babble is rabble.ca's discussion board but it's much more than that: it's an online community for folks who just won't shut up. It's a place to tell each other — and the world — what's up with our work and campaigns.
Support rabble | Advertise with us | Contact our staff | About rabble | Log-in or Register for a new account | Corrections | Privacy policy | Newsfeeds | Mailing lists
rabble: Features | Columnists | In Cahoots | Blogs | Books | Photos | What's Up | Polls
babble: Forum Topics | Active Topics
The rpn: About the RPN | Become a podcaster
rabbleTV: Program Guide | Features | Indie Inside | Best of the net
Copyright © 2001-2013 the authors
Syndicate
Pundits, especially pundits in the rest of Canada (ROC), were already having a hard time making heads or tails of the Québec student strike, which had lasted 12 weeks by the time a “deal” had been struck between protesters and the government. But in the wake of the deal’s rejection by masses of students who have chosen, at great risk to their own careers, to continue the social struggle, the opinion-makers are really scratching their heads.
Today, both the rightwing Andrew Coyne and the “moderate” Chantal Hébert (who represent what passes for the spectrum of opinion on CBC’s The National "At Issue" media panel) have put forward some strange ideas about the motivations of Québec student protestors. Perhaps we can learn from their befuddlement....
http://www.mediacoop.ca/blog/bernans/10854
The so-called radical student group CLASSE said its members have overwhelmingly rejected the Charest government's latest offer to help end the student conflict over university tution increases.
CLASSE spokesman Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois said it's no surprise the group's members overwhelmingly rejected the offer, something they told the education minister at the negotiating table last week would likely happen.
"This offer does not talk about the increasing of tuition fees which is the main issue of this strike," Nadeau-Dubois told reporters.
"Now the ball is in the field of the government."
Nadeau-Dubois said their members believe the Charest government is trying to get out from the hot seat and buy peace and quiet without resolving the main issue of tuition increases and without making concessions.
He said their group was not responsible for the actions that shut down the metro and was even inconvenienced by it themselves, adding they don't encourage people to do that.
But what they are encouraging is more protests, including a big one on May 22.
"Starting today we are back in the streets, we are back to mobilizing."
http://www.cjad.com/CJADLocalNews/entry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10382216
Amir Khadir has been condemning the random violence perpetrated by a handful of individuals, saying that it serves the interests of the government, not the students - whether it's smashing of windows, or smoke bombs in the Métro.
From the Gazette:
As student associations vote one after the other to reject the most recent government offer, and as questions are increasing exponentially about how and when a solution to the current political crisis will come, the student movement received another wave of support today as 500 artists signed on to a public letter supporting the strike.
Including the likes of comic artist Julie Doucet, well known directors Sylvie Van Brabant, Hugo Latulippe and Paule Baillargeon, and certainly students and teachers of the arts, it's another indication that as the strike stretches through a 13th week, support continues.
The letter was published today on http://artistescontrelahausse.org. It reads in part:
This isn't the first time artists have spoken out. Earlier in the spring, a short video was produced featuring 15 or so well known Quebec artists, during the Jutra awards for the best in Quebec cinema, several artists wore red squares on stage, and on May 1 another 153 artists also signed on to another open letter.
http://montreal.mediacoop.ca/blog/tim-mcsorley/10856
from Voir (Montreal)
http://roycaricatures.wordpress.com/
What do you guys think? Hehe..
quote:
Quebec has shown, again and again, that the only way to force concession from governments is to mobilize on a mass basis through a strike campaign and confront the government, not with postcards, but with action! Students and youth, as well as the working population in general, have been inspired by the Quebec movement.
We are therefore asking that our representatives at the CFS and affiliated locals immediately begin a campaign for free post-secondary education, and make preparations to carry out a strike ballot in the Fall of 2012.
A massive student movement in Ontario would show the Quebec students that they are not alone. It would strengthen the movement for free post-secondary education across Canada, and it would cut across the divisions created by the pro-business politicians and corporate press to weaken the student movement.
Our response to the race to the bottom; tuition fees across Canada should be immediately lowered to the levels in Quebec, as a step towards abolishing all tuition fees in the country.
Prepare for an Ontario-wide strike vote in the Fall of 2012!
Signed by (email us to sign on):
http://vancouver.mediacoop.ca/blog/farshad-azadian/10858
Courts receive 8 new requests for injunctions to keep CEGEP classes operating
And:
Police visit home of smoke bomb suspects
..today's cover
CEGEP student association rejects Quebec's offer
J Bedard: Students almost unanimously reject government deal, willing to lose year if necessary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SudcB6uEjzw
YES!!!
CLASSE adopts anti-racist/anti-colonial mandate:
MONTREAL—The gravity of the actions alleged against four young people accused in connection with Thursday’s subway smoke bombings became much more apparent Saturday with the addition of an anti-terror related charge.
The three women and one man, all in their 20s, will each face a charge of hoax regarding terrorist activity, which carries a maximum prison term of five years, police revealed Saturday. If anyone had been injured during the hoax, the maximum sentence would be 10 years.
They have also been charged with conspiracy and mischief over $5,000. The man has also been charged with possession of a prohibited or restricted weapon, in this case, police said, it was a knife.
All four, who turned themselves in to police Friday afternoon, will appear in court this afternoon via videoconference.....
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/1177640--montreal-subway-sabo...
WHAT: Rassemblement “Concordia Community United”
WHEN: Tuesday, May 15th, at noon
WHERE: Atrium of Library (LB building)
WHY: Because we care!
Food, solidarity and some surprises are on the menu!
Everyone from Concordia and community members are invited!
Seven campus labour unions are in indefinite negotiations over their Collective Agreements. This situation is unacceptable to the unions as well as to the rest of campus community.
