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While English speaking Canada diverted, Montreal Police behead Panda

Posted on: 04/23/2013 22:00

Montreal police have seized the head of panda mascot “Anarchopanda”

 

From Wiki Anarchopanda is a giant panda and the unofficial mascot of the 2012 Quebec student protests, known for hugging both students and police officers.[1] He favours free education, thus opposes the tuition hike.
 
Anarchopanda made his first appearance at a protest May 8, 2012. By day he is philosophy professor Julien Villeneuve at Montreal CEGEP Collège de Maisonneuve, with a strong affinity for Plato, Aristotle and Plotinus.[2][3]

A self-described anarcho-pacifist,[4] he tries to create a buffer between police and students to avoid violence "without betraying [the students'] struggle or co-opting their discourse". In an interview in Montreal's Le Devoir, he expresses a desire to oppose police brutality. "If peaceful students deserve to be beat with police batons, pepper sprayed, shot with rubber bullets or flash grenades for demonstrating, so do I."

 

The panda suit was chosen because it was the nicest cheap costume he could find on eBay. Before buying it, he participated in 70 student demonstrations in his "human skin" to protect demonstrators from police, which he found impractical and paternalist.

 
 
 
P-6 prohibits the wearing of masks, which is why Anarchopanda’s head was seized, police spokesperson Daniel Lacoursière said Saturday.
 
“It was to avoid the continuation of the infraction (wearing a mask) and it’s going to be brought to court as proof” of the infraction, Lacoursière said.
 
The panda mascot gained popularity — and notoriety — during the student protests against tuition hikes in 2012.
 
 

http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Montreal+cops+behead+Anarchopanda/8206897/story.html#ixzz2RLFDHcWF

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Alex

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Posted on: 04/23/2013 22:34

A memorial video

 

 

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Posted on: 04/23/2013 22:06

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kaythecurler

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Posted on: 04/24/2013 10:43

P-6 prohibits the wearing of masks, which is why Anarchopanda’s head was seized, police spokesperson Daniel Lacoursière said Saturday.
 
“It was to avoid the continuation of the infraction (wearing a mask) and it’s going to be brought to court as proof” of the infraction, Lacoursière said.
 
Does that mean that the Root Bear is now an illegal entity?  Local children really enjoy visits from him at parades etc.
 
The local High School also have a prominent mascot who wears a masked outfit.  Maybe we should keep all the children away from games of basketball, volleyball etc. lest they get pepper sprayed during the arrest?
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Posted on: 04/24/2013 14:04

The police have given back the Panda's head.  From the gazette

 

 

Anarchopanda gets head back

 

 

The mascot confirmed on his Facebook page that the head had been returned Wednesday morning, posting a picture of himself giving a thumbs-up with a beer in hand and the head in place.
 
He stressed that the attention raised by the temporary confiscation of a key piece of Anarchopanda's getup actually shed more light on the fight against the municipal bylaw, which sets out the rules of a legal demonstration.
 
He also mockingly thanked the Montreal police for helping him raise awareness of the cause.
 
 
 
This photo was posted to Anarchopanda's facebook page yesterday after the mascot's head was returned by police
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Posted on: 04/24/2013 14:18

kaythecurler wrote:

P-6 prohibits the wearing of masks, which is why Anarchopanda’s head was seized, police spokesperson Daniel Lacoursière said Saturday.
 
“It was to avoid the continuation of the infraction (wearing a mask) and it’s going to be brought to court as proof” of the infraction, Lacoursière said.
 
Does that mean that the Root Bear is now an illegal entity?  Local children really enjoy visits from him at parades etc.
 
The local High School also have a prominent mascot who wears a masked outfit.  Maybe we should keep all the children away from games of basketball, volleyball etc. lest they get pepper sprayed during the arrest?

 

First the Police have to declare a gathering of 6? or more people as an illegal protest.

 

One of the many grounds for declaring a protest to be illegal, is that no permit has been granted by city Hall. This law is a municiple bylaw and thus  only applicable in Montreal,

 

One problem, is that it means one must have permission in Montreal from city hall to protest anything. It is also scary because the law was passed by the a party that is an arm of the mafia, according to the reports of the provincial commission into corruption

The other problem is that most people will not know if a protest is illegal until they are arrested. 

 

As for sports events, if the winning or losing team mascot goes into a celebration after the game, than it would be illegal, if he keeps his or her outfit on.

 

Most mascots in parades are covered, as they usually have permits for parades. Howevr some bystanders start shouting political statements, if could become an illegal demoinstration, and than the mascots could be charged.  Essentially it is up to the cop on the beat to decide who can and who can not wear a mascot uniform, or other costume that covers the head.  So do noit plan to demonstrat or gather in large groups of 6 or more  on Halloween.

 

 

 

 

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