Tiny bubbles cause international stir
'Officer Bubbles' video goes viral around the world
By DON PEAT, Toronto Sun
Last Updated: July 16, 2010 7:37am
The video, called “Booked for Bubbles?” and posted by therealnews.com, includes one officer stating in no uncertain terms he’ll arrest Courtney Winkels if she keeps blowing bubbles at him and a fellow officer.
In the video posted on YouTube, the officer told Winkels, if the bubble touches him, she’ll be arrested for assault.
“Do you understand me?” he asked.
“Bubbles?” Winkels asked.
“Yes, that’s right, it’s a deliberate act on your behalf, I’m going to arrest you,” the cop replies. “You either knock it off with those bubbles. If you touch me with that bubble you’re going into custody.”
In what the video describes as “moments later,” “Bubble Girl” is shown getting arrested.
The video, filmed by Nazrul Islam, was even featured on FoxNews this week followed by a lively debate around whether or not you can get arrested for blowing bubbles at police officers.
Toronto Police spokesman Meaghan Gray declined to comment on the video.
Gray said the force hasn’t been commenting on individual photos and videos from the G20.
She pointed out with any photo or video it is hard to establish the context an event takes place in.
In a statement to the Sun, Winkels stressed she wasn’t arrested for blowing bubbles.
“The fact is that the bubbles had nothing to do with my arrest,” she said. “The reason I was arrested is because I was wearing a backpack and had a lawyer’s phone number written on my arm. This number was given out by lawyers, and they advised us to have it written somewhere on our bodies.”
The 20-year-old was a volunteer street medic at the G20 and said she “wasn’t even protesting.”
“My medical supplies were taken and suggested they could be used as evidence for my charge,” she said.
Court records show she is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit mischief over $5,000.
Winkels said she was talking to another officer when “Officer Bubbles” came over and angrily told her to put her bubbles away.
“I was having a conversation with the female officer,” she said. “She asked me my name, and I preferred not to give it. If she had asked me to identify myself to the police, I would have shown them my ID which I was carrying in my pocket, however, she was talking to me person to person, not officer to civilian.”
Winkels asked the female officer if her bubbles were bothering her.
“She laughed and shrugged her shoulders, which I perceived as a ‘No big deal!’” she said. “After this point, Officer Bubbles stormed over and said what he said on the video.”
Winkels said she put the bubbles away and the officer went away.
She was later swept up with others when arrests were made at Queen St. W. and Noble St. in Parkdale.
“I was not ‘blowing them in his face’ or being rude, I was simply trying to keep the mood of the crowd light, as I figure happy people are less likely to start a violent outbreak,” Winkels said. “There was no way I could have blown them in his face because, as I said, he was nowhere near me when I was blowing them, until he came over to talk to me. He was standing roughly 20 or 30 feet away, and nowhere near the range of the bubbles.”
Winkels said she feels she was not treated fairly during the G20.
“I was denied many of my civil and human rights, and this whole situation has been blown out of proportion, no pun intended,” she said.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Warning sirens should have gone off all across Ottawa, and especially in the Prime Minister’s Office, when Stephen Harper announced last December that Toronto would host the G20 summit.!
Warning sirens should have gone off all across Ottawa, and especially in the Prime Minister’s Office, when Stephen Harper announced last December that Toronto would host the G20 summit.
The sirens should have sounded not just because of the potential for violent protests in downtown Toronto, but because of the possible damage that the riots and the subsequent official inquiries might do to Harper’s political fortunes.
Whether he likes it or not, Harper may well discover his election prospects forever entangled in the aftermath of the G20 summit.
So far, though, he has managed to escape the post-G20 fallout, which includes calls for public inquiries into police actions that weekend, the threats of lawsuits against the City of Toronto and demands for compensation for lost business and destroyed property.
Indeed, since it ended nearly three weeks ago, Harper has said nothing about the summit. Instead, he’s spent the last weeks merrily travelling across Canada, enjoying the Calgary Stampede and hitting the summer festival circuit.
He’s left it to Public Safety Minister Vic Toews to take the heat for the summit while at the same time ensuring his Tory members on the Commons committee on public safety successfully blocked efforts by opposition MPs earlier this week to launch hearings into the summit policing.
Despite his silence, Harper has much to answer for about the G20 in Toronto and the G8 held a day earlier in Huntsville — from why the summit was held in downtown Toronto to the staggering $1.2 billion cost to questionable federal spending in the Muskoka area.
Such questions deserve a full airing by Harper.
