Just saw this story at CBC.ca. It’s a little scary, I must say. Three Quebec police officers disguised themselves as demonstrators at the recent protest in Montebello, Quebec, where the North American leaders summit is being held. Police say that they were not trying to instigate violence, merely to identify potentially violent demonstrators. They seem to have been found out.
Here’s a YouTube video showing what happened when the demonstrators discovered police in their midst. Note how the police seem to be the most violent people there. It’s kind of an ugly scene though, but it may have been much worse.
Can I just say how important it is for people to carry cameras at protests? I came to this story pretty late. That video has over 500 comments on it and over 142,000 views when I finally watched it. This video probably helped the Quebec police admit that they did this, as it’s not just the protesters’ word against the police’s. I’m amazed at how this came through.
Announcing the cheerful topic of the day: cluster bombs. I hope somebody reads this, because I like to think it’s pretty important. Even if you don’t read what I say, you should at least click on some of the links at the bottom of this post. My aim right now is to provide a summary of the issue in a way that does not sound like any of the academic papers I have turned in over the last four years. Here goes:
Cluster bombs
What is a cluster bomb?
Cluster bombs are a type of munition usually dropped from a plane onto a target. They consist of one large shell that breaks open in the air, releasing thousands of tiny “bomblets” that blanket an area with small explosives.
There are however flaws in their design. The “bomblets”, once released, are effective, but can be inaccurate, with some bomblets blowing off course and away from the intended target. Also, while the bomblets are supposed to explode immediately, they very often do not, leaving the target area littered with tiny landmines.
Who uses cluster bombs?
Continue reading ‘Cluster munitions’
