Friday, August 24, 2007

Undercover Cop Says Protesters Gave Him That Rock

A statement so ridiculous that it alone will allow this scandal to drag on for a few more days:

"One of the extremists gave the rock to one of our police officers and he had a choice to make," [Insp. Marcel] Savard said.

"He was asked by extremists to throw the rock at the police, but never had any intention of using it."


And as a partisan Liberal I can only praise Allah that Public Security Minister Stockwell Day was kind enough to repeat this nonsense, thus dragging that Federal Conservatives right into the heart of the cover-up:

"The thing that was interesting in this particular incident, three people in question were spotted by protesters because were not engaging in violence," Day said.

"They were being encouraged to throw rocks and they were not throwing rocks, it was the protesters who were throwing the rocks. That's the irony of this," Day said.

Thank you, Stockwell, thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you. Because the youtube vid can be seen here and it is clear the three cops arrived with their rock.

And their booze too; no attempt by Stock to explain the open beer in the cop's back pocket either.

Saturday morning update: Oh I like this from The Gazette:

"When they were with the extremists, (the undercover officers) were given a rock and were formally asked to throw it," Savard said.

"I sir, formally ask you to throw this stone! Nay, sir, I DEMAND it!" Do protesters actually talk like that?

17 comments:

Dr.Dawg said...

Man, this is better than good bud, isn't it? Not that I would know, of course. :)

Steve V said...

It's almost like they are purposely trying to give this story legs. The inability to just tell the truth, Day's firm comments, are another example of the self-inflicted wound syndrome, that is becoming common with the government.

Anonymous said...

That's what happens when Harper takes the duck tape off a Minister's mouth.

Ti-Guy said...

Do you think Stockwell Day cares that he repeats and asserts things he cannot know? My God...that's all he ever does. All the Reform-a-tories do it and they've been doing it for almost two decades. They. Don't. Care.

Brandon E. Beasley said...

Just to play devil's advocate - how do we know that a protester didn't give the rock to the cop BEFORE he entered the scene of the video?

Anonymous said...

"extremists"

bigcitylib said...

And why didn't the cop then just drop his rock? Was it his pet rock?

Dr.Dawg said...

Here's my take on that rock-gift: does it seem normal that violent anarchists have to give each other rocks to throw? I mean, can't they pick up their own damned rocks? If this was some kind of "test," then why didn't the cop drop his rock and go through the line of cops wherever this alleged rock-throwing was taking place (which sure as hell wasn't the Green Zone)? Why carry the bloody thing down to the peaceful old types, and then refuse to drop it when asked? And what was a beer bottle doing in the back pocket of his accomplice?

I actually gave this some serious thought last night, wondering if there could have been a violent confrontation down the road a bit, from which these three guys were fleeing, their cover blown. But then none of their subsequent behaviour makes any sense at all.

If, as Inspector Savard claims, they were hoping they still had their cover, they didn't need the rock as a prop (or the beer bottle). They could have come in, without the rock (and the beer bottle), said, "OK, we aren't here to give you any trouble, we'll be peaceful"), sat down, and that would have been that. Instead, they shoved Dave Coles around, retained possession of the rock (and the beer bottle), and basically behaved like violent idiots.

Sorry. Just doesn't add up, at least to me. Occam's Razor tells me that they were what they appeared to be--agents provocateurs.

Anonymous said...

I don't have the ability to get clear blowups of the bottle.

Is it glass, plastic? Was he just thirsty and kept it in his back pocket.

Was it 'his' potential rock? I think these are reasonable questions.

The rock question can be verified. Police had full survelience, protesters with cameras can step forward. This statement has potential to be backed up or debunked legitimately.



BD

RossK said...

Look!

Look this way.

No, over here!

Over here where Mr Day is waving his arms and spouting gibberish at anybody that will listen.

But what ever you do, don't look over here.

.

Dr.Dawg said...

Here's a blow-up of the bottle. Sure looks like a beer bottle to me.

http://bp0.blogger.com/_o8vd6YjZSiM/Rs-iDyNYVeI/AAAAAAAAALw/2aIjVwzLKxs/s400/beer+bottle.jpg

Dr.Dawg said...

Sorry--incomplete. Try:

http://tinyurl.com/2zt4o9

Joe Blakesley said...

It is possible they were earlier given the rock (or rocks, according to witnesses) by other protestors who were trying to incite the officers to throw it, but if so as the police claim they have video footage, let's see it. Until they do so, as Dr. Dawg says, Occam's Razor combined with the footage we do have suggests the protestors account is more accurate.

I'm also more inclined to believe the protestors as the police initially denied they were officers when they saw the video and they are still making statements that are almost certainly falsified by the video like “The officers on the front line did not know (at first) that they were undercover officers.” (Inspector Savard).

Then there are the statements of the Inspector (who really should shut up for his own good) that contradict themselves like "The SQ did not arrest the three officers, but handcuffed them and removed them to question them." Right so the whole handcuffing and removal thing doesn't cause them to be arrested, how? Maybe it wasn't a lawful arrest or an arrest the police recorded, but it was physically an arrest.

Burton, Formerly Kingston said...

Hmmmm,, that looks like a Corona bottle to me, must be a liberal or ndp cop. LMAO

Anonymous said...

I'm not clear on the bottle even with blow ups because of the lighting. It has a white label.


After chasing boot soles, I'm sure a talented blogger can get this one out.:^)

If the police or media pick up on the bottle, is this is what we'll hear by way of explanation?
The Ottawa Citizen:

“Dozens more tear gas canisters exploded as the crowd began retreating east toward the village. In response, protesters in gas masks, goggles, and balaclavas hurled rocks, tomatoes, and stone-filled bottles at the police, who blocked Highway 148 and an adjacent cemetery."

Ahem.

The extemists not only gave our infiltrated officer the rock,these extremists gave him that bottle and demanded he fill it with stones.
What next, 'extremists' demanded they accept tomatoes too?

With so many cameras around, it is not beyond the realm of impossible to find out where and how the officer and his rock met.


BD

Alison said...

And why didn't the cop then just drop his rock?

You could argue that if it became a liability as a prop with the earlier group they met, he wouldn't drop it because then someone else might use it, but why didn't he just put it in his pocket then?

Dr.Dawg said...

Surely there were rocks enough for all.