GROUP STATEMENT BY 17 PEOPLE CHARGED WITH CONSPIRACY DURING THE G20REGARDING A PLEA DEAL
November 22, 2011 -- As people across Turtle Island look towards theglobal wave of protests against the austerity agenda, the memory of the2010 G20 protests in Toronto looms large as both inspiration and caution.We are seventeen people accused by the state of planning to disrupt theleaders summit – the prosecutors call us the G20 Main Conspiracy Group. This alleged conspiracy is absurd. We were never all part of any onegroup, we didn't all organize together, and our political backgrounds areall different. Some of us met for the first time in jail. What we do havein common is that we, like many others, are passionate about creatingcommunities of resistance. Separately and together, we work with movements against colonialism,capitalism, borders, patriarchy, white supremacy, ableism,hetero/cis-normativity, and environmental destruction. These are movementsfor radical change, and they represent real alternatives to existing powerstructures. It is for this reason that we were targeted by the state. Although these conspiracy charges have been a big part of our dailyreality for the past year and a half, we have been slow in speaking outcollectively. This is partly because of the restrictive bail conditionsthat were placed on us, including non-association with our co-accused andmany of our close allies. In addition, those of us who did speak out havebeen subjected to a campaign of intimidation and harassment by the policeand prosecutors. We are writing now because we have negotiated a pleadeal to resolve our charges and to bring this spectacle to an end. The state's strategy after the G20 has been to cast a wide net over thosewho mobilized against the summit (over 1, 000 detained and over 300charged) and then to single out those they perceived to be leaders. Beingaccused of conspiracy is a surreal, bureaucratic nightmare that fewpolitical organizers have experienced in this country, but unfortunatelyit is becoming more common. We can't say with any certainty if what we didwas in fact an illegal conspiracy. Ultimately though, whether or not ourorganizing fits into the hypocritical and oppressive confines of the lawisn't what's important. This is a political prosecution. The governmentmade a political decision to spend millions of dollars to surveil andinfiltrate anarchist, Indigenous solidarity, and migrant justiceorganizing over several years. After that kind of investment, what sort ofjustice are we to expect? We have not been powerless in this process; however any leverage we've hadhas not come from the legal system, but from making decisionscollectively. This has been a priority throughout, particularly in thelast several months, as the preliminary inquiry gradually took a back seatto negotiations for a deal to end it. The consensus process has been attimes a heart-wrenching, thoughtful, gruelling, disappointing, andinspiring experience, and in the end, we got through it together. Of the seventeen of us, six will be pleading and the eleven others willhave their charges withdrawn. Alex Hundert, and Mandy Hiscocks are eachpleading to one count of counselling mischief over $5,000 and one count ofcounselling to obstruct police, and Leah Henderson, Peter Hopperton, ErikLankin, and Adam Lewis are each pleading to a single count of counsellingmischief over $5,000. We are expecting sentences to range between 6 and 24months, and all will get some credit for time already served in jail andon house arrest. Three defendants in this case had their charges withdrawn earlier and onehas already taken a plea to counselling mischief over $5,000 that involvedno further jail time. This means that out of twenty-one people in thesupposed G20 Main Conspiracy Group, only seven were convicted of anything,and none were convicted of conspiracy. The total of fourteen withdrawalsdemonstrates the tenuous nature of the charges. This system targets many groups of people including racialized,impoverished and Indigenous communities, those with precarious immigrationstatus, and those dealing with mental health and addiction. The kinds ofviolence that we have experienced, such as the pre-dawn raids, thestrip-searches, the surveillance, and pre-sentence incarceration happenall the time. The seventeen of us have moved through the legal systemwith a lot of privilege and support. This includes greater access to"acceptable" sureties, and the financial means to support ourselves andour case. While the use of conspiracy charges against such a large groupof political organizers is noteworthy, these tactics of repression areused against other targeted communities every day. There is no victory in the courts. The legal system is and always has beena political tool used against groups deemed undesirable or who refuse toco-operate with the state. It exists to protect Canada's colonial andcapitalist social structure. It is also deeply individualistic andexpensive. This system is designed to break up communities and turnfriends against each other. Within this winless situation, we decided that the best course of actionwas to clearly identify our goals and needs and then to explore ouroptions. Within our group, we faced different levels of risk if convicted,and so we began with the agreement that our top priority was to avoid anydeportations. Other key goals we reached were to minimize the number ofconvictions, to honour people's individual needs, and to be mindful of howour decisions affect our broader movements. Although we are giving up someimportant things by not going to trial, this deal achieves specific goalsthat we weren't willing to gamble. Our conversations have always been advised by concern for the broaderpolitical impacts of our choices. One noteworthy outcome is that there areno conspiracy convictions emerging from this case, thus avoiding thecreation of a dangerous legal precedent that would in effect criminalizeroutine tasks like facilitation. Taking this deal also frees up communityresources that have been embroiled in this legal process. We emerge from this united and in solidarity. To those who took us in while on house arrest, to those who raised moneyfor our legal and living expenses, to those who cooked food, wroteletters, offered rides and supported us politically and emotionallythroughout, thank you. To those in jail or still on charges from the anti-G20 protests, to political prisoners and prisoners in struggle, we are still with you. To communities and neighbourhoods fighting back from Cairo to London, from Greece to Chile, in Occupied Turtle Island and beyond, see you in the streets.
--Pat Cadorette, Erik Lankin, Paul Sauder, Meghan Lankin, Bill Vandreil,Joanna Adamiak, Julia Kerr, David Prychitka, Alex Hundert, Monica Peters,Sterling Stutz, Leah Henderson, Adam Lewis, Mandy Hiscocks, PeterHopperton, SK Hussan, Terrance LuscombeIf you would like to issue a solidarity statement, please emailtoronto.g20resist@gmail.com and let us know.
