Fantino ‘defiant’ over Tyendinaga negotiations
p2pnet news view | Freedom:- Julian Fantino, Ontario’s top cop, has “lashed out at politicians and the media for portraying his conversations with Mohawk activist Shawn Brant as anything but a successful resolution to a ‘possibly volatile’ situation,” says the Globe & Mail.
“On June 29, 2007, people from the Tyendinaga Mohawk territory in southeastern Ontario blocked the CN Railway Line running through their land the Highway 401, and Highway 2,” p2pnet reported yesterday, quoting Wikileaks and going on:
“They were protesting conditions on First Nations reservations across Canada and the Government of Canada’s sluggishness in resolving outstanding land claims …”
Now, under criticism for “making heated remarks” recorded during a wiretap which was revealed publicly for the first time last week, Ontario provincial police commissioner Fantino was “defiant” about his actions during the blockade, says the Globe & Mail.
Transcripts reveal he, “took over from specially trained negotiators who were on the scene working to peacefully end the blockade of parts of Highway 401 and a railway line near Kingston,” says the story, continuing:
“In conversations through the night and into the early morning, he tells Mr. Brant that ‘your whole world’s gonna come crashing down’ if the standoff doesn’t end, and ‘you’re gonna force me to do everything I can within your community and everywhere else to destroy your reputation’.
“Such ‘intemperate’ and ‘bellicose’ language had the potential to inflame the situation, charged New Democrat MPP Peter Kormos, who called for Commissioner Fantino’s resignation.”
The Canadian Press has Ontario premier Dalton McGuinty saying he isn’t going to address a matter that’s before the courts, but, “Commissioner Fantino continues to have my full confidence” and has, “worked long and hard under very trying circumstances for a very long time now and he has my support.”
Brant faces nine charges in connection with the protest” says the story, adding the inquiry probes the shooting of Dudley George, “whose death in 1995 at the hands of an Ontario Provincial Police sharpshooter during a standoff at Ipperwash Provincial Park had come to represent a widening gulf between police and Ontario’s First Nations.”
“Fantino’s words were undeniably strong,” says a Toronto Star editorial.
“But they probably fall within the realm of acceptable police negotiating tactics, especially given the urgency of reopening these vital transportation routes.”
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.Stumble It!
Globe & Mail -Fantino defends taking over native negotiations, July 22, 2008
Andp2pnet – Wikileaks reports on Mohawk debacle, July 21, 2008
Canadian Press – Ont. police commissioner defends tactics in defusing 2007 aboriginal protest, July 21, 2008
Toronto Star – , July 22, 2008
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