rabble.ca - Occupy

Globalizing resistance: Marxism conference this weekend in Toronto

derrick — Thu, 24 May 2012 13:16:07 -0400

This time last year, the effects of the Arab Spring had already inspired millions of people around the world to think about the possibility of revolution - and the role that they themselves could play in creating a better world.

While political pundits and right-wing leaders argued that the revolutions would never last (and that they had no connection to what was going on over here), activists had other ideas.

Occupy shines light on capitalism's inequality

Activist Communiqué: Ottawa students occupy the offices of the University of Ottawa

Krystalline Kraus — Thu, 24 May 2012 11:30:03 -0400

Ottawa students occupy the Offices of the University of Ottawa

Reports on the scene from the Toronto Media Co-op state that unionized staff from the University of Ottawa were sent home today with pay.

For an on-site interview, please see: Interview (5 mins) from inside University of Ottawa administrative offices barricade.

I will keep updating this story as news rolls in.

Here is the press release.

Offices of the University of Ottawa barricaded by its students

OTTAWA, ON,

24 May 2012

Eyewitness to the Chicago NATO protests

derrick — Mon, 21 May 2012 15:54:42 -0400

Days after getting my master's degree in journalism from Columbia University, I arrived in Chicago yesterday morning for a family vacation and promptly felt like the dumbest journalist alive.

I've been following the Occupy Wall Street movement since it started last September, and covered it for the Georgia Straight and Herizons. As a social justice activist from Vancouver, witnessing the birth of Occupy while living in New York this year was an exhilarating (and because of police brutality, a sometimes horrifying) experience.

Activist Communiqué: Occupy Toronto to march in solidarity with the Quebec student strike

Krystalline Kraus — Sun, 20 May 2012 16:50:32 -0400

In support of striking students in Quebec against the Charest government and Law 78, Occupy Toronto is answering the call from Quebec to bring the spirit of the student strike to Ontario.

Both Quebec and Ontario students have the same demands, accessible education.

In Quebec, the student strike - which sparked the Maple Spring - has been going on for months. 160,000 students are on strike, approximately 35% of the post-secondary student population in the province. Of those, 65,000 are CEGEP students, all in Montreal and surrounding regions.

Activist Communiqué: City of Montreal bans wearing masks at demonstrations

Krystalline Kraus — Fri, 18 May 2012 21:45:43 -0400

Montreal city councillors voted today to approve a city-wide bylaw that bans the wearing of masks at public protests in a vote that passed 33-25.

The ban on wearing masks comes into effect tomorrow as thousands of students took to the streets tonight to protest the ban and the new bylaw by the Quebec General Assembly that severely restricts the rights of demonstrators in the province.

"When a cause is just, why is it necessary to hide behind a mask?" Mayor Gérald Tremblay quipped at a news conference after the vote.

Activist Communiqué: Occupy Toronto Free School this Sunday at St. James Park

Krystalline Kraus — Sat, 19 May 2012 23:39:27 -0400

Occupy Toronto Free School this Sunday at St. James Park

MEDIA ADVISORY - FREE SCHOOL (SKULE) OCCUPY AFFINITY GROUP OFFERING OUTDOOR EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS TO RAISE FUNDS AND AWARENESS ABOUT ALTERNATIVES FOR EDUCATION IN COMMUNITIES.

Beginning Sunday May 20 at St James Park from Noon 'till evening and ongoing weekly in different areas of the city. See TorontoFreeSkule.blogspot.ca for classes and teaching info as it develops.

Statement:

Activist Communiqué: Open letter to the Canadian Federation of Students

Krystalline Kraus — Wed, 16 May 2012 11:54:31 -0400

Update:

Occupy Toronto has endorsed a demonstration to bring the Quebec student strike to Ontario.

Spread the Quebec Strike. Demand Free Education.

Tuesday May 22, 2012

2:00 pm

Hart House (U of T)

7 Hart House Circle

The following is an open letter to the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS), signed by student activists and supporters of the student movement across Canada.

Support Quebec Students by Bringing the Movement to Ontario!

To our representatives at the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) and affiliated student union locals,

Meet the editor! What do you think of rabble.ca's coverage of the Quebec student protests?

rabble staff — Thu, 17 May 2012 20:12:41 -0400

rabble.ca Editor Derrick O'Keefe will be on babble, our online discussion forum, this afternoon for the latest installment of "Oh Good Grief, O'Keefe." Please note the new time as we experiment with finding the best slot to encourage reader participation. Join us today at 12:00 p.m. PST/3:00 p.m. EST to chat with Derrick.

