New G20 Meme :: Officer Bubbles

image :: vidcap of "Officer Bubbles" from trnn.com

This weekend, protests of police tactics during the G20 in Toronto last month made the mainstream news, along with the story of how the "Officer Bubbles" video was going viral. Ah, if only the story were about Bubbles from the Trailer Park Boys::

The short video shows how an annoyed officer threatened a protester blowing bubbles with an assault charge if one of the offending bubbles touched him::

The offending bubble-blower is later seen being being taken into custody. This video provides some more context for the Officer Bubbles altercation and the concerns about civil liberties.

I've written on the G20 civil liberties issue already and I think there's a troubling precedent being set here. These types of intimidation tactics and protocols create disincentives for freedom of speech and voicing dissent. How I see it, the "Toronto G20 protocol" in some circles could be viewed as quite effective in quashing dissent, both peaceful and violent alike. Unless the police tactics turns into a political PR nightmare for the City of Toronto, the Province of Ontario, and the federal government, I'd expect more of the same.

Song:: MC5-'Kick out the Jams'


Twitterversion:: New #G20 meme of "Officer Bubbles" goes mainstream & viral, keeping #Toronto Police conduct in the limelight. @Prof_K