In January 2005, I met a clearly distressed young British journalist who told me of being beaten up by the Italian police during the G8 summit in Genoa in 2001.

Four years on, Mark Covell was still suffering from both the physical and psychological effects of that savage attack as he recounted his injuries: eight broken ribs, smashed teeth, a collapsed lung and internal bleeding. He lost consciousness and slipped into a coma.

He found it difficult to talk about what had happened and when he did try, he shook badly and often appeared close to tears. "You've never seen anything like it," he said several times.

Indeed, I had no conception of what had really happened to him and to more than 100 other young journalists and activists who decided to spend the night bedded down in the Armando Diaz school in Genoa on 21 July 2001.

‘Unspeakable behaviour’, prosecutor says

Rome, May 8 – Protesters were subjected to “violence and abuse” and “unspeakable behaviour” while being held at a police detention centre in the Bolzaneto barracks during the 2001 Group of Eight (G8) summit in Genoa, a prosecutor said Wednesday. During the first day of proceedings before Italy’s top court, Joseph Volpe asked the Court of Cassazione to uphold sentences against 44 defendants held to be civilly responsible for violence against protesters between July 20 and 22, 2001. In total, 252 demonstrators have said they were spat at, verbally and physically humiliated or threatened with rape while being held at the centre. All 44 have appealed their convictions, including compensation orders, in proceedings that are scheduled to last three days. Only seven of the group, which includes police officers and prison doctors, have been convicted on criminal charges arising from the detention of protesters. Their sentences range from one- to three years in jail in connection with the two days of mayhem that occurred when more than 300,000 demonstrators converged on Genoa for the G8 summit in July 2001.

Hearings slated to decide if other officers can volunteer

Genoa, April 30 – Three policemen found guilty by Italy’s highest appeals court in 2012 of grievous misconduct for beatings at the 2001 G8 summit in Genoa have been assigned social-service duties by a tribunal in the northern Italian port city. Massimo Mazzoni, Renzo Cerchi and Davide Di Novi will carry out volunteer work in Liguria and in Rome. Another hearing slated for December 5 will decide if other convicted officers will also be assigned to volunteer social work. The July 2012 ruling effectively truncated a significant part of the top tier of Italy’s national law enforcement with its sentence for grievous misconduct. In addition, the Italian Cassation Court the same month upheld criminal convictions of three police heads and two former high-ranking officers for aggravated perjury regarding cover-ups of police beatings during a raid at the Diaz school, used by anti-globalist protesters as sleeping quarters during the 2001 summit.

Timothy Appleby

Almost three years after the tumultuous G20 summit, scrutiny of yet another skirmish gets an airing in court Tuesday. This time the catalyst is a bandana.

At issue in the Divisional Court hearing at Toronto’s Osgoode Hall will be the way a G20 –related complaint was handled by the Office of the Independent Police Review Director, the watchdog that probes complaints against Ontario police.

In this instance, it’s alleged the OIPRD fell short by failing to properly examine the circumstances that gave rise to the complaint, in particular the source of the orders that resulted in the complainant being arrested, locked up for more than 24 hours and released without charge.

Timothy Appleby

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.

On Thursday, February 14th, at 6 o’clock in the morning, federal marshals arrested an American activist, Joel Bitar, in his New York, NY home on a provisional arrest warrant issued by the US Attorney’s office, acting on a foreign extradition request from Canadian authorities. The complaint against Joel cites 26 counts, almost all relating to property damage that occurred during the G20 summit protests in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in June 2010. After a temporary delay in court proceedings—due to an outbreak of lice in the federal prison where Joel and many others have the misfortune of being held, the weekend, and a national holiday on Monday—Joel went before Magistrate Judge, Gabriel W. Gorenstein, on Tuesday, February 19th, to determine whether he would be granted bail as he awaits his extradition hearing in the United States. During the proceedings, a general timeline of the actions of the Canadian and US authorities was established.

Joel was arrested in Toronto, along with a little over 1,100 other people, during the G20 protests on June 26 and 27th 2010, in what is thought to be the largest mass arrest in Canada’s history. Joel was processed and released without any charges. In December 2010, lead G20 investigator, Det. Sgt. Gary Giroux, announced to various Canadian news agencies that Canada was seeking the extradition of three Americans for damages amounting to $500,000. Soon after, Joel retained the services of an attorney, Martin Stolar, who contacted Giroux. According to Stolar’s testimony on Tuesday, Giroux confirmed that Joel was a suspect and they were investigating him on charges relating to property destruction.

As of today, January 17th 2012 Alex Hundert has been held for 6 days in segregation (the hole). He is facing institutional charges (which are different from criminal charges, but can prolong his sentence and assign punitive time in the hole) stemming from a refusal of lock down to protest general degrading of conditions in the jail.

