Friday, January 14th 2011

The associations and organizations signing the present declaration strongly condemn the violent repression by the Tunisian government of the current demonstrations by citizens that the country is now witnessing. We stand with the far-ranging expressions of dismay and international solidarity to demand an immediate cease-fire by the government in Tunis. We support the legitimate demands of Tunisians for respect of their rights to dignity and their democratic freedoms as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

On Friday morning, a group of protesters invaded Britain's Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and are demanding a meeting with Stephen Green, the new minister for trade. Calling themselves the "Big Society Trade Negotiators," they are concerned that trade negotiations between the EU and Canada, due to start in Brussels on Monday, will dramatically boost Europe's involvement in the Canadian tar sands -- the most destructive project on earth.

In solidarity with the international day of a "1,000 Cancuns", climate justice activists marched into Toronto's downtown core and shut down the intersection of King and Bay Street -- the seat of power for Canada's commerce engine and home to many of the corporations involved in what activists say is killing the planet.

Here, Canadians need look no further than the province of Alberta's infamous tar sands to see the naked face of destruction move upon Mother Earth.