Toronto Rally: War criminals not welcome here!

43 posts / 0 new

Wed, 2009-05-20 19:14

Krystalline Kraus Krystalline Kraus's picture

Please forward widely.

Guess who's coming to Toronto... George Bush, war criminal!
Be there to give him the welcome he deserves!

RALLY
War criminals not welcome here!
Friday, May 29 from 3pm to 6pm
Metro Toronto Convention Centre, 255 Front Street West
TTC: Union

Featuring
Music, spoken word, drumming, speeches, games, outdoor carnival and more!

Event on facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/event.php?eid=89123079461

From launching an illegal war on Iraq that has killed over one million people, to advocating torture at Guantánamo Bay and secret detention centres around the world, Bush has lots to answer for - and should be held to account. Join us for a city-wide rally on May 29 - the day that Bush is slated to speak in Toronto - to demand that he be charged and arrested for war crimes.

One week earlier, on May 22, join us for a public forum to hear international law experts and civil liberties campaigners explain the myriad of crimes committed by the Bush administration, and to find out how Bush could formally be charged with war crimes in Canada.

Also find out how other US leaders - including former US president Bill Clinton, who will appear with Bush on May 29 - could be charged with war crimes, too.

Wed, 2009-05-20 19:35

Fidel

Dont forget to bring your Groucho Marx nose and glasses, and smile for the SPP candid security cameras.

Wed, 2009-05-20 19:42

Krystalline Kraus Krystalline Kraus's picture

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!!

Salut Everyone! We need volunteers to make this forum and protest work. Obviously, we cannot have Bush and Clinton come here with only a tiny whisper from us, we need to roar!
Which means we need your help. (many roars! -- c'mon, you know you want to!!)

If you would like to offer your humble services to our humble organizing, or for more information, please contact [email protected]

Or come to our next organizing meeting:

May 25 (Mon) at 7pm
Steelworkers' Hall, 25 Cecil Street
East of Spadina, south of College

The Toronto Coalition to Stop the War is Toronto's city-wide anti-war coalition, comprised of more than 70 labour, faith and community organizations, and a member of the Canadian Peace Alliance.

http://www.nowar.ca | [email protected] | 416-795-5863

MERCI!
Krystalline

Wed, 2009-05-20 20:01

High Anxiety

Are Tamil Tigers or their supporters allowed?

Wed, 2009-05-20 20:23

RevolutionPlease RevolutionPlease's picture

High Anxiety wrote:

Are Tamil Tigers or their supporters allowed?

Your question sounds very offensive. If you're talking about the Canadians who have been protesting the situation in Sri Lanka, why would you have any reason to think otherwise?

What's your concern?

Wed, 2009-05-20 21:46

Sineed

Fidel wrote:

Dont forget to bring your Groucho Marx nose and glasses, and smile for the SPP candid security cameras.

In 1990, I marched in a peace demonstration in San Francisco with the Communist Party of Northern California (long story...) Anyway, I figure they already know about me.

My kids were impressed with those placards they made in Calgary, the ones with the shoes attached, and want to make some similar.

Thu, 2009-05-21 11:34

Krystalline Kraus Krystalline Kraus's picture

High Anxiety wrote:

Are Tamil Tigers or their supporters allowed?

as one of the organizers, i can confidentally say: "we are not barring Tamil-Canadians from our demo" .....they are TAMIL-CANADIANS, btw....

going out on a bit of a limb here, .... HIGH ANXIETY + Question about Tamil-Canadian presense at the demo = are you anxious about being in the same place with an ethinicity different than your own?

Thu, 2009-05-21 14:26

Doug

High Anxiety wrote:
Are Tamil Tigers or their supporters allowed?

I'm pretty sure LTTE supporters won't be the only embarrassing people present.

Thu, 2009-05-21 15:55

WarCriminalsOut WarCriminalsOut's picture

I am pleased to see that a demo and other events are being planned in Toronto and applaud the efforts of grassroots organizers, but must ask why does NoWar.ca not want to properly address the War Crimes of Bill Clinton?