The lock down refusal took place on Saturday January 12th, around 4 units participated and their demands were to reclaim 30 minutes at the end of the day (lockup at 7 instead of 6:30) so people could have more time to use the phones to call their families when the rates are significantly cheaper. That is also when relatives and friends are home from work and can take calls. At 6:50pm, after a 20 minute stand-off, fifty to sixty guards stormed the range and forced everyone into their cells. One guy was tackled, assaulted and dragged off the range in cuffs.

TORONTO — A senior police officer responsible for two notorious “kettling” incidents at the infamous G20 summit in 2010 had his case put over for two months Tuesday to allow time for disclosure.

Supt. Mark Fenton faces five separate charges related to the incidents in which police boxed in and arrested numerous people in the downtown core.

Fenton, who was the major incident commander at the time, is accused of making an illegal arrest, unlawful detention and harming the reputation of the police force.

He has pleaded not guilty and none of the allegations has been proven.

Speaking for the prosecution, lawyer Brendan van Niejenhuis asked Tuesday that the case be put over until March 4, saying the disclosure process was a “laborious process.”

Two-and-a-half years after G20 protests gripped Toronto’s downtown core, a handful of related court cases are still grinding through the system.

In its biannual update on G20 prosecutions, released Thursday, Ontario’s Ministry of the Attorney-General said of the 326 people prosecuted by the provincial Crown, 313 have had their matters completed.

Veteran civil rights lawyer Clayton Ruby will ask Ontario’s Superior Court to overturn “backroom decisions” by three GTA police forces not to pursue complaints of officer misconduct during the G20 protests — even though the complaints have been substantiated by the province’s police oversight body.

Because the body, called the Office of the Independent Police Review Director (OIPRD), took longer than six months to investigate, it directed police in Toronto, York and Peel not to launch disciplinary hearings against officers involved — even though it found that accusations of excessive use of force, unlawful detention and arrest, and illegal search had substance.

The police chiefs decided to follow OIPRD’s advice not to act on its findings, even though it was OIPRD itself that caused the delay.

“They (the OIPRD) had no right to direct police chiefs not to pursue these complaints, which were utterly simple and should have taken 30 minutes to complete, not six months,” said Ruby, whose firm has launched a lawsuit with the support of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association.

The city of Pittsburgh will pay $215,000 to settle two lawsuits related to its response to protesters at the Group of 20 economic summit in September 2009.

Solicitor Dan Regan earlier this year said the city planned to settle one of the lawsuits for $143,000, which the ACLU confirmed Wednesday.

The Seeds of Peace Collective, a Montana group that arrived to feed protesters, and Three Rivers Climate Convergence, a local activist group, claimed city police, parks officials and others conspired to harass them by delaying or denying permits to peaceably assemble, and by unfairly confiscating tents and other equipment.

Regan said the city paid $1.5 million for a $10 million policy to cover any claims arising from the G20 summit. “Settling these claims is a business decision by the city and its insurance carrier, and they’re prudent business decisions,” he said. The city admitted no liability and all the claims are being paid out of the policy, Regan said.

By Ian Robertson

Two top-ranking Toronto Police officers facing disciplinary charges arising from orders given to street cops during the G20 pleaded not guilty Thursday.

Supt. Mark Fenton and Insp. Gary Meissner appeared with legal counsel on the first day of a hearing at police headquarters as complainants — some arrested during the G20 in 2010 and at least one representing a family member who was arrested — listened to proceedings.

The brief police tribunal on Thursday, presided over by Staff-Supt. Kimberley Greenwood, was adjourned until Jan. 8, 2013, when a trial date is scheduled to be set.

The tribunal is one of 36 hearings recommended earlier this year by the Office of the Independent Police Review Director, which concluded in a May report that police officers used excessive force and abused power during the summit.

Charges against G20 blogger Dan Kellar are expected to be dropped at a court appearance on Thursday.

Kellar was charged with criminal harassment and intimidation after writing about his experience with two undercover police officers leading up to the June 2010 G20 summit.

According to Kellar’s lawyer Davin Charney, the Crown has indicated it will withdraw the charges.

“It is fundamental that people be free to criticize police. The police didn’t want these charges to go before a judge because they are totally and utterly baseless,” Charney said in a statement.

“The charges were laid to muzzle an activist.”

Kellar was arrested on Aug. 25, 2011, after he posted comments about the undercover officers on his blog.

Kellar said the officers had posed as his friend, and one of them even visited him at home and at work.

Hundreds of individuals submitted police complaints in the wake of the massive rights violations that took place during the 2010 G20 in Downtown Toronto

By Penelope Chester

The Canadian Civil Liberties Association is calling on several chiefs of Police and Ontario’s civilian oversight body, the Independent Police Review Director, to move forward on substantiated G20 complaints. The specific police complaints at issue are serious and involve substantiated allegations of unlawful detention and arrest, excessive use of force, and an illegal search. After written letters of concern to the OIPRD and Chiefs of Police were unsuccessful, the Association is now supporting court action on behalf of the complainants. Clayton Ruby and Gerald Chan of Ruby Shiller Chan Hasan Barristers are representing the complainants.

