INDIVIDUAL LIBERTY:

DON'T TOUCH THAT PILL- THE GESTAPO WILL GET YOU:

Here's a sad tale from the USA via the Care2 site about one student;s experience with that part of the working class whose product is pretty much social control. to be sure I have yet to get to this on this blog ie how I see little difference between teachers and prison guards and policemen. Rest assured I will get to describing my view of how people whose main function is to keep a segment of the population in one place through a good part of the day are in the same category as prison guards. Until then here's a horror story about political correctness gone wild.

PCPCPCPCPCPCPCPCPCPC

Seventh Grader Suspended For Touching Pill
Judy Molland
It all happened on February 23 at River Valley Middle School in Jeffersonville, Indiana. Seventh grader Rachel Greer was in the locker room during fifth period gym class when a fellow student walked in with a bag of pills.

"She was talking to another girl and me about them and she put one in my hand and I was like, ‘I don't want this,' so I put it back in the bag and I went to gym class," said Rachel. The pills were the prescription ADHD drug, Adderall, and after years of training under the DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program, Rachel knew she had to "Just Say No.

"But that wasn't the end of it. During sixth period, an assistant principal came and took Rachel out of class. It turned out that the girl who originally had the pills and a few other students got caught. Then came the shocker: "We're suspending you for five days because it was in your hand," the administrator told Rachel. Apparently he told the girl that he was very sorry he had to do it, but the rules are the rules. District officials later said that if they're not strict about drug policies no one will take them seriously.

What lesson can Rachel learn here? Because she said NO to illegal drugs and told the complete truth about what happened in the locker room, she was punished. Presumably she would also have been punished if she had said YES, so maybe next time she'll choose that route.

What does it take for school administrators to use some common sense? A policy, zero tolerance or any other, is a guideline. Every situation is different, and school officials need to be able to approach each situation individually, and make an appropriate decision, based on the relevant facts.

After hearing the news, Patty Greer, Rachel's mother, went to school officials to complain. "That's not a good policy," Greer said. "We're teaching our kids if you say no to drugs you're going to get punished; it's not right."

District officials were not impressed. Martin Bell, COO of Greater Clark County Schools, replied that the girl should not have put out her hand. "Someone hands them a pill or a drug or something like that and they say well I said no I didn't participate. Well the act of saying no is not to be there, not to be involved in the handling the, you know, they didn't have to put their hand out." (In case you're wondering, I am quoting Mr. Bell verbatim here.)

According to Greater Clark County Schools district policy, even a touch equals drug possession and a one week suspension. Wanna get a five-day vacation from school? Just say no, and get yourself suspended!

And this just in: When Mason Jammer, a kindergarten student at Jefferson Elementary in Ionia, Michigan, curled his fist into the shape of a gun Wednesday and pointed it at another student, school officials suspended the 6-year-old until Friday, saying the behavior made other students uncomfortable. Really? Couldn't the school find any other way to teach Mason not to make a gun with his hand? When will this madness stop.

PCPCPCPCPCPCPCPCPCPC

What can I say ? Insofar as propaganda has any effect such liberal attempts at social engineering will have the definite effect of convincing young people that aggression is OK as long as it is mediated through authority . It will convince a subset of young people to become good Nazis. To another subset it will convince them that 'anything goes" provided they don't get caught. While I may disagree with the later possible effect it is better than aggression mediated through authority like what the social engineers want to "teach".

INTERNATIONAL ANARCHIST MOVEMENT-JAPAN:

SOLIDARITY WITH THE STUDENTS OF UNIVERSITY OF RYUKYUS:

The following story and appeal is from the Asian Anarchist Network.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

The Statement of Occupation from Okinawa:‏
From:
The Statement of Occupation, March 9, 2009

The authorities at the University of the Ryukyus in Okinawa, Japan, have decided to lay off its adjunct language faculty members and massively reduce the number of foreign language courses without fully disclosing why such policies were necessary. Alarmed by the situation, we, the students, have demanded direct negotiations with the university officials twice in the past. But the university dismissed our first demand through writing, and decided to ignore our second request. The university officials thus deliberately failed to create a democratic forum where the students and they could openly discuss the issues and seek possible solutions.

We, the students of the university, will start occupying our campus. As the students who have studied justice, freedom, human rights, and resistance and have been trying to apply them to real life conditions, we question and resist the anti-democratic actions taken by the university authorities.

The aim of this sit-in is to create a situation in which the university authorities must genuinely acknowledge the flawed and problematic nature of its so-called "new language curriculum." If the university still exists for us, the students (as stipulated in its Mission Statement), then the current situation in which it refuses to consider our concerns not only needs to be rigorously critiqued but must be radically changed.

This situation is not the sole concern of the students and adjunct faculty members at the University of the Ryukyus. While the occupation of campus began as a critical response to the neoliberalization of our university and the attendant impoverishment of our educational program, it also aims to shed light upon other related issues such as the breakdown of our"autonomous" university system, crisis of educational system within the Okinawa Prefecture at large, and the issue of unemployment among the residents of Okinawa.

Based upon these conditions and reasons, we demand the officials at the University of the Ryukyus to:

1) Repeal the so-called "new language curriculum."

2) Hold a public meeting about the "new curriculum" that is open to all members of the society.

3) Dismiss president TERUO IWAMASA, and vice presidents KEISUKE TAIRA and RISHUN SHINZATO.

4) Allow the student representatives to participate, speak, and vote at the Board of Trustees' meetings.

5) Establish the democratic election system to appoint president and all board members.

6) Ensure all the rights of the students involved in the occupation and not impose any punitive measure on them.

This occupation is a protest against the university authorities' irresponsible decision to neoliberalize our university that has rather foolishly foregone its commitment to public education and caused the impoverishment of curriculum. This occupation is also a protest against the university officials who, with their authoritarian mindset, never even thought about offering adequate explanations to the students or inviting them into the decision-making process. We, the students, strongly condemn the university's dismissal of the students' voices and will work to reclaim the student autonomy on our own campus.

