The Canadian Press

Lawyer to discuss documents suggesting OPP almost moved in on 2007 native protest

Sat Jul 19, 10:29 AM

By The Canadian Press

TORONTO - The lawyer for aboriginal protester Shawn Brant will hold a news conference today to discuss documents released Friday that suggest Ontario Provincial Police were minutes away from moving in on First Nations blockades on Highway 401 during last year's aboriginal day of action.

The documents from Brant's preliminary inquiry include wiretaps of conversations between OPP Commissioner Julian Fantino and Brant.

The transcripts indicate Fantino told Brant he would do "everything I can within your community and everywhere else to destroy your reputation."

Fantino also told Brant "your world's going to come crashing down" during the negotiations to end the tense standoff with police on June 29, 2007.

Brant's lawyer Peter Rosenthal successfully lifted the publication ban on the transcripts Friday, only to have a judge reinstate it later in the afternoon. The same judge then reversed the decision a few hours later, allowing for the publication of the evidence.

The heated exchanges between the two men seem to contradict the force's own guidelines for dealing with aboriginal groups.

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