Showing posts with label G20. Show all posts
Showing posts with label G20. Show all posts

Thursday, December 09, 2010



CANADIAN LABOUR:
ONTARIO FEDERATION OF LABOUR CALLS ON HEAD OF TORONTO POLICE UNION TO "COME CLEAN":


The following news item comes from the Marketwire news service. Since the revelations from the Ontario ombudsman that the powers granted police during the G20 summit were excessive and probably illegal and that there were "massive violations of rights" the Ontario Federation of Labour has called on the head of the Toronto Police Union to deal effectively with what has been exposed. Here's the story from the OFL.
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Union Leader to Union Leader:
Ryan Calls on McCormack to End the Code of Silence on G20 Beatings

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Dec. 8, 2010) - OFL President Sid Ryan is urging Toronto Police Association President Mike McCormack to call upon his members to own up to the beatings of innocent members of the public during the G20.

"I'm calling on McCormack, in his role as president of the association, to take action to actively advocate for the identification of the officers involved. As a union leader, it would be important for him to use his authority to disassociate reputable police officers from the actions of the few," says OFL President Sid Ryan.

"When police remove their identification, hide their faces, and use brute force to terrorize citizens, they become an illegal paramilitary force. This constitutes such a serious threat to democracy and the safety of citizens as to warrant the full cooperation of McCormack and his members."

The OFL notes that any action to the contrary is a subversion of union principles: criminal behaviour of members warrants criminal action.

"We do not accept that in a democratic state, the illegal behaviour of rogue police officers carrying guns and other deadly weapons and overwhelming the citizenry should be protected by a 'code of silence'," says Ryan.

The Ontario Ombudsman André Marin's report, the Toronto Star's investigation, hundreds of hours of available footage, and the sophisticated technology available for identification would, under normal circumstances, make identification easy.

The OFL organized the largest demonstration of the week that brought 30,000 people together for family-friendly events. Some of those people were intimidated and interfered with by police actions.

"Both McCormack and Police Chief Bill Blair should use their full authority to support the public demand for accountability," says Ryan.



For more information, please contact

Ontario Federation of Labour
Sid Ryan
President
416.209.0066 (mobile)
or
Ontario Federation of Labour
Lynn Simmons
Communications Director
416. 668.7480 (mobile)
www.ofl.ca

Monday, November 29, 2010



CANADIAN POLITICS:
FURTHER CROSS COUNTRY EVENTS ON THE G20 FALLOUT:


The repercussions of the police riot during last summer's G20 summit in Toronto continue to echo, as do the issues raised by the demonstrators there. The following is a compilation of upcoming events in Toronto and elsewhere relevant to this issue. It comes from the Toronto Community Solidarity Network.
G20G20G20G20G20G20


A Call for Court Support + Upcoming G20 Legal Defence Fundraisers & Community Solidarity Network Endorsed Events

A: Call for Court Support in Toronto:

November 30-December 2 - G20 “conspiracy” bail challenge - Jaggi Singh

B: G20 Legal Defence Fundraisers:

Toronto:

November 30 -PWYC DOCUMENTARY DOUBLE FEATURE NIGHTS. @ SOYBOMB!
December 3 - Radical Movie Night
December 18 - AntiCapitalist Holiday Bash!

Saskatchewan:

November 29 - Regina: Lessons from the G20 Protests and State Repression
December 3 - Saskatoon: Building Movements of Resistance: Lessons from the G8/G20 Organizing
Radical Cookbook Callout - Your Recipes Needed!

C: Community Solidarity Network Endorsed Events in Toronto:

December 1 - Give Rob Ford the Welcome He Deserves!
December 4 - People’s Assembly on Climate Justice

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A: Call for Court Support in Toronto:

-G20 “conspiracy” bail challenge continues at Ontario Superior Court
-Defendant to ask that all bail conditions are rescinded, including ban on demonstrations

When: Tuesday, November 30, 10am
Where: Ontario Superior Court at 361 University Avenue
between Dundas & Queen Street
(for exact courtroom location, look for “Singh, Jaggi” on the court roll)

If you oppose the restrictive bail conditions imposed on all G20 “conspiracy” defendants – ban on demonstrations, house arrest, non-association, ban on passports and cellphones, and more -- we ask that you attend court in large numbers this TUESDAY.

The bail review might continue on Wednesday and Thursday, but we’ll provide more details after the Tuesday hearing, which this time is expected to last most of the day. We are hoping as many people as possible can attend the beginning of the hearings on Tuesday from 10am to 1pm (approx) and then again from 2pm-4:30pm (approx).

BACKGROUND:

This week, starting on TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, one of the 19 remaining co-accused in the G20 conspiracy case will be challenging all bail conditions imposed as conditions of release from prison.

