From Prison Planet:
A Familiar Pattern: “Anarchists” Disrupt Peaceful Protest in Vancouver
“Once again, so-called “anarchists,” clad in black with their faces masked, have engaged in violent protest and property destruction, this time in Vancouver during the 2010 Olympics.
“A loosely organized group of ‘thugs’ from central Canada promoting anarchy were among 200 anti-Olympic protesters who marched through downtown Vancouver Saturday, smashing plate glass windows at Hudson’s Bay and TD bank, overturning newspaper boxes and assaulting bystanders, police say. They used spray paint on cars and transit buses, tore down signs and threw about road construction barricades as they marched down the street,” reports CTV.
(snip)
Photographs released showed the supposed “anarchists” wearing the same boots as the police arresting them. “Protest organizers on Wednesday played the video for the media at a news conference in Ottawa. One of the organizers, union leader Dave Coles, explained that one reason protesters knew the men’s true identities was because they were wearing the same boots as other police officers,” CBC News reported on August 23, 2007.
“Quebec provincial police admitted Thursday that three of their officers disguised themselves as demonstrators during the protest at the North American leaders summit in Montebello, Que.” The police refused additional comment.”
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I believe I was at a protest where agent provocateurs stirred up trouble. Back in the day, Mr. Radical and I went to one of the big anti-war protests in SF against the Iraq War. The protest was peaceful until, just like in Vancouver, some “anarchists” showed up. There were already anarchists in the march. But these late arrivals showed up and immediately started breaking windows and setting American flags on fire. Word on the street was that the violent anarchists were actually police officers there to stir up violence so that a large number of real protesters could be arrested.
Some protesters were arrested. And what image made the news that night? A close up of a burning flag. It certainly seemed like staged provocation to me.
Posted by Vixen in News