A little rights reading

While they only scratch the surface of the continued news about the G8/G20 protests over the weekend, a couple of pieces are definitely worth a look.

First, there's LRT's observations, featuring in particular two key points about the public level of support for the protesters:

1 - The security build-up and intimidation factor of having so many heavily armed police in the streets kept the G20 protests from being even larger. Attendees to the rally at Massey Hall on Friday night believe that the turnout at the G20 was only a fraction of the people who wanted to protest - the rest were scared.

A massive security presence had the effect of silencing a lot of voices.

2 - Popular support for the protests was huge in Toronto. Cheers generally went up when televisions in pubs and restaurants showed news footage of the protests.

I can only recall speaking to one man who was critical of the protestors. Support for the Black Bloc was considerably smaller.

Mind you, it's interesting to note as well the difference between the view from on the ground and that from afar. For example, LRT wasn't sure whether what may be the defining YouTube moment of the protests would get noticed:



Meanwhile, for a more systematic take, the CCLA's preliminary report offers a thorough look at exactly what happened and why so much of it was problematic. Though presumably there will be plenty to update now that police deception has been added to the picture.

Update: And for your viewing pleasure, torontoist has a collection of essential videos.