05) COMMUNIST PARTY SLAMS DISMANTLING OF OCCUPY WINNIPEG

     The Communist Party has criticized the Manitoba NDP government for forcibly dismantling the Occupy Winnipeg campsite in Memorial Park and for illegally detaining the protesters in the camp.

     "The Occupy movement in Winnipeg and around the world is exposing capitalism's enormous crime and greed, which continue today with impunity, protected by corporate‑friendly governments," said a Dec. 21 statement by the Party's Manitoba Committee. "Because of its efforts, the Occupy movement is facing an often violent crackdown by governments which are acting in the interest of the top 1 per cent of income earners, who are benefiting enormously from present‑day capitalism.

     "The Manitoba government's surprise action this morning is inexcusable and illegal. The excuse provided today by the Manitoba government for forcibly detaining the Occupy protesters and removing their belongings from the protest camp site is totally lame and is a cover for what amounts to a heavy blow to the democratic rights of all Manitobans.

     "Thousands of people have visited or stayed at the campsite since it was set up in October and no one has been hurt by any `hazards' identified by the Manitoba government. The right to protest and to freedom of expression must be respected by the Manitoba NDP government and the belongings returned immediately to the protesters. The government should apologize to the protesters for violating their constitutional rights.

     "Compared to the Mulroney Progressive Conservative government which allowed protesters to establish a Peace Camp which lasted two winters on Parliament Hill itself, Manitoba today has a less democratic government. The Manitoba NDP government treated the 2000 Peace Camp set up in Memorial Park in solidarity with the Esk nuopitijk (Burnt Church) First Nation in a completely differently manner.

     "The Communist Party supports the right of the Occupy movement to continue camping in Memorial Park and to continue its activities which have already found wide support among the trade union and other popular movements in the province."

(The above article is from the January 1-31, 2012, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $30/year, or $15 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $45 US per year; other overseas readers - $45 US or $50 CDN per year. Send to People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, BC, V5L 3J1.)