Why does he get a pass ? With all the focus on Bush?? The Calgary demo was widely characterized in the media as being "anti-Bush", even though the vast majority of visible signs referred to Bush as a war criminal, and thus it is easily dismissed. Here we have another opportunity to show that our demonstrations are not political , but rather "prinicpled".

The Anti-War / Peace Movement needs to get out of the fake Left-Right paradigm and stop giving the impression that everyone who is anti-war is simply a "Bush hater" who turns a blind eye to the crimes of so-called left leaders like Clinton and Obama. These people all serve the same globalist financial masters. Just follow the money, including to see who is financing many protest groups, to keep us marching in circles and getting nowhere, while they continue to wage war and make profits.

The "Coalition of the Willing" are equal opportuniy protesters. http://warcriminalsout.com/criminal_clinton.html

Let's not forget the crimes committed in Serbia / Kosovo and that Clinton maintained sanctions in Iraq and was very much responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqis starving to death there, long before Dubya and Gulf War II. I would also advise others who have not done so, to take good hard look at what really happened in Oklahoma City.

Let us not forget NAFTA either. Who signed that?

Thu, 2009-05-21 16:11

#10

Snert

Quote:
Let us not forget NAFTA either. Who signed that?

A war criminal?

Thu, 2009-05-21 16:30

#11

Cueball

No. A sarcastic bastard who thought of no one but himself. Someone who doubtlessly cast his eye about the world with a cynical view without hope and saw all acts or thoughts as thoughts and acts of hypocrisy and self interest. Coming from there, he convinced himself that he was no better or worse than anyone else, and so justified his own privilege, and what he did to maintain it, as nothing more or less than anyone else would do, were they in his shoes, regardless of his personal corruption and soulessness.

Hypocrisy was everywhere, and so why question anything, set a moral standard, or do anything other than act out of self-interest?

It's a convenient way to look at the world, don't you think?

Sun, 2009-05-24 20:22

#12

thanks

was thinking of that article in the Sri Lanka thread that said the US had military planners working with Rajapaksa months before the onslaught. i guess this would have been under Bush's tenure. he's a war criminal on more than one front.

Sun, 2009-05-24 20:38

#13

thanks

was thinking about this protest coming up, and that Bush and Clinton, and their hosts here, for that matter, are fossil fool financiers.

[had read http://www.rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/nima-maleki/2009/05/afghanistan-and-... and its asia times link story and was thinking of the economy and ecology stuff as i tend to. as i tend to the garden..]

Bush-Cheney-Haliburton, Exxon, Imperial-Harper, BP-Brezhinski, and Chevron-Rice- still advising Obama, and the bankers funding all those pipelines and infrastructure in Afghanistan and Iraq (with taxpayers money), and Canada, as they up-the-climate-change-ante with China in places they can bomb with impunity, like Sri Lanka. all over fossil fuels and fossil fuel shipping routes. glossed with a bit of 'green' private hydro glam of course. whilst these financial fools keep trashing the economy and the planet.

i didn't see any reason why Tamil Canadians, and any residents of this country who were concerned about peace, the environment, or economy couldn't participate in this event.

Tue, 2009-05-26 11:25

#14

thanks

vs. criminals of war against the earth:

In contrast to the visit of Dynastic Bush to the land of Imperial-Harper, in the dying days of fossil fools,

a song of a visit to Antarctica, with guidance by the Emperor penguins.

[great tune and lyrics by Ian Tamblyn www.tamblyn.com]

The Emperors

I was staring down the post of Shackleton

when the Emperors came stollin' 'cross the sea.

They stood with a grace and nobility

and when they looked, they looked through me.

Now maybe its the days

and the wind and the sun,

the sun shining down like gold,

or maybe it's the time in my life but when they called, I was ready to go.

Take me

Where you will, where you go,

I will follow,

following close behind.

Where you will, where you go,

I will follow,

following close behind.

