I think the Star and the Globe should start publishing the IP address of the commentors so that we can see how many are coming from the same person.
what I wanted to say in response to Stoccholm 1st of all the canadian gov banned the LTTE as a terrorist organization n it proly one of the main reasons they losing. Up till 06 when they were banned they were the most powerful freedom fighting group in the world 1st non-nation state to have aircraft. they controlled 80% of the area they wanted and were proly gonan get a seperate state. Conz blocc it, continue to give MILITARY AID to the Sinhalese gov n now u have this. So yes canada is hugely at fault because most of the LTTE funding came from here str8 up. Ppl are gonna look bacc n put canada n canadians at fault hugely for this genocide.
I think the Star and the Globe should start publishing the IP address of the commentors so that we can see how many are coming from the same person.
I hope to make it down to support this protest soon. Canada makes me ILL.
You nailed it thirusuj.
I think the Star and the Globe should start publishing the IP address of the commentors so that we can see how many are coming from the same person.
The hateful spewing going on there is nauseating. Getting the ISP won't help if they're using routers and sockpuppets.
And I think you nailed it because many of them look like the same sort of cut 'n' paste language. Same style of writing etc.
Oh yes, why won't we think about the poor pregnant women being inconvienenced! :rolleyes:
Of traffic and Tamils, apathy and action.
http://www.rabble.ca/news/2009/05/traffic-and-tamils
Yesterday the United Nations urged LTTE to allow tens of thousands of civilians to leave the combat area, and urged the government of Sri Lanka to assist with the evacuation, and to allow immediate delivery of humanitarian aid to the area.
Will the local Tamil community endorse this resolution? It's clearly in line with their stated goals: halting the bloodshed and ensuring the safety of Tamil civilians in the combat zone.
Can I just say that "ROFLCOPTERS" made me ROFL? :D
Check out this amazing response to Christie Blatchford's unbelievably racist article [66] about the Tamil protests.
But it isn't just the number of Tamils in Canada that alarms Christie Blatchford. She is also appalled that "we" (I assume that she means white Torontonians?) "are expected to accept on faith that they are properly and legally here and extend to them every privilege conferred by Canadian citizenship - and suck it all up without complaint."
Blatchford's entire article is broadly offensive, but I am genuinely amazed that this sentence was actually published in a major Canadian newspaper. It is difficult to know how to respond. Yes, Canadians are expected to accept that the people who are living here are here legally, unless they have some compelling reason for believing otherwise. And yes, you should generally accord your neighbours the same rights you expect. Although it would be interesting to find out what rights she was hoping to withhold from the Tamils after she makes her citizen's arrest.
Interestingly, it doesn't evens occur to Blatchford that there are Tamils living in Canada that were born here. In fact, there are lots of Tamils in Toronto who were, unlike her [67], actually born in the city.
One of my photos from yesterday's march past Yonge and Dundas in Toronto:
http://rabble.ca/multimedia/2009/05/younge-and-dundas-tamil-solidarity-r...
The rest of the photos I took:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/24056390@N03/sets/72157618136938388/ [69]
rabble's front page is covering this pretty decently eh?
Yeah, in video, article, and pictures!
Can I just say that "ROFLCOPTERS" made me ROFL? :D
Certainly.
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Check out this amazing response to Christie Blatchford's unbelievably racist article [66] about the Tamil protests.
I'm never surprised by what that {insert expletive HERE} no-mind bigot, Blatch spews. She also diva demands in all her contracts that she cannot be edited--which explains why no one tells her to STFU or points out her numerous, overpaid grammatical errors.
"Whose rights are really being trampled?
Torontonians feel they're being asked to suck up without complaint the complexities of an issue they're expected to accept on faith"
Obviously Blatch also thinks that everyone except Her Royal Great Self is a moron or too lazy to read articles other than hers, or research for themselves. Nothing like assuming your readership is made up of illiterate unthinking frootbats.
Oh wait, if they're taking Blatch seriously...
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Here we go again...
Push came to shove at the Tamil protest outside the U.S. Consulate on University Ave. Friday. A crowd of about 2,000 demonstrators gathered in the afternoon and told police they wanted to head to Yonge and Dundas Square, as conditions deteriorate in their Sri Lankan homeland.
When cops told them they wouldn't be allowed to make that journey, many standing behind carefully placed barricades began scuffling with officers, as their frustration boiled over. Tamils started pushing at police who began shoving back.
At one point, cops in riot gear and the mounted unit came up the street, prepared for anything. Crowds broke through a barrier for a time and threatened to stage a lie-in to block the road. But heavily reinforced police were able to get them back behind the barricades for a while, before the protestors, followed by a rolling blockade, finally made their way down Dundas St.
Some have begun a sit-in in front of the Eaton Centre (top left). That forced police to close down a section of southbound Yonge St. from Gould to Queen.
The streets downtown have become chaotic in places and you're being urged to avoid the area if possible.
http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_34607.aspx
I'm not sure that the general public are going to show tolerance much longer for these protests about something the Canadian government isn't responsible for and can't do a whole lot about.
"OMG! Anything could happen! Even a 'lie-in': outrage!."
I love the way that some people avoid taking responsibility for their own views by foisting off responsibility on the euphamistic "General Public." Of course the point is absurd in the face of the fact that the Canadian government has shown that it does consider iteself responsible enough, and effective enough to make a difference by assigning Tamil Eelam to the catergory of "terrorist" organization, an act that was directly aimed a preventing funding for the insurgency movement and thus clearly "took a side" in the conflict.
If it were not effective such a designation would be pointless. Obviously, there are things that the Canadian government can do, and this head in the sand, innocent shrug of the shoulders trope is in fact very much Cheshire Cat politics where the smiling politicians only appears at its own convenience, when otherwise it is unavailable for comment.
