Vandalism was planned, police say
‘Black bloc,’ other tactics used in Hamilton similar to G20 riots strategies
An organized masked mob who wreaked havoc on a Hamilton neighbourhood over the weekend employed strategies similar to those used during the 2010 G20 riots in Toronto.
The group of 30 people, brandishing a banner that read “We Are the Ungovernable,” donned black clothing and face coverings to conceal their identities — a tactic called “black bloc,” said police Insp. Paul Hamilton on Monday.
After smashing a handful of storefront windows with rocks, lighting fireworks and setting off smoke bombs, they fled — some on foot and others by vehicle — from Locke St. S. Saturday night, ditching their cloth- ing after the unprecedented attack.
Police fanned out in the area, but the group’s tactics made them tough to track, Hamilton said.
“They’ll strip off their black clothing and now they’re wearing something orange, and then they go down another street and they strip that clothing off, and it becomes very difficult,” he said. “Our immediate concern was for the public safety.”
Police believe they have recovered pieces of clothing, some tucked at the top of neighbourhood driveways, as well as information about some of the getaway cars used, but no ar- rests have been made.
Who is responsible for the attack and what their motives are is not clear, but police have said they are investigating a possible link to an anarchist book fair that took place in the city over the weekend.
Given that police had no indication this attack was coming, Hamilton believes it was planned and had “some organization to it.”
A sign saying “We Are the Ungovernable” was also displayed at a local rally against police brutality four years ago.
Hamilton called on witnesses, and even vandals themselves, to speak to police.