A University of Toronto political science student was arrested Wednesday evening after an on-campus event hosted organized by Health For All.
Jaroslava Avila, 23, was arrested on three counts of conspiracy to commit an indictable offence. Her lawyer, Davin Charney, said she is accused of being one of the G20 protest organizers and that the Crown is “trying to connect her with people smashing windows” during the June 27 weekend.
Cutting Deeper: The Age of Austerity and Implications for Health was hosted in the Fitzgerald Building at 150 College Street. The event was advertised on the Community Solidarity Network website.
Avila is described by Community Solidarity Network (formerly Toronto Community Mobilization Network) as a “prominent indigenous rights activists [sic]”.
Initial reports stated she was arrested outside Queen’s Park subway station, but Charney said the arrest took place outside of the building around 10 p.m. by about 10 plain-clothes police officers.
“From what I understand, they waited for her to leave the event, instead of doing the arrest in a public place,” said Charney. He added that Avila’s mother was present at the arrest.
Avila appeared in court Thursday morning at the College Park Courthouse. Charney said she will appear in court tomorrow and that her proceedings are under a publication ban. He claimed Avila has no criminal record.
Jessica Denyer, a member of CSN, described the arrest as a part of “continuing harassment” by the police against community organizers.
“I think people should continue to be outraged at the way police are handling the G20,” said Charney, who alleged that police continue to arrest protestors and organizers to justify their handling of the summit.
Last Friday, community organizer Alex Hundert was arrested for allegedly breaching bail conditions after participating in a panel on the G20 at Ryerson University.
