As funeral guests gathered at the door of the Roy Thompson Hall in Toronto to mourn Jack Layton's passing and celebrate his life on Saturday, activists, First Nations leaders, campaigners, diplomats and politicians of all stripes and areas of Canada were counted among them.
From the moment the ceremony began there was no doubt that this was to be a very political event, not just because of its guest list, but because this ceremony, planned by Layton and his family as his illness progressed, a clear message was being sent to Canada: social justice is important, Canadians want it, and Canada is capable of achieving that goal.
Canadian activist Kevin Neish smuggled photos off the Mavi Marmara, the lead ship in the Free Gaza flotilla that was raided violently by Israeli troops last week, killing nine peace activists.
Neish's photos were published Monday in the Middle East, in the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet and in this blog along with images taken by others, to name but two. Two are reproduced here for rabble, and he is awaiting the return of the remainder.