Finally, we declare our solidarity with all the others who have been actively working and sincerely hoping to abolish the new curriculum. We act with a hope that the University of the Ryukyus, along with all other universities, will reclaim its status as a "university" in the true sense of the word.

March 9th 2009

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

THE APPEAL:

The following is the appeal from the students at this University.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Send your message to

loudaisei@gmail.com

http://loudaisei.seesaa.net/

Please Support the Student Sit-in at the University of the Ryukyus in Okinawa March 9, 2009:

The authorities at the University of the Ryukyus in Okinawa, Japan,have decided to lay off its adjunct language faculty members and massively reduce the number of foreign language courses without fully disclosing why such policies were necessary. Alarmed by the situation, we, the students, have demanded direct negotiations with the university officials twice in the past. But the university dismissed our first demand through writing, and did not even respond to our second request. The university officials thus repeatedly failed to create a democratic forum where they and the students could openly discuss the issues and seek possible solutions.

As the students who have studied justice, freedom, human rights, and resistance and have been actively applying them to real life conditions, we decided to occupy our campus and voice our resistance against these undemocratically chosen, unforgivable policies. The sit-in has been an important method of self-determination that has been inventively practiced and carefully passed down by the generations of people here in Okinawa in their post-WWII struggles. the sit-in has taken roots in Okinawa because it has allowed the people to directly create a space in which they could openly speak about what a better future meant for each of them when they were living amidst the presence of massive military forces. We thus urge the university to abolish the so-called "new language curriculum" by learning from and drawing upon the method of the resistance historically developed here in Okinawa: sit-in.

The current sit-in aims to create a situation in which the university authorities must genuinely acknowledge the flawed and problematic nature of its so-called "new language curriculum." If the university still exists for us, (as stipulated in its Mission Statement), then we, the students, need to not only critique but change the current critical situation in which our own university does not even acknowledge the concerns and demands of its students.

This situation is not the sole concern of the students and adjunct faculty members at the University of the Ryukyus. While the occupation of campus began as a critical response to the neoliberalization of our university and the attendant impoverishment of our educational program, our sit-in also aims to problematize other related issues such as the breakdown of our "autonomous" university system, the crisis of the educational system within the Okinawa Prefecture at large, and unemployment among the residents of Okinawa.

"The new curriculum" has no legitimate basis to justify itself and benefits no one on campus and in the society, as has been made evident by now at various meetings and through media reports. But it takes much courage for us, the students, to express our demand to abolish"the new curriculum" on the campus of the University of the Ryukyus where all types of harassment take place on a regular basis. To add to this, most tenured faculty members remain silent until today. This is why we sincerely ask for your help because it is difficult to create "the common"or the communal space in our situation now.

Please join our fight to abolish "the new language curriculum." We welcome your participation through various means available: participation in our sit-in, donation, media coverage, and so on. Your support and participation is much appreciated.

Concerned Undergraduate Students at the University of the Ryukyus

STUDENT MOVEMENT-GERMANY:

HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS STRIKE IN GERMANY:

The following report is from the British anarchist communist site LibCom.

.........................

Germany: high school students strike:

High School students struck and marched across Germany yesterday in protest against classroom overcrowding, lack of teachers, and the pressure of examinations.

Some 100,000 participated in demonstrations across the country, walking out of classes and marching in over 40 cities. They protested for more permanent staff, smaller classes, and against a sped-up version of the school leaving exam, called the “turbo-abitur”. School students face intense exam pressure in Germany, where they are "streamed" at the age of 10 and selected to go to either a vocational or grammar school, often determining their prospects and chances in adult life. Demands that the pressure be relieved were made, and many teachers are also reported to be supporting the students' efforts.

A 10,000 strong protest march in Berlin ended with the invasion of the prestigious Humboldt University, where the conference room and terrace were occupied and draped with banners. There are reports of university staff battling with the students to defend statues of Hegel and Fichte, and of the university president Christoph Markschies barricading himself inside his office. 8,500 marched in Hanover, 8,000 in Stuttgart, and 6,000 in Hamburg.

The protests follow demonstrations by German university students in late October against the introduction of tuition fees, and student revolt in Italy, covered on Libcom here.

CANADIAN ANARCHIST MOVEMENT:

TWO MORE EVENTS IN TORONTO:

Here from the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP) are two more events coming up shortly down Toronto way.

............................

Two Important Upcoming Events‏:
!!** please forward widely **!!

TWO IMPORTANT UPCOMING EVENTS:

1. TOMORROW- Picket at CKLN -- Illegal AGM: Demand Re-Instatement of Dismissed Programmers

2. NEXT WEDNESDAY- Algonquins of Barriere Lake: Toronto Public Event

-------------------------

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Freedom of the media violated at CKLN! No to Right Wing Censorship! - Take Back Our Radio Association

COME OUT AND SUPPORT COMMUNITY RADIO:

Wednesday, October 29th7 pm

Oakham House, Room G

Gould and Church Streets, Ryerson Campus

The crisis of governance at CKLN Campus/Community Radio continues to escalate. The illegal of Board of Directors has called an Annual General meeting:

Agenda:

Financial Report

Union negotiations

Election of Community Reps to the Board of Directors

Wednesday, October 29th

7 pm

Oakham House, Room G

Gould and Church Streets, Ryerson Campus

Station Manager Mike Phillips has called this meeting. As “dismissed”volunteers and community supporters, we strongly object to this Meeting for these reasons:

*Mike Phillips, Interim Station Manager, has no legal authority to call a CKLN Annual General Meeting, because he was democratically voted out of office by an overwhelming 90% majority in a non-confidence motion on January 23, 2008 at a Special General Meeting called by the membership in accordance with CKLN by-laws.

