Honest, paywall-free news is rare. Please support our boldly independent journalism with a donation of any size.
Editors Note: On Saturday, June 26 at the G20 summit in Toronto, Canada, video journalist Jesse Freeston of The Real News Network was assaulted by police while filming peaceful protests outside the meeting. Freeston donned press credentials and was documenting police aggression on protesters when he was then grabbed by police and punched in the face. His experience was well documented and appears in the video, below. In a press conference, Toronto Police Chief William Blair said that the aggressive police action was a response to a group of anarchists using destructive tactics. The anarchists were separate from the largely peaceful protest and smashed the windows of banks and burned police cars. However, Freeston states that the anarchist actions were nowhere in the vicinity of the protesters who were assaulted when he was documenting the situation. More than 400 people were arrested. Freeston ends his report on the situation below by saying that the police attack on the media is an attack on democracy. – s.g.
An urgent fundraising appeal: 10 Days to raise $50,000
Thank you for reading Truthout today. We have a brief message before you go —
Unfortunately, donations are down for Truthout at a time when media is under immense pressure. Trump is arresting journalists, Big Tech is censoring independent news, and economic conditions for media have been worsening for years.
Simultaneously, movement media is vital in the fight against Trump’s authoritarian reign. Our mandate to tell the truth, share strategies for resistance, and speak against fascism is ever more urgent in this deluge of political censorship. Yet, we are struggling to meet our publishing costs when our work is so urgently needed.
If you can support Truthout with a one-time or monthly donation, you will make a significant impact on our work. Please give today during our fundraiser (10 days left).