression.


Americans extradited to Toronto for G20 charges

From the Globe and Mail:

By Timothy Appleby

Two Americans facing charges from G20 summit riot appear in Toronto court

Three down, two to go.

That would be the perspective of Toronto police as two American citizens sought for their roles in the G20 summit riots three years ago appeared  in court Wednesday morning after being extradited to Canada and flown to Toronto the night before.

The two latest suspects to be reeled in are Kevin Chianella, 20, of Queens, New York, who faces a total of 53 charges, including arson; and Richard Dean Morano of Lackawaxen, Penn., 22, wanted on 14 criminal charges that include assaulting police.

Mr. Morano was granted an interim judicial release, akin to bail, on the strength of a cash deposit and a surety – a person willing to give the court a commitment the accused would  not flee.

Nobody was in court for Mr. Chianella and he was remanded in custody,  his hearing at the Finch Avenue courthouse  put over until Thursday.

Last week, co-accused Boston architect Quinn McCormic, 25, voluntarily returned to Toronto, waiving extradition, and was arrested at Pearson airport.

He was charged with mischief for allegedly causing an estimated $125,000 in damage. After a weekend in custody Mr. McCormic was allowed to return home on bail pending future court dates.

Mr. Chianella and Mr. Morano were flown to Toronto Tuesday after lengthy extradition proceedings.

Both are charged with committing extensive damage to public property while disguised in “black bloc” attire, which makes identification of individuals difficult.

Mr. Chianella stands accused of bringing a bag of rocks to the anti-G20 mass protest and committing numerous acts of vandalism that included hurling a chunk of granite through the big plate-glass window of the police museum at police headquarters on College Street.

The allegations against Mr. Morano state that while wearing a disguise he smashed the windshield of a police cruiser with a rock, while an officer was trapped inside, and broke several large plate-glass windows.

Two more Americans are still sought by Canadian authorities in connection with the June, 2010 upheaval, during which more than 1,100 people were arrested, most of them later released without charge, stirring widespread accusations of civil-rights violations by police.

The two are Dane Rossman, who is in custody in Tucson, Az., and Joel Bitar of New York, currently free on a $500,000 bond.

The allegedly masked, black-clad five are accused of taking a lead role in the riots, which saw police cars burned and dozens of windows shattered

The five were identified after Toronto police examined tens of thousands of images captured during the mayhem, many of them sent to police by members of the public, matched the faces to possible names, and then dispatched inquiries to law-enforcement agencies in the United States.

More than 40 people have been convicted for taking part in the rampage, and several were jailed.

The 53 charges against Mr. Chianella comprise:

One count of arson; 11 counts of mischief endangering life; one count of attempted mischief endangering life; 22 counts of mischief over $5,000; one count of mischief under $5,000; three counts of attempted mischief over $5,000; two counts of assault with a weapon; assaulting police with a weapon; three counts of assault; three counts of theft under $5,000; breaking and entering; two counts of intimidating a member of the justice system; obstructing a peace officer; and wearing a disguise with intent to commit an indictable offence.

 

Posted in G20 Update, Repression, Southern Ontario.


Welcome back Kelly!

On Thursday February 28th Kelly Pflug-Back was released from Vanier after serving 7.5 months.

Welcome back Kelly!

Posted in G20 Update.