Fundraising for legal defence in Hamilton in the wake of conspiracy charges.
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In the early morning hours of Friday, April 6th, police raided a home associated with some of those involved with organizing The Hamilton Anarchist Bookfair and The Tower. The door was kicked in, a flash grenade was thrown into the house, and a full SWAT team entered with assault rifles drawn. Three people were detained, and one person was arrested.
Cedar, our cherished friend, a solid comrade, and well-known local anarchist organizer, was arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit an indictable offence (unlawful assembly while masked) in relation to the so-called “Locke St. Riot”. Conspiracy charges are notoriously ambiguous and have a long legacy of being used as a tool of political repression – as we have seen recently with the case of the J20 defendants, who were arrested for resisting Trump’s inauguration last January.
After several days of stall tactics from the Crown, Cedar appeared in court on Tuesday, April 10th for a bail hearing. Much to our dismay (and the shock of every lawyer we’ve spoken to), Cedar was denied bail. While we do not use this term lightly, the court proceedings can only be described as a political witch-hunt. In the end Cedar was, in part, denied bail because of their self-affirmed and proud anarchist politics. Until the bail hearing is appealed, Cedar will remain in jail.
This will likely be a long and costly legal battle, and we’re going to need help to fundraise in order to cover all of the associated costs. We love Cedar and can’t stand the idea of him remaining locked in a cage. Whatever amount you can spare, however big or small, would be greatly appreciated.
