Offensive against planned Pegida islamophobic demo in Petit Maghreb, Montréal

12 posts / 0 new

Mon, 2015-03-23 08:04

lagatta

http://www.ledevoir.com/societe/actualites-en-societe/435222/le-mouvemen...

A small, far-right group, named Pégida Québec (for the parent group in Germany that has been holding "evening walks" against supposed "islamisation") is planning to demonstrate in Petit-Maghreb of all places (in St-Michel, just east of the neighbourhood where I live) and a variety of antiracists and left groups are planning a counter-demonstration.

Le Petit-Maghreb is a neighbourhood where there are a lot of North African businesses, but there are still Italian ones, and many Haitian establishments and others from several different Latin American countries. In general, it is a poor, multicultural neighbourhood where there is a large number of newcomers. Its problems are typical of such neighbourhoods, whatever the ethnic origins of the inhabitants. And like everywhere else, there are condos going up, as it is on a métro line.

And an article from the Pest of all places:

http://news.nationalpost.com/2015/03/05/with-little-fanfare-infamous-rig...

Issues Pages:

Anti-Racism

Regions:

Mon, 2015-03-23 10:29

lagatta

I don't like to respond to my own post, but here is a statement by Québec solidaire on this:

http://www.ledevoir.com/politique/quebec/435196/opposer-l-espoir-a-la-haine

Fri, 2015-03-27 14:05

lagatta

Yes, but we have to bring in the comments on the other thread. I don't know how that can be done!

Sat, 2015-03-28 14:44

lagatta

Alexandre Boulerice speaks out against Pegida demonstration in Petit Magheb: http://www.jappuie-boulerice.org/le_racisme_n_est_pas_le_bienvenu_dans_r... Maria Mourani: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZlnuF3Sl9Y&feature=youtu.be She calls upon Harper to join Angela Merkel to speak out against this group.

https://openparliament.ca/debates/2015/3/24/maria-mourani-1/

Unanimous motion brought by Françoise David againt Pegida has been adopted by Qc National Assembly. Moreover, not only the mayor and council of Rosemont-La-Petite-Patrie (Projet Montréal), but also Mayor Denis Coderre have spoken out against this group.

By the way, the area is at the intersection of three boroughs: Rosemont-La-Petite-Patrie, Villeray-Saint-Michel-Parc-Extension and Saint-Léonard.

http://www.cbc.ca/m/touch/canada/story/1.3010083

Please also read the thread Unionist started about the anti-Pegida mobilisation: http://rabble.ca/babble/qu%C3%A9bec/anti-fascist-mobilization-against-pe...

Reading wikipedia, it seems that Pegida are not only bigoted but extremely ignorant: their first acts were opposing Kurdish PKK rallies in Germany.

Sat, 2015-03-28 15:01

alan smithee alan smithee's picture

Here's a prediction.

Riot police a la anti-austerity protests will be absent. And if they do show up,they'll harrass the anti-fascist demonstrators.

Sat, 2015-03-28 18:35

lagatta

Pegida demo CANCELLED!

http://ici.radio-canada.ca/regions/Montreal/2015/03/28/003-pegida-maghre...

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/pegida-qu%C3%A9bec-cancels-march-...

I'd disagree with that neighbourhood being called "largely Muslim". There are many Muslim Maghrebi people (I don't presume anything about their faith or lack of it, I mean as opposed to Jewish Maghrebi people, who tend to live more towards CDN) but also many people from the old Italian and "Québécois de souche" communities, Haitians, people from several Latin American countries, Southeast Asians, and I'm sure I'm forgetting people. "Petit Maghreb" is also a (very positive) commercial identity. It is an extremely multicultural area.

Do go there when a North African country is making waves in footie!

Sun, 2015-03-29 00:47

Unionist

Round 1, won by the people.

From Jaggi Singh's Facebook page:

Quote:
It was a good day today. The neo-fascist group PEGIDA cancelled their march (they could only mobilize maybe 10 people, max). Meanwhile, hundreds (upwards of 800) gathered and marched in opposition to racism and Islamophobia. The racists didn't march. Even if they wanted to they couldn't, because our presence would have prevented them from doing anything. Attached to this update is the flyer passed out during the demo (1000 distributed to by-standers) that eventually went from Pie-IX & Bélair to métro St-Michel along Jean-Talon, through the heart of what's called "Petit-Maghreb" (and was able to meet up with a contingent from the anti-austerity demo downtown). Our march, and the anti-austerity one, were both in open defiance of the police and the P-6 by-law. Keep in mind that there's another anti-racist demo organized tomorrow, Sunday, in response to "pro-Charter" people (yup, they still mobilize) who are going to protest outside of Adil Charkaoui's Arabic and Koran classes at Cégep Maisonneuve. The fb event is here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1560597334188876/. Will share news articles, photos and more from today's demo in the comments below. Thanks to everyone who made this possible, which in reality is many dozens and dozens of organizers, and of course all of us hundreds who showed up. No Pasaran!

Sun, 2015-03-29 01:32

6079_Smith_W

Wonderful news.

A perp walk might have provided a bit of satisfaction, but probably better they just canned it. Hope everything goes well on Sunday.

Sun, 2015-03-29 04:53

lagatta

There are many people in the Maghrebi community who aren't so sanguine about the content of Charkaoui's Arabic and Qoranic classes. I certainly supported him against the security certificate without trial or public motivation, but many parents in the community are concerned, after several of his pupils seemed to have joined ISIL or whatever it's called nowadays. Not all groups or individuals Harperites dislike are necessarily benign.The "enemy of my enemy" is not always my friend.

No shortage of wildly overqualified Arabic teachers here in Montréal! Actually, Rosemont and de Maisonneuve cégeps, or at least one of the two, should be teaching modern Arabic.

An aside, why on earth is that banner "Smash Pegida, gegen Nazis" in English and in German, but not in French? The "pro-Charte" people don't seem to be the only ones with a reactionary (in this case, old-school anglo supremacist) side.

Sun, 2015-03-29 23:51

#10

Unionist

This is getting worse - especially when you see how the MSM spins this:

[url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/anti-radicalization-protest-turns... protest turns violent in Montreal: Collège de Maisonneuve staked out by pro-secular charter, anti-Adil Charkaoui protesters[/url]

Mon, 2015-03-30 04:54

#11

lagatta

That one seemed to be a good demo to stay far away from. I'd certainly have nothing to do with the "Pro-Charte" people (although I do favour secularism) but it isn't just bourgeois media spin about Charkaoui. A lot of people in his community are deeply suspicious of his motivations.

Mon, 2015-03-30 08:11

#12

lagatta

A very good comment piece by Rima Elkouri, "Non aux cracheurs de haine", explaining that Pegida really is a far-right, intolerant movement

http://www.lapresse.ca/debats/chroniques/rima-elkouri/201503/26/01-48556... That all political spokespersons should speak out against it, but more importantly, a call for more democracy (as from the mayor of Oslo after Breivik's terror attack) and more knowledge and understanding of the "other", or rather the "others".