Students unite in solidarity with the unions.
The negotiation situation of labour unions at Concordia was brought to light by an article in the Link:
“Concordia’s unionized workers say they’ve had more than a few rough weeks.
“Whether you’re formally at the table or not, one never stops negotiating around this joint,” said Maria Peluso, president of the Concordia University Part-Time Faculty Association.
She was chief negotiator for CUPFA during a record-setting seven-year period of negotiations that finally ended in 2008 after the union began rotating strikes.
“Concordia has a reputation of delaying negotiations, protracting negotiations, seemingly forever. It’s extremely unprofessional,” said Peluso.”
On the occasion of the General strike called by various community and student groups on May 15th, Faculty and students of Concordia have united to underline the solidarity between students, faculty and employees (labour unions).
Anyone see the news clip of the Mayor of Montreal this week? Asking Montrealers to take back their city? Asking parents to tell their kids to get back to school?
Another victory for the "citizen" vigilantes!
Whatever happened to the "agent provocateur" theory?
The fact that the four persons "surrendered" themselves to the police suggest that it's not an agent provocateur situation in this case.
But the terrorism offence charge is ridiculous—and I can only surmise that their surrendering themselves does not mean that they recognize their culpability, at least to that charge.
Of course it's not. Not to mention the fact that they are getting the "terrorist" book thrown at them! Yet so many were quick to suggest (as they often do) that these people were police agents.
Now the good citizens who rushed to the aid of the cops with amateur video and photos can pat themselves on the back for helping to put nasty terrorists away for a long, long time.
As you well know, surrendering oneself to police is no admission of culpability whatsoever.
Well thank goodness now ALL past and future gladio ops are discredited because of this one revelation. Thanks you saved us a lot of worry over unsubstantiated fascist maneuvering. Are we ever sorry now that we never mentioned it before in this thread. How foolish of us.
Yes, this is a rare case that is the exception to your rule - that every action that upsets somebody else is planned, co-ordinated, and carried out by a secret cabal of mischief-makers who conspire to promote radical Islam and embarrass the NDP. And anybody who doesn't believe that is a conspiracy theorist.
Except that I never suggested the Quebec wing of the Libranos would resort to gladio for such a relatively small issue. Meanwhile the feds peeled tens of billions from health care transfers alone since 1995.
You're not going to like this one, either: NDP's policy on Quebec student unrest: more federal cash for education
You would fit right in with the Liberal Party and all their internet concern trolls is all I can say. You should consider campaigning for the yet to be Anti-NDP Party. I hear they might actually register as a party this year. You'll have to sign-up on the quiet, though, so as to remain non-partisan if only in your delusional mind.
You'd fit right in with the Conservative Party, with your lies and conspiracy theories about Omar Khadr, designed to whip up hatred against him and prevent his repatriation, as well as your cheerleading for austerity programs and laws that criminalize protesters who cover their faces.
[And back on topic...] Not to mention your characterization of the Quebec student uprisings as a diversion engineered by the Charest government.
[Contra-Contra attack]Try and focus on the topic of discussion at hand, will you? Because you're not making much sense even more than usual. I supported the NDP and their demands for the Liebrals to protect Khadr's rights. However, the TRUTH is that the Liebrals are a party of pathological liars who abandoned Omar Khadr as fast as they orphaned Leslie Hughes. And I think it's both a compliment and endorsement to the truth movement to have a clique of distinguished lying-liars oppose us in such a way. If I were you I'd try singing a different tune than what The Liebranos ® have for the sake of your own cred or what's left of it.[/off]
I never said that, either, but nice try. I said students protesting in the streets is a convenient diversion for the PQ junior wing of the Liebranos and their well connected friends in the private sector embroiled in corruption charges. The majority of Quebecers happen to be on the side of The Very Corrupt Liebranos ® (from here on abbreviated to TVCL) if only on the issue of tuition fees. That's not good for the kids or the fight for everyone's right to education.
I return you now to your concerted smear campaign against me based on whatever I wrote weeks ago in another thread which you don't even bother to quote from when steering us into the rhubarb.[/off2]
I've learned from the master.
M. Spector and Fidel, stop your griping. You are disrupting this thread.
White square movement calls for truce
This initiative has drawn support from some interesting quarters. Will have to give it some thought.
You're seriously thinking about this?
How about if someone came to a picket line and suggested the strikers go back to work for now and resume the strike months later - for their own safety, of course.
And right after the union had just voted overwhelmingly to reject the mangement's last offer!
Well, because it includes a moratorium on the fee hikes. There has been no such offer ever from management in this case, and it's the sole demand uniting all the students. So it's a little different from your scenario.
ETA: Here, have a look and tell me if you read it the same way I do:
http://sites.google.com/site/portezcarreblanc/
Great!! A white flag movement by any other name is still a white flag. Its time for the progressive political leaders and union leaders who have been steadily going backward for 25 years to get out of the way and stop trying to co-opt a real movement for change.
Unless there is news that is not in this piece this white flag movement wants to destroy the strike in exchange for begging Charest to have a moratorium and talks in the fall. Sounds like a lot of upper income families want their kids not to waste the money they have spent for their tuition so they are willing to talk.
Wow. Glad you folks don't do much judging from afar. Are you this militant in your own struggles, or only other people's?
Meanwhile, there's a dangerous situation developing today, as the government is again playing its divide and rule game, having phone discussions at least with FECQ (and they claim also with FEUQ), but not CLASSE. Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois is quoted as showing interest in the moratorium proposed by the trade union leaders, among others (including Gilles Duceppe, progressive physicians, etc.). There's a report on it here:
http://www.ledevoir.com/politique/quebec/349979/la-classe-se-dit-prete-a...