G20 Aftermath: the Toronto Star makes the police look silly (yet again)

G20 Aftermath: the Toronto Star makes the police look silly (yet again)

Police at the G20 (Image: Chris Huggins)

The Star has been like a dog with a bone when it comes to the fallout from last summer’s G20 summit, diligently following the slew of cops that walked away scot-free despite allegations of illegal assaults on protesters and passersby. Today the front page of the city’s paper of record trumpeted the latest in the long line of absurdities: when questioned by the Special Investigation Unit, not one of the 11 officers asked could identify the colleague accused of beating Dorian Barton, including the officer’s own roommate.

Quoth the Star:

The SIU asked 11 officers to identify the cop in the photograph. Eight of them were within the direct vicinity of the aggressive takedown near Queen’s Park, in which Barton, 30, suffered a broken right arm, black eye, swollen limbs and bruised back.

One of the witness officers was a G20 roommate of the officer in the photo, [SIU head Ian] Scott said.

“I don’t know if they’re telling the truth or not,” he said. “I really don’t know.”

The great thing about situations like this is that all the Star needs to do is keep pointing out how ridiculous it all looks. Today’s report makes Mike McCormack, the head of the Toronto Police Association, look especially foolish, given that just days ago he was on the CBC insisting it’s “absolutely absurd” to suggest officers conspired to protect colleagues accused of assault. If the Star and the SIU chief are right, we’re back to what is now, sadly, the default assumption for the Toronto police: that they refuse to tell investigators what they know about fellow officers accused of committing crimes.

Witness to G20 beating was suspect officer’s roommate, SIU says [Toronto Star]