These restrictive and onerous conditions include house arrest, non-association with various individuals and groups, the inability to possess a passport or to use a cell phone, and more. Other co-accused face even more restrictive curfews and house arrest conditions. In sum, the bail conditions are meant to keep defendants isolated and marginalized from their communities of support.

The conditions themselves constitute punishment of fellow community organizers before they’ve even had a trial.

Significantly, the bail conditions include a ban on participating, organizing or attending “any public demonstration.” These restrictive conditions have been used to jail co-accused Alex Hundert for simply speaking at a university panel. Alex remains in detention, and is expected to remain in detention until at least January/February 2011.

Jaggi Singh, a member of the Anti-Capitalist Convergence (CLAC) and No One Is Illegal-Montreal, and a co-accused in the G20 conspiracy case, has been under house arrest conditions for four months. This Tuesday, with the support of Toronto lawyer Peter Rosenthal as well as other allies, he will ask that all conditions be rescinded.

Jaggi’s court application is supported by various witnesses and affidavits. Part of the application includes an extended affidavit by Bryan Palmer, an historian of labour and social movements.

PEN Canada will also be intervening in the case in support of rescinding the “no demonstration” condition. In their words: “Preventing someone from participating in a public demonstration does nothing to ensure the safety of a single Canadian.”

The Ligue des droits et libertés from Québec also issued a public statement in support of Jaggi’s challenge. They describe the bail conditions as "draconian" and "an abusive interpretation" of the Charter, "contrary to the presumption of innocence.”

We strongly encourage you to “demonstrate” (pardon the word) in court and to the public that there is a community of support that rejects the bail conditions that have been imposed on our friends and allies. So, if you can, please attend court this TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, whether for 30 minutes, or the whole day.

[NOTE: There is a compulsory search before entering the Court building; the search includes emptying your pockets, going through a metal detector, as well as a x-ray scan of any bag or package you’re bringing into the building.]

TO STAY IN TOUCH, and for updates:
La Convergence des luttes anticapitalistes, CLAC (Montreal): blocampmontreal@gmail.com - www.clac2010.net
Community Solidarity Network (Toronto): community.mobilize@resist.ca - http://g20.torontomobilize.org/

SUPPORTERS AND MEDIA can get updates about what’s happening at court by phoning Jessica Denyer (Community Solidarity Network) at 416-708-3195, Craig Fortier (No One Is Illegal-Toronto) at 416-735-0409, or Blandine Juchs (La Convergence des luttes anticapitalistes, CLAC) at 438-838-8498.

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B: G20 Legal Defence Fundraisers:

TORONTO:

PWYC DOCUMENTARY DOUBLE FEATURE NIGHTS. @ SOYBOMB!

Date: November 30
Time: 8:30-11:30pm EST
Location: SOYBOMB! (156 Bathurst St., Toronto ON)

Exploring Forgotten Urban Spaces
This week we look into forgotten urban spaces, the people who explore them for fun, and the people who live in them.

Dark Days (2000)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0235327/
"A cinematic portrait of the homeless population who live permanently in the underground tunnels of New York City. "

Urban Explorers: Into the Darkness (2007)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1249189 /
"A documentary about abandoned, neglected, or otherwise "off limits" places...and the people who explore them."

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This is a pay-what-you-can series of documentary screenings every Tuesday @ Soybomb, and all the proceeds will be donated to the G20 Legal Defence Fund. for more info check: http://g20.torontomobilize.org/support

FB Event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=126316160763227
FB Group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=117635874952714

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Radical Movie Night

Date: December 3
Time: 7pm-midnight EST
Location: Bike Pirates (1292 Bloor St W., Toronto ON)

On Friday December 3rd we will be hosting a radical movie night to raise funds for our friends and allies facing G20 related legal charges.

Come join us for an amazing night of movies, drinks, board games, snacks, hanging out, and all around rockin good times.

Newly designed G20 Legal Defence Tshirts & patches will also be for sale.

7pm – 9pm: Land and Freedom (Tierra y Libertad)

Directed by Ken Loach, this 1995 film narrates the story of David Carr, an unemployed worker of the Communist Party of Great Britain, who decides to fight for the Republican side in the Spanish Civil War. A heart wrenching portrayal of the attempt by ordinary people to build an anarchist society, and its subsequent betrayal. The movie won the FIPRESCI International Critics Prize and the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival.

10:30-midnight: What to do in Case of Fire (Was tun, wenn’s brennt?)

Directed by Gregor Schnitzler, this 2002 film tells the humorous and touching story of six anarchist friends living as squatters in Berlin in the 80s, when they leave a handcrafted bomb in a mansion. Only thirteen years later the bomb explodes, wounding two people, forcing the group to reunite and, ultimately, come to grips with the reason they separated years ago.

