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Jaggi Singh (born 1971 in Toronto) is one of Canada's most outspoken activists in the anti-globalization movement.
Singh came into the public spotlight during the protests outside the 1997 APEC conference held in Vancouver. Already known to police and security officials around Vancouver, Singh was arrested the day before the conference that he was planning to protest and charged with assaulting a police officer for allegedly shouting loudly through a megaphone at a previous protest. He spent the duration of the conference in jail, and was then released with all charges dropped. An investigation into the behavior of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police by the Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP found that "Mr. Jaggi Singh was arrested on a warrant based on a spurious charge; the manner of his arrest was inappropriate in the circumstances; the timing of the arrest was calculated to prevent him from attending protests on November 25; the bail conditions sought were overly restrictive." [1]
Singh cotninued to attend Canadian rallies and protests and was arrested three more times over the next four years. In 2000, he was arrested while participating in a non-violent demonstration outside Montreal; later that fall at a G-20 protest in Montreal he was again arrested, only to later be acquitted of all charges. [2]
Then, in 2001, he was arrested once again at the Quebec City Summit of the Americas, this time for breaking bail conditions (not to attend political protests or rallies) and weapons charges for a mock catapult (which was actually constructed and operated by an unrelated group from Edmonton, Alberta) that launched teddy bears. Witnesses reported that "he was grabbed from behind by police masquerading as protesters" and "dragged away in a beige van" [3]. He was held for a total of 17 days, before being released on $3,000 bail. The conditions of his release prohibited him from leading or organizing any demonstrations or using a megaphone.[4] The charges were eventually dropped before the case even went to trial.
On September 9th, 2002, he was present at a protest against a speech by former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu which was to be presented by the pro-Israel Hillel club at Concordia University, with support from the Asper Foundation,[5] to a pre-screened audience.[6] The talk was cancelled when confrontations between protestors, police and security agents became violent, and as a result the event received widespread coverage in the media, including an article in The Globe and Mail by Jaggi Singh himself. He was arrested on January 20th, 2003 in connection with the Netanyahu protest. All charges against Singh, which included illegal assembly, obstruction, mischief, assault, conspiracy and breaking prior conditions,[7] were ultimately dismissed in 2005 when it was ruled that the Concordia University Administration had exhibited gross negligence by failing to disclose more than 30 videos taken by surveillance cameras the day of the protest. Singh alleged that these videos showed inconsistencies with the evidence given by security guards and supported Singh's version of events.[8]
In January 2003, Singh was deported by Israeli authorities after having gone to the West Bank on an invitation from the International Solidarity Movement. He had initially been denied entrance to the country upon his arrival that December, but fought the decision in court. Though he won the right to stay for three weeks, he was barred from visiting the West Bank. [9]. Singh refused to abide by the order and made public his reasons for doing so, writing, "It's not for an occupying power to decide who can or can't enter Palestine." [10] On January 8, 2003, Singh was nabbed by undercover police officers in Jerusalem. He was held at the Russian Compound and then the Maasiyahu Prison, before being deported back to Canada. [11]
In 2004, the New York Daily News drew reference to Singh in an article about protesters against the Republican National Convention. The article incorrectly spoke of Singh being Muslim (he was born to a Sikh father and Catholic mother), prone to violence (he is a self-avowed pacifist), that he was proficient in firearms and received training from Kazi Toure, and that the teddybear-catapault had instead been launching molotov cocktails. The article also carried an unrelated photograph of an unknown person throwing a rock through a window, which was falsely labelled as Singh.
On April 19, 2006, Singh was arrested by five Montreal police officers while attending the Political Prisoners Tour[12] at El Salon in Montreal. [13]
Singh also took part in a protest of Immigration Minister Monte Solberg's speech at the annual meeting of Citizens for Public Justice in 2006, demanding a moratorium on all public deportations, driving Solberg from the hall. He had been invited so that representatives from two church groups housing refugee claimants in sanctuary to prevent deportation would have the opportunity to seek his agreement to allow them to stay in Canada. They were prevented from making this plea to the Minister.
A self-described anarchist, Singh lives in Montreal where he works with Solidarity Across Borders (a local migrant-rights organization), and the No One Is Illegal collective. In the past, he has also been a member of the Montreal Anarchist Bookfair organizing collective.
Singh graduated from St. Michael's College School and the University of Toronto.