"Doing nothing" is "doing something", since the anti-Tamil policy has already been put into place.
idiots lol exactly cue b4 the can gov banned the movement mandem were bangin it out they had aircraft, controlled 80% of the turf they wanted, and even have training to other movements around the world. Fast forward to today Canadian gov actually funds the Sinhalese state, and by disallowing funding to the other is puttin not 1 but 2 thumbs up for genocide.
At the end of that article, it says that an "anti-Tamil protest" is planned for sometime this weekend.
What the heck is an "anti-Tamil protest"?
"A Buddhist monk believes an early morning fire at a temple in Scarborough is related to the ongoing conflict in Sri Lanka.
Police and the Ontario Fire Marshal's Office are investigating after the Sri Lankan Buddhist temple's east emergency entrance was found burning around 4:30 a.m.
Three monks were in the building, located on Kingston Rd. just south of Military Trail Rd., and escaped uninjured to a smaller building beside the temple after calling police.
Nalaka, a resident monk, said he believes the incident is connected to the war in Sri Lanka. He also said the monks have received threats in the last week."
Scarborough fire related to Sri Lankan conflict, monk says
At the end of that article, it says that an "anti-Tamil protest" is planned for sometime this weekend.
What the heck is an "anti-Tamil protest"?
I think it maybe, might, could possibly be about racism.
I'm not sure that the general public are going to show tolerance much longer for these protests about something the Canadian government isn't responsible for and can't do a whole lot about.
Actually that's untrue. We can demand a cease fire. We can demand neutral observers. We can demand media witnesses. We can send aid, emergency response teams and medical aid. That's all most Tamils are asking for across the globe.
This does not mean that SL will listen. It DOES mean however, that within the globally mounting pressure, the SL gov't can be forced to either allow these international measures or else being seen as a dictator government instead of a true "democracy" and can be held to account for human rights abuses at some point.
At the end of that article, it says that an "anti-Tamil protest" is planned for sometime this weekend.
What the heck is an "anti-Tamil protest"?
A KKK & Heritage Front rally?
Funny how the Tamils are protesting politics but a pile of gits want to get together and protest a certain group of people.
And what do we call THAT folks?
The Big "R" word!
@Webgear:
Yes I read that article earlier. The timing seems "off" to me. Too convenient.
Even so--it means one person did a bad thing. Not 250,000.
More slagging will result, I'm sure.
TVP
I have no view on the article, I was only posting the link.
I would in no way blame 250,000 people for the actions of a single person or a small group of people.
I'm not sure that the general public are going to show tolerance much longer for these protests about something the Canadian government isn't responsible for and can't do a whole lot about.
Actually that's untrue. We can demand a cease fire. We can demand neutral observers. We can demand media witnesses. We can send aid, emergency response teams and medical aid. That's all most Tamils are asking for across the globe.
This does not mean that SL will listen. It DOES mean however, that within the globally mounting pressure, the SL gov't can be forced to either allow these international measures or else being seen as a dictator government instead of a true "democracy" and can be held to account for human rights abuses at some point.
So...we can send a nasty letter and offer aid which would likely be rejected by the Sri Lankan government. That's pretty much what I meant by saying we can't do much. We could perhaps also cut off trade - this is what that amounts to: http://www.asiapacific.ca/en/publications/statistical-reports/canadas-merchandise-trade-with-sri-lanka
A good signal, but not that huge a deal for either country.
If the federal government did all that, would the protests stop? I'm not so sure. It seems like they're being driven more by events in Sri Lanka than they are by what the Canadian government is or is not doing.
doug just unban the LTTE n stop giving monetary aid to the sinhalese state that would be more then enough for the fedz to do which of course they wont
Rachel Sa from the Toronto Sun doesn't like Tamil-Canadian protesters blocking the streets of Toronto. I can understand that she is upset. She complains about women and children being involved in the Gardiner Expressway blockade. She can have her views about the children being involved. However, aren't women adults? Is there a rule in Canada that states that only men can protest?
http://www.torontosun.com/comment/columnists/rachel_sa/2009/05/17/9483466-sun.html
Rachel Sa from the Toronto Sun:
Last Sunday's storming of the Gardiner Expressway was the final straw for many Torontonians. That massive disruption, coupled with the sight of women and children at the front of the protest lines, eroded most lingering sympathy for the Tamil cause and admiration for your determination. Yes, you got our attention, but it's the wrong kind of attention.
If the federal government did all that, would the protests stop? I'm not so sure. It seems like they're being driven more by events in Sri Lanka than they are by what the Canadian government is or is not doing.
Well the Tigers have conceeded.
The question is "what next"?
Such protests take a great deal of time, energy and committment. Hopefully it will now be used to ensure the the Tamils are not discriminated against nor left to rot in internment camps and are allowed to go home.
We'll see what the results are and how much accountability the SL government takes for the slaughter of innocents.
Rachel Sa from the Toronto Sun doesn't like Tamil-Canadian protesters blocking the streets of Toronto. I can understand that she is upset. She complains about women and children being involved in the Gardiner Expressway blockade. She can have her views about the children being involved. However, aren't women adults? Is there a rule in Canada that states that only men can protest?
http://www.torontosun.com/comment/columnists/rachel_sa/2009/05/17/9483466-sun.html
The complaints of Canadians[and these aren't the first nor are the Tamils the only people to take kids to protests] are ludicrous.
In every country of the world, children are included. Why? Because it is their future at risk.
No one comments that the children of Oka had guns shoved in their faces and pointed at their parents while the police illegally searched everyone's home. We don't comment when parents are dragged off, beaten and arrested in front of their children for political reasons if they are arrested at their residences.
Not every protester can arrange for child care during a protest. So, all parents should stay home instead? On struggles that affect the quality of their children's lives?
When there are "education" or "breastfeeding publicly" protests--we don't whinge when there are children present. It's obvious why they are there. Because it affects the lives of those children. Yet, if it's the Tamils or OCAP suddenly it's not acceptable?
