Most think G20 police actions justified, poll finds

"The Angus Reid poll, which surveyed 1,003 Canadians and 503 Torontonians, found that 73 per cent of Torontonians and two-thirds of Canadians believe police treatment of protesters was justified during the G20 summit."

As usual, I wonder what the results would be if the question was specific to certain instances.

But either way, this is the problem with police spinning - we all want to believe the cops are righteous, it's feels much more secure. Just too many instances where they try to spin wrong doing.

I wish the police would man up, be able to take criticism, and in fact become their own harshest critics. Now that would make me feel secure,. and would take the wind out of the sails of those that hurl unfounded criticisms.

Oh come on andy!

This was from the Toronto Star.

You really are just not making sense on this topic.

Funny that 73% of the people in Toronto disagree with you.

Where in the country are you? Not Toronto obviously.

It's not funny, it's just a sad fact that most people don't have my brilliant insight. I'm used to it by now, so I'm OK.

Errr. Yea......

Off your meds mate?

It's not a surprise. It's been a big topic of discussion, and friends I've got from when I lived back in London and the one's I got out here are generally in agreement that they felt that the police action was pretty justified -- and that includes a few I know were on the front lines at the protests, who were pretty disgusted with what they some some fellow protestors doing.

While you can claim that this is all just folks believing in security, we also have to keep in mind that the media have a need to get "hard hitting" and spectacular news stories. This would lend itself to blowing things out of proportion or advancing a minor story to the front page, no? A certain stance will be taken on it, with a title to inspire controversy and hence get viewership or readers, hence assuring them enough income to keep going in the newspaper industry and to keep viewership up on news programs. Given how much you've been involved in news stories, andyt, you have to recognize that while what you said might be true, what I said is at least equally if not more prevelent in Canada's modern media.

This is not saying that they aren't reporting the news, just like you aren't say that they are not reporting a statistic. This is saying that if you want to say things such as that, you must accept the possibility (and I'm not saying I'm prescient in the matter) that the exact same thing could be happening in the same manner to news stories.

"If it bleeds, it leads"

Not in Detroit. It usually winds up on page 12 of Section D or something lol

I think you hit the nail squarely mate. Good post.

What the police did was justified, they could have done a much better job at it however nothing they did was inncorrect in the treatment of the protestors. I say that without wanting to believe cops are righteous or to feel more secure. People always insult and bias police work. Making them always being the bad guys, however just remember. These guys and gals are the only people seperating YOU from the REAL bad guys. The guys who go around to your house, steal all your shit. Perhaps rape your wife or daughter, murder your family or just in general break the law that effects you in any way.

Its very common for somebody to just randomly insult some cop, calling them a pig, bag on them. Give them grief or w/e. Calling them corrupt, when in fact majority of cops are not. They are there to serve and protect and have to deal with this kind of unjustified attitude bullshit towards them by people who obviously watch too many cop movies.

The cops were well beyond provoked, I'd like to see anybody just stand there as your car gets burned down. You get cussed out, insulted, mooned, as you witness shops being destroyed and looted. When the suspects start moving in towards the other protestors thinking it was a safe zone after they were done there little pillaging adventure. As the police were about to move in on them. "Innocent" protestors got in the polices way in arresting the individuals involved.

I saw many recently leaked videos of it, one I will give you a description of. Riot police on one side, outnumbered by angry protestors on another. One guy they were trying to arrest when a group of the protestors get in there way. One gets out a rubber bullet gun to take down the guy and this girl gets in the way trying to block the shot. The riot cop keeps trying to move side to side for the shot and eventually gets the shot. That girl was lucky not to get hit or what appeared to be not being hit. The cop got the guy he was aiming for. You take that situation and multiple it over many other events where cops try to arrest protestors and protestors get in there way. You know how protestors are. Where the cop has to shoot some protestors to move them out of there way.

You get in the mind of these protestors who pretty much think breaking shop windows and looting, burning cars is a peaceful and just way of protesting. Obviously a lot of them are going to call abuse, however the reality is they were defending criminals who needed to be arrested. What is the police term for that? Oh right, distrubting justice or something like that. If somebody was getting arrested on any other day like and somebody tried to stop the cop. You bet your ass he'd get arrested too. Why would that be so different in this case?

The protestors are ignorant tools, they thought they had a right to get violent and provoke riot police. Just like every other "peaceful protest". They don't get special rights from law just because they are protestors. If they want to preech a message, they have free speech. When they destroy a neighbourhood and break the laws. They are crossing the line from free speech and protesting and become criminals. When the cops arrest them, that's justified. A lot of the protestors there deserved far worse than they got. I would have prefered the police got a little more "abusive".

And the silent majority begins to speak.

Good post bacardi.

Every now and again I am due for my non-idiotic posts.

You have been getting better of late! Solid stuff.

How come more women aren't in power then?? Sorry I gave into the Darkside without a moment's hesitation.