CANADIAN POLITICS:

RALLIES IN SUPPORT OF TAMIL REFUGEES:

Beginning today and into next week there will be a number of rallies across the country in support of the right of the recently arrived Tamil refugees on the west coast to stay in Canada. These are being organized by No One is Illegal. Here is the story from No One Is Illegal Vancouver.

NOIINOIINOII
Canada: Stop Jailing and Deporting Refugees, Let The Tamil Refugees Stay!
Time

August 21 at 3:30pm - August 26 at 6:00pm

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Location Various cities and communities - check description for details
across Canada / Indigenous lands
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Created By No One Is Illegal - Vancouver, Coast Salish Territories
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More Info

CANADA: STOP JAILING AND DEPORTING REFUGEES, LET THEM STAY!
SUPPORT THE TAMIL MIGRANTS! SAY NO TO RACISM!

==> In VANCOUVER, Unceded Coast Salish Territories:
Saturday August 21 @ 3:30 pm
...Gather at Vancouver Art Gallery, Robson Side
* Download poster PDF http://bit.ly/aq9HWI or JPG: http://bit.ly/c0VN60

==> In UNSURRENDERED WET'SUWET'EN TERRITORY:
Saturday August 21
Solidarity with the Tamil Refugees and No One Is Illegal. Moricetown Canyon, noon.
Contact gitksanmanoct6@hotmail.com

==> In VICTORIA:
Saturday August 21st 12:00pm - 4:00pm
Victoria Information Booth, Government and Belville
Organized by Victoria Anti-Racism Network (VARN)
RSVP: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=143826562315624

==> In OTTAWA:
Monday August 23 @ Noon.
Gather at corner of Kent and Laurier
(Citizenship and Immigration Canada)
RSVP: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=119285261456467

==> In MONTREAL:
Thursday August 26th from noon to 2 pm
Front of Immigration and Refugee Board offices, 200 Boul. René Levesque. Organized by Friends of Tamil Refugees/ Les Amies des Réfugiées Tamils.
Contact 514-668-4751 or 514-449-9370.

==> In KITCHENER-WATERLOO:
Monday August 23.
Press Conference and gathering, details tbc.
Contact rachel@peaceculture.org

==> In TORONTO:
Saturday August 21st
Toronto Welcomes Tamil Migrants!
Follow www.twitter.com/noii_ to to see images of creative actions that we will be taking.

(more TBC)

Join No One is Illegal to call for the immediate release of detained Tamil asylum seekers, and an end to racist and restrictive refugee policies. Justice, Freedom, and Status for All!

Surviving a dangerous journey, 500 Tamil refugees, including women and children, arrived in BC after fleeing war and persecution in Sri Lanka. When the ship first neared Esquimault, territories of the Songhees First Nation, it was immediately boarded by the Armed Forces, Border Services, and RCMP. Families are now being separated, with many children being taken by the Ministry of Child and Family Development. The refugees now face the threat of incarceration and eventual deportation.

Canadian government officials and media outlets are perpetuating false and dehumanizing stereotypes of 'illegals', 'terrorists', and so-called queue-jumpers. The earlier arrival of 76 Tamil migrants on Ocean Lady was similarly sensationalized. This deliberately created hysteria appeals to prejudices of refugees as undesirable. Well-known neo-Nazis, like Paul Fromm and the Aryan Guard, also known as the Canada First Immigration Reform Committee, are openly organizing rallies for the ship to be sent back.

This fear-mongering is just another tactic used to disguise the racist policies that define Canada’s immigration and refugee system. The Canadian government was recently forced to apologize for its “keep Canada white” measures, such as the Komagata Maru incident. Yet Minister of Censorship and Deportation Jason Kenney continues to increase detentions and deportation of refugees and undocumented migrants, while bringing in more temporary exploitable migrant labour. Public Safety Minister Vic Toews recently declared that Cabinet is drafting new policies to clamp down on migrants and “make this country less welcoming for future shipments of human cargo.”