Inquiries are rightly being held into police actions that resulted in some 1,000 people arrested during the two-day summit in what many contend was an unprecedented and excessive manner.
The Toronto Police Services Board and the RCMP will both look into how police performed during the summit.
Meanwhile, Ontario Ombudsman André Marin will investigate the Ontario government’s use of the Public Works Protection Act, which at first was described as giving police the power to detain and arrest anyone within five metres of the security fence surrounding the summit’s no-go zone.
But a separate inquiry is needed into the overall planning and handling of the G20 by Harper and his government.
Except for a few tourism officials thrilled with the thought of packed hotel rooms, everyone knew that sticking the summit in the middle of our largest city was a bad idea.
So, was it stupid decision-making by Harper’s advisers or simple incompetence that resulted in the summit being foisted on Toronto?
Adam Vaughan, whose city council ward was most affected by the summit, accuses the Harper government of a “cascade of failures.”
Clearly, Harper doesn’t want to be seen as bowing to public pressure to hold a full-scale inquiry, given that he is on record as opposing a public probe of the summit security.
What’s stopping him, though, from calling it a “review,” as long as the result is the same, namely a full look at all the decisions leading up to the fateful summit.
Here are some questions a review panel could examine:
• How did the costs reach $1.2 billion?
• What efforts were made to control spending?
• Did 10,000 delegates really need to be in attendance?
• Who approved more than $50 million in spending in Industry Minister Tony Clement’s riding of Parry Sound-Muskoka for such “summit-related” items as bandshells and street paving in towns never visited by any delegate?
• Who decided to hold the summit in downtown Toronto instead of on the CNE grounds?
• Why was Toronto Mayor David Miller’s advice ignored?
• What steps were taken to ensure no security overkill?
• Who was in overall control of spending?
• Who authorized the fake lake?
The list goes on.
These questions will likely dog Harper right to the election.
And unless he answers them, no good will come out of the summit for Harper, just as nothing good has come out of it for Toronto.
The sirens should have sounded not just because of the potential for violent protests in downtown Toronto, but because of the possible damage that the riots and the subsequent official inquiries might do to Harper’s political fortunes.
Whether he likes it or not, Harper may well discover his election prospects forever entangled in the aftermath of the G20 summit.
So far, though, he has managed to escape the post-G20 fallout, which includes calls for public inquiries into police actions that weekend, the threats of lawsuits against the City of Toronto and demands for compensation for lost business and destroyed property.
Indeed, since it ended nearly three weeks ago, Harper has said nothing about the summit. Instead, he’s spent the last weeks merrily travelling across Canada, enjoying the Calgary Stampede and hitting the summer festival circuit.
He’s left it to Public Safety Minister Vic Toews to take the heat for the summit while at the same time ensuring his Tory members on the Commons committee on public safety successfully blocked efforts by opposition MPs earlier this week to launch hearings into the summit policing.
Despite his silence, Harper has much to answer for about the G20 in Toronto and the G8 held a day earlier in Huntsville — from why the summit was held in downtown Toronto to the staggering $1.2 billion cost to questionable federal spending in the Muskoka area.
Such questions deserve a full airing by Harper.
Inquiries are rightly being held into police actions that resulted in some 1,000 people arrested during the two-day summit in what many contend was an unprecedented and excessive manner.
The Toronto Police Services Board and the RCMP will both look into how police performed during the summit.
Meanwhile, Ontario Ombudsman André Marin will investigate the Ontario government’s use of the Public Works Protection Act, which at first was described as giving police the power to detain and arrest anyone within five metres of the security fence surrounding the summit’s no-go zone.
But a separate inquiry is needed into the overall planning and handling of the G20 by Harper and his government.
Except for a few tourism officials thrilled with the thought of packed hotel rooms, everyone knew that sticking the summit in the middle of our largest city was a bad idea.
So, was it stupid decision-making by Harper’s advisers or simple incompetence that resulted in the summit being foisted on Toronto?
Adam Vaughan, whose city council ward was most affected by the summit, accuses the Harper government of a “cascade of failures.”
Clearly, Harper doesn’t want to be seen as bowing to public pressure to hold a full-scale inquiry, given that he is on record as opposing a public probe of the summit security.
What’s stopping him, though, from calling it a “review,” as long as the result is the same, namely a full look at all the decisions leading up to the fateful summit.
Here are some questions a review panel could examine:
• How did the costs reach $1.2 billion?
• What efforts were made to control spending?