Nevertheless Phillips and a right wing clique have occupied the radio station from January until now and are violating the mandate of the station to be an inclusive and progressive station and a voice for marginalized communities in Toronto.

*Programming has deteriorated as indicated by the failure of this illegal board to raise adequate money at the recent Fund fest and the withholding of the student levy to the station by Ryerson Students Union.

*At previous meetings Metro Police have been employed to bar the new board and its supporters from participating. We intend to challenge this exclusion on October 29th.

*We therefore ask all “dismissed” CKLN volunteer programmers, hosts and staff (35 so far) and concerned community supporters of CKLN and Ryerson students to attend the Annual General Meeting Wednesday October 29th at 7pm. Our purpose is to publicize and protest against this meeting as illegitimate and biased, a mockery of the democratic process, a complete sham! Signed

Catherine Holliday 416 533 6630 catherine.holliday@utoronto.ca

Owen Leach

Don Weitz dweitz@rogers.com

(Dismissed volunteers and community supporters)

----------------------

OPIRG – Toronto presents...

*Blockade: Algonquins Defend the Forest, 1989-2008*:

*Panel discussion and film screening*

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

WEDNESDAY, November 5, 7:00pm, 2008

OISE (Ontario Institute for Studies in Education), Room # 2-211

University of Toronto

252 Bloor Street W (@ St. George Subway Station)

Donations encouraged

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Hear from Barriere Lake Algonquin community representatives, following an intense summer of marches on Ottawa, sustained calls for public support,protests in front of Premier Charest's office, an occupation of local MP Lawrence Cannon's office, and culminating in a one-day blockade of Highway 117 that resulted in 9 arrests and the deployment of riot police and tear gas. A short film of the recent blockades will be screened.

Since the Department of Indian Affairs ousted their Customary Chief and Council in March 2008 and used the Surete du Quebec to forcibly impose the authority of a minority community faction, the Algonquins have been organizing to roll-back the quiet coup d'etat. They are campaigning to make the government honour a number of agreements, including the Trilateral, a internationally praised land co-management and resource-revenue sharing deal the Algonquins signed with Canada and Quebec in 1991. It remains unimplemented.

Community spokespeople from Barriere Lake: Norman Matchewan and Marylynn Poucachiche are teachers in Barriere Lake's Algonquin elementary school and Barriere Lake's youth spokespeople.

***Donations of money are encouraged to support the community's campaign –they need money for gas to travel. Click here for a full list of community needs and to make an online donation:

http://barrierelakesolidarity.blogspot.com/2008/03/donations.html

For more information Contact :

Ontario Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG)

Research – Education – Action on Social and Environmental Issues

www.opirguoft.org

opirg.toronto@utoronto.ca

(416)-978-7770

---------------------

Dear Friends and Allies,

On November 5th, OPIRG and the Barriere Lake Solidarity will be hosting an event Norman Matchewan and Marylynn Poucachiche who are community members and elementary school teachers from the Algonquin Barriere Lake community. Norman and Marylynn will be here to show video footage of past and recent actions by the community in defense of the land, and to discuss with people in Toronto the ongoing struggles in Barriere Lake.

We are asking all organizations, friends and allies to please:

- Endorse and Support this event on November 5th

- Help publicize this Event by sending this announcement over your lists,and distributing posters or leaflets at any upcoming events

- Support the List of Demands from the community: http://barrierelakesolidarity.blogspot.com/2008/03/mission.html

-DONATE: the community of Barriere Lake is in great need of financial support: RAISE FUNDS within your organization and bring donations to the November 5th event, or make donations On-line:

http://barrierelakesolidarity.blogspot.com/2008/03/donations.html

Thank you for your support, if you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us. Sincerely,

Ontario Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG) - Toronto

Contact:

opirg.toronto@utoronto.ca

416-978-7770

-------------------------

**

Ontario Coalition Against Poverty

10 Britain St.

Toronto, ON M5A 1R6

416-925-6939

ocap@tao.ca

www.ocap.ca

**

CANADIAN ANARCHIST MOVEMENT-TORONTO:

RESISTANCE AT RYERSON RADIO:

Molly has previously blogged concerning the firing of CUPE employees at the Ryserson student radio station. But, like they say on another radio show, "there is the rest of the story". Student volunteers have also been driven out of the station, and an illegally constituted board presently holds control of the station. Here's the story, as passed on by the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP).

..............................

** please circulate widely **

INFO SESSION: Repression at CKLN 88.1FM

Find out more about what is happening at your radio station!

Info Session:

Thursday, September 25th, 2008

7:00 - 9:00 pm

Oakham House, 65 Gould Street (corner of Church and Gould)

Confirmed Speakers:

Barbara Goslowski, Don Weitz, Owen Sankara, Joeita Gupta

---------------------

WHAT'S HAPPENED:-

30 volunteers have been locked out of campus and community radio station. CKLN 88.1 FM, including the hosts of OCAP Radio, Anti-Psych Radio, and No One is Illegal Radio.

- CUPE 1281 is contesting the recent dismissals of several paid staff.

- A Special General Meeting in February overwhelmingly voted (90%) to dismiss management and impeach the Board of Directors.

- Although new Board has been elected in accordance with CKLN by-laws,the illegal board continues to occupy the station and control its funds.

----------------------

WHAT YOU CAN DO: -

Sign our online petition:

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/reclaim-88-1fm/sign.html

- De-fund CKLN Fund Fest: instead donate to *"Take Back Our Radio" (Acct #4882570 at Alterna Savings branches at Bay/College or Ryerson University -Jorgensen Building)

- Join weekly pickets: Sunday at Noon at 55 Gould Ave

-----------------------

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Take Back Our Radio:

September 2008

Dismissed Volunteers and Supporters Call for Boycott of CKLN Fundfest

In less than a year five paid staff and over 30 volunteers have been driven out of the campus and community radio station at Ryerson University, CKLN 88.1 FM. Amongst them is news director Kristin Schwartz,who has 10 years of service in that position.

