Protesters arrested for throwing teddy bears onto Commons floor--OTTAWA

Protesters arrested for throwing teddy bears onto
Commons floor

Updated 2:09 AM ET May 3, 2001

OTTAWA (CP) - The fur really was flying Wednesday in the
House of Commons. Two anti-free trade protesters were
arrested after they unfurled a banner in the public galleries and
threw teddy bears into the government benches.

The two young women were whisked away by security guards
after unfurling a banner reading "Decriminalize Democracy" and
tossing at least two bears.

They were part of a group protesting in several cities across the
country against the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas
agreement, as well as the continued detention of a protester from
the Summit of the Americas in Quebec City last month.

"We've had paper thrown before but this is the first time we've
had a stuffed animal attack; it is a grave concern," joked Liberal
MP Dan McTeague, who held two of the bears as he spoke to
reporters.

"We only saw two, one went ahead and one beside my desk. I
saw there was more coming from the other side. One hit (Liberal
MP) Gurbax Malhi . . . and the rest were just sitting on the floor
afterwards."

McTeague noted the bears wouldn't have triggered the
Commons metal-detecting security system.

Government House leader Don Boudria wasn't joking. He said
the bears came from the opposition's spectator gallery and he
intended to get to the bottom of the incident.

"This is Parliament, not a recreation centre, not a demonstration
hall, or not a barricade, and any use of the building for anything
other than parliamentary purposes is wrong," said Boudria.

"Somebody in the opposition, or somebody's office in the
opposition issued a gallery pass. I want to know who it is, were
they aware, was a member aware, whether it was a member of
staff, and so on."

A surprised staffer in Alliance MP Rahim Jaffer's office said it
was she who issued the passes when the two showed up earlier
this week.

"They said they were constituents," said the woman, who asked
not to be named. "We only issue passes to constituents. We
didn't do anything wrong.

"We didn't know they were going to do that. My goodness."

The two 19-year-old women, Rebecca Lake and Marika
Schwandt, were turned over to RCMP and charged with causing
a disturbance, group spokesman Jonathan Oppenheim said from
Edmonton.

Jaggi Singh is still being held in a Quebec jail, charged with
possession of a dangerous weapon in connection with a huge
wooden catapult. The catapult was used to hurl teddy bears into
the Summit grounds.

Wednesday's stunt in the Commons was part of a national
protest. Activists in several cities planned to show up at police
stations to confess to throwing teddy bears at the summit.

Oppenheim said police in several cities took protesters' signed
confessions and several caged teddy bears, but no one was
arrested.

Said McTeague: "All kidding aside . . . this kind of tactic should
never be used in the House of Commons. If you have a statement
to make, make it by the ballot or make it verbally, write us a
letter or do what you have to do, but throwing stuff at us doesn't
accomplish anything."