Far too many Canadians, some activists included, think of protesting as some sort of game they are playing with nice policemen marching and waving them pleasantly down the street with permits, and agreements and a lovely little picnic on the Queen's Park lawn at the end. Too many have no concept of the sorts of protests that exist everywhere else in the world and that protesting is about taking over common space effectively--common space shouldn't require "permits", "police notifications" or "permission".
Protesting is not supposed to be a game [although it can have elements of street theatre and enjoyment].
It's about real people with serious concerns. Those concerns affect the lives of children and parents as well.
All these "rules" about "how to protest the right way" are simply excuses to ignore the message and shoot the messengers.
Period.
Sorry if it came across as blame Webgear--I just was trying to refer back to the article and see what your opinion was.
If the federal government did all that, would the protests stop? I'm not so sure. It seems like they're being driven more by events in Sri Lanka than they are by what the Canadian government is or is not doing.
Well the Tigers have conceeded.
The question is "what next"?
Such protests take a great deal of time, energy and committment. Hopefully it will now be used to ensure the the Tamils are not discriminated against nor left to rot in internment camps and are allowed to go home.
We'll see what the results are and how much accountability the SL government takes for the slaughter of innocents.
tigers surrendered? show the article or I wont believe. We Will Fight Till the Last Tiger is the saying n nuff have made true on that for me to be skeptical about u saying they surrendered
Whether true or not, it's all over the media that they have, with quotes attributed to tamilnet.com (tamilnet's not loading for me right now).
One story: http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/south-asia/ltte-leader-prabhakaran-r...
At the end of that article, it says that an "anti-Tamil protest" is planned for sometime this weekend.
What the heck is an "anti-Tamil protest"?
I think it maybe, might, could possibly be about racism.
Gee, you think? ;) No kidding, huh?
Sorry if it came across as blame Webgear--I just was trying to refer back to the article and see what your opinion was.
No problem, I did not think you were trying to lay blame.
P.S. Don't get me started on the whole bullshit "woman-and-children" thing. I've ranted about it before. Like, hello, WOMEN ARE NOT CHILDREN. Women are not LIKE children. Women are not EQUIVALENT to children. Women are like adults. Like adult men. Equal to adult men. Equivalent to adult men when it comes to political action.
Women are not children women are not children women are not children women are not children!
Whether true or not, it's all over the media that they have, with quotes attributed to tamilnet.com (tamilnet's not loading for me right now).
One story: http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/south-asia/ltte-leader-prabhakaran-r...
Would this be considered a successful counter-insurgency operation for the Sri Lankan government?
it aint gonna be over str8 up ppl are gonna go from conventional attacs to hitnrun tactics u know they aint gonna stop
Sri Lanka rebels 'call ceasefire'
Tamil rebels trapped in a tiny enclave of northern Sri Lanka have declared a ceasefire, a rebel spokesman says.
The Tamil Tigers (LTTE) had given up their fight against a major government offensive and "decided to silence our guns", he said on a pro-Tamil website.
"This battle has reached its bitter end," said Selvarasa Pathmanathan, the Tigers' chief of international relations, in a statement on Tamilnet.
It does appear the fight is over.
Depending on where a protest in the world, a group cannot always organize a nice protest. We only have to see how a gay protest was broken up by the Russian police. In other parts of the world, protests need to be quickly organized in secret and quickly implemented before the local police or military take action.
A few weeks ago, the Tamil-Canadian community surprised the police by starting a protest in front of the US consulate early in the morning.
Children have been involved in protests around the world. They are involved in Gaza and the West Bank. They have been involved in Northern Ireland on both sides of the religious divide. They were involved during the Apartheid period in South Africa when black children were forced to learn the hated language of the Afrikaners: Afrikaans.
P.S. Don't get me started on the whole bullshit "woman-and-children" thing. I've ranted about it before. Like, hello, WOMEN ARE NOT CHILDREN. Women are not LIKE children. Women are not EQUIVALENT to children. Women are like adults. Like adult men. Equal to adult men. Equivalent to adult men when it comes to political action.
Women are not children women are not children women are not children women are not children!
-
"One law for the lion and the ox is oppression" - Blake
I don't know if anyone in Toronto knows if members of Falung Gong are still haveing their nice protest near the Chinese consulate. It might still be going on for years.
Oh yes. It's not constant, though. Just every so often.
I missed the part in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms where the specific time limits on "rights and freedoms" was set out. For our edification perhaps you could point them out? I would like to know exactly how long I am allowed to speak out against injustice before I am ticketed for unlawful expression in contravention of the "highway and traffic act".
But thanks for keeping us up-to-date on what small minded people are thinking.
Would this be considered a successful counter-insurgency operation for the Sri Lankan government?
The Sri Lankan government said the bodies of those found in the LTTE base were being taken to an army camp in Colombo where a post-mortem will be conducted to confirm the identities of the bodies.
Convenient. I guess there will be no messy trials and whatnot.
Sri Lanka claims to have killed Tamil Tiger leader
P.S. Don't get me started on the whole bullshit "woman-and-children" thing. I've ranted about it before. Like, hello, WOMEN ARE NOT CHILDREN. Women are not LIKE children. Women are not EQUIVALENT to children. Women are like adults. Like adult men. Equal to adult men. Equivalent to adult men when it comes to political action.
Women are not children women are not children women are not children women are not children!
No shit, the BS line about women and children, is pure propaganda, it depicts the men as cowards, and women as being less than, when it comes to political activism and society. like we should just stay at home and not been seen or heard.
Sri Lanka claims to have killed Tamil Tiger leader
And their intelligence leader, as well as the chief of the Sea Tigers - needless to say, this is basically a decapitation strike and will set back the Tigers military agenda and capabilities for a long, long time. Mind you, I think the blowback that Delhi is going to get for basically sanctioning Colombo's moves is going to be hell - not to mention what is going to happen in Sri Lanka. I bet that a smaller, more radicalized group of "hardcore" fighters will arise and just stay underground and launch attacks on civilian locales and create a headache for the military. You can beat your enemy, but you can't always escape the quagmire.