Ms. Schwartz had returned just 6 weeks earlier from maternity leave. “I was told that the current board of directors and I ‘do not see eye to eye’. For that reason I was terminated, effective immediately,” says Schwartz. She will be fighting the seemingly arbitrary dismissal with the backing of CUPE 1281, along with fired coworker Tien Providence.

In the same week, five volunteers, including Mental Chatter host Denise Benson who has volunteered at the station for almost 20 years, received letters from Mike Phillips saying their services were no longer needed.This brings the number of dismissed volunteer programmers to over 30 since the Special General Meeting in February saw the membership vote to dismiss management, including Mike Phillips, and impeach the Board of Directors by an overwhelming majority of 90 per cent. Subsequently, a new Board was elected in accordance with CKLN By-laws. The illegal board continues,however, to occupy the station and control its funds.

The Take Back Our Radio Organizing Committee are demanding:

-The newly elected legal Board of Directors be allowed to take control of policy and finances at CKLN.

-An open transparent hiring process must be established.

-Dismissed staff and volunteers must be reinstated.

With the prospect of a Fundfest being called by the illegitimate Board and management in the last week of September, we are calling on CKLN supporters to de-fund fundfest. Do not donate your funds towards those who are illegally taking control over the station. Instead, dismissed volunteers and community supporters have set up a fund which you may donate to. The Ryerson Student Union is withholding their contribution to CKLN until this crisis of governance is resolved.

---------------------

FURTHER INFO:

Blog: http://takebackourradio.blogspot.com

Email: takebackourradio@gmail.com

Phone: (416) 533-6630

**

Ontario Coalition Against Poverty

10 Britain St.

Toronto, ON M5A 1R6

416-925-6939

ocap@tao.ca

www.ocap.ca

**

CHILE:
MAY 21: NATIONAL DAY OF STRUGGLE:
In the country of Chile May 21 is a national holiday, originally set up to commemorate a Chilean naval victory over the navy of Peru in 1879, during the 'War of the Pacific" in which Chile gained its present northern provinces from Bolivia and Peru. It is also the time of the seasonal opening of Parliament and the President's address to the nation. This year various opposition forces have called for a national day of protest on May 21. The following is a translated statement from the Chilean Frente de Estudiantes Libertarios (Libertarian Student Front) on this day's significance. The original in Spanish is at the A-Infos site. For those interested in more information about the Chilean anarchist movement see the series of reports republished here earlier in the year from Larry Gambone's Porkupine Blog on his recent trip to that country. See also Platformism Without Illusions:Chile at the NEFAC site.
.................................

[Chile] May 21, national day of struggle
May 21 has been transformed into an appointment into a meeting date to protest by the popular organizations to reveal the troubled face of this capitalist model. Also May 21 has come to be one more day in the history of the divisions of the working class and the people of Latin American, to present a further opportunity to strengthen the convergence of struggle, showing that the street is the decisive scene of the people, where we impose our demands by means of our ways of struggle.




But be careful!, For some this May 21 ,before the present context , represents an opportunity for mediation of struggles developed at this time, and a drift into ways that expropriates from us the ability to directly and effectively conquer our demands. In addition, amongst the planners and managers of the dominant bloc are machinations that manifest in a, "convergence with the union bureaucracy " and corresponding political proposals , which develop their concern about the danger of a general mobilisation against their system of reformist intervention in the popular in the world. Likewise we see the articulation of the sectors of "left" who are interwoven with the block that is in power and able to occupy a space in public policy, which demonstrate in their social practices and in their speech an aim of channelling current mobilization towards the hope of parliamentary representation of the"students, workers and others".




Undoubtedly this May 21, will be one more day of protest, that we must must project to the remaining 364 days a year, over and above elections, beyond symbolic unity.




Let us be aware that only the independence of the class to fight ensures the achievements and defines its decision-making capacity. In the same way we must guide our organizations and our efforts to build an alternative power that is within the reach of our own control over social life, because the current order of the politicians is beneath us. The powerful bosses do not feed us, do not educate us , they marginalize and imprison us, being that we are the ones who do the work, we study and educate those who live in the population ...
In summary what we want is a popular class movement ...
Struggle, Create Popular Power!
Libertarian Student Front Valparaiso

TORONTO:

DEMONSTRATION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO:

Molly has blogged on this matter before, about the case of 14 students arrested and charged at the University of Toronto after a peaceful sit-in over the issue of tuition fees. This coming Wednesday there will be further protests at the U. of T.

............................................

May 21: Rally to Oppose Fee Hikes and to Support The Fight Fees 14
What: Rally against fee hikes and repression of dissent at University of Toronto

When: Wednesday, May 21, 4:30 PM

Where: Simcoe Hall, University of Toronto, 27 King’s College Circle
Students and organizers will rally outside a meeting of the University of Toronto’s Board of Governors Wednesday, May 21, to protest UofT campaign of intimidation against those mobilizing against fee hikes. They will peacefully attempt to deliver letters and 1700 petition signatures in support of 14 students arrested and charged by the University in connection with their campaign for accessible education. The rally will feature speakers from the Committee for Just Education and its allies “charging” UofT administration with misconduct in its repressive response to peaceful dissent.

On March 20, over forty students and allies organized a sit-in at the University of Toronto administration’s offices in Simcoe Hall to protest increasing student fees. The peaceful sit-in ended after police exercised aggression against the demonstrators on the orders of senior administrators. Undeterred, students continued to organize against fee hikes with rallies on March 25 and April 10, and an open forum on the accessibility of education on April 7.

