December 30 Toronto Five members of […]

When

1977-12-30

Description

December 30 Toronto Five members of Operation P, a joint Toronto Police – Ontario Provincial Police anti-pornography squad, presented a search warrant and entered the offices of the Body Politic (21 Duncan Street, fifth floor). They stayed for more than three hours and seized twelve shipping cartons of material, including subscription lists, corporate records, chequebooks, distribution and advertising records, manuscripts for publication, personal mail, and material in the Canadian Gay Archives (at the same location). The material was seized so that it might be examined for evidence to support the laying of charges under the Criminal Code, relating to the newspaper's publication of Gerald Hannon's article "Men Loving Boys Loving Men." Charges were not laid immediately, but were pending. This police action sparked outrage among progressives and civil libertarians across Canada, as well as in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and London. Within days, letters of support were received from across the continent. Canadian journalists Pierre Berton, June Callwood, and Charles Templeton deplored the police actions, as did eight members of Toronto city council, who expressed their "extreme concern" in a letter to Ontario's Attorney-General Roy McMurtry. Later, many prominent individuals and organizations issued statements of support for the Body Politic. There were numerous stories and events related to the trials and appeals of Pink Triangle Press/Body Politic from the end of 1977 through 1981. (See also December 31, 1977; January 4, 1978; January 5, 1978; February 1978; February 3, 1978; February 7, 1978; March 15, 1978; March 23, 1978; March 30, 1978; April 14, 1978; April 24, 1978; May 24, 1978; June 5, 1978; June 28, 1978; June 28–30, 1978; July 18, 1978; September 8, 1978; September 29, 1978; November 9, 1978; December 30, 1978; January 2, 1979; January 3, 1979; January 31, 1979; February 14, 1979; March 6, 1979; March-April 1979; April 11, 1979; June 2, 1979; June 15, 1979; October 26, 1979; December 27, 1979; February 6, 1980; February 7–8, 1980; February 29, 1980; March 4–5, 1981; March 18, 1981; October 6, 1981; November 24, 1981; and December 21, 1981.)

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