This week our friend, Wesam from Justice for Palestinians Calgary stops by with a UofC student to share about continued police brutality, violence, and ongoing bullying.
We talk about May 9th, 2024 when the Calgary police escalated and attacked unarmed students and protestors at the University of Calgary. We talked about how Edmonton police doubled down on the violence and brutality May 11th at the University of Alberta. Wesam and friend, share the details as to what happened then and what has been happening behind the scenes as a result of police targeting their protests, gatherings and fund raisers. The violence was again furthered by the Calgary police on Sunday, September 15th, 2024 at Tomkins Park when they attempted to interrupt a peaceful protest. Police deployed 4 horses, twenty bike officers, and a solid 20-40 mixed law enforcement officers as back up. There were barely fifty protestors on scene when the police escalated to violence as a show of force to strike fear in anyone contemplating future action against the state.
Even though our conversation was very open and we share a lot of vulnerability. We fully understand that the police watch, listen and follow us on line and in person at times so we are incredibly vulnerable to them. We share our anger, fear, and confusion at times.
If you don't think "your police" would do certain things to keep people silent, criminalize poverty/unhoused, and weild the constant threat of your loss of liberty/finances all the while they convince you they're acting in your best interest...think again.
We recognize that many activists through the years in Calgary have faced and been subjected to this type and worse violence, suppression, and surveillance.