In response, the UofT administration worked with Toronto Police to charge and arrest 14 handpicked students and organizers for alleged involvement in the March 20 sit-in. The “Fight Fees 14” were released on strict bail conditions that prohibited association with one another and banned their access to University of Toronto property. In addition, at least 15 students have been threatened with investigation under UofT’s Code of Student Conduct, with sanctions that can include suspension or expulsion.

The Committee for Just Education, in solidarity with those charged, demands:

*Equal access to education through the elimination of all fees.

*That the UofT administration and Toronto Police immediately drop all proceedings against students and organizers and stop the policing of dissent on campus.

*Student, worker, and faculty parity on university decision-making bodies, including the Governing Council.

The first court date for the accused is tentatively scheduled for June 3 at Old City Hall. Details will be released as more information is made available. Keep checking http://www.fightfees.ca for updates.

CANADIAN LABOUR:

CUPE JOINS CAMPAIGN IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE "FIGHT FEES 14":

Last March 20 students at the University of Toronto held a peaceful sit-in to protest rising tuition fees. The administration of the University responded by calling the police and having the students forcibly evicted. Since then criminal charges have been laid against 14 of the students involved. These are now known as the "Fight Fees 14", and their case has brought about a groundswell of support for their right to peaceful protest and for their cause. There is a website set up for their solidarity campaign. Now the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) has joined this campaign, pointing out that the University's action affect not only students but workers at the institution as well. The following is CUPE's appeal through the cupeaction network.

........................................

FREE THE FIGHT FEES 14:

Fourteen students and workers have been charged in connection with a peaceful sit-in at the University of Toronto over rising tuition fees and they need our help.

Sign the petition:

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/fightfees/

The "Fight Fees 14" have been charged with extremely serious offences, including forcible confinement. The university administration is also contemplating expelling 12 students.

Meanwhile, the campus community - including many members of CUPE is subjected to a campaign of intimidation by the U of T’s administration and police.

The university itself is publicly lobbying to deregulate tuition fees.

The U of T Fight Fees 14 have asked CUPE for help fighting the disciplinary proceedings and criminal charges.

Please take a moment to sign the petition:

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/fightfees/

.........................................

Want to know more about what this is all about? Here's an excellent article from the platformist Linchpin/Common Cause site about the case....

Outrage mounts over the arrest of 14 students
CALL TO ACTION: UofT PRESSES CRIMINAL CHARGES AGAINST 14 FOR MOBILIZING AGAINST FEE HIKES
***URGENT CALL FOR SUPPORT – PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY***
SIGN THE PETITION:

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/fightfees/index.html
Outrage is mounting over the arrest of 14 students who are facing criminal charges for allegedly participating in a peaceful sit-in at the University of Toronto on March 20, 2008. The sit-in, held to protest rising fees, ended when police acting on the orders of senior UofT administrators forcefully removed demonstrators. Students and organizers are being subjected to a campaign of intimidation by the UofT administration, who sought a criminal investigation of the matter and encouraged Toronto Police to arrest 14 individuals and have pressed charges against them. After turning themselves in last week, the students have been released on strict bail conditions, which ban them from associating with one another outside of courts and classes, thereby prohibiting their freedom to organize on campus. In addition, UofT staff, students and an alumnus have been completely banned from UofT property. UofT is attempting to further repress student organizing on campus by investigating at least 13 students under the Code of Student Conduct.

Outrage at the arrests and disciplinary actions by UofT administration has been expressed by a growing number of professors and staff at the University of Toronto. "I am urging the university administration to exercise restraint in these matters and avoid what appears to be a crackdown on political activity and freedom of expression at the university," stated George Sefa Dei, a professor in Sociology and Equity Studies at OISE, University of Toronto.
Rather than addressing the issues of accessibility to education, the UofT administration has resorted to tactics of intimidation and repression,including police surveillance, as a means of cracking down against all dissent on campus. Undeterred, students have continued to organize against increasingly inaccessible tuition, Sheila Hewlett, an organizer with the Committee for Just Education and an elected member of the Arts and Sciences Student Union notes, "We have to look at who is excluded when these unchecked fee increases compound and realize that education is increasingly not accessible to many. The student experience is at best one of debt servitude; at worst, education is completely unavailable to more and more people."

The Committee for Just Education, which includes the students charged by police, have outlined the following demands:
i) Equal access to education through the elimination of all fees

ii) That the U of T administration and Toronto Police immediately drop all proceedings against students and organizers and stop the policing of dissent on campus

iii) Student, worker, and faculty parity on University decision-making bodies, including the Governing Council

In the face of mounting debts, drastic increases in tuition and ancillary fees and a hostile environment towards student organizing on campus, a burgeoning student movement is demanding access to education for all people.Allies and supporters of the students charged are calling on both the Attorney General Chris Bentley and UofT President David Naylor to drop all charges and disciplinary proceedings.
***WHAT YOU CAN DO TO SHOW SUPPORT:***
We are calling on all community allies and support groups to show their solidarity with the 14 accused in any way they can. Community members are expressing their outrage at the growing cost of education, and at the use of intimidation and force against students who organize for accessible education at the University of Toronto.

It is critical for the university community and supporters across the country to publicly condemn and reverse attacks on students’ right to organize. We are calling on all community members, community groups, unions, and student organizations to:
a) Please sign the petition to drop criminal charges and university sanctions against students and organizers--Free The Fight Fees Fourteen!
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/fightfees/index.html
Please sign the petition to protest against the suppression of dissent, and to express your opposition to fee hikes. Collect signatures from members of your school, work, and community (please mail all petitions to OPIRG Toronto by May 15th).
b) Sign our letter (found at http://fightfees.ca/allies/ ) or write your own letter to the President of the University of Toronto, David Naylor, at david.naylor@utoronto.ca (please CC all emails to fightfees@gmail.com) or phone David Naylor at 416-978-2121 with an emphasis on the following:
(i) Drop all charges against UofT students, staff and alumni.