And it looks like SL is going to be put under increasing international pressure to maintain accountability for the usage of heavy weapons in civilian areas - as well as the atrociously high collateral fatality rates that occurred. It'll be very interesting to see how international community will handle war crimes vis a vis the LTTE and the SL government. Either way, I think we just saw the end of one of the more tense periods of this awful conflict.
Papal Bull,
I couldn't have said it better. Also, many commanders and many of the deadly regiments of the LTTE are in the east and spread out everywhere including the Jaffna peninsula. They will lay low and fight a guerrilla warfare for a while in a way that they would not want any news coming out (of course the Tamil Diaspora will have access to LTTE activities on the ground and direct information coming through relatives on the island which will not be available to the vast majority of the Sinhalese population and the International community) which the Sri Lankan government will not allow as they cannot have any news of LTTE resistance as the Sinhalese population will be furious with the government. This will give enough space for international community intervention (which will most likely will end up in humiliation and frustration which could end up labelling the Sri Lankan state as a "pariah" state in the west) and the Tamil Diaspora to play a much greater role in shaping the legitimacy for self-determination (the need for an independent Tamil state) while the Tigers will bleed the Sri Lankan government in the background (the bad news is that it will be done at the cost of so much suffering to the already lifeless Tamils on the island). The suffering that the Tamil youths have seen all this time as the international community only issued empty statements will have a tremendous impact in the future as Tigers will have access to new technology, support and many other contribution that could be made from new generation of educated youths in the west and around the world.
As for India, Tamil Nadu is a rebellious state (also one of the most developed states), the consequence is off the roof for Delhi. What just happened now and what will be happening to the Tamils in the island is going to speed up the grass root separatism movement in Tamil Nadu which is already a threat to the unity of India.
Final assault on Tamil please circulate news of looming catastrophe
http://transformingpower.ca/en/blog/final-assault-tamil-please-circulate-news-looming-catastrophe
The Tamil Protests: Resistance in the Face of Genocide
http://www.socialistproject.ca/bullet/bullet217.html [109]
The war in Sri Lanka and the Left in Toronto
http://run.likethewind.ca/2009/05/slrallies/#more-1148 [110]
The Tamils, Protest & Indifference
http://ndpleft.blogspot.com/2009/05/tamils-protest-indifference.html [111]
Genocide is not a "Fair Weather" Issue
http://mcij.blogspot.com/2009/05/genocide-is-not-fair-weather-issue.html [112]
Long thread - please feel free to begin a new one.
Links:
[1] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1016774
[2] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1016776
[3] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1016782
[4] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1016795
[5] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1016797
[6] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1016805
[7] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1016806
[8] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1016813
[9] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1016816
[10] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1016819
[11] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1016821
[12] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1016825
[13] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1016826
[14] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1016832
[15] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1016833
[16] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1016834
[17] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1016838
[18] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1016841
[19] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1016844
[20] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1016852
[21] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1016854
[22] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1016874
[23] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1016879
[24] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1016880
[25] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1016881
[26] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1016882
[27] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1016883
[28] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1016884
[29] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1016887
[30] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMTrL4R767o
[31] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ot0p5h-K49s&feature=fvsr
[32] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1016894
[33] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1016898
[34] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1016903
[35] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1016904
[36] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1016933
[37] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1016992
[38] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1016994
[39] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1016997
[40] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1017089
[41] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1017095
[42] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1017172
[43] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1017176
[44] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1017189
[45] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1017198
[46] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1017200
[47] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1017203
[48] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1017207
[49] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1017208
[50] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1017210
[51] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1017218
[52] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1017221
[53] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1017222
[54] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1017265
[55] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1017270
[56] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1017275
[57] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1017306
[58] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1017571
[59] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1017572
[60] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1017693
[61] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1017710
[62] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1017742
[63] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1017757
[64] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1017759
[65] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1017770
[66] http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090512.wblatch12art2244/BNStory/National
[67] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christie_Blatchford
[68] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1017825
[69] http://www.flickr.com/photos/24056390@N03/sets/72157618136938388/
[70] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1017887
[71] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1017904
[72] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1018103
[73] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1018114
[74] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1018396
[75] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1018402
[76] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1018405
[77] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1018453
[78] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1018469
[79] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1018473
[80] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1018506
[81] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1018508
[82] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1018510
[83] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1018515
[84] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1018550
[85] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1018556
[86] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1018726
[87] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1018727
[88] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1018760
[89] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1018763
[90] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1018765
[91] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1018804
[92] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1018811
[93] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1018821
[94] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1018822
[95] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1018823
[96] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1018826
[97] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1018830
[98] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1018833
[99] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1018835
[100] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1018836
[101] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1018839
[102] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1018842
[103] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1018927
[104] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1018951
[105] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/national-news/tamils-blocc-university-part-2#comment-1018964
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[109] http://www.socialistproject.ca/bullet/bullet217.html
[110] http://run.likethewind.ca/2009/05/slrallies/#more-1148
[111] http://ndpleft.blogspot.com/2009/05/tamils-protest-indifference.html
[112] http://mcij.blogspot.com/2009/05/genocide-is-not-fair-weather-issue.html
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[114] http://rabble.ca/user
[115] http://rabble.ca/user/register
It's not fair to address posters by name when they're no longer allowed to post in the thread, R_P.
Otherwise, your point is well-taken.
Who is Stoccholm (sic) ?
It's not fair to address posters by name when they're no longer allowed to post in the thread, R_P.
Otherwise, your point is well-taken.
he aint? o sry then
edit- Caissa dont worry
Years ago, a group of people wanted to shut down Bay Street and King Street in downtown Toronto. The group would start and Nathan Phillip's Square at City Hall, then go down to Bay and Kind to block traffic. The former Police Chief, Julian Fantino, would have none of it. No one is going to shut down business. The riot police were set up to prevent the march.