Now the First One said 'What have we got',

'The boy must be lost' said Two,

But the Third One said, 'Just keep walkin''

- that's exactly what I did too.

So we walked and we walked by the air of the shore,

where the sun glanced diamonds to my eyes,

and step by step we found our way

'till we reached the other side.

Take me

Where you will, where you go

I will follow,

following close behind.

Where you will, where you go

I will follow,

following close behind.

There I thought of poor old Scott

and how he must have felt,

wandering through a land where no man belongs

and dying with his hands reaching out.

But the Emperors they belong here

and they gave me this advice,

'Oh don't go reaching for that brass ring

when you're walking cross the fields of ice.'

Take me.

Where you will, where you go

I will follow,

following close behind.

Where you will, where you go

I will follow,

following close behind.

Tue, 2009-05-26 19:48

#15

Krystalline Kraus Krystalline Kraus's picture

Americans and Canadians -- SEND A MESSAGE TO BUSH, LITERALLY! -- tell him how you really feel!!!!

Salut Everyone,

Bush (and Mr. Clinton) are coming to Toronto this Friday (all together now: BOOOO!!!!)

As part of our day of action, we want to lay out an UNWELCOME MAT for BUSH, with messages of protest from all over to show him the whole world is aware of his war criminal acts.

Here;s what you can do, AMERICANS and CANADIANS and GLOBAL CITIZENS!

Send us a quick message, we will print it out on paper and glue it to our unwelcome mat, which will be unroll for Bush on Friday.

Please send us your messages by e-mail to [email protected] Please keep your messages to one page, so we can easily print them and paste them to the unwecome mat.

merci,
krystalline

Wed, 2009-05-27 11:43

#16

thanks

cool. i'll think about this...

Thu, 2009-05-28 11:17

#17

NDPP

If indeed "War criminals not welcome here" we must accept the fact that we also have our own too. Here's some preparatory items for friday afternoon's rally:

Michael Mandel on war crimes (vid): http://canadiandimension.com/bestoftheweb/2337

U.S Military Investigator Confirms Women and Children were Raped at Abu Ghraib: http://www.uruknet.info?p=54629

Images of Abu Ghraib: http://www.uruknet.info?p=20656

Canadian anti-war efforts have been woefully inadequate and unsupported by most of the citizenry. It is high time that people started taking this seriously and became involved.

Thu, 2009-05-28 13:07

#18

thanks

this is the message that i'm sitting with at present

for the unwelcome mat tomorrow:

"We need a new system that puts nature's rights and human rights first, along with the accountability of presidents, prime ministers, and all economic and political processes, towards fulfillment of those rights. Where rights have been abused, we need to bring perpetrators to justice and make fundamental changes towards restitution and prevention."

yeah, too wordy i know. but it's less than a page!

Thu, 2009-05-28 20:35

#19

PeterFocks

I think a better idea to get your point accross would be to strap explosives to yourselves and detonate in the name of your cause. That way we'llreally take you seriously.

Thu, 2009-05-28 20:37

#20

Michelle

Banned.

Fri, 2009-05-29 12:38

#21

thanks

I hope things go well today at this protest.

Under George W. Bush we saw a devastating turn to the private banker casino enforced by military, around the world.

This approach needs to be condemned and reversed.

We need peace, justice and real democracy.

Fri, 2009-05-29 22:51

#22

NDPP

CTV 6:00PM news reported about a hundred protestors. City TV a couple of hundred. Even given the usual media minimizing of numbers a pathetic and embarassing response. Calgary did far better. Oh well at least the event had a full house or so they said.

Fri, 2009-05-29 23:05

#23

Sineed

Yes; a pity such a poor turnout. I was planning on it, but my youngest has chicken pox (where's the smilie with spots?)

Dubya said an interesting thing. He says he doesn't believe that Canadians should require passports to come to the US; that Canada is "special," and such measures applied to us are overblown.