No One is Illegal-Vancouver asserts the basic human right to safety, mobility, and protection. It is well known that Tamils in Sri Lanka are fleeing military atrocities and mass displacement. The only crime the migrants have committed is transgressing this imposed settler-colonial border. We encourage you to join us in rejecting repressive, racist, and exclusionary ideologies and policies, and instead encourage compassion, solidarity, respect for life, and justice for all refugees. Release Detained Asylum-Seekers! Let the Boat Stay! Status for All!

*** HOW ELSE CAN I SUPPORT? ***
THERE ARE 10 THINGS YOU COULD DO!

1) Join other cities and communities for nation-wide actions. Wherever you maybe, whatever you can organize (delegation to a Minister’s office, street theatre, leafleting, community speak-out), will help build this movement. Please email noii-van@resist.ca and let us know how you can participate.

2) Engage in dialogue and widely circulate the factsheet on the 6 most popular myths about the 490 Tamil Refugees, available here: http://noii-van.resist.ca/?p=2167

3) Sign the online petition here: http://www.petitiononline.com/16082010/petition.html . Join the Facebook group Uphold the Rights of the MV Sun Sea Migrants here: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=106719212717437

4) Put up posters in your neighbourhood, workplace, and campus, and as your social media profile. We have ‘Let them Stay’ and ‘Anti Neo Nazi, Fight Racism’ posters available here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nooneisillegal/ . PDF’s: http://bit.ly/9HBtGa and http://bit.ly/cgM3gK

5) Participate in the Call/Email/Fax Campaign to the Government and your MP. State your support for the refugees to stay in Canada and denounce the government for spreading unsubstantiated racist lies. This is easy to do and you can tell others to do the same!

Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration
Phone 613-992-2235 or 403-225-3480. Fax 403-225-3504 or 613-992-1920.
Email: Minister@cic.gc.ca and kennej@parl.gc.ca

Vic Toews, Minister of Public Safety
Phone: (204) 326-9889 or (204)345-9762 or (613) 992-3128.
Fax: (204) 346-9874 or (204) 345-9768 or (613) 995-1049
Email: toewsv1@mts.net and Toews.V@parl.gc.ca

To find out who your MP is and where to write them:
http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Parlinfo/Compilations/HouseOfCommons/MemberByPostalCode.aspx?Menu=HOC

6) Always take a minute to write letters to the editor and comment on news stories - make a difference in public discourse! Reinforce your support for the migrants and condemn irresponsible reporting including repeating unsubstantiated lies and giving white supremacists like Paul Fromm a platform. All letters must be short (100 words), include name, mailing address and daytime phone number of the writer; state “Letter to the Editor” in subject; and content should be in the body of the email.

Globe and Mail: letters@globeandmail.com
Vancouver Sun: sunletters@png.canwest.com
Vancouver Province: provletters@png.canwest.com
24 Hours: news@sunmedia.ca
Metro News: http://www.metronews.ca/Vancouver/comment/lettereditor
National Post: letters@nationalpost.com
Toronto Star: lettertoed@thestar.ca

7) Take your own initiative. This issue is not just the Tamil communities’ or for migrant justice organizers. The growing racist backlash that is taking root should concern all of us. Think of creative ways to disrupt this xenophobic climate (do a banner drop, host a community picnic, take some friends postering, organize a forum or press conference, distribute anti-racist zines, take action at the prison).

8) Consider inviting a speaker to your next meeting. Email noii-van@resist.ca and we would be happy to attend or suggest speakers, as well as provide educational materials.

9) Have your organization, traditional council, union, community group, or artist collective write a short public statement of support for the Tamil migrants. Please email us a copy at noii-van@resist.ca .

10) Join our low-traffic email announcement list to receive news and events. You can subscribe yourself https://lists.resist.ca/mailman/listinfo/noii-l . Our Facebook group is: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=6252584281&ref=ts . Visit our website regularly for articles: http://noii-van.resist.ca/

www.nooneisillegal.org

GAY RIGHTS CANADA:

NO KISSING IN PUBLIC ?:

Here's a interesting item from XTRA, which bills itself as Canada's gay and lesbian news. Four days ago two women were ejected from the restaurant at the Huether Hotel in Waterloo Ontario for "kissing in public". Seems rather Iranian or Saudi of the owner. Here's the story.