If the Tamil Canadians were to do the same, they would just sneak out of nowhere and sit-down in the intersection. The police would not be ready for them. Tamil Canadians know how to protest.
a: That was Fantino
b: Bay and King is the heart of the financial district. These would be STOCKBROKERS, and BANKERS you'd be keeping from their duties. Good God man, think of the chaos!
We want to get the message heard and Canada to act, not financially rob Canada. If the Tamil Canadian were to do that, as a Tamil Canadian I would be the first to be pissed. People are already in trouble finacially, last thing we need is to let the whole world keep away from investing in Toronto or using that as a negative image to not to invest in rest of Canada.
And to let you guys know, there is another protest being worked out for tomorrow.
I hope you understand I was being facetious...even sarcastic.
Like the capital of Sweden was, eh?
I think that we may well see more protests over the next while than we have seen in the past as various groups of people battle for public opinion. Today I think there is a greater disconnect with Canada's official positions and enough widespread distrust to not only generate protest but to make such protest worthwhile as observers are more likely to be open to the idea that on any given issue the Canadian government is not taking the right position.
This particular situation is heartbreaking as so many people are suffering. There is a known unforgiving nasty streak in our national government that is prepared to ignore human suffering if the agenda does not fit with the Conservative Party world view. This government seems to have little trouble with collective punishment.
In this case, as in most, if not all others, there are extremists fighting in the name of people who are suffering and they have tactics we do not support. But to show so little sympathy for the plight of innocent people is inhuman. We have seen this in Palestine, in the case of Oamr Khadr and now here. It is time ordinary Canadians reject a government unable stop judging innocent people for the actions of others who just happen to be of the same so-called group (as defined as much by our government as anyone else). we must also accept that not everyone has the luxury of behaving exactly as we would prefer when they are desperate.
Perhaps the greatest local injustice is not that Canadians are upset by the numbers of people blocking the highway, but that they are not standing there with them. Since when is a cease-fire an unreasonable request when thousands are being killed?
Canada as a nation likes to get involved. At times we take decisions to support or oppose issues we know little about and ought not to be involved in. But if we are to draw the line somewhere, can it not be at the murder of civilians? Is this not one human issue that is truly universal and beyond local interpretation and reality? What is being asked of the government is to express an opinion - not a show of force- and that this opinion be a request for a cessation to the killing.I hardly see why this is controversial.
Why can't we refrain from judgement of both sides including an obsession with the presence of a Tiger flag which is a demonstration of an individual freedom to express- just long enough to ask for the killing to stop? Do we not have the right to stand out in favour of peace without being labelled responsible for the expression of a person standing beside us, who may agree with us on one thing but have many other differences?
And everything I have said applies equally well in every other area of Canadian foreign policy-- including the situation of the Palestinians whose slaughter was excused by our present government due to the existance of extremists there or the disgusting treatment of a child as apparent revenge for the behaviour of others. I did not feel any less compassion for those who died on September 11th because I am aware that in the United States there exist extremists who would kill those they disagree with along with anyone else in the way.
There is something wrong with a debate that discusses not whether Canadians should be out with our fellow Canadians to show opposition to killing but whether we should tolerate a highway or street closure for a brief time so that the point can be made.
thirisuj, I want to thank you for the updates you provide here. The firsthand descriptions you gave in the previous thread were very illuminating and just the type of thing we won't find in the MSM. I hope you can get some type of result with these protests. And others have said, I think these protests have proven that Tamils' organizational skills are bar none in terms of mobilization and spontaneity.
Excellent point and when people hear others say "why do insert name bring their problems to Canada" such a standard response should be given, as well as a couple of others. Hell, if you want to get technical, the whole country is populated because of problems from elsewhere which are being imposed upon First Nations. Only now they are being falsely portrayed as the problem too.
The only freakin problem is privilege that excuses itself everytime.
Wow, I was feeling really cynical [guess the moronic commenters at The Star do that to me] but booya! 'Way to go Rabblers.
I was pondering away here, wondering why one person in a Mexican prison for a drug offense and one American being caned in Singapore for vandalism were splattered all over the news for weeks as "ZOMG ABUSED CITIZENS!" while protest for months about wholesale slaughter of relations by taxpaying Canadian citizens, was completely ignored. Uh, far be it from me to point out the "colour barrier".
The whole point of "democracy" is dissent. And bless 'em, the Tamils are gloriously dissenting with Canada's foreign policy. Good on 'em I say, for showing the rest of us, the light! At least one community in this fair land knows how to fight for democracy and rise above the chronic whingers that sit around doing nothing but complaining about the "terrorists" on the 6 o'clock news. Uh "terrorists"? Handing out leaflets and waving banners is "terrorism" but bombing schools and hospitals is NOT? I really must get out more. That leap of logic from the commuting clueless is far beyond my comprehensive capabilities.
What on earth do the traffic complainers want the police to do? Taser? Shoot? Tear gas the protesters? Beat them into submission? These protests are happening all over democratic countries. It's pretty hard to beat someone into submission who is traumatized by the deaths of their relations.
Uhm did someone say, "NEVER AGAIN!"?
I don't think asking Canada to publicly demand a cease-fire or to scrap it out at the UN is too much to ask.
I did however, come out of this with a great new t-shirt I want made. "Louis Riel was Inappropriately Rude. Be Rude for Your Rights Today!"
I did however, come out of this with a great new t-shirt I want made. "Louis Riel was Inappropriately Rude. Be Rude for Your Rights Today!"
I hope you are not too anti-capital to market that.
I'd be interested in one.
Caissa, you're clearly unhappy here. You can't stand anything the moderators do or say. If you want to leave, please go, but quit posting these off-topic, passive-aggressive little snarky remarks all over the place. And if you attack R_P again for his spelling, I'll be helping you with that.
I hope you are not too anti-capital to market that.
I'd be interested in one.