• Did 10,000 delegates really need to be in attendance?
• Who approved more than $50 million in spending in Industry Minister Tony Clement’s riding of Parry Sound-Muskoka for such “summit-related” items as bandshells and street paving in towns never visited by any delegate?
• Who decided to hold the summit in downtown Toronto instead of on the CNE grounds?
• Why was Toronto Mayor David Miller’s advice ignored?
• What steps were taken to ensure no security overkill?
• Who was in overall control of spending?
• Who authorized the fake lake?
The list goes on.
These questions will likely dog Harper right to the election.
And unless he answers them, no good will come out of the summit for Harper, just as nothing good has come out of it for Toronto.
G20 bubbles prompted arrest threat .... “Bubbles?”
G20 bubbles prompted arrest threat
Kenyon Wallace July 17, 2010
A soap bubble floating toward a heavily armed police line during the G20 summit was apparently dangerous enough to prompt one Toronto Police officer to threaten the playful bubble blower with arrest.
The exchange was captured on video and has become a YouTube sensation, drawing close to 100,000 views, while inspiring a charged debate on Fox News over whether one can be arrested for blowing bubbles in the direction of police.
“If a bubble touches me, you’re going to be arrested for assault. Do you understand?” says the officer in the video wearing a badge bearing the name A. Josephs.
“Bubbles?” asks Courtney Winkels, the 20-year-old bubble blower.
“Yes, that’s right, it’s a deliberate act on your behalf. I’m going to arrest you. Do you understand me?” the officer responds. “You touch me with that bubble, you’re going into custody.”
A look of shock comes over Ms. Winkels’ face as she complies with the officer’s instructions to put the bubbles away.
“I was having a conversation with a female officer and I even asked her if my bubbles bothered her. She smiled and shrugged it off so I figured it didn’t….. It’s not like I was throwing stuff at them,” Ms. Winkels told the National Post on the phone from her family’s cottage in Huntsville. “Then this big officer marches over and he’s totally in my face.”
Related
Toronto police make two more G20-related arrests from ‘Most Wanted’ list
Toronto police release top 10 ‘most wanted’ list of G20 protesters
Video: Latest weapon of choice for G20 protesters: Bubbles
.Shortly after her exchange with the angry officer, which took place on the final day of the summit, Ms. Winkels and several others gathered near Queen Street West and Noble Street in Parkdale were arrested. She spent the next 47 hours in police custody moving from the Eastern Avenue detention centre to the Vanier detention centre for women in Milton, before being charged with conspiracy to commit mischief.
The charge is unrelated to the bubble incident, she said, and pertains to the eyewash she was carrying in her capacity as a member of the Toronto Street Medics, an independent organization of volunteers offering medical care to people injured during the G20 protests.
“The police said I could throw it in their faces and temporarily blind them. I was, like, ‘Are you kidding me?’ “
She said police had searched her bag the day before and told her she could carry her medical supplies.
Toronto Police spokeswoman Meaghan Gray wouldn’t comment specifically on the bubble-blowing incident.
“A video is minutes in time that doesn’t necessarily accurately reflect all of the circumstances that were involved in that particular situation,” Ms. Gray said. “If the individual in that video feels like she was mistreated by a police officer, she should file a complaint with the Office of the Independent Police Review Director.”
Ms. Winkels said it was never her intention to antagonize police by blowing bubbles.
“I realize now maybe the bubbles weren’t the greatest idea — but still, it’s bubbles,” she said. “I was just keeping the mood light.”
.Posted in: G20, Posted Toronto Tags: Toronto Police, g20, Bubbles .
Read more: http://news.nationalpost.com/2010/07/17/g20-bubbles-prompted-arrest-threat/#ixzz0u679SUya
Kenyon Wallace July 17, 2010
A soap bubble floating toward a heavily armed police line during the G20 summit was apparently dangerous enough to prompt one Toronto Police officer to threaten the playful bubble blower with arrest.
The exchange was captured on video and has become a YouTube sensation, drawing close to 100,000 views, while inspiring a charged debate on Fox News over whether one can be arrested for blowing bubbles in the direction of police.
“If a bubble touches me, you’re going to be arrested for assault. Do you understand?” says the officer in the video wearing a badge bearing the name A. Josephs.
“Bubbles?” asks Courtney Winkels, the 20-year-old bubble blower.
“Yes, that’s right, it’s a deliberate act on your behalf. I’m going to arrest you. Do you understand me?” the officer responds. “You touch me with that bubble, you’re going into custody.”