GGGGGGGGGGGGGG
Lesbians kicked out of Waterloo cafe for kissing
Two women were kicked out of Waterloo's Café 1842 at the Huether Hotel on March 29. Why? They exchanged a kiss.


A note posted on Facebook explains how university student Jenny Kirby and her girlfriend were asked to leave:

"Tonight, as we were getting ready to leave, my girlfriend and I exchanged a short kiss (no tongues I swear!) and we heard her [the café owner] exclaim "What's going on here!" and walk over to us and angrily say, "Stop that. That's enough. This is not the place for that."

"She was so loud that the whole café stopped and stared. One man was wearing a bathrobe (no pants) and actually said, "So it's ok for me to wear a bathrobe?" (Weird cafe-Molly ) Of course, she had no response and quickly disappeared, but she made it clear that we (dirty lesbians) were not welcome. In the past, I have been in there with ex boyfriends and we have engaged in much more physical activity than just an innocent kiss, so I know that this is not just about people in her café kissing. It's a "gay" problem..."
Wilfrid Laurier University's TheCord.ca spoke to the owner:

Owner of Huether Hotel Sonia Adlys saw the situation a little differently.

"I'm walking up to the café, standing beside the dessert fridge, and I see two young girls necking. I was hoping it would stop, but it didn't," said Adlys.

"We have senior people, families, we're a family restaurant. I walked up to them, yes I was maybe a little bit loud, and I said "excuse me, can you please leave?

"Whether it had been two males, a male and a female or two females, I don't want to look at that. It makes me uncomfortable," said Adlys.

"I don't care who she was with, it's not appropriate in a family restaurant." (read more at TheCord.ca)

Gay kissing! In public! Think of the seniors! THINK OF THE CHILDREN!

In protest, more than 900 people have joined a Facebook page since it was created on Tuesday: Taking Action Against Homophobia in Waterloo Region. There are rumblings of a boycott or kiss-in.

My two cents: go with a kiss-in, rather than a boycott. One of the first stories I covered for Xtra was a similar incident in Ottawa in 2007, when two men were asked to stop kissing at a restaurant. Ottawa queers organized a kiss-in at the restaurant, and a day later, the gay couple received an apology from the owner. Watch the guys talk about what happened, and read more about the 2007 Ottawa kiss-in (Video at the original site-Molly ).

CGCGCGCGCGCGC

Molly Note:

The "kiss-in" has been arranged for Saturday, April 10 in front of the Huether Restaurant.

CANADIAN ANARCHIST MOVEMENT-KITCHENER WATERLOO:

AGAINST THE OLYMPICS IN ONTARIO:

As the Olympic flame continues to sputter its way across Canada it is net with protests in every region. When it comes to Kitchener on Dec. 27 it will be no exception. The following is originally from the Anti War at Laurier group. It came to Molly's attention via the Common Cause/Linchpin site.

☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺
A public mobilization against the Olympic Torch Relay:
Kitchener-Waterloo Rally, Dec 27th 2009.
Please forward widely!
“No Olympics on Stolen Native Land”
A public mobilization against the Olympic Torch Relay
AW@L and friends from across the region are sending an open invitation for a participatory public event to coincide with the arrival of the 2010 Olympic Torch Relay in Kitchener on Sunday, December 27.
WHAT:
A family friendly rally, march and demonstration against the 2010 Vancouver-Whistler Olympics. We intend to create a festive atmosphere that is safe and inviting for activists as well as families. Our goal is to educate and to deliver a message. We will start with interactive events, free hot coffee and food at a rally at the entrance to Victoria Park in downtown Kitchener featuring speakers from the Olympic Resistance Network-Ontario (ORNO) as well as prominent Six Nations youth activists. Then we will all march to City Hall for a public demonstration during the Olympic Torch Celebration.
WHEN:
Sunday December 27, 4-8pm.
WHERE:
Rally at the Victoria Park Clock Tower, downtown Kitchener, off Gaukel Street.
WHY:
In response to callouts from the Olympic Resistance Network (ORN) and the Native Youth Movement (NYM), AW@L—a community-based direct action group, along with some of our allies are teaming up to co-host a peaceful rally during the Olympic Torch Celebration. We invite all of our friends and allies from across the region to converge in Kitchener in order to send the message to VANOC and to Canada that they can neither whitewash the ongoing colonization of First Nations, nor can they greenwash this country’s abysmal environmental record. We will use their Olympic circus as an opportunity to shine the international spotlight where it belongs, on the truth.





