In my similarly massively distorted worldview, major figures currently don't do the fake protest thing at their trials - that's too easily proved to be fake in a country like Canada with feral journalists and an unrestricted internet. They're got much better things to spend their money on in order to get the result they want.

I wonder, though, if this tactic is much more effective in China; if so, is this actually a far more interesting case of cultural clash, in which someone used to doing this in China (be it with signs, or simply being able to turn out crowds of loyal employees / local cadre / etc ) has brought the same tactics to a different game?