Sat, 2009-05-30 01:50

#24

NDPP

this from CBC.ca:

Bush, Clinton get standing ovation after Toronto 'conversation:

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2009/05/29/clinton-bush-conversation-toro...

Sat, 2009-05-30 06:53

#25

Michelle

I wanted to go too, but I wasn't feeling well.

Sat, 2009-05-30 09:11

#26

Frmrsldr

CBC Radio also said that Clinton and Bush advocated that Canada should "stay the course in Afghanistan" and praised Obomba's troop surge.

So there you have it. Three Presidents are putting subtle pressure (when it comes to Harper, it won't take too much - he has too much of a 'hard on' for this war) on Canada to keep Canadian troops in Afghanistan beyond the 2011 troop disengagement date. Not that we didn't see this coming.

When Harper made his recent unannounced visit to Kandahar City, Afghanistan, he explained the troops' mission would change (in name only) from predominantly combat to more emphasis on reconstruction, development and humanitarian aid.

Bullshit. Soldiers are not trained to do this kind of work. Never have been. The troops will do what they have done since they first arrived in Afghanistan: Protect the NGOs, humanitarian groups and civillian construction companies. This means continued combat.

Harper also pointed out that with the U.S. troop surge in Kandahar province (as well as everywhere else), Canadian troops were going to pull out of Kandahar province and hunker down in Kandahar City.

Will the Konservatives leave Kanadian kombat troops to the same fate as was meted out to the French at Dien Bien Phu and the Americans at Khe Sahn?

Shortly after Harper assumed office, he went to Afghanistan. After that, he escalated Canada's military engagement in Afghanistan - not once, but twice - to 2011 through two war resolutions that were passed by the House. Now he's using a 'sleight of hand' (see above) to bypass Parliament and fool the Canadian people into accepting Canadian troops in Afghanistan beyond the 2011 disengagement date. Harper knows there is no other way he can do it.

In Operation Medusa (September 7 - September 28, 2006) U.S. and Canadian troops used white phosphorus in Afghanistan. No Afghan casualties were reported but slight Canadian casualties were reported. White phosphorus is used on a regular basis by ISAF troops in Afghanistan. Canadian troops still hand over Afghan POWs to American troops and Afghan soldiers and police, both of whom are known to torture prisoners. As a result of constant 'dial-a-strikes' by air and artillery by Canadian troops, Afghan civilians are killed every week. So let us not forget our own homegrown war criminal - Stephen Harper.

Sat, 2009-05-30 11:21

#27

thanks

thanks for the info here Frmrsldr, i think we need more of the kind of details that you describe eg. phosphorus use by our troops, the strategies being used as you say the pressure put on to extend the aggression- that it never will be something different than aggression, and that we are firmly integrated with the US army, in torture as in drone bombing of civilians.

this info isn't getting out to people in this country At All.

there can be no adequate ground response to this vicious profiteering war against people and planet without adequate info about what's happening on the ground in Afghanistan.

Sat, 2009-05-30 19:23

#28

Lard Tunderin Jeezus Lard Tunderin Jeezus's picture

So sorry I couldn't make it, statica. Disappointing turnout, by the sounds of it.

I had planned to attend, but my dear mother was called up for elective surgery out of town, and I needed to be there.

Sun, 2009-05-31 02:35

#29

NDPP

"Outdoors, however, a throng of noisy but almost farcically well-behaved protesters (this is Toronto, after all) demanded that Toronto's police force immediately arrest Mr. Bush for torture and other alleged war crimes. Their call was punctuated by an area in their cordoned-off protest zone where willing protesters politely lined up, waiting a turn to toss their footwear at an effigy of Mr. Bush that conveniently sat in as an undefended target for their pointed, but on this day, marginalized outrage."

http://wiselaw.blogspot.com/2009/05/clinton-and-bush-dont-ask-dont-tell....

