Judge Aims To "Discourage" Jaggi Singh's Activism
PDFA Montreal Municipal Court judge released protester Jaggi Singh on $1,000 bail yesterday, saying the hefty bond could discourage his activism.
Singh had been in detention since Thursday, when he was arrested at an evening march to mark International Women’s Day.
Police contend Singh violated a bail condition not to attend any illegal or unpeaceful demonstrations. He’s also required to leave any protest that turns violent.
Several witnesses testified yesterday Thursday’s march was peaceful.
Singh, 35, was freed on $2,000 bail in November after he was arrested at Montreal General Hospital, where Prime Minister Stephen Harper was holding a news conference. Singh was charged with violating bail conditions, obstruction and assault.
The above from the March 14th 2007 Montreal Gazette.
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Your headline is misleading the judge actually ssid high bail was a deliberate attempt to discourage Jaggi and so gave him a reasonable bail to encourage his right to protest.
ReplyDeleteHuh - i understood the meaning of the article differently. While i wasn't in the courtroom and so may not have the most accurate of takes on it, i understood the Gazette reporter to be saying that the judge imposed an additional $1,000 bail in order to discourage Jaggi...
ReplyDeleteJaggi should not have had to pay any bail at all. We are supposedly a 'democratic' country, and free speech and civil disobedience should be an integral part of that 'democracy'. Of course we know this isn't so and that Canada is far from being a true democracy.
ReplyDeleteMy friend Jaggi is a good person. He did nothing wrong but voice his objections to an uncaring, elitist system that discriminates against women, minorities, aboriginals, orientations and those who are disabled and/or poor.
Another friend of mine was jailed in Burlington last year while demonstrating at WesCam. He is a high-school teacher, and another good person.
Yet Canadians still hold to the erroneous belief that we are a caring, just, democratic nation. How wrong they are! And I fear things will get much worse if they don't wake up to reality. Please read my post I put up last night: "Why we must defend Canada". I received it from a friend so did not write it myself, but it tells some salient truths.
k, should you perchance see Jaggi, please convey to him my best regards and solidarity, and also from our BCPJ and MCPJ. (At least now I know why he hasn't replied to my last email.)