I'm into Creative Commons. Just wander off and make your local t-shirt establishment happy with a custom order
Another way of looking at this:
Canadians are said to believe in Peace, Order and Good Government. The three go together. It would be disfunctional to not have Order when you have Good Government. But in the absence of Good Government, it is disfunctional to expect Order. In the case of the Tamils they don't have Peace in their former country or Good government in their new country so what's with the expectation of Order?
Well said, Sean.
I think, Snert, that a whole bunch of us would also be on University tying up traffic with a counter-demonstration.
Snert--Maybe it's this thing called "logic" and lack thereof without leaping tall heaps of off-topic rhetoric that is confusing me.
What does "an llegal immigration protest" have to do with the Canadian Government's non-responsiveness to an ongoing genocide?
Or are you underhandedly making the racist assertion that the Canadian citizens who are presently protesting are somehow "illegal aliens"?
Or are you just assuming that "illegal aliens" are simply so stupid that they'd show up to be arrested at a protest thus saving the immigration authorities the bother of hunting them down to detain them?
Snert--you've been...
Snert, I cannot judge if the point has been made (that would be up to the people expressing it) but I'd be more confident if there were was greater recognition of the issue by the Government of Canada.
I can't help but notice how often you see little support for issues that affect new Canadians by those of us born here. A form of isolation? I'd prefer if more Canadians showed concern about the positions our government holds. After all, this is about the government of Canada's position-- it is OUR government. Why are the Tamils the only ones who care- (or on another day and another issue another group)? If Canadians do not take an interest in what our government does we will lose the principle of responsible government.
There are timesw when we need to look at the big picture and the disruption of a highway for a short time paels beside the issues the protest is about.
As far as other protests- I am aware that there are laws against disruptions such as this. I am sayign common sense can lead us to choices about which oens to come down hard on and which ones not to. Same would be said if the Maple Leafs won a Stanley Cup-- people would spill out and block roads and not be arrested just for that. Life and death surely rates better than that.
And when it comes to offensive demonstrations, I'm with Michelle. They should not be censored, they should be opposed through opposite expressions of freedom. It is not as if you can get that many people out on somethign that does not matter to people. I'd like to think that a person out to demonstrate against illegal immigration would not block a highway out of fear of being run over by accident because of being unnoticed and alone.
I hope you understand I was being facetious...even sarcastic.
I don't know if your comment was directed at me. Don't worry. I'm back from shopping. I can accept that you are a facetiousist so long you took the Sarcastic Oath.
There was a discussion on CBC Radio just after 2 p.m. Eastern about whether or not protests such as the ones done by the Tamil-Canadians actually work. Personally, I think it worked this time. Sure, the pissed off a lot of people. Their issue is front-page news in the tree-print. They are no longer on page X29 after the classifieds.
Do nice protests work? Or do people need to disobedient protests to get their points heard?
If you want to hear the CBC radio 1 discussion, I think you can go to www.cbc.ca/radio and go to some button that says Listen Live. Just click a radio station that is airing this discussion at 2 p.m. local time.
The whole point of "civil disobedience" is to BE "disobedient" because being "obedient" is not working. That's what happens in democracies when protests and movements fall on deaf ears.
Anyone remember the 60's and 70's? Hello out there!
Thanks for the link Skinny Dipper:-)
Nice protests only work with overwhelming numbers and if the individual against whom you are protesting believes it is in his/her best interests to do what you wish.
I assume "work" is defined as "achieving your goals."
There was a discussion on CBC Radio just after 2 p.m. Eastern about whether or not protests such as the ones done by the Tamil-Canadians actually work.
Seems the question answered itself, then! Clearly, it worked -- it started the debate that the many "polite" protests did not manage to start.
"One law for the lion and the ox is oppression" - Blake
Nice protests only work with overwhelming numbers and if the individual against whom you are protesting believes it is in his/her best interests to do what you wish.
Even then--not always. The legal anti-war protests were HUGE and did precisely...
....nothing.
Of course I think that's what the second part of your statement referred to. It only works if the other side is agreeing--in which case, it's a march or rally, not a protest
This protest obviously accomplished something. Even here on babble, no one was talking about the genocide at all besides thirusuj and thanks - how we are into thread #2 with a multitude of babblers interested in the issue. It was on the front page of the Globe and Canadians are paying attention.
However, I hope it is widely noted as well how little Iggy's word counts for. Promises to raise an issue in parliament really mean that he will not show up in parliament, as he lacks any sort of moral courage. I am thinking his "understanding"of the Tamil issue will be similar to his concern over what happened at Qana.
YouTube Ignatiff
Jack Blathering [30]
Welcome to Apartheid [31]
I believe we've done this before-- called "reservations" and "genocide". Seems I've seen this sort of film clip on "happy detentions centres" somewhere before?
Or are you underhandedly making the racist assertion that the Canadian citizens who are presently protesting are somehow "illegal aliens"?
Not at all, thanks. I just chose a fictitious (I hope) organization that I expected many here would not agree with. It's easy to approve of someone you agree with shutting down University for several days, but what about someone you don't? That's the measure of your committment to the principle.
Snert--you've been...
By you and your frankly odious accusations? Really. You clearly think a lot of your "wit".
Oh yeah. The hypocrisy canard once again. Do you ever think of anything other than making up straw men, say something with acumen, subltey or nuance?
I don't post here very often, as I find most of the points I would otherwise make wouldn't really add much to what are usually interesting discussions.
I would only express bewilderment that the debates that I've been seeing are over whether or not people should have obstructed traffic for a few hours in response to extensive civilian deaths in an armed conflict.
Bizarre isnt it? Well it's simple: That is a convenient way for people to express their xeonophobic racist fears without revealing the true depth of their paranoid racist dellusions.
It worked, even Canwest out here in BC reported on what was happening in Sri Lanka and their protests for the first time in a long time.
You know snert you might actually have gotten a civilized response if you hadn't deliberately tried to couch your bigoted agenda.