(ii) Remove all bail restrictions and conditions for all 14 accused

(iii) End the policing of dissent and protest on campus. In the wake of the March 20 sit-in, at least 13 students are also being investigated under the Code of Student Conduct and student organizers have faced intimidation and surveillance from the campus police. More recently, the University has pressed charges against 14 students and organizers.
c) Send a statement of solidarity or a message of support to the Committee for Just Education at fightfees@gmail.com and issue a public statement from yourself and/or your organization expressing solidarity with the 14 students and organizers who have been charged by UofT.
Approach other students, faculty, staff, and workers at the University of Toronto or on other campuses to write letters of support (these statements will be kindly needed by May 15th).
d) Donate funds and/or materials: Please donate to the costs of legal proceedings, which all 14 individuals have to incur. Please let organizers know if you are able to provide other materials/services (ie. photocopying facilities, helping to collect signatures on petitions, etc).
e) Fundraise with your organization: Take our fundraising proposal to your organization and/or community and ask them to provide materials and/or funds for the 14 accused. (found at http://fightfees.ca/allies/ and will need to be kindly returned to OPIRG Toronto by May 15th).

***For further information: Sheila Hewlett: (416) 409-3873;

Deena Dadachanji: (647) 887-8256;

E-mail:
fightfees@gmail.com;

Web:

http://www.fightfees.ca;

Petition:

http://fightfees.ca/petition***
OPIRG Toronto

563 Spadina Ave,

Room 101

North Borden Building

Toronto, ON

M5S 2J7

AMERICAN LABOUR:

STUDENTS SITTING-IN AT UNC ARRESTED:

Molly has blogged previously on the sit-in at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. On day 16 of this protest to pressure the University Administration to sign the Designated Suppliers Program, the administration has chosen to call in the police and have the students arrested. This is the appeal from these students for solidarity.

....................................

UNC Arrests Student Protestors! Demand That Charges Be Dropped!

After a 16 day sit-in, the University of North Carolina has chosen to arrest students rather than adopt the Designated Suppliers Program. Call, email, and fax Chancellor Moeser today demanding that UNC drop all charges and adopt the DSP! Chancellor Moeser: (919) 962-1365: Hello, my name is _______ and I am a _______ from _____. I am shocked that, instead of listening to students demands, you have chosen instead to have them arrested. UNC needs to act as a leader on this issue by adopting the DSP and dropping all charges against students. Thank you.

To read more, join this campaign and send the following letter go to THIS LINK:
Send a letter to the following decision maker(s): Chancellor, UNC-Chapel Hill James Moeser UNC Chancellor James Moeser
Below is the sample letter:
Subject: Adopt the DSP and drop all charges
Dear [decision maker name automatically inserted here],
I am extremely disappointed to hear that your administration has resorted to arresting students for standing up for the rights of workers. UNC Chapel Hill, as one of the leading institutions of higher education in the world, has an obligation to set an example for the rest of the university community to follow. By choosing to arrest students for taking a principled stand on an issue that, to be quite honest, the university ought to have resolved long ago, UNC Chapel Hill is sending the message that they will stop at nothing, even if it means resorting to police intimidation, to silence the voices of its students.

I would strongly urge you, for your own sake, to ensure that all charges are dropped, and that there is no further action taken against any of the students in question. The community at large takes these actions to be a direct assault on our most basic right to free speech, and will not stand idly by while the university punishes students for doing what is right.

In addition, I would urge your university to take its own students seriously. Their demand that UNC Chapel support workers' rights and sign on to the Designated Suppliers Program, has a wide range of support throughout the entire university community. Your university has an obligation not just to these students but, more importantly, to the workers producing your university apparel, to support those who are struggling to better their own working conditions. Your students have presented you with an opportunity to be a leader in the struggle for workers' rights, and I would urge you to take it.
Sincerely,

STUDENT MOVEMENT:

SUPPORT HUNGER STRIKING STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA:

The following appeal comes via the United Students Against Sweatshops, even though it concerns an effort on the part of the Students for a Democratic Society. Go HERE to read more and join this campaign.

....................................

Support Hunger Striking Students at the University of Florida!
Students at the University of Florida have been on hunger strike for up to 13 days to demand that the university commit to a policy for socially responsible investment.

Please call and email President Machen today to demand that the university meet students' demands.

Script:
President Machen (352) 392-1311:
Hello, my name is _______ and I am a __________ from __________. I am calling today to urge you to listen to the demands of your hunger striking students. The University of Florida should be a leader in the struggle to ensure that the rights of workers are respected, and I hope that your administration will take action immediately. Thank you.

Tell me more

At the link above you can also sign on to send President Machen the following letter. The SDS also has their own online petition HERE.

Send a letter to the following decision maker(s): President Bernie Machen

Below is the sample letter:

Subject: Support socially responsible investing

Dear [decision maker name automatically inserted here],

I am writing today to urge you to support the socially responsible investment proposal submitted to you by Students for a Democratic Society. Currently, the SRI policy passed by the Board of Trustees provides no measure of accountability to the students or the public. If the University of Florida is to live up to its mission statement of working for the public good, it must realize that its investments should be held to the same standard. I implore you to meet the demands of the students who are on a hunger strike and ensure that the University of Florida will remain at the forefront of the fight for sustainability and responsibility.

