Here is another report from the Toronto Star ... emotions running unchecked
Gregory Strong
Neil Davidson
Canadian Press
Anger on the soccer field turned into turmoil off it Thursday night as members of the Chilean under-20 team slugged it out with police and security after a bitter semifinal loss at the FIFA U-20 World Cup.
Here is a follow up on this incident
Editorial from the National Post August 2, 2007
Say sorry, SantiagoCanada has a good relationship with Chile, one of Latin America’s few shining economic and democratic stars. For 10 years, Canada and Chile have been freetrade partners. And they recently signed a new partnership agreement to expand co-operation on issues such as energy, the environment, climate change and agriculture. The purpose of the new partnership, according to the Canadian government, is to work with Chile to support “our shared values.” Those shared values, however, don’t include assaulting police officers.
On July 19, Chile lost to its archrival Argentina in FIFA’s Under-20 soccer tournament, which was being played in Toronto. Following the game, an altercation erupted between a young Chilean player and two soccer fans. Security intervened, and then so did the police — at which point members of the Chilean team attacked the men in uniform. Toronto Chief of Police Bill Blair described the scene: “My officers were punched, kicked, spat on and kicked in the groin.” A female police officer was also punched in the face and the soccer team did $35,000 damage to their bus as they ripped out armrests and footrests to throw at police officers.
Rather than immediately admonish the behaviour of their teenage soccer players,
Chilean officials accused Canada of police brutality. Chile’s President, Michelle Bachelet, said the actions of the police were “clearly not justified,” and Chile sent a diplomatic note to Ottawa complaining about “the excessive violence” of Toronto police officers. The Canadian embassy in Chile soon found itself the target of a bomb threat.
But now that an
investigation into the event is complete, one that interviewed both police and witnesses at the scene,
it is clear that Chile owes Toronto police and Canadians an apology. According to Chief Blair, “All witnesses reported that the conduct and actions of my officers were appropriate, necessary and commendable.” Not only did Toronto police act with restraint, they went out of their way to avoid causing a diplomatic stir by releasing without charges nine of the Chilean players taken into custody after the police were assaulted.
We share many values with Chileans. We just wish that their passionate young soccer players also shared our respect for the rule of law.
