Assault charges dropped against No One Is Illegal member

November 29, 2011 - No One Is Illegal-Montreal

- Conservative McGill members refuse to testify under oath after making false criminal complaint

- Assault charges from Jason Kenney protest withdrawn against No One Is Illegal member

Montreal, November 29, 2011 -- Yesterday morning, at Montreal’s Municipal Court, criminal charges of assault and intimidation were withdrawn against Montreal anarchist & community organizer Jaggi Singh. A key Conservative party witness against Singh refused to attend court and testify under oath.

Montreal police laid the criminal charges several months after a disruption of a speech by Immigration Minister Jason Kenney at McGill University in October 2009. Protesters and students supporting migrant justice groups No One Is Illegal and Solidarity Across Borders surrounded Jason Kenney during the protest. When confronted about pandering to racist attitudes by targeting migrants from Mexico for removal, Kenney blurted out sarcastically “I plead guilty, I’m a racist.”

Other young Conservative McGill members laughed when protesters tried to explain the case of a Mexican refugee claimant who was murdered after removal from Canada.

- A description of the Kenney encounter is linked HERE
- The case of murdered Mexican refugee Grise is described HERE

The charges against Singh were made on the basis of signed complaints and statements by members of Conservative McGill, including Jess Weiser, the primary complainant. Weiser is active with the Ville Marie-Westmount Conservative party riding association.

Several Conservative party aides were due to testify at the scheduled trial yesterday, in front of Judge Bessette. Jason Kenney himself was not to testify, because he conveniently claims not to remember what happened during the disruption.

Importantly, Jess Weiser, who made the original false complaint of assault, refused to show up to court and testify under oath. For that reason, Jaggi Singh was acquitted of the untrue accusations made against him.

Some Conservative McGill members behind the Kenney event and the false charges have been active in attacking progressive campus causes at McGill, including the Quebec Public Interest Research Group (QPIRG). QPIRG McGill’s status on campus was overwhelmingly re-affirmed during a recent student referendum, where 66% of students voted to support QPIRG, despite previous smears by Conservative McGill.

The Conservative McGill police complaint stems from their anger at having the Jason Kenney speech effectively disrupted. According to documents disclosed before trial, Kenney’s talk could not be heard by participants, and Conservative McGill members were “shaken up and distraught by the whole episode.” They were particularly upset that a Conservative McGill banner was allegedly stolen by protesters.

This isn’t the first time that Singh has had to deal with Conservative party officials at Montreal’s Municipal Court. In December 2007, he was prosecuted for disrupting a speech by Prime Minister Stephen Harper by Crown lawyer Dennis Galiatsatos. Galiatsatos, who still works as a Crown lawyer, was a Conservative Party candidate during the 2008 federal election.

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For comments/information:

Jaggi Singh: nooneisillegal@gmail.com
Jared Will, counsel for Jaggi Singh: 514-439-0799, jared@jwavocat.ca
Anna Malla/Andrea Figueroa, co-coordinators at QPIRG McGill: 514-398-7432, qpirg@ssmu.mcgill.ca