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Mohamed Anas Bennis, 25, was shot and killed by Montreal police in the early morning of December 1, 2005, after leaving a mosque at the corner of Cote-des-neiges and Kent, just minutes from his home.
Date: 12/05/2006
Views: 219
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December 2, 2006 -- Protesters gather at the street corner where Mohamed was killed, one year after the death, to denounce Mohamed Anas' killing, and to demand answers.
Date: 12/05/2006
Views: 268
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The placard reads: "The death of Anas Bennis: One year and still nothing new!", referring to the absolute silence by police and prosecutors about the death. In November, a special prosecutor decided that the two officers who were involved in the
Date: 12/05/2006
Views: 225
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The placard reads: "Where is the truth hiding?" The police and prosecutor have not handed over any evidence to back up their version of events.
Date: 12/05/2006
Views: 213
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The placard reads: "It's time to open a real inquiry." Insultingly, the prosecutor who decided not to charge the cops only read excerpts of his report to Mohamed Anas' father without providing with the report itself.
Date: 12/05/2006
Views: 204
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Mohamed was killed just behind where the protesters are standing. The building on the right has two video cameras that would have captured some of the street scene. Stunningly, the prosecutor won't reveal these videos.
Date: 12/05/2006
Views: 188
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The police and outside prosecutor have provided no written report to corroborate any of the claims the police have made. The special prosecutor has absolved the police of any responsibility for the killing, saying they acted in self-defense.
Date: 12/05/2006
Views: 208
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The mystery and secrecy surrounding this case reinforces the belief by many in the Montreal community that Mohamed Anas Bennis was killed by police in a case of racial profiling.
Date: 12/05/2006
Views: 191
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Without any evidene, we can only speculate that the authorities are covering up the killing of a young man outside a mosque by racist and trigger-happy Montreal cops in circumstances that, if revealed, would make Montreal explode in outrage and anger.
Date: 12/05/2006
Views: 194
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Mohamed Anas' twin sister Khadija (l), his father, and his brother Mohamed Larbi. His father returned to Montreal from Morocco to attend the vigil, and to get answers from the police and prosecutor, answers that have yet to come after a year.
Date: 12/05/2006
Views: 244
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"We have the feeling that we're being lied to and something is being hidden from us ... It's hard to believe that willingly the system will give us the truth. We're being insulted and our intelligence is being insulted." - Khadija Bennis
Date: 12/05/2006
Views: 202
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Unlike the protest in support of the Bennis family in January 2006, which attracted upwards of 4000 demonstrators, the December 2006 vigil was small. While the police stayed out of sight, they were still mobilized in large numbers.
Date: 12/05/2006
Views: 186
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The night before, the Collective Opposed to Police Brutality (COBP) organized a vigil on the exact one-year anniversay of Bennis' killing.
Date: 12/05/2006
Views: 179
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Mohamed Anas' father also attended the nighttime vigil -- despite the ice and rain -- and addressed the participants, talking about his son, and his quest for justice in this case.
Date: 12/05/2006
Views: 194
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Photos and text by No One Is Illegal-Montreal (noii-montreal@resist.ca). For information about the MOHAMED ANAS BENNIS case, please visit www.justicepouranas.org
Date: 12/05/2006
Views: 225
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