A look of shock comes over Ms. Winkels’ face as she complies with the officer’s instructions to put the bubbles away.
“I was having a conversation with a female officer and I even asked her if my bubbles bothered her. She smiled and shrugged it off so I figured it didn’t….. It’s not like I was throwing stuff at them,” Ms. Winkels told the National Post on the phone from her family’s cottage in Huntsville. “Then this big officer marches over and he’s totally in my face.”
Related
Toronto police make two more G20-related arrests from ‘Most Wanted’ list
Toronto police release top 10 ‘most wanted’ list of G20 protesters
Video: Latest weapon of choice for G20 protesters: Bubbles
.Shortly after her exchange with the angry officer, which took place on the final day of the summit, Ms. Winkels and several others gathered near Queen Street West and Noble Street in Parkdale were arrested. She spent the next 47 hours in police custody moving from the Eastern Avenue detention centre to the Vanier detention centre for women in Milton, before being charged with conspiracy to commit mischief.
The charge is unrelated to the bubble incident, she said, and pertains to the eyewash she was carrying in her capacity as a member of the Toronto Street Medics, an independent organization of volunteers offering medical care to people injured during the G20 protests.
“The police said I could throw it in their faces and temporarily blind them. I was, like, ‘Are you kidding me?’ “
She said police had searched her bag the day before and told her she could carry her medical supplies.
Toronto Police spokeswoman Meaghan Gray wouldn’t comment specifically on the bubble-blowing incident.
“A video is minutes in time that doesn’t necessarily accurately reflect all of the circumstances that were involved in that particular situation,” Ms. Gray said. “If the individual in that video feels like she was mistreated by a police officer, she should file a complaint with the Office of the Independent Police Review Director.”
Ms. Winkels said it was never her intention to antagonize police by blowing bubbles.
“I realize now maybe the bubbles weren’t the greatest idea — but still, it’s bubbles,” she said. “I was just keeping the mood light.”
.Posted in: G20, Posted Toronto Tags: Toronto Police, g20, Bubbles .
Read more: http://news.nationalpost.com/2010/07/17/g20-bubbles-prompted-arrest-threat/#ixzz0u679SUya
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Canadians Demanding a Public Inquiry into Toronto G20Category:Common Interest - PoliticsDescription:
Canadians Demanding a Public Inquiry into Toronto G20Category:Common Interest - PoliticsDescription:THIS GROUP HAS REACHED OVER 5,000 MEMBERS > FACEBOOK WILL NO LONGER ALLOW US TO SEND MESSAGES OR INVITES...
IF YOU'D LIKE TO STAY INVOLVED WITH PUSHING FOR A FULL PUBLIC INQUIRY, PLEASE FOLLOW OUR PAGE:
http://www.facebook.com/g20inquiry
This group is for respectful discussion only. We are looking for the facts by calling for a public inquiry. Without the facts blame is premature.
Please refrain from defaming or threatening any group or person. We are simply here to request an inquiry, mobilize support and inform each other of our opinions and experiences.
If you read a post that violates the code of conduct expressed on facebook please use the Flag option.
*Please share your latest stories, photos and article links on the wall.
**See the event tab for upcoming rallies.
A public inquiry is an official review, ordered by government, of important public events or issues. Its purpose is to establish the facts and causes of an event or issue, and then to make recommendations to the government. All levels of government (federal, provincial, and territorial) have the power to call public inquiries.
Several issues have been raised this weekend: Consultation with the City of Toronto and it's citizens, Security build up, the Fence, the treatment of Toronto's homeless, mass damage, no relief fund for shop owners, innocent people and journalists detained, detainee conditions and much more.
This is something that police say we have "never faced in Canada." We agree! Let's learn from this weekend instead of trying to ignore it.
To every story there are many sides, and then there is the truth. Lets get as close to the truth as we can so that protesters, police and politicians a like can answer to the weekends events.
(read less)
THIS GROUP HAS REACHED OVER 5,000 MEMBERS > FACEBOOK WILL NO LONGER ALLOW US TO SEND MESSAGES OR INVITES...
IF YOU'D LIKE TO STAY INVOLVED WITH PUSHING FOR A FULL PUBLIC INQUIRY, PLEASE FOLLOW OUR PAGE:
http://www.facebook.com/g20inquiry
This group is for respectful discussion only. We are looking for the facts by calling for a public inquiry. Without the facts blame is premature.