Refugee and Immigrant rights groups demand Bill C-31 be scrapped

johnbon — Wed, 16 May 2012 18:20:39 -0400

Members of No One is Illegal Toronto and Occupy Toronto protested outside Conservative MP Joe Oliver’s office on Wednesday morning, demanding that the Conservatives cancel, what has come to be known as, the Refugee Exclusion Act.

Listen to an interview with Katie Berger of Occupy Toronto and Syed Hussan of No One is Illegal Toronto.

From the press release:

Occupy Toronto and No One Is Illegal Toronto have shut down MP Joe Oliver’s office at 511 Lawrence Avenue West to demand that the Refugee Exclusion Act, Bill C-31, be discarded.

Simultaneously occupations at Conservative MP offices are underway in London, ON, while a banner was dropped in Ottawa as part of a coordinated and escalating campaign.

Diversity is strength: Occupy McMaster continues on

Campus Notes — Tue, 15 May 2012 17:59:51 -0400

The Occupy McMaster movement started in November 2011, when a group of McMaster students sought to stand in solidarity with the Occupy movements around the world. More than a year later Occupy McMaster continues to grow, evolving in number and activity.

Activist Communiqué: Occupied Ottawa update, May 2012

Krystalline Kraus — Tue, 15 May 2012 12:30:17 -0400

This is a guest post from Christophe Elie.

May 1, 2012 - An eventful month at "Occupy Ottawa" saw the General Assembly approve a change of name to "Occupied Ottawa." This discussion began the day the movement began and has been an ongoing discussion in particular in Oakland, Seattle and Toronto.

In Toronto, a Decolonization Statement was issued by the Occupy Toronto Cloud Gardens General Assembly.

Revivals of protest in the class war

gerry caplan — Mon, 14 May 2012 09:19:02 -0400

When Linda McQuaig and Neil Brooks write their sequel to The Trouble With Billionaires, let's hope they'll help us understand why the 1 per cent whine even when they win.

Take Stephen Schwarzman, chairman of one of the world's largest private equity firms, the Blackstone Group; worth $4.7 billion, Mr. Schwarzman is the 52nd richest person in America. He describes his business philosophy candidly: "I want war, not a series of skirmishes. ... I always think about what will kill the other bidder." He sees Wall Street locked in fierce battle with President Barack Obama which he once described, yes, as a war: "It's like when Hitler invaded Poland in 1939."

Activist Communiqué: Occupy Winnipeg, Occupy Ottawa and Occupy Montreal re-occupied

Krystalline Kraus — Mon, 14 May 2012 12:07:34 -0400

Here's news from recent occupations in Winnipeg, Ottawa and Montreal.

Occupy Winnipeg:

Occupy Winnipeg set up a temporary camp in the Exchange District of Winnipeg on Thursday May 10, 2012 as a celebration of resistance and stayed the night.

More than a dozen people erected a few tents in Old Market Square for one evening in defiance of City of Winnipeg city bylaws that forbids the erecting of tents on city owned property. That said, the camp was able to remain throughout the night without police intervention.

Moments of Excess: Essential reading for Occupy and Quebec student activists

alex — Thu, 10 May 2012 01:07:18 -0400

As attention turns toward the mass student strike on the streets of Montreal, ongoing for three months, the Quebec student movement clearly exemplifies the power that activism holds to shape our collective imagination.

The student protests distant from the halls of political power in Quebec City, are largely setting the terms of political debate on moves by the Quebec government to significantly hike post-secondary tuition fees.

Activists protest outside Bank of America's shareholder meeting

rabble staff — Thu, 10 May 2012 07:49:59 -0400

Shareholder meetings can be routine, unless you are Bank of America, in which case it may be declared an "extraordinary event." That is what the city of Charlotte, N.C., called the bank's shareholder meeting this week. Bank of America is currently the second-largest bank in the U.S. (after JPMorgan Chase), claiming more than $2 trillion in assets. It also is the "too big to fail" poster child of Occupy Wall Street, a speculative banking monstrosity that profits from, among other things, the ongoing foreclosure crisis and the exploitation of dirty coal.

From Occupy Ottawa to Occupied Ottawa: An update from OO

Aalya — Wed, 09 May 2012 12:01:22 -0400

Occupied Ottawa will be baaaaaaaack on May 12th. But we didn't really go away. In this blog, allow me to present guest bloggers Matt Morgan and John Bainbridge w/ an interview of Squid Murgatroyd, writing here to give you all an update.

N.B. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of Occupied Ottawa.

99% Spring: New radical alliances for a new era

Joshua Kahn Russell — Thu, 10 May 2012 11:48:11 -0400

Last month, a broad alliance of organizations from across the progressive spectrum came together to train 100,000 people in non-violent direct action in the hopes of supporting a wave of action targeting corporations and the politicians that own them. It was called 99% Spring. Some also called it "co-optation." We call it "alliance building."

