–A rally of well over 100 people turned out on short notice today in Ottawa to join the thousands across Canada defending our right to protest and demand justice for those wrongly accused in the G20 sweeps.

–Unions are coming out hard against police violence.

–The police action was not about stopping black block tactics.

–Yet another story of a normal citizen being arrested for no rational reason at all.

–More juvenile behaviour from our increasingly foolish-looking police forces.

“For years, there has been much discussion about the best strategy to rid Afghanistan of its poppies. Eradication, says Bush. Interdiction and alternative livelihoods, retorts Obama. Licensing and production for medicinal purposes, suggested the Senlis Council. . . These questions are not unimportant, but fundamentally, they do not address the primary source of Afghan drug production: the West’s (and Russia’s) insatiable demand for drugs.” | Julien Mercille | CounterPunch

–If any of your clothing is made in Bangladesh you may want to click through these images of workers trying to stand up for their right to fair working conditions.

–Naomi Klein comments about the G20 and what was accomplished in the elites’ continued attack on the working people of the world.

–Except for the trampling of freedoms.

–Both sad and funny. It is great that Iran has a bit of a sense of humour about these things given that Canada has been mouthing off to Iranian officials about their human rights abuses. The reality is that neither of these states have moral ground.

Weeks after mothballing a tidal energy research project, Irving Oil Ltd. has withdrawn its application for environmental approval to build a biodiesel refinery in Saint John.

Workers have been striking with new frequency in recent months – and they’ve been getting their way.

by Michael A. Lebowitz | MR Zine

By Derrick O’Keefe | While G20 leaders barely made mention of the climate crisis, Pablo Solon, Bolivia’s UN ambassador, was in Toronto to encourage action on the Cochabamba Protocols.

Democracy Now!: As thousands protested in the streets of Toronto, inside the G20 summit, world leaders agreed to a controversial goal of cutting government deficits in half by 2013.

Opinion and Analysis: Media Watch | By Gregory Wilpert – Venezuelanalysis.com | It is truly amazing how a long-time Latin America correspondent who accuses Oliver Stone’s recently released documentary “South of the Border” of “mistakes, misstatements and missing details,” manages to get practically every single statement of his own wrong, misstated, or lacking in detail.
Also: Look Out: The Gloves are Off and the New York Times is Determined to Destroy Oliver Stone | By NIKOLAS KOZLOFF

That is the question that people around the world should be asking as the International Monetary Fund dishes out its prescription for austerity. The IMF program calls for cutbacks in government support for health care, pensions and a wide range of other public services. It also calls for weakening labor market regulations that provide workers with job security. | Dean Baker

Wednesday, June 30, 2010
6:30pm – 8:30pm
Windmill Line Co-op (125 Scadding Avenue)

After a week of protests and action by the labour movement and working class communities to the policies of the G20, one of the final battles raged in front of Novotel, a hotel in our community where workers were on strike. Police had already shown their willingness to brutalize peaceful protesters and ignore our civil liberties over the past days.
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–Peaceful protesting is protected by our Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The actions of the police during the G20 are not. We must continue the call for a real independent review of the actions of the police. Canadians cannot be left feeling afraid to make their voices heard on the streets.

–The police are spreading misinformation to scare the public. It is police repression of our freedom of assembly and expression.

The Graduate Students’ Union Executive is shocked and appalled at the actions of the Integrated Security Unit this weekend when they raided our building and arrested two of our valued executive members and billeted demonstrators. It is legal to provide accommodations to those who exercise their democratic right to participate in a legal protest.

The student movement has a long and honorable tradition of supporting legitimate constitutionally guaranteed rights and freedoms, including the right to free assembly, free speech and peaceful protest. The GSU appeals to all members of the Canadian public to help us protect those rights.

As a matter of course, the GSU has billeted individuals in the past for many events, as have other student unions and universities. The University of Toronto was aware of our plans to remain open.

In preparation for the G20 summit, our university collaborated with police and closed the campus, canceled academic events, obstructed access to basic services, and transferred students out of their dormitories. All three student unions and other campus and labor organizations at U of T condemned the administration’s decision to close, as should the public.

We believe that a key value of a university education is the right and obligation to criticize the accepted order. Academic freedom was trampled this weekend when two members of our executive were summarily arrested while carrying out their duties protecting our public right to dissent. The GSU categorically denies any involvement in any undemocratic activity and we call on university officials, the public and the media to support our collective freedoms and to release our innocent executive members with appropriate apologies.

For more information, please contact Anton Neschadim, GSU Executive member.