On blanket treatment

Norman Spector's attempt to blame G20 violence on people who have nothing at all to do with it is bad enough on its own. But it's worth paying particular attention to how Spector chooses to frame the treatment of groups of protesters in describing what he claims to be proper means of limiting the amount of violence:

Second, the destruction of property and other acts of violence were quickly condemned by the Mayor of Vancouver — a former NDP member of the legislature — and the city council, also controlled by the left. They were joined by the opposition party in the provincial legislature (Ignatieff, Layton:are you listening?). Non-elected lefties on the west coast quickly followed suit in condemning the violence.

Third, the protesters were roundly denounced by the media; in fact, I cannot think of any journalists who expressed even a modicum of sympathy or admiration for the demonstrators, which is not the impression I’ve been getting in reports for the past week from Toronto.

Finally, after some initial hesitation, the violent demonstrations were eventually condemned by the BC Civil Liberties Association.

While there's some reason to be concerned with Spector's belief that he's entitled to demand a denunciation at any given moment, I don't otherwise have much of a problem with the points dealing with the condemnation of violence.

But Spector takes his message much further when it comes to the media in his third point. Never mind focusing on how the media treats violence or vandalism, and certainly never mind distinguishing between the few violent protesters and the thousands seeking to make a legitimate political point. As far as Spector is concerned, all "protesters" and "demonstrators" must be condemned in the press at all times, lest the public otherwise develop any "sympathy" for them or their causes.

Needless to say, that looks to be nothing but a recipe for ensuring that non-elite voices are never heard, whether surrounding a meeting like the G20 or otherwise. And a blanket policy of refusing to even listen to the message from peaceful protesters would only seem more likely to give rise to violence as disaffected citizens go to ever greater lengths in trying to be heard.

Update: Meanwhile, I'm sure Spector will be apologizing to the NDP any minute now.