Thank you.
Sincerely,

not

AMERICAN LABOUR:

STUDENT SIT-INS SPREAD ACROSS THE USA:

Way back (in an internet sense, on April 11 actually) Molly blogged about an appeal from students at Appalachian State who were sitting in in support of the Designated Suppliers Program. You can learn more about this activist focus, that attempts to to bring various universities and colleges across the USA into compliance with a promise to but only from suppliers who hold to minimum standards in terms of their labour force. The students in question were evicted from their sit-in and arrested. The Boone Web, from their part of the world, has extensive coverage of the events. it also has links to the statement of the University authorities and the students' reply to same. be prepared to search the site.Way back in 1999 Time Magazine had a story on the `new student movement`. The present wave of action is far more widespread than back then. One wonders if it will get the same attention. In the wake of this, however, students at many other institutions have initiated sit-ins to pressure their university managements to sign up for the DSP. The following is a collection of these events that have occurred in the last few days. It is also an appeal from the students at the various institutions for internet solidarity, in order to show their respective authorities that the students are not alone, and that they have supporters from across the world. Read the following and sign up for the various campaigns if you will. Molly's comments on this whole matter follow at the end of the appeals. The activists are united under the banner of the United Students Against Sweatshops.

...........................................

NORTH CAROLINA:

Call Today To Support University North Carolina Students Sitting In For the DSP!


Students at the University of North Carolina are currently sitting in to demand that their university adopt the Designated Suppliers Program. Call, email, and fax Chancellor Moeser today to demand that all licensed apparel is produced in factories where workers have the right to form a union and earn a living wage.

Chancellor Moeser (919) 962-1365:
Hello, my name is ________ and I am a ________ from ______. I was shocked to discover that North Carolina clothes are produced in sweatshops. I urge you to listen to your students, adopt the DSP, and refrain from any kind of disciplinary action. Thank you.

Send a letter to the following decision maker(s):

Chancellor, UNC-Chapel Hill James Moeser

UNC Chancellor James Moeser

UNC President Erskine Bowles
Below is the sample letter:
Subject: Adopt the DSP Today!
Dear [decision maker name automatically inserted here],
We write to you about a pressing human rights concern that UNC Chapel Hill has the power to change. We write to endorse the Designated Suppliers Program (DSP), which was presented to the UNC-CH administration in 2005 by Student Action with Workers, an affiliate of United Students Against Sweatshops. The DSP is a comprehensive program for enhancing the enforcement of university codes of conduct under which University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill apparel will be produced in designated sweat free factories.

Students, faculty, and workers at Pennsylvania State University and Appalachian State University have been asking their administration to adopt the DSP since 2005 and 2006, respectively. Similar to UNC-CH, their administrations refused to listen to the voices of thousands in their university communities who care about the basic human rights of workers in their supply chains. On Tuesday, April 15, at the urging of Penn State administration, thirty-one students were arrested while peacefully sitting in the administration building asking Penn State to end its reliance on sweatshop labor. On Friday, April 11, six ASU students engaging in nonviolent civil disobedience urging adoption of the DSP were also arrested at the urging of the ASU administration. This is unacceptable to us. Our universities have a stated commitment to human rights and UNC in particular, living the motto of the "university of the people."

The students, faculty, staff, and members of the Carolina community would like to see their university system act as a leader in the struggle to ensure that the rights of workers producing apparel for their university are respected. Your position as a top seller of collegiate apparel means that you should be setting ethical standards. As of now, forty-two major colleges and universities have distinguished themselves as leaders by adopting the DSP, including Duke University, Georgetown, Columbia, and the entire University of California system. It is our expectation that, given your university's stated commitment to worker rights, you will publicly endorse the DSP and to commit your university system to adopting it as policy.Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,

To read more and help out in this campaign go to http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/unsitin/gi566w4a7neb636?

.................................................

MONTANA:

Molly note: According to a report from a local newspaper, 'The Missoulian' these students have also been arrested, just like those at Appalachian State. This makes support for their cause even more urgent.

Support Students Sitting In At The University of Montana To Adopt The DSP!
For the past two years, students at the University of Montana have demanded that their university ensure that university clothes are produced in factories where workers have the right to form a union and earn a living wage. Today, students are occupying President Dennison's office to demand that the university finally take action. Call, email, and fax President Dennison today to demand that Montana adopt the DSP!

President Dennison: (406) 243-2311
Hello, my name is ______ and I am from ______. I was shocked to hear that the University of Montana is sourcing from sweatshops. I am calling to urge President Dennison to listen to the students, respect the rights of workers, and adopt the DSP. Thank you.

Send a letter to the following decision maker(s):

President, University of Montana George Dennison

UM President George Dennison

Vice President Jim Foley
Below is the sample letter:
Subject: Respect workers' rights
Dear [decision maker name automatically inserted here],
For the sake of the workers suffering to produce University of Montana apparel, it is imperative that you listen to the students sitting inside Main Hall today. The University of Montana must adopt the Designated Suppliers Program to ensure that workers are paid a living wage and afforded the right to organize a union. I urge you to join the more than 40 other universities that have already taken an active stance against sweatshop-produced collegiate apparel. In addition, I would urge you to respect the rights of your students to peacefully protest. Refrain from arresting students and adopt the DSP today!
Sincerely,

To read more and join this campaign go to http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/montanasitin/gi566w297ncj66j?

..........................................

PENNSYLVANIA:

Support The 30 Students Sitting In At Penn State To Demand The DSP!

For the past three years, students at Penn State have demanded that their university ensure that university clothes are produced in factories where workers have the right to form a union and earn a living wage. Today, 30 students are sitting in in President Spanier's office to demand that the university finally take action. Call, email, and fax President Spanier today to demand that Penn State adopt the DSP!

President Spanier: (814) 865-7611

Hello, my name is ______ and I am from ______. I am calling to urge President Spanier to listen to the students inside Old Main today. For the sake of the workers who suffer to produce Penn State apparel, President Spanier must sign onto the Designated Suppliers Program immediately.

Thank you.