Sun, 2009-05-31 05:45

#30

NDPP

CML - War Criminals and Zionist Reactionaries not Wanted

Bush and Clinton out of Toronto!

http://www.cpcml.ca/Tmld2009/D39107.htm#1

Sun, 2009-05-31 11:14

#31

thanks

re: #29-

talk about hypocritical ! a party CPCML, Communist Party of Canada Marxist Leninist, names itself after Lenin, who was responsible for mass terror and rape in his grab for power.

the presence of groups like this involved in protests contributes to the problem of minimal participation in protests, in my opinion.

perhaps people in the toronto area know Leninists are involved and thus stay away.

Sun, 2009-05-31 11:42

#32

Lard Tunderin Jeezus Lard Tunderin Jeezus's picture

Or perhaps people are too afraid of the vicious fascism on the rise in this country. Warmongering fascism that glorifies scum like George Bush and brings him into our midst despite the revulsion of the majority of Canadians.

Sun, 2009-05-31 12:15

#33

sanizadeh

Lard Tunderin Jeezus wrote:

Or perhaps people are too afraid of the vicious fascism on the rise in this country. Warmongering fascism that glorifies scum like George Bush and brings him into our midst despite the revulsion of the majority of Canadians.

Looking at the reasons people (including yourself) gave on this thread, it more seems like the issue was not really high on people's agenda (even the progressives) either.

Sun, 2009-05-31 12:33

#34

Lard Tunderin Jeezus Lard Tunderin Jeezus's picture

...including myself?

Interesting judgment. More interesting that you would feel qualified to make it...

Sun, 2009-05-31 12:37

#35

WillC

Quote:

Looking at the reasons people (including yourself) gave on this thread, it more seems like the issue was not really high on people's agenda (even the progressives) either.

You're using a small sample here. We haven't had such a repressive atmosphere since the Macarthy days of the fifties. A lot of things contributed to that. One of the biggest is the spillover from the US and Bush's 'you're either with us or against us" lie. So any dissent is seen by those people as aiding terrorism.

One of the greatest changes I noticed was under Fantino. As part of an anti-war rally we were walking past the US consulate, and were met by battalian strength hordes of police lined up ready to fight. Objecting to that reponse to a peaceful rally, I shouted, "Police State." One of the cops pointed at me, and another took my picture.

That was probably just a way of intimidating marchers. They can certainly get our pictures without being so obvious about it, but it certainly has seemed to work.

Sun, 2009-05-31 12:37

#36

thanks

actually, i don't think people are 'afraid' of the vicious fascism on the rise in this country, they're just going along with it because it seems an easy way out- but they don't get that i'ts short-term, economically, and for everything they may actually hold dear.

Sun, 2009-05-31 13:02

#37

sanizadeh

Lard Tunderin Jeezus wrote:

...including myself?

Interesting judgment. More interesting that you would feel qualified to make it...

I apologize if that was not the case. Just pointing out that everyone who posted here said they had a more important issue to attend to.

Sun, 2009-05-31 15:07

#38

NDPP

Friends and contacts in Europe and the Middle East are shocked when I relay the news that at most a couple hundred showed up to protest these mass murdering monsters. So much for the memory of the millions of victims and still dying. Maybe we are the enemy?

I suspect the reasons for the no-show have nothing to do with either red scares or police. Indifference and/or stupidity more likely. Perfect conditions for more fascism. When Condi came to U of C there was no official protest registered from ANY national academic or student movement. Not CAUT not CFS - nothing. Think Austria... and best start practicing your Sieg Heils. Attendance may be mandatory.

