A no messing around guide to the coolest things to eat, drink and do in Vancouver and beyond. Community. Not clickbait.

Fake G20 Protest Weapons Cache Invented By Toronto Police

4743148848_604d9b214d_zphoto: Jackman Chiu

When Toronto police chief Bill Blair proudly laid out his spread of seized weapons to defend his cops’ heavy-handed actions against citizens during the G20 summit, it was a singularly Rumsfeldian moment, a farce that only the easily swayed in the media would swallow. “There were no further acts of violence (after Saturday), and the weaponry that you see displayed before you today is just a small portion of the evidence that we gathered of what is most certainly a criminal conspiracy.” he told reporters. But there were several holes in his story, and many in the press (to their credit) didn’t bite. Several of the “weapons” he gushed over weren’t even involved in the G20 protests at all. For example (and this is my favourite), it turns out that the chain mail and blunted arrows (seriously!) that were center-piecing Blair’s haul were taken from a hapless live-action gaming geek on a train heading to some Tolkien nerdfest on the other side of town.
From the Globe:

In addition to the arrows – which Mr. Barrett made safe for live-action role playing by cutting off the pointy ends and attaching a bit of pool noodle covered in socks – police displayed his metal body armour, foam shields and several clubs made of plastic tubing covered with foam and fabric.

Mr. Barrett said he was “appalled” at the placement of his chain-mail beneath a machete. He regularly takes public transit from his Whitby, Ont., home to Centennial Park to play the game, called Amtgard, while wearing the 85-pound armour and is worried people will think: “Oh my God, that’s one of the terrorists from G20.”

Er, not people. Just cops. Other weapons seized (according to the Globe), included “gas masks, cans of spray paint, a replica gun, saws, pocket knives, a staple gun, a drill, a slingshot, chains and handcuffs”. Save for the replica gun (a stupid thing to bring to a protest), this is a pretty weak cache. And since when were spray paint and drills classified as weapons? Ah, but what about the crossbow and chainsaw set prominently on Blair’s display table, you ask? Totally unrelated to the G20 summit protests. It’s what most people would classify as a joke, wholly in poor taste.

I’m not against cops (though there are some individual ones I’d like off the streets), and I’m certainly not a fan of the misled black clad anarchists who treat dissent as a lifestyle, but this dog and pony show was so ridiculous that it dented the public trust. How can Canadians have faith in the people charged with protecting them if they keep on making stuff up to cover their own asses? Nearly a thousand Torontonians were arrested/detained during the summit, many on phantom grounds. Some were just swept off the street while shopping and walking their dogs to be unceremoniously dumped in pens. A lot of questions are being raised in the wake of the weekend, which are being handled in a way British Columbians are very familiar with. The Toronto Star reports:

Blair has set up an internal task force to review law enforcement actions during the summit. When finished, the report will be presented to the Toronto Police Services Board, where civilian representatives can look at the tactics and ask questions (my italics).

Questions. Like who gets fired.

There are 7 comments

  1. THIS SUMMIT SECURITY WAS A TOTAL UNDERCOVER OPERATION!….Everything from the Black clad roaming around rioting freely amidst a $1 billion security investment by Harper, to the sudden arbitrary arrest of innocent Canadians the following day, IT WAS ALL A MASSIVE operation against Canadians to help push away real global concerns by protesters against infiltrating G20 summit topics. The government-backed violence allowed Harper to shamefully talk about issues that don’t affect canadians or the world like poverty, instead because of lack of strong global issues from protestors (due to violence), Harper claims to represent the economy as the sole Canadian concern. Its so obvious this was all well-planned by the government…see the video tapes for proof! THIS IS BLOOD POLITICS, wake up Canada!

  2. My favorite was the 85-pound suit of armour. How is this supposed to be a weapon? Who did they think they could fool with that one?

  3. All those who put their personal safety on the line to protect the people and businesses of Toronto please raise your hand.

    Anyone?!

    In these comments, there were none, WOW what a shock.

    The conspiracy theories are ridiculous at best. The entire operation was a massive operation against Canadians? Seriously? Where do you get your information from? People pawning off fiction as fact are ridiculous and do nothing more than bash people for the sake of bashing people.

    Anyone who thinks the police did not perform their duties properly should ask themselves if they have the guts to stand up against rock throwing, molotov cocktail tossing, urine squirting anarchists.

    If you can honestly say yes then be part of the solution. If you can’t say yes then stop complaining about the manner with which situations are handled while sitting in front of your safe computer which is only safe because of those that actually do something.

    Seriously, armchair quarterbacking is not a solution. What did you do that gives you the notion you have the right to be the almight opinion?

    Absolutely nothing.

    To Toronto Police and all the forces that helped out, you have my gratitude, and the gratitude of millions of others.

    Thank you,

  4. I’m getting tired of the pseudo-political stance this web site is taking. Lets get back to independent culture shall we?

    And those of you who employ these nutty conspiracy theories…..get a life already.