Is the blue water drop the new red square?
The pin-on political statement, taking after the red square that became with ubiquitous during Quebec’s Maple Spring, has been spotted throughout a celebratory day underway in Victoria B.C.
Thousands have gathered today in the B.C. capital, on the legislature lawn, to say a resounding ‘No’ to Enbridge and all tar sands pipelines — this protest will be followed up by distributed actions in over 60 cities and towns all across B.C. on Wednesday, October 24.
Organized under the banner of ‘Defend Our Coast,’ today’s rally — where hundreds have pledged to risk arrest with civil disobedience — has the feel of a coming out party for the mass movement that has been growing to stop the Enbridge and other pipelines.
Rueben George, Sundance Chief of the Tsleil-Waututh First Nation, capture the mood of the day: “One thing I can say right off the bat is: we’re winning…” George was one of a number of Indigenous speakers representing a veritable “wall of opposition” to tar sands pipelines across their territories. The Save the Fraser Declaration — signed by over 130 First Nations bands and chiefs — is one indication of the strength of the coalition that is opposed to the tar sands pipelines and tankers.
Other speakers have included Maude Barlow of the Council of Canadians, CEP President Dave Coles — who called the tar sands export pipelines “job killers — as as Clayton Thomas-Mueller of the Indigenous Environmental Network, among many others.
rabble.ca is there, with correspondent Ethan Cox providing live updates on Twitter all day @EthanCoxMtl
The Victoria action has been buzzing all day on social media, with #DefendOurCoast trending right across Canada on Twitter. NDP MP weighed in, connecting the Victoria protest with the Conservatives recently introduced Omnibus Bill C-45: “Instead of protecting oil pipelines, Conservatives must put the WATER back in the Navigable Waters Protection Act.”
Stay tuned for more. Ethan Cox — who will have a full wrap-up article on rabble.ca later tonight — says this protest in Victoria feels like a “victory party” against Enbridge, but that there are many more political battles ahead.
B.C., and the rest of Canada, may soon be seeing blue water drops all over the place.
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