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News :: Miscellaneous |
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Protesters arrested for throwing teddy bears onto Canadian Commons floor |
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by Ted E. Bear
Email: furboy (nospam) northwoods.org (unverified!) |
04 May 2001
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Updated 2:09 AM ET May 3, 2001
OTTAWA (CP) - The fur really was flying Wednesday in the House of Commons. Two anti-free trade protesters were arrested after they unfurled a banner in the public galleries and threw teddy bears into the government benches. |
The two young women were whisked away by security guards after unfurling a banner reading "Decriminalize Democracy" and tossing at least two bears.
They were part of a group protesting in several cities across the country against the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas agreement, as well as the continued detention of a protester from the Summit of the Americas in Quebec City last month.
"We've had paper thrown before but this is the first time we've had a stuffed animal attack; it is a grave concern," joked Liberal MP Dan McTeague, who held two of the bears as he spoke to reporters.
"We only saw two, one went ahead and one beside my desk. I saw there was more coming from the other side. One hit (Liberal MP) Gurbax Malhi . . . and the rest were just sitting on the floor afterwards."
McTeague noted the bears wouldn't have triggered the Commons metal-detecting security system.
Government House leader Don Boudria wasn't joking. He said the bears came from the opposition's spectator gallery and he intended to get to the bottom of the incident.
"This is Parliament, not a recreation centre, not a demonstration hall, or not a barricade, and any use of the building for anything other than parliamentary purposes is wrong," said Boudria.
"Somebody in the opposition, or somebody's office in the opposition issued a gallery pass. I want to know who it is, were they aware, was a member aware, whether it was a member of staff, and so on."
A surprised staffer in Alliance MP Rahim Jaffer's office said it was she who issued the passes when the two showed up earlier this week.
"They said they were constituents," said the woman, who asked not to be named. "We only issue passes to constituents. We didn't do anything wrong.
"We didn't know they were going to do that. My goodness."
The two 19-year-old women, Rebecca Lake and Marika Schwandt, were turned over to RCMP and charged with causing a disturbance, group spokesman Jonathan Oppenheim said from Edmonton.
Jaggi Singh is still being held in a Quebec jail, charged with possession of a dangerous weapon in connection with a huge wooden catapult. The catapult was used to hurl teddy bears into the Summit grounds.
Wednesday's stunt in the Commons was part of a national protest. Activists in several cities planned to show up at police stations to confess to throwing teddy bears at the summit.
Oppenheim said police in several cities took protesters' signed confessions and several caged teddy bears, but no one was arrested.
Said McTeague: "All kidding aside . . . this kind of tactic should never be used in the House of Commons. If you have a statement to make, make it by the ballot or make it verbally, write us a letter or do what you have to do, but throwing stuff at us doesn't accomplish anything." |
See also:
http://www.cmaq.net/viewarticle.ch2?articleid=1600&language=english
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