(CJFE/IFEX) – In a 27 July 2000 letter to Toronto Chief of Police Julian Fantino, CJFE expressed its deep concern over the Toronto police’s seizure of news film and videotape shot at a 15 June anti-poverty protest at Queen’s Park (the Ontario legislature) by several Canadian media organisations. CJFE views the seizure of media film […]
(CJFE/IFEX) – In a 27 July 2000 letter to Toronto Chief of Police Julian Fantino, CJFE expressed its deep concern over the Toronto police’s seizure of news film and videotape shot at a 15 June anti-poverty protest at Queen’s Park (the Ontario legislature) by several Canadian media organisations. CJFE views the seizure of media film and videotapes for the purposes of a police investigation to be a gross infringement on media freedom and independence.
CJFE is alarmed by the use of search warrants by police to seize images from the protest and media equipment from fourteen Canadian media organisations. According to CJFE’s information, these include “The Toronto Star”, “The Globe and Mail”, “The National Post” and “The Toronto Sun” newspapers, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), CTV, Global, City-TV, Ontv and CFMT television stations, “Sing Tao”, “World Journal Daily News”, “Corriere Canadese”, an Italian language paper, and “Ming Pao”, a Chinese daily. CJFE has learned that eight of these media are currently challenging the search warrants as unlawful in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice.
In a document sworn to support the application for the search warrants, Toronto police stated that they required media photographs and videotape to help identify participants at the 15 June protest, as media were able to get closer to the demonstrators than police. Police also stated that their own footage, obtained by seven police video cameras, a still photographer and plainclothes officers with disposable cameras, was not sufficiently clear for their purposes. CJFE believes police require media images in order to aid in charging demonstrators, and considers this to be a disturbingly inappropriate treatment of the media. The organisation reminded Police Chief Fantino that the role of the media in a democratic society is not to act as agents of the police, nor to aid in police investigations. “It is imperative that the media’s independence be respected, both for the sake of credibility and to ensure journalists’ safety”, said CJFE.
Following so closely on the pepper-spraying of eight photographers by police at the protest of the Organisation of American States (OAS) in Windsor on 4 June (see IFEX alert of 6 June 2000), this incident betrays a pattern of growing disregard for media freedom in Canada. This is not the first time that Canadian media organisations have been served with search warrants in connection with a police investigation. Such disregard for the professionalism of journalists by police amounts to an international disgrace for Canadians.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to Toronto’s chief of police:
– expressing your support of the court challenge to the search warrants launched by
eight of the affected media outlets
– urging that all news film seized in connection with the 15 June protest be immediately sealed and returned, along with all media equipment obtained by police
– noting that police should not be allowed to use any of the seized materials to investigate the protest
– further insisting that action be taken to ensure that journalists and media are not targeted to provide evidence in future police investigations
Appeals To
APPEALS TO:Toronto Chief of Police Julian Fantino
40 College St.
Toronto, Ontario
Canada M5G 2J3
Fax: +1 416 808 8002
E-mail: officeofthechief@torontopolice.on.caPlease copy appeals to the source if possible.