Please refrain from defaming or threatening any group or person. We are simply here to request an inquiry,... (read more)Privacy Type:Open: All content is public..Contact Info
.Email:torontoG20Inquiry@gmail.comWebsite:http://www.facebook.com/g20inquiry.Recent News
.News:Because this group has reached over 5k members, Facebook will no longer allow us to send messages or invitations.
IF YOU'D LIKE TO STAY INVOLVED WITH PUSHING FOR A FULL PUBLIC INQUIRY, PLEASE FOLLOW OUR PAGE:
http://www.facebook.com/g20inquiry
Please Visit Amnesty International's G20 Appeal Page TODAY! A must read for everyone!
Independent Review of G20 Security Measures Urgently Needed: An Appeal to the Government of Canada
http://www.amnesty.ca/iwriteforjustice/take_action.php?actionid=449&type=Internal
Please visit take a moment to visit these sites that have come to our attention:
The CCLA's site to share your story with them.
http://ccla.org/2010/06/29/resources-for-g20-related-complaints/
This website was created by Klippensteins, a law firm based in Toronto, as a public service.
http://www.g20inquiry.org/
Submit Your Story
G20 Stories
http://www.g20stories.wordpress.com/
This web site is collecting all testimonies, photos and video for the purpose of bringing those who broke the law to justice.
http://www.g20justice.com/
Were you a part of the mass arrests, or did you witness the mass arrests? This law firm is looking to initiate a civil law suit.
http://www.g20defence.ca/
Use this web page to easily and simply send an email to all levels of government at one time. Tell them why you feel it is necessary to call a public inquiry into the G20.
http://tinyurl.com/g20rights
Sign the CCLA petition calling for a public inquiry
Send your name and email tomailto:g20petition@ccla.org
Comprehensive G20 related media list
http://www.facebook.com/g20inquiry?v=app_2373072738&ref=ts#!/note.php?note_id=411968691305&id=864815696&ref=mf
Join the French Facebook group
http://www.facebook.com/g20inquiry?v=app_2373072738&ref=ts#!/group.php?gid=109381149111679&ref=mf.
IF YOU'D LIKE TO STAY INVOLVED WITH PUSHING FOR A FULL PUBLIC INQUIRY, PLEASE FOLLOW OUR PAGE:
http://www.facebook.com/g20inquiry
This group is for respectful discussion only. We are looking for the facts by calling for a public inquiry. Without the facts blame is premature.
Please refrain from defaming or threatening any group or person. We are simply here to request an inquiry, mobilize support and inform each other of our opinions and experiences.
If you read a post that violates the code of conduct expressed on facebook please use the Flag option.
*Please share your latest stories, photos and article links on the wall.
**See the event tab for upcoming rallies.
A public inquiry is an official review, ordered by government, of important public events or issues. Its purpose is to establish the facts and causes of an event or issue, and then to make recommendations to the government. All levels of government (federal, provincial, and territorial) have the power to call public inquiries.
Several issues have been raised this weekend: Consultation with the City of Toronto and it's citizens, Security build up, the Fence, the treatment of Toronto's homeless, mass damage, no relief fund for shop owners, innocent people and journalists detained, detainee conditions and much more.
This is something that police say we have "never faced in Canada." We agree! Let's learn from this weekend instead of trying to ignore it.
To every story there are many sides, and then there is the truth. Lets get as close to the truth as we can so that protesters, police and politicians a like can answer to the weekends events.
(read less)
THIS GROUP HAS REACHED OVER 5,000 MEMBERS > FACEBOOK WILL NO LONGER ALLOW US TO SEND MESSAGES OR INVITES...
IF YOU'D LIKE TO STAY INVOLVED WITH PUSHING FOR A FULL PUBLIC INQUIRY, PLEASE FOLLOW OUR PAGE:
http://www.facebook.com/g20inquiry
This group is for respectful discussion only. We are looking for the facts by calling for a public inquiry. Without the facts blame is premature.
Please refrain from defaming or threatening any group or person. We are simply here to request an inquiry,... (read more)Privacy Type:Open: All content is public..Contact Info
.Email:torontoG20Inquiry@gmail.comWebsite:http://www.facebook.com/g20inquiry.Recent News
.News:Because this group has reached over 5k members, Facebook will no longer allow us to send messages or invitations.
IF YOU'D LIKE TO STAY INVOLVED WITH PUSHING FOR A FULL PUBLIC INQUIRY, PLEASE FOLLOW OUR PAGE:
http://www.facebook.com/g20inquiry
Please Visit Amnesty International's G20 Appeal Page TODAY! A must read for everyone!