We are calling for this gathering because VANOC, Canada and the Olympics’ sponsors are trying to use the Olympics and the world media spotlight they bring to cast Canada’s international image in a certain light; as a “post-apology” country where the State’s relationship with First Nations is positive and progressive. But this official presentation is a tragic farce. The truth is that this country’s relationship with Indigenous Peoples is shameful. Canada is one of only three countries that has not signed the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission collapsed. Our land claims process is so backed up that at the current rate active claims will not be solved for more than another two centuries. Canada and the provinces have repeatedly and endemically violated treaty after treaty. The Vancouver-Whistler 2010 Winter Olympic Games are taking place on unceded Territories of the Coast Salish people. Kitchener is on the Haldimand Tract, which is part of the Grand River Territory, which is Six Nations Land. Kitchener-Waterloo, like Vancouver-Whistler, is stolen land.





VANOC, Canada and Olympics’ sponsors are trying to use the Olympics to cast themselves as “green” global citizens, when in fact that is a sham. Canada as well as the Royal Bank of Canada (one of the Olympics’ and the Torch Relay’s primary sponsors) have been identified by major Environmental NGO’s as among the world’s worst climate change offenders. Canada has made the least progress of all developed countries on our Kyoto Protocol commitments, and Canada has been one of the most disruptive and uncooperative countries when it comes to international climate change talks. Canada’s Tar Sands collectively comprise one of the most environmentally destructive projects on earth, and RBC is the leading financier of Tar Sands projects, which like many environmentally destructive projects has a disproportionate impact on Indigenous communities. In the Vancouver-Whistler corridor, the environmental impact of the 2010 Games is incalculable.





VANOC, the City of Vancouver, Torch Relay host cities and Olympic sponsors are trying to use the Olympics to make themselves appear socially responsible to their constituent communities. This is yet another lie. In Vancouver, in preparation for the 2010 Games, neighbourhoods have been brutally gentrified, drastically increasing homelessness and the marginalization of the urban poor. And to make matters worse, new bylaws have been passed in Vancouver that essentially criminalize homelessness and poverty. In Torch Relay host cities, as on the West Coast, public funds are being diverted to pay for a corporate party; while in Kitchener the City’s New Years eve budget is being redirected to pay for VANOC’s Torch Celebration at City Hall, in Vancouver over six billion dollars of tax payer money is being used to pay for the 2010 Corporate Circus.





The 2010 Olympics are ushering in a new era of militarization and police repression. Activists across the country have been routinely harassed by CSIS and the RCMP in the lead up to the Olympic Games. During the games, new high-tech weaponry has been purchased for use against protesters and American military personnel are being brought in to help police the crowds. The security budget for the games is going to total over 1 billion dollars — during a financial crisis, no less.





So, as long as you are willing to abide by reasonable standards of “family friendly” behaviour, we urge everyone to attend this educational and festive public rally, march and demonstration against the 2010 Olympics. Bring warm clothes and things like banners, placards, costumes, noise makers, and oh yeah... lots of energy.