Send a letter to the following decision maker(s):

PSU President Graham Spanier Penn State University

President Graham Spanier
Below is the sample letter:
Subject: Respect workers' rights
Dear [decision maker name automatically inserted here],
For the sake of the workers suffering to produce Penn State apparel, it is imperative that you listen to the students sitting inside Old Main today. Penn State must adopt the Designated Suppliers Program to ensure that workers are paid a living wage and afforded the right to organize a union. I urge you to join the more than 40 other universities that have already taken an active stance against sweatshop-produced collegiate apparel. Adopt the DSP.
Sincerely,

To read more and join this campaign go to http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/psusitin/gi566w4r7n3k763?

.........................................

THE OBLIGATORY MOLLY COMMENTS:

The above actions are very much reminiscent of the late sixties/early 70s, and they share all the virtues and faults of that era. Back then .before Molly became an anarchist, she was a member of the NDP, the New Democratic Youth to be exact. We were all good devout leftists then, and our disagreements hardly reached the level of what is called in lefty parlance "theory" (most so-called leftist "theory" hardly deserves the name even today). Then, as now, we gravitated towards certain actions more because of an inchoate "emotion" rather than a clearly thought-out "plan".

The emotion ! At the time Molly was a member of the NDY, and we were, to a large extent, "in competition with" the 'Students for a Democratic University', a sort of clone of the American SDS. They had the "emotion" of trying to stage the most dramatic and most hopeless actions, often via the rather sneaky underhanded assumption that, once the campaign failed that they would 'recruit" the "educated" adherents of the campaign becxause they would be "radicalized" by the failure of the campaign and come to support "revolution". The SDU concept of "revolution" at the time was, to say the least, pretty vile and evil. The Trotskyist version was the best of the bunch, and most people had a Maoist version in mind. Should they ever have succeeded in their mad and pathetic project the death camps would have devoured tens of millions in North America. The American version, without the moderating influence of an indigenous social democracy was even more insane and more vicious than our Canadian one.

Nowadays the so-called Marxist left is very much of a joke. The two great competitors are anarchism and social democracy (not that the "great commies" of my own youth didn't pretty well all gravitate to social democracy in the end because it offered them jobs manipulating people even though they had no marketable skills to speak of). The United Students Against Sweatshops are very much a social democratic creation. They are the creation of the AFL-CIO (if you can grace that organization with the term "social democratic"). Yet, in their actions, they go far beyond their creators, just as we did in the NDY.

Their background, however, makes them more realistic today as opposed to the present reincarnation of SDS. Their lack of "radicalism" is actually a virtue and, yes, even an "anarchist virtue". This may be hard for some to swallow, particularly those who have been propagandized by the advocates of anarchism=militance.Yet.....one can hardly imagine the adherents of USAW tearing themselves apart over the identity politics that too much of "the left today" has inherited from my generation. Yes.... they recognize the issues, but they don't allow such recognition to degenerate into turning the organization away from its goals into becoming a "therapy session". They are too practical for that. They actually want to accomplish something rather than to show off. All this is a segue into the whole matter of "direct action".

"Direct Action" has become something of an anarchist mantra today, even though the term is almost always used for actions that are not just not direct action, but are often the exact opposite of same. The purist form of "direct action", as enunciated by the anarchist tradition has a rather simple meaning. It means that people actually initiate actions themselves that lead to a given result. In an union sense the clearest example of this would be the tactic of the IWW when it wished to restrict working hours of simply and plainly walking off the job at the hour decided upon by the workers. In India, Ghandi often engaged in such real and true direct actions, such as his campaign against the salt monopoly. The essence of direct action is that people actually do something without petitioning an authority to do it for them.

This is in stark contrast to a perverted idea of the term that is promoted by some within the anarchist milieu. To those people's lights "direct action" is nothing more than a synonym for "militance"(a hang over from the Maoist left), preferably of a violent nature. This sort of "direct action" is nothing more than social democracy stripped of intelligence and equipped with a stone to throw. It is nothing more than petitioning with a brick rather than a ballot.

The actions of Students United Against Sweatshops are not "direct action" in the purist sense. They are also "petitions", no matter how "militant" they may seem. They do not directly change the situation. They petition authorities to make the change. Still... they have virtues that should be imitated...

1)They actually have a goal that can be realistically achieved. The list of institutions that have already signed on to the DSP is living proof that their goals are realistic. If one wants to engage in this sort of action it is incumbent that one sets goals that can actually be achieved. Marching through the streets and smashing windows in favour of an "anti-imperialist, anti-capitalist, anti-sexist, anti-homophobic, anti-racist, anti-specieist, anti-ableist, anti-classist (Molly's gorge rises at this neologism), vague leftism is actually counterproductive, no matter how much it may "rally the troops". Eventually your "troops" realize that you are accomplishing nothing. They desert slowly but surely. REAL victories involve realistic goals.

2)One has a clear idea that one is "doing politics"and not making an emotional and existential statement. The whole idea is to influence others who do not presently agree with you. Molly has seen the written justification from one petty terrorist here in Canada. Here justification for her acts essentially boiled down to the bizarre proposition that her group "wanted to show that militant resistance in Canada was possible", a "statement' to the restricted in-group of leftists that she had foolishly identified with. Ahhhhh....who do you want to talk to ? Is it leftists who are waiting for the glorious government job or is it the average person ? Make your choice because the two are mutually exclusive. getting te "moral high ground" very much depends on what the mores of your audience are. choosing your audience is a necessity. Molly chose her own audience decades ago. The people at USAW have chosen the same audience, and their tactics are quite appropriate for those they want to speak to.

3)They have been consistently non-violent. This is important beyond measure. The whole idea is to actually accomplish something- not to show off. This also comes down to the "what do you want to do" question. If you want to speak to the unconvinced rather than to some vague subculture then you are obliged to gain the percecption of a "moral high ground". You have to appear better than those who have an opposite opinion. NOT to appear "tougher". The USASW have done this very well. Yes.... they are a social democratic creation, but anarchists woulkd be well advised to imitate them.