Veteran civil rights lawyer Clayton Ruby will ask Ontario’s Superior Court to overturn “backroom decisions” by three GTA police forces not to pursue complaints of officer misconduct during the G20 protests — even though the complaints have been substantiated by the province’s police oversight body.

Because the body, called the Office of the Independent Police Review Director (OIPRD), took longer than six months to investigate, it directed police in Toronto, York and Peel not to launch disciplinary hearings against officers involved — even though it found that accusations of excessive use of force, unlawful detention and arrest, and illegal search had substance.

The police chiefs decided to follow OIPRD’s advice not to act on its findings, even though it was OIPRD itself that caused the delay.

G20 activist launches $4M lawsuit against cops
A Toronto man who blogged about his relationship with an undercover police officer leading up to the G20 summit is in court on Wednesday, accused of breaking a publication ban.

Julian Ichim was arrested during the G20 summit in June 2010 and charged with counselling to commit indictable offences. Those charges were later dropped.

Ichim later filed a $4-million lawsuit against the Toronto Police Services Board, the provincial Crown and an undercover officer for alleged false imprisonment, assault and battery, misuse of public office and breaches of the Charter.

from Guelph ABC

On Friday, September 28th, 2012 George Horton was sentenced to 10 months in Jail for his actions during the anti-capitalist demonstrations during the 2010 G20 in Toronto. This will be followed by 2 years probation.

He was convicted of Intimidation of a Peace Office & Assault on a Police Officer related to the attack on a Toronto Police cruiser with Staff Sergeant Queens inside, as well as a number of attempted mischief’s on a number of police cruisers & a Tim Hortons. He was also convicted of Mischief over $5000 for attacking a CBC News Van. The Judge said these actions, “contributed to ongoing attacks on police, business and Media,” with George making a “notable contribution to the path of distraction [at the G20]“.

We can choose what we want to sow, but we must reap what we have sown.

Supportolegale was born in 2004 to support all the defendants of the Genoa G8 court cases. Made up of many different people, but all of whom agree on a fundamental “rule”: that all defendants must be supported without falling into the logic of divide and rule which has characterised the behaviour of too many people these last 11 years. The division of protestors into good and bad was never our thing.

Today, 11 years after the G8 summit in Genoa, we find ourselves having to pick up the thread of this belief, with 10 people convicted for the insane crime of devastation and looting – two of whom are already in prison and another who is raising her daughter awaiting imprisonment. All of us and all of you have lost – this should be clear – and today, the natural consequence of the belief that “we must defend everyone” is that we must help everyone who has got caught in the spiral of genovese repression. Not merely as a grain of sand that on its own can sabotage a machine, but as a life that is sabotaged by that very machine.

Wir müssen die Suppe auslöffeln, die wir uns eingebrockt haben

Das Projekt SupportoLegale entstand 2004, um die Verteidigung in den Prozessen gegen die DemonstrantInnen von Genua zu unterstützen. Die AktivistInnen hatten ganz unterschiedliche Hintergründe, aber waren sich in einem einig: Alle Beschuldigten werden unterstützt; das bei vielen beliebte Motto “Teile und herrsche” wird nicht übernommen. Die Einteilung in gute und schlechte Demonstrierende haben wir nie akzeptiert.

Heute, elf Jahre nach dem G8-Gipfel in Genua, nachdem zehn Leute endgültig wegen des irrsinnigen Straftatbestands “Verwüstung und Plünderung” verurteilt worden sind, während zwei von ihnen schon im Gefängnis sitzen und eine noch ihre Tochter aufzieht und dabei darauf wartet, in den Knast gebracht zu werden, fühlen wir uns dazu verpflichtet, dieser Überzeugung wieder zu folgen.

Wir haben verloren – wir und das heißt auch ihr alle – und “alle verteidigen” heißt heute also, denen zu helfen, die den Sog der Unterdrückung von Genua geraten sind. Nicht wie das Sandkorn, das ausreicht, um die Maschine zu stoppen, sondern wie ein Leben, das von der Maschine bedroht wird.

*Despite evidence of “organized and deliberate state misconduct” during the arrest of G20 protester Eva Botten, mischief charges against the 31-year-old accused will stand, a Superior Court judge ruled Thursday.*

Ms. Botten, accused of smashing shop windows during violent G20 protests in the downtown core two years ago, sought to have her mischief charges stayed on the basis that her Charter rights were violated when police kettled a group of protesters in the rain outside the Novotel hotel.

While Justice Harriet Sachs agreed the manner of Ms. Botten’s initial arrest breached section 9 of the Charter — which protects against arbitrary detention or imprisonment — she declined to toss out the charges, instead opting to exclude evidence gathered during the Novotel incident.