This event is less than a month a way, so there is much to do. If you would like to help out in any way, please contact No2010@peaceculture.org. That’s the same email to query if you want more info. We will have point people in Six Nations, Hamilton, Brantford, Guelph, Stratford, Toronto and London to coordinate carpooling, so if you need a ride, or have room for people in one, please let us know.
See you in the streets!
AW@L Olympic Resistance Committee
AW@L’s website is http://peaceculture.org
Contact for more info: No2010@peaceculture.org
For more info on the Olympics visit
No2010.com
OlympicResistance.net
No2010Victoria.net
Peaceculture.org

CANADIAN ANARCHIST MOVEMENT-WATERLOO:

OLYMPICS PROMO PROTESTED:

The 2010 Vancouver/Whistler Winter Olympics draws nearer, and as it does both the promotional activities and the protests against the games intensify. There's still about a year left to go of seeing the drumbeat for the games almost everywhere, from stamps and coins on down. Various corporations that are still making a profit in hard times are getting into the act as well. This includes the Coca Cola company who have a travelling van roaming about Ontario promoting the event. One wonders about the connection between Coca Cola and physical health, let alone athletic performance. Be that as it may this modern version of the travelling snake oil salesman was met in Waterloo Ontario by protesters against the Olympics. here's the story from the No 2010 website. AW@L ,by the way, stands for 'AntiWar at Laurier'(see our Canadian Links section)

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Olympic Torch Promo Tour Protested in Waterloo, Ont:

WATERLOO—Friday April 3, AW@L activists and members of the Climate Change Containment Unit (CCCU) descended on Coca-Cola’s promotional event for the 2010 Olympic Torch Relay.

The torch relay is currently scheduled to come through Ontario in December 2009. The 2010 Olympics are occurring on stolen native land and causing dramatic environmental destruction and unconscionable gentrification and criminalization of the poor in the city of Vancouver.

The Coke van, which is travelling across the province, was in Kitchener yesterday and Waterloo today, attempting to spread hype for the Games.

However, today AW@L crashed their party—not once, but twice—sending action teams to both of the van’s scheduled stops.

For the first stop, at a local Sobey’s, AW@L dispatched the CCCU who,dressed in ‘haz-mat’ suits and armed with large fire-extinguishers, warned the Coca-cola Olympic Torch Relay team that if they were to attempt to light the flame while inside Waterloo or Kitchener, it would be promptly extinguished. “The Olympic torch must be seen as a symbol for the massive scale of the ecological destruction being caused in the building and preparation for the 2010 Games. It is all of our responsibility to refuse to participate in the brazen display of celebration for the environmentally and socially destructive behaviour that the Olympics represent,” said a member of the CCCU.

AW@L activists were also on hand with a large banner that displayed the no2010 Thunderbird and the message: “No Olympics on Stolen Native Land.”

One of the activists emphasized that the Olympics are an “embodiment of neoliberal colonialism, and that the absurd overspending on the Olympic security operation is a sign of creeping fascism and militarism in our police forces and the government’s response to land protection and the struggles of marginalized and oppressed populations.”

At the second stop, at a local Galaxy cinema, members of AW@L handed out flyers and argued with management and police before vacating the premises. AW@L activists have said that the Torch Relay, if it is to pass through Kitchener-Waterloo, will be met with resistance, as it will across the province and the country.

AW@L is a direct action group based out of Kitchener-Waterloo that works on anti-war, ecological defence, and indigenous solidarity campaigns.

AW@L’s Climate Change Containment Unit has taken up the task of shutting down some of those corporations that are most guilty of propagating climate change and environmental destruction. AW@L has endorsed the Olympic Resistance Network’s Statement on Solidarity and Unity. AW@L can be found online at http://peaceculture.org and reached by email at antiwar@peaceculture.org.

BUILDING A POPULAR ANARCHISM:

As previously reported here in August people from the Irish Workers' Solidarity Movement, now resident in Ontario are holding meetings across that province to further the goal of creating a truly popular anarchist movement there(see this story on Anarkismo.net). Previous meetings have been held in Toronto, Hamilton, Sudbury and Ottawa. Two new meetings are coming up soon:

WATERLOO:

Monday, September 24th

7 PM

Wilfred Laurier University

Arts Building

Room 2C17

LONDON ONTARIO

Sunday, September 23rd

5 PM

held at private residence contact roadwindsor@riseup.net for details of the venue