It took longer than I hoped, but I finally got a photo gallery online of 25 images from the Stop the SPP demo in Montebello. Here are a few of the images—the full gallery can be seen on my Flickr page.
For those unfamiliar with what went on, over 1200 demonstrators took to the streets of Montebello, QC on August 20 as a two-day summit involving US President George W Bush, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, and Mexican President Felipe Calderon took place behind the closed and heavily guarded doors of the Chateau Montebello resort. The three leaders were meeting as part of the Security and Prosperity Parnership (SPP), an initiative designed at deepening the integration between the three countries.
Riot police from the RCMP, Ontario Provincial Police, and Sureté du Québec responded to the peaceful demonstration with dozens of tear gas canisters, plastic bullets, bean bag rounds, pepper spray, and allegedly a taser. The Quebec police are under heavy scrutiny for placing undercover cops dressed like Black Bloc protesters in the crowd, a tactic they initially denied before admitting to after video and photographic evidence circulated online.
Demonstrators accuse the undercover cops as acting as “agents provocateur“, a charge denied by the Sureté du Quebec, despite the video showing one of the agents carrying a large rock. The provincial piggies claim that it was their agent’s refusal to throw the rock that tipped others off. The video, however, clearly shows the exact opposite, that the real protesters were demanding the cop drop the rock, and his refusal to do so was one of many things that collectively blew their cover.
From top to bottom: A canister of CS (tear gas) lands at my feed; demonstrators and their dog sit at the feet of riot cops; riot cops launch CS from a cemetery; a riot cop with a 40mm gun.