Most folks aren't terribly fond of PETA, for example, however that is NOT the sort of protest you brought up--you deliberately flaunted your bigotry in everyone's face by asking your question about "illegal aliens".
So don't whinge when you get pwned on it. As for wits? You'd need to come more than half-armed, as the old saw goes.
You could also have just asked "Would you support a group you do NOT agree with doing the same to garner the attention of the government?" and then stopped. You didn't do that, either.
My answer would have been YES as democracy cannot exist without dissent. Only dictatorships can exist without acknowledging dissent. Since our government tends to ignore "legal dissent" obviously some form of illegal dissent is the only option, left. I'm not surprised in the least after months of protesting, by what happened. I'm very impressed that these citizens are as peaceable about it as they are.
"Shut it down for several days"? Uh, how about reading the news articles? Try a bit here and there. Oh and I've been in a number of protests that shut down Bay Street on quite a number of occassions [anti-war, poverty etc--it's a common protest target], and nothing to do with this. Suddenly it's just so appalling because a particular group did it?
Anyone who reads what I write would be well aware that I will not obey unjust laws and that I believe there are times when breaking the law is justified. The legal system should exist for benefit of the people. The people should not exist for the benefit of legal system.
Gandhi, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Louis Riel, Nelson Mandela Leonard Pelletier [the climbing of Mt Rushmore, Alcatraz occupation], and the Bolivian 'water rebellion' etc etc etc, and many of us regular folk have broken the law in the cause of social justice.
I just love how self-righteous some people get when an activist or group advocates that as a legitimate protest tactic as if democracy would suddenly go spinning our of control like a yo-yo with a broken string because "everybody would be doing it". Having squatted for protest as a housing fight amongst other "illegal acts" related to activism, I can assure frightened Canadians--that's not the case. Even in dire need, most people won't cross that line.
Oh, and I never advocate getting "permits" for anything protest-related. Yet the world is still wagging along nicely.
Bizarre isnt it? Well it's simple: That is a convenient way for people to express their xeonophobic racist fears without revealing the true depth of their paranoid racist dellusions.
Huzzah!
Nothing like a straight shot through to the finish line. No extra verbiage necessary
Do me a favour? If you want to imply that I'm a racist, CC the moderators and save me a step.
Whose streets?
Sri Lankan government defends army massacre
"There were many who died without medical treatment," the doctor said. "Seeing the number of wounded, and from what people tell me, I estimate the death toll to be around 1,000." Many of the dead were buried in mass graves near the hospital. Shanmugarajah told the Guardian that apart from artillery barrages, an air force jet pounded the area. The newspaper reported that medical staff had released photos of the carnage.
The UN spokesman in Colombo, Gordon Weiss, yesterday branded the attack a bloodbath. "The UN has consistently warned against the bloodbath scenario as we've watched the steady increase in civilian deaths over the last few months. The large-scale killing of civilians over the weekend, including the deaths of more than 100 children, shows that that bloodbath has become a reality," he said.
Sonsobitches
Whose streets?
Another Huzzah. It seems we have lost our ability to understand the concept of "shared space"...
@Fidel:
I really think too many governments are psychopathic entities who think the rest of us can't line up two brain cells in a row.
"Uh we are not killing anyone or bombing hospitals. Honest. really. We wouldn't DO that. Oh...dead bodies? It's not us--it's them. [points other way] But NO you can't send anyone neutral from the media or Amnesty International or whoever to prove it. We never lie about those sorts of things."
Thanks for the article. This situation just keeps getting more and more appalling.
Bizarre isnt it? Well it's simple: That is a convenient way for people to express their xeonophobic racist fears without revealing the true depth of their paranoid racist dellusions.
Sad, but probably true. How many people here marched against the Iraq War in 2003? Or in any major demonstration in a downtown metropolitan city? I know I did. I was obstructing traffic throughout downtown Toronto. Of course, it's easier, and much less riskier, to be at a protest with tens of thousands of people, with the support of at least two major political parties, and the backing of many activist groups across the political spectrum, then to stand with a few people fighting for an issue that few people know about. Frankly, watching the Tamils made me wish we had lefties with half that much guts - and I include myself in that sweeping generalization.
Here
is a letter printed in The Globe today:
RAJNI SINGHAL
May 13, 2009
Toronto -- Over the past two weeks, I easily tolerated closure of major thoroughfares to facilitate peaceful Tamil protests. By Sunday evening, however, as a pregnant woman, my patience was wearing thin. As night fell, I found myself trapped alone in my car on the Gardiner Expressway.
What if something had happened? In the event of preterm labour, what recourse did I have on the gridlocked Gardiner, with no movement and no shoulder lane in sight? What recourse did others around me have if they were in distress?
That our custodians of public well-being permitted the city's lifeline to be gridlocked for five long hours is unacceptable.
Few would disagree the bloodbath that has ravaged Sri Lanka is a travesty that should end. I support the right to protest, provided it respects the public peace. It is disappointing that effective leadership was not exercised as these events unfolded.
Really? A pregnant woman? Can we get any more melodramatic? Hopefully the next pregnant woman that writes in and the Grope publishes it out of a sense of journalistic duty will also have cancer.
Really? A pregnant woman? Can we get any more melodramatic? Hopefully the next pregnant woman that writes in and the Grope publishes it out of a sense of journalistic duty will also have cancer.
Why is it melodramatic? I would imagine a lot of women in her situation would be worried if there were stuck for five hours.
Melodrama is when actors exaggerate movement and emotion often with crude appeal. A pregnant woman stuck in traffic hits that definition with uncanny accuracy.
Apparently this point has not been made effectively so I will say it again: A PREGNANT WOMAN CAN GET STUCK IN TRAFFIC WITH OR WITHOUT A GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO ARE SEEING THEIR FAMILIES AND FRIENDS MURDERED ENGAGING IN PEACEFUL PROTEST.
Like, for example, Cueball's horrible experience of being delayed by a film crew.
