Peaceful protest?

I was going to let this event slide by without comment, but after watching the countless videos posted on Facebook, I had to write something.

The June 27 G20 protest in Toronto was supposed to be peaceful, but there are videos and photographs everywhere of police officers rushing the crowd as soon as they finished singing our national anthem. The intersection at Queen and Spadina is usually filled with tourists and local residents, but a few days ago, it was filled with police officers carrying shields and wearing Kevlar.

I honestly don't know how I feel about this incident. I was in Toronto a few years ago, and I remember that intersection well. It's strange, and almost surreal to watch a mixture of people and police officers running and yelling down it. I can't imagine how scared the protesters must have felt, because they had intended initially to be peaceful.

There are so many accounts of what happened circulating out there, so I won't even begin to pass judgement or choose a side. I also won't place blame on the government, the mayor of Toronto, or anyone else. It was a tragic situation, and nobody won.

I'm also not going to post the video on my blog, because I don't want it on here forever. If you haven't watched one of the videos, I suggest checking out this one.

There are a number of iconic photographs that represent the event very well, and one of the places you can view those is at Macleans online.

I wonder if this is one of those events that will be remembered for a long time, or if it will fade as we worry about more "pressing issues" like the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico or the World Cup. I personally hope it isn't forgotten, because I don't ever want to see police officers rush a group of Canadians again.