--- Forwarded Message from seahorse@odyssee.net ---
>Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2000 19:46:41 -0400
>ReSent-From: Portland Copwatch <copwatch@teleport.com>
Dear readers on the anti-police brutality list. What you are about to read
is a translation of an article that appeared today in Montreal's La Presse
newspaper. This article is not true (or at least the majority of it isn't).
At the end of the translated article I have added my coments.
Dee LeComte
COBP
Montreal, Quebec
________________________________
La Presse page A5 April 12, 2000
Montreal, Quebec
Opposed to Police Brutality... and Accused of a Bomb Threat
An activist from the group Citizens Opposed to Police Brutality, 20 year
old Alexandre Paradis, was accused yesterday of threatening to explode... a
police station.
The caller who had called 911 on Monday, around 2:30 p.m. had said that he
was going to "put a bomb" in a police station. The call was of course was
taped and an investigation quickly to the discovery that the call came from
the cellular phone of Alexandre Paradis. He was picked up in a street in
Montreal some hours later around 5:30 p.m., in possession of the famous
cellular.
The young man appeared yesterday afternoon in the Palais de Justice (Court
House) with charges of threats. He was released on bail of $500 dollars of
which he had to leave a deposit of $300.
According to lietenant-detective Michel Bonneville, from the arson section
of of the MUC Police, this incident was isolated and didn't have any ties
with the series of bombs threats at police stations in Montreal during
Spring 1999. Explosives had been found in certain places but no arrest has
been made to date.
Yves Manseau, who founded Citizens Opposed to Police Brutality, but who
detached himself from the group some time ago in order to launch Mouvement
Action Justice, said to La Presse that he didn't know Mr. Paradis.
"Citizens Opposed to Police Brutality has taken a neo-anarchist shape which
refuses all authority. Sometime, the group passes the limites, it is not
very organized and is beginning to fall apart. It's because of this that I
left. It has become ungovernable. This said, it is necessary to see what
these charges are based on, " said Mr. Manseau.
__________________________________________________
NOTES : First - There never has been a member by the name of Alexandre
Paradis in the collective of COBP. Members of COBP do find that it is quite
a coincidence that this person, who "claims" to be a member of COBP has a
name which resembles an out-spoken member of COBP, Mr. Alexandre Popovic.
Re : the explosives and bombs threats from last Spring. Although it isn't
said in the article - just putting the sentences together could make
certain people prejudge things. I'm referring to the "other bombs threats",
if they are in fact real. COBP has never been involved in bomb threats
against any police station in Montreal or anywhere in Quebec or the world
for that matter. The reportercops are doing well in their disinformation
campaign.
It is interesting as well that this article, which depicts COBP as some
sort of terrorist group, is appearing in the press just before the trial
will begin on April 17th, of 10 people who were arrested at the
demonstration on March 15th. These ten persons were the ten who stayed in
jail for more than 24 hours.
Mr. Manseau's comments about COBP falling apart are totally unfounded. We
have never been so busy as within the last 6 to 12 months. We continue to
work to the best of our ability. We are not self-destructing as he implies.
We wanted a group where everyone, if they so wish, could learn different
tasks, and that includes being a spokesperson. We wanted to be democratic.
Yves Manseau's comments are not surprising to say the least, but it is
interesting how he continues his smear campagn against COBP, since leaving
the group in early 1999. Yves Manseau is not the only "founding member" of
COBP, so is Alexandre Popovic. The author of these lines came into the
group in August 1995, four months after its formation. When Manseau talks
about the fact that COBP is becoming neo-anarchist he is referring to the
fact that some members are anarchist and/or anti-authoritarian. Manseau
fought within the group for many years to make it a NGO, however ALL the
other members, anarchist or otherwise, wanted to keep the group autonomous,
so that it could act independantly from the government. Manseau wanted a
salary. He should be getting that soon because a member of Mouvement Action
Justice said that the group will be getting a $25,000 grant soon. When you
know how to talk to the State and it's media, the money starts rolling in...
During the time that Mr. Manseau was a member of COBP, he acted like an
opportunist beyond belief. While he was a member he stole money from the
collective. He based all of COBP's reputation on himself - the more often
his photo appeared in the papers, the happier he was. All in all he is
nothing more than a media pimp. While other members did COPWATCH, produced
and handed out for free pamphlets to the poor, students and street youth on
their rights (around 14,000 have now been handed out), held workshops with
community and student groups and street youth, organized demonstrations,
met with victims, etc. We, the other members of COBP don't do this for
recognition of the powers that be, we do it out of conviction. Also in
1998, when former member David Kavanaght spent a year in producing a
document (320 pages) on 20 cases of civilians who were killed by the MUC
police, Mr. Manseau has continually said to the press that he is the author
of this document. This is another case of a white man claiming credit for
the hard work of a Black man. Let that be said, I'll let the readers come
to their own conclusions on this. There were a few other members of COBP
who helped out Mr. Kavanaght with the research, but it was nominal in
comparison of what he did and Yves Manseau was NOT one of those persons.
In regards to the article - Is this just a pile of rubbish concocted by an
individual, or, as history has proven to us so many times over, is the
State and its forces party to this?
Why is there such a large headline in the paper of this article but when
those supposed bomb threats were happening last Spring, little, if anything
was said about it?
Why is Mr. Manseau stepping up his smear campaign (it has really been
incredible since March 15th of this year) and why should he now look so
good to governmental authorities, when before he was most often not taken
seriously?
BEWARE of opportunists. They only care about themselves, not victims and
certainly not in any real fundamental changes in society.
In COBP we understand that police brutality goes hand in hand with how
society is formed and regulated. To not talk about other oppressions is to
disregard the roots of evil. Other oppressions being : racism, fascism,
patriarchy, capitalism, homophobia and transphobia, deportations of
immigrants and the continuing destruction of the environment, etc.
FIGHT POLICE BRUTALITY!
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