Sun, 2009-05-31 20:35

#39

Krystalline Kraus Krystalline Kraus's picture

to add some inside context to this. the morning of the demo, i turned on CBC at noon and they were reporting that thousands of people were expected at the protest. now, as an organizer, i was like "whoa!" until the news head announced that the numbers jump was because they (they, who?) expected a Tamil protest to join our demo. actually, the newshead stated they were afraid of a potential clash between pro-Tamil and pro-Sri Lankan protesters. ....news to me.

now for a demo that ran a few hours in one location, i know there was a lot of people dropping by, but i'd still put the numbers in the hundreds (500-700) tops. neither groups surrounding the Tamil conflict showed up at the demo as they went to their consulate instead, St. Clair Ave.

to be honest, to this circle of friends here, i was dissapointed in the numbers for two reasons. 1: the media fucked us over by saying they expected 10,000 people!!!! (thanks a lot CBC) so of course, it makes us look bad when we were expecting only 500-1,000 people from an organizer prespective.

also, i got the sense that a lot of toronto activists who i spoke to afterwards, in the casual and non-agreesive tone ask i told them about the demo, some had written off Bush as old news, others just had other things to do, even tho they agreed with me. in toronto itself, protests are not the cause-de-jour thing they used to be, and it's really hard to draw people out for anything, really.

i do feel saddness that this fell off the radar, both politically cuz i stand by the issue strongly and also personally being involved in the organization of it. i know from our end, we did everything we could to attract people tho maybe our organizing wasn't thinking big enough. maybe we should have set our sights on higher numbers in the first place? maybe the obvious sectarianism that pollutes the anti-war/activist movement in Toronto pressed this demo into the ground, since solidarity is non-existence in this city, as i heard some people chuckle or suck their teeth when they heard some of the groups involved, though the Toronto Coalition to Stop the War is non-partisan, it does have its International Socialists and its 9/11 Truthers involved.

maybe it was a lot of little things, activist snobbery included.... to that effect, Toronto is really like a large pitch where different groups have peed all over their territory and keep tp their corners and there isn't much cross solidarity. it's sad to say, i don't want to say it, but it's true.

...sorry if this sounds burnt out...but i am burnt out. a lot of this anti-solidarity is such bullshit. pardon my french,

Sun, 2009-05-31 21:14

#40

takeitslowly

I didn't go because i feel like it is a waste of time. Bush isn't going to be arrested. Why should i waste my time on giving him any attention at all? I know it might not be a very good argument, but that's the first reaction i had.

Sun, 2009-05-31 23:29

#41

Frmrsldr

"Well, as you know, I've always been very pro American." - Stephen Harper at the G20 summit.

Stephen Harper is a Bush clone.

Does anyone else see this?

Mon, 2009-06-01 09:09

#42

thanks

thanks statica for your very honest and clear reflections, which ring true for me given some of my earlier involvement from the outskirts.

and i totally agree on the media-announced-expectations thing. i have to say i think we babblers might have contributed to that, sometimes we, perhaps i should just say, 'i' project my own excess needs and hopes. without direct contact with those involved these hopes projected can end up being counter-productive.

but the bottom line here in terms of reality, is that it Was a very good turnout, as you say between 500 and 1000 of people, showing up as they were able during an afternoon brief workday event.

organizers and the rest of us can actually be quite happy about this.

on your reflection on the state of solidarity work, i've seen this too, and combined with time and priorities as well as tiredness.

on the state of solidarity work, i wonder if groups who are very disparate in language and approach can take the time to sit down consciously and try to name and work through their differences. personally, i'd love to see people consider new names for new convergences as has been suggested by Left Turn in the France thread. its very difficult, i know. but then we're left with fighting it out prior to, and during, major protests or seeing numbers shrink as intransigient differences take over. it may be a tendency to over-emphasis on different 'identities', while i know most people involved have some kind of class analysis, as has been said elsewhere as well.

well, i could keep thinking aloud here, but maybe it's counter-productive. i'm not on email anymore, so i don't know what's being posted around about planning for various upcoming events, or how coordination is being worked out.

anyway, wanted to thank you statica again for your work and info here, and hope you can take some space as well for recuperation.

Tue, 2011-02-15 17:49

#43

Fidel

[url=http://warisacrime.org/content/americans-spent-valentines-day-thanking-s... Spent Valentine's Day Thanking Spain for Prosecuting Bush Lawyers[/color][/url]

Meanwhile the US Establishment Newz Media Inc. ignore the whole thing.