The conversation within the movement has been fascinating, and reveals some key pitfalls that the resurgent U.S. Left might fall into if we're not careful.

The importance of dealing with Occupy's misogyny problem

derrick — Wed, 09 May 2012 09:23:51 -0400

Back in the days of our encampment, I remember reading and hearing discussion about Occupy's "asshole problem."

Activist Communiqué: Occupied Ottawa returns! - Saturday

Krystalline Kraus — Tue, 08 May 2012 15:40:42 -0400

Occupied Ottawa Returns!

The Deets:
Saturday May 12, 2012
3:00 pm start
March begins at Canadian Tribute to Human Rights (Corner of Elgin and Lisgar)

The Call Out:

Free Parking! Occupied Ottawa Returns!
(March, Speakers, Demonstration and Rally)

Occupied Ottawa (formerly Occupy Ottawa) acknowledges that Ottawa is unceded and unsurrendered Algonquin territory.

On Saturday, May 12, Occupied Ottawa will be back in the streets and the parks, asserting that we have the right to protest, organize and resist in public space.

March will include speakers:

Activist Communique: Occupy Winnipeg to re-occupy Thursday

Krystalline Kraus — Tue, 08 May 2012 16:22:00 -0400

Occupy Winnipeg to re-occupy

The Deets:

Thursday, May 10, 2012
7:00 pm start
Mondragon Cafe, Bookstore and Grocery
1-91 Albert Street
Winnipeg, MB

The Call Out:

7:00pm assemble at Mondragon then occupy Old Market Square.
Bring signs, tent, sleeping bag, food etc...

On May Day after the march we had a GA and there was consensus to occupy old market square even for just one night.

Activist Communique: Occupons/Occupy Montreal re-occupies on Saturday

Krystalline Kraus — Tue, 08 May 2012 17:09:08 -0400

Occupons/Occupy Montreal re-occupies on Saturday

The deets:

Saturday May 12, 2012 at 12:00pm until Wednesday September 5 at 7:00am
Start Metro Square Victoria (Place des Peuple)

The Call Out (English at bottom):

NOTEZ: Pas de tentes! (info vers le bas)

Nous sommes 99%

99% responsables du monde où nous survivons

99% indifférents aux destructions, censures, exploitations et violations des droits humains

99% passifs face aux abus et à la corruption de nos sociétés

99% pour qui le confort vaut le sacrifice du reste

99% complices par nos modes de consommation, notre silence et notre obéissance

Smash the State Report: Indigenous resistance and Quebec student strike

dan kellar — Sun, 06 May 2012 22:10:53 -0400

Friday April 27, 2012 - This Smash the State Report starts off with info on the re-opening of the abortion debate in Canada, then jumps into the Quebec student strike with a critique from Stefan Christoff of mainstream coverage, before an update of the April 28th Walk for Peace Respect and Friendship .

Turning point against austerity: Left makes big gains in Greek elections

derrick — Sun, 06 May 2012 18:20:35 -0400

Today's general election in Greece has turned out to be a historic turning point in Greek politics, with implications for the whole of Europe.

Combined with the ousting of President Sarkozy in France - and this week's UK local election results and the poor showing for Merkel's Conservatives in German regional elections today - it indicates the political crisis generated by austerity.

Since the fall of the military dictatorship in 1974, Greek politics has been dominated by two parties: the centre-left PASOK and the centre-right New Democracy. Since 1981, these two parties have consistently scored at least 77 per cent between them in general elections. Yet they have a combined total of around 35 per cent today - an extraordinary collapse.

Psychiatric survivors prepare to occupy Canada’s largest psychiatric facility

johnbon — Fri, 04 May 2012 18:18:06 -0400

For years they’ve faced unending prejudice.

Shunned by society. Locked away in psychiatric facilities. Forcibly medicated. Abandoned by their families and society at large.

Because they’re different. Because they don’t conform to psychiatry’s definition of “normal” behavior.

And for that they’re punished. Labeled in dozens of ways in an ever growing “bible” of psychiatric disorders.

The 2000 edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders describes 283 disorders which is almost three times the number reported in 1952.

And that number continues to grow.

Smash The State Report: Walks, evictions, occupations and Wente

dan kellar — Thu, 03 May 2012 13:05:07 -0400

The Smash the State Report updates on the Walk for Peace, Respect, and Friendship, a piece from Julian Ichim on Legitimacy in movements, looks into the #occupytoronto eviction of #ranoufthegoof, looks at #occupy Venezuela - Chavez style, updates us on the Canadian gov't support for