Ifc
I
14
News
February
2005
PfNEE
FOftUI
i
Students
beaten
in
York
University
protest
By
Maryam
Behmard
Excalibur
(YorJJniversity)
ioSV'V'1,
'V
''';
,
TfiWiiiiirpr
c
nun
TORONTO
(CUP)
Two-
students
were
:-badly
beaten
by
police
:
after
'
they
refused
to
rfeave
an
anti-imperialist
demonstration
in
""York
University's
Vari
THall,
where
protest
is
'
-.forbidden.
Police
beat
PhD
stu-
.
dent
Gregory
Bird
with
-a
baton,
while
political
,
science
student
Nicholas
Birtig
was
'
taken
to
hospital
due
to
beatings
he
allegedly
received
by
police
m
a
holding
room
in
the
Ross
Building
after
the
rally
Jan.
20.
When
student
protesters
refused
to
leave
Vari
Hall,.
police
circled
a
group
of
demonstrators
and
a
riot
transpired.
Students
were
tackled
to
the
ground
by
several
police
officers
and
security
personnel
before
being
taken
to
a
room
in
the
Ross
Building.
Konstantine
Kilibarda,
an
academic
researcher
from
Cambridge
University,
was
arrested
and
detained
in
the
room
with
four
other
students
and
said
he
witnessed
the
alleged
beating
of
Birtig
by
the
police.
'They
started
hitting
him
repeatedly
and
when
he
lifted
his
head,
it
was
just
covered
in
blood.
The
group
were
all
pretty
roughed
up,"
said
Kilibarda,
adding:
"In
detention,
I
was
tackled
from
behind
by
an
officer
and
brought
to
the
ground.
I
didn't
resist
I
just
went
limp."
Five
people
Bird,
Birtig,
Kilibarda,
Alissa
Watt
and
Erin
Gray
were
arrested
and
taken
to
Toronto
police's
31st
division
after
participating
in
the
rally,
which
was
held
in
protest
of
the
inauguration
of
United
States
President
George
W.
Bush
and
the
university's
corporate
ties.
Constable
Isabelle
Cotton,
spokesperson
for
the
police
division,
said
a
struggle
in
Vari
Hall
between
one
student
and
police
led
to
the
student
allegedly
attempting
to
reach
for
an
officer's
handgun.
"
They
will
be
processed
and
charged
for
trespassing,
assault,
and
obstruct
those
are
the
charges
we
are
looking
at,"
said
Cotton,
adding:
"When
you
try
to
steal
an
officer's
gun,
it's
pretty
major."
Toronto
police
also
allege
two
officers
were
punched
in
the
face
and
one
officer
had
a
hot
beverage
thrown
in
his
face.
But
Cotton
confirmed
no
officers
received
bruises
or
injuries.
The
Grassroots
Anti-imperialist
Network
organized
the
demonstration.
The
administration
called
police
after
members
of
the
anti-imperialist
group
and
local
3903
of
the
Canadian
Union
of
Public
Employees
began
using
mega
tfs
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phones
in
Vari
Hall
and
allegedly
disrupting
classes.
The
administration
released
a
notice
Jan.
21
,
stating
the
protesters
becaral
violent,
endangering
the
safety
of
students
and
disrupting
classes.
l)
btuaents
are
proniDited
trom
noiding
demonstrations
in
van
Hall
because
o
its
proximity
to
classrooms
and
protesters
were
provided
the
option
of
going
1
the
Burton
Auditorium
in
the
fine
arts
building
-,
.
.
'in
Nancy
White,
university
spokespeson,
said'
York
security
asked
the
protea
ers
to
leave
numerous
times
and
to
refrain
from-
using
a
megaphone,
after
receif
ing
complaints
from
faculty
members
who
were
teaching
in
Vari
Hall
classroorr
.
m
"It's
very
unfortunate
that
these
individuals
became
involved
in-
a
violent
altera
tion
with
the
police,"
said
White.
"The
university
will
do
what
it
can
to
accommM
date
students
who
wish
to
engage,
in
peaceful
protests:.
We
are
always
open!
dialogue."
'
m
Gary
Brewer,
York's
vice-president
of
finance
and
administration,,
said
I
school
has
never
restricted
free
speech,
but
those
who
want
to
carry
but
demol
strations
must
do
so
in
desiqnated
areas
that
will
not
disruc-t
classes.
.
O
"The
university
is
not
against
free
speech.
'We
"do
have
principles
of
disalo
ing
the
disruption
of
classes,"
said
Brewer.
"We
have
people,
here
that
are
and
able,
wanting
to
show
people
how
to
express
themselves
without
disrupt
classes.
We
have
classes
going
on
in
this
space."
Another
demonstration
was
held
Jan.
21
,
criticizing
the
administration
for
call
ing
the
police
to
come
and
intervene
at
the
previous
day's
protest.
Nick
Lary,
professor
of
humanities
and
vice-president
of
the
York
UniveraM
Faculty
Association,
maintained
Vari
Hall
should
be
a
space
in
which
studeiiB
can
voice
their
opinions.
jH
"Students
are
citizens
and
have
civil
liberties.
They
are
our
future
teachesB
leaders
and
defenders,"
Lary
told
the
crowd.
"We
call
on
president
Marsdent
make
Vari
Hall
a
public
space
dedicated
to
free
speech."
Video
footage,
taped
by
one
of
the
protesters,
showing
the
use
of
batons
o
students
as
well
as
physical
intervention
by
the
police
and
York
security,
i
screened
in
Vari
Hall
to
over
1
,000
students.
But
it
was
unclear
as
to
whetherq
not
a
student
attempted
to
grab
an
officer's
gun.
Student
Moiz
Syed
is
one
of
many
students
who
viewed
the
video.
"I
don't
believe
that
a
student
was
going
for
the
gun.
But
the
police
were
a
here
for
our
safety,"
said
Syed.
Jared
Saltz,
an
anthropology
student,
was
at
the
Jan.
20
protest
and
saidbcfl
police
and
students
aggravated
the
situation,
and
police
were
not
concerned
who
should
be
arrested
but
rather
with
clearing
the
area.
"We
know
that
cops
can
be
defensive,
they
will
panic
in
certain
situations,
a
we
know
that
as
students,
and
they
might
act
in
violence,"
said
Saltz,
suggesw
perhaps
protesters
should
have
exercised
caution.
The
president
of
York
s
student
union,
Oman
Mason,
has
called
for
the
a
missal
of
all
criminal
charges
against
the
five
students,
the
establishment
of
J
external
inquiry
in
the
police's
intervention,
and
disciplinary
action
against
sesB
rity
personnel
and
administrators
in
charge
of
security.
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by
Sean
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Excabiber
York
University
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