Sad, but probably true. How many people here marched against the Iraq War in 2003? Or in any major demonstration in a downtown metropolitan city? I know I did. I was obstructing traffic throughout downtown Toronto. Of course, it's easier, and much less riskier, to be at a protest with tens of thousands of people, with the support of at least two major political parties, and the backing of many activist groups across the political spectrum, then to stand with a few people fighting for an issue that few people know about. Frankly, watching the Tamils made me wish we had lefties with half that much guts - and I include myself in that sweeping generalization.
Amen. Do you remember when one of the anti-war protest that stopped at Moss Park? I had this overwhelming urge to jump the g-d fence and grab it for housing. My suggestion utterly appalled the "housing activists" standing around me so I figured I'd be the only one idiotic enough to attempt it.
I've always regretted that I didn't do it that day because it was an obvious anti-war, pro-housing target.
For once there were more protesters than riot police. A situation that doesn't occur very often. I will always regret that decision.
Protests that stopped Bay Street? Iraq War protest. Afghan war Protest. OCAP Snake March, Mass Panhandle on Bay etc etc. I never figured out why the War Resisters didn't flood it.
It's pretty common to grab up Bay Street since it's a financial target.
Here
is a letter printed in The Globe today:
RAJNI SINGHAL
May 13, 2009
Toronto -- Over the past two weeks, I easily tolerated closure of major thoroughfares to facilitate peaceful Tamil protests. By Sunday evening, however, as a pregnant woman, my patience was wearing thin. As night fell, I found myself trapped alone in my car on the Gardiner Expressway.
Right. And right now Jameson is cut off you'd be caught in the gridlock ANYWAY for a few hours. And nowhere does it say exactly WHY a pregnant person felt the overwhelming need to be on the Gardiner on a Sunday night knowing there was a road block since she states she was aware of the situation previous to this drive???
Am I missing something here?
Uh, traffic reports/news+radio/TV, anyone?
"I support the right to protest, provided it respects the public peace."
Memo to everyone: protests are now to be held at Centennial Park in Etobicoke on Sunday mornings after church for a duration of 30 minutes maximum
More melodrama: 'alone in my car on a Sunday night'. Did the Tamils forcibly remove her male chaperone and body guard from the car before she set off on her oh-so-brave errand down the Gardiner?
Amen. Do you remember when one of the anti-war protest that stopped at Moss Park? I had this overwhelming urge to jump the g-d fence and grab it for housing. My suggestion utterly appalled the "housing activists" standing around me so I figured I'd be the only one idiotic enough to attempt it.
I've always regretted that I didn't do it that day because it was an obvious anti-war, pro-housing target.
For once there were more protesters than riot police. A situation that doesn't occur very often. I will always regret that decision.
Protests that stopped Bay Street? Iraq War protest. Afghan war Protest. OCAP Snake March, Mass Panhandle on Bay etc etc. I never figured out why the War Resisters didn't flood it.
It's pretty common to grab up Bay Street since it's a financial target.
Never got into Moss Park. I actually was never much of a protestor as I didn't get political until after I had a full-time job in the corporate world. The one thing that can be said, I think, is that all tactics, weather marching, civil disobedience, obstructing traffic, non-payment of income taxes, ought to be evaluated on weather or not they are likely to have a positive effect in terms of achieving political objectives. All of these things inconvenience people. That is only an issue if it looks like the tactic may fail, in which case, you may want to worry about backlash from it's failure. I'm not certain weather or not that can be said of the Tamils, who have moved the discussion on a national level, and got a bit of an audience with some political folks.
"I support the right to protest, provided it respects the public peace."
Memo to everyone: protests are now to be held at Centennial Park in Etobicoke on Sunday mornings after church for a duration of 30 minutes maximum
ROFLCOPTERS! What memo???? There was a memo?
Melodrama is when actors exaggerate movement and emotion often with crude appeal. A pregnant woman stuck in traffic hits that definition with uncanny accuracy.
Apparently this point has not been made effectively so I will say it again: A PREGNANT WOMAN CAN GET STUCK IN TRAFFIC WITH OR WITHOUT A GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO ARE SEEING THEIR FAMILIES AND FRIENDS MURDERED ENGAGING IN PEACEFUL PROTEST.
Like, for example, Cueball's horrible experience of being delayed by a film crew.
Don't get me started on the Santa Claus parade.
Never got into Moss Park. I actually was never much of a protestor as I didn't get political until after I had a full-time job in the corporate world. The one thing that can be said, I think, is that all tactics, weather marching, civil disobedience, obstructing traffic, non-payment of income taxes, ought to be evaluated on weather or not they are likely to have a positive effect in terms of achieving political objectives. All of these things inconvenience people. That is only an issue if it looks like the tactic may fail, in which case, you may want to worry about backlash from it's failure. I'm not certain weather or not that can be said of the Tamils, who have moved the discussion on a national level, and got a bit of an audience with some political folks.
The cops had Moss Park blocked. However a mass fence climbing would have worked in sheer numbers. There were 7,000+ people there.
Sometimes I think we aren't creative enough.Of course, I'm a "Yes Men" fan as well as some other brilliant groups that have used hactivism to do some major overhauling.
I was with a nameless group that was incredibly effective and creative and I learned a lot from them in terms of how to capture public imagination through wackiness, symbology and good fun as well as making the point. They were spontaneous quick planners which kept everyone on their toes.
Seeing all the politicians on YouTube scrambling to make statements says to me--the Canadian Tamil citizens definitely captured their audience.
Backlash happens with every protesting situation. Always. The smart move is to expect it, not be shocked by it, plan for it, strategize it and know how to turn the tables when it happens in such a way that it ADDS to the mystique and message one is trying to put across.
Generally backlash will happen against spokespeople and leaders. If it is a "hive" mentality rather than a heirarchical structure, it's much harder for authorities or backlashers to get a grip on the situation and much easier to defend a position.