[URBAN NOTE] "Mark Fenton, G20 officer who ordered mass arrests, should be fired, complainants say"

[rfmcdonald]

Fire him. From the CBC:

A senior police officer deserves to be fired for the wanton trampling of civil liberties during the tumultuous G20 summit in Toronto six years ago, his sentencing hearing heard Wednesday.

Supt. David (Mark) Fenton has shown no real remorse and attempted to blame everyone other than himself for the indiscriminate mass arrests that stained the weekend gathering, lawyers for the complainants argued.

"Fenton was militant and uncompromising. He effected martial law," lawyer Adrienne Lei said. "His conduct at the time was alarmist. He continues to be alarmist."

Lei, who speaks for scores of people detained for hours by police in full riot gear in pouring rain and plunging temperatures at a downtown intersection, said what the experienced officer has done is "dodge and duck" responsibility for his actions.

Another complainant lawyer, Adrienne Telford, said the incident commander was responsible for the wrongful detention of almost 600 civilians who have been deeply affected by his actions.