Independent Review of G20 Security Measures Urgently Needed: An Appeal to the Government of Canada
http://www.amnesty.ca/iwriteforjustice/take_action.php?actionid=449&type=Internal
Please visit take a moment to visit these sites that have come to our attention:
The CCLA's site to share your story with them.
http://ccla.org/2010/06/29/resources-for-g20-related-complaints/
This website was created by Klippensteins, a law firm based in Toronto, as a public service.
http://www.g20inquiry.org/
Submit Your Story
G20 Stories
http://www.g20stories.wordpress.com/
This web site is collecting all testimonies, photos and video for the purpose of bringing those who broke the law to justice.
http://www.g20justice.com/
Were you a part of the mass arrests, or did you witness the mass arrests? This law firm is looking to initiate a civil law suit.
http://www.g20defence.ca/
Use this web page to easily and simply send an email to all levels of government at one time. Tell them why you feel it is necessary to call a public inquiry into the G20.
http://tinyurl.com/g20rights
Sign the CCLA petition calling for a public inquiry
Send your name and email tomailto:g20petition@ccla.org
Comprehensive G20 related media list
http://www.facebook.com/g20inquiry?v=app_2373072738&ref=ts#!/note.php?note_id=411968691305&id=864815696&ref=mf
Join the French Facebook group
http://www.facebook.com/g20inquiry?v=app_2373072738&ref=ts#!/group.php?gid=109381149111679&ref=mf.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Toronto's 'Officer Bubbles' gains web notoriety Arrest threat video goes viral, spawns Queen's Park protest
Back to Toronto's 'Officer Bubbles' gains web notoriety
Toronto's 'Officer Bubbles' gains web notoriety
July 16, 2010
Wendy Gillis
Toronto police Const. Adam Josephs is now known as "Officer Bubble" after threatening to arrest a bubble-blowing protester during the G20 summit on June 27, 2010.
STEVE RUSSELL/TORONTO STAR FILE PHOTOHe's now known as “Officer Bubbles.”
Const. Adam Josephs has gained considerable notoriety after being caught on tape threatening to arrest a G20 protester for blowing bubbles.
In a viral Internet video, the 52 Division officer tells protester Courtney Winkels she will be arrested for assault because she is blowing bubbles in front of officers.
The video — shown on the website therealnews.com and this week on American network Fox News — shows Winkels, orange bubble wand in hand, interacting with Josephs and a female officer.
“You touch me with that bubble you're going into custody,” he tells her in a video entitled “Booked for Bubbles” that was shot June 27 near Queen St. W. and Dufferin St.
When Winkels says she doesn't feel respected by Josephs, he replies: “That's terrible. My heart bleeds.”
Winkels says she was talking with the female officer when Josephs walked over from about seven metres away — “totally out of range of the bubbles” — to stand in front of her and threaten arrest.
“I was both shocked and confused, but I complied and put the bubbles away,” Winkels said in an email. She was arrested later for an incident unrelated to the bubbles, and has been charged with conspiracy to commit an indictable offence.
“Officer Bubbles” was also the subject of a handful of blogs and Facebook groups reporting that his Facebook profile made a derogatory statement about the public he serves as a Toronto police officer.
As of Friday morning, Josephs' Facebook profile had been made private.
Insp. Anil Anand with the Toronto police public information unit said Friday he had heard rumours about offensive comments in the officer's personal profile, but said he is not aware of a formal complaint being filed.
“If someone was offended by that, they are more than welcome to file a complaint and we can have a look at it within the context of somebody filing an actual complaint,” he said.
When contacted, Josephs hung up on a Star reporter.
The G20 bubbles incident has also spurred a YouTube cartoon, called “Officer Bubbles.”
In it, a beefed-up police officer in sunglasses threatens to arrest a woman for dancing in the streets. The video ends with a joke that the next episode will feature Officer Bubbles shooting a kitten stuck in a tree.
Meanwhile, it's BYOB at Queen's Park Saturday — that is, bring your own bubbles.
A few hundred protesters are expected to blow bubbles en masse at noon to show support for a public inquiry into police actions during the G20.
Winkels hopes to attend.
“We wanted to have an event that would be fun and creative,” says Valentyna Onisko, a 21-year-old student and organizer of the event, which precedes a civil liberties rally.
Although she said a formal invitation to blow bubbles has not been extended to Josephs, he is more than welcome to attend, bubble wand in hand.
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