Free popcorn!

Pay what you can (suggested $5-10). Come for one or both movies.
All proceeds go to the G20 Legal Defence Fund.

FB Event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=118997408162612

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AntiCapitalist Holiday Bash!

Date: December 18
Time: 6:30pm-1am EST
Location: U of T Grad Students' Union Gym (16 Bancroft Ave., Toronto ON)

Does the hyper-consumer craziness of the holiday season have you feeling down? Amidst the twinkle lights and the insidious calls to shop, shop and shop some more, are you spending your spare moments plotting the eventual demise of capitalism?

If so, you should join us for the Anti-Capitalist Holiday Bash! On Saturday, December 18th the Community Solidarity Network Fundraising Committee will be throwing the anti-capitalist event of the season to fundraise for our friends and allies facing G20 related charges.

Join us for a community dinner (vegan and vegetarian options will be served), followed by an evening of low key musical performances, workshops, games, prison letter writing, and a ‘really really free market’ exchange.

Tickets: $10-15 sliding scale, or PWYC (no one will be turned away for lack of funds)

All proceeds go to the G20 Legal Defence Fund.

If you have anything to donate for the free exchange, would be interested in helping with food preparation, or would like to help out in any other way please email us at events.g20solidarity@gmail.com .

Hope to see you there!

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SASKATCHEWAN:

Regina: Lessons from the G20 Protests and State Repression

Date: November 29

Time: 7:30-10:30pm CST
Location: The Hookah Lounge (2115 Broad St.,Regina SK)

This past June, the world's attention was drawn to the streets of Toronto, where thousands of demonstrators protesting the G20 summit were met with violent repression and the largest mass arrest in Canadian history. While the media frenzy has now subsided, activists continue to be targeted by police, and scores of community organizers have been shackled with far-reaching bail conditions and the prospect of extensive jail time. The need for support and solidarity in the face of this ongoing repression continues, as does the responsibility to carry on the work of building movements of resistance to the G20 agenda.

Sharmeen Khan, a spokesperson for the Toronto Community Mobilization Network, will be speaking in Regina on the lessons learned from organizing in the lead-up to the G20 protests, as well as the criminalization of dissent surrounding the Summit. Khan will discuss the broad-based opposition to the G20 and the reasons why thousands of demonstrators came together in Toronto this past June, as well as the aftermath of police repression and ongoing legal battles.

Admission to this event is free, though we are asking participants to donate what they can to go toward the G20 Legal Defense Fund, which is seeking to raise $500,000 to go toward the legal expenses of those facing charges from the protests. For those who wish to donate, but cannot attend, please go to G20.torontomobilize.org for details on how to make a contribution.

~~~

Sharmeen Khan grew up and became politicized in Regina, Saskatchewan, where she contributed to Briarpatch Magazine and the Prairie Dog. She was active in the women's movement in Victoria and Vancouver before moving to Toronto to complete her MA in Communications. Sharmeen now works for the Ontario Public Interest Research Group at York University, and is also an editor with Upping the Anti: A Journal of Theory of Action.

FB Event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=176713215675033

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Saskatoon: Building Movements of Resistance: Lessons from the G8/G20 Organizing and the Repression of Dissent

Date: December 3
Time: 7:30-9:30pm CST
Location: Grace Westminster United Church (505 10th St E., Saskatoon SK)

2010 SASKATOON ANARCHIST BOOKFAIR KEYNOTE ADDRESS

In this talk, Toronto-based community organizer and independent media activist Sharmeen Khan will speak about her experiences and insights into the resistance to the G8/G20 summits which took place in Toronto in June of 2010.

The summits are now infamous for the massive scale of the security operation which cost Canadian taxpayers nearly $1 billion as well as the size and violence of the police crackdown on dissent. By the end of the weekend, nearly 1100 arrests had been made (the largest mass arrests in Canadian history) and stories began to emerge of widespread abuse of arrestees and the trampling of civil liberties.

In the talk, Sharmeen will cover a range of topics related to the G8/G20 protests including:

- the broad-based organizing efforts that took place in the lead-up to the summits (which built links between diverse communities and strove to empower people living in marginalized communities to speak with their own voices about the issues facing them in their day-to-day lives),

- the police repression targeting key community organizers and the sweeping arrests which saw thousands of police round up protesters, bystanders, journalists and legal observers alike,

- the ongoing legal support of the 100 or so people still facing charges,

- and the overall impact that the event and its aftermath have had on organizing efforts for grassroots social change.

Please join us to listen and discuss this timely and important issue in the struggle to build a more just and sustainable world.

~~~

Sharmeen Khan was a media spokesperson for the Toronto Community Mobilization Network, the main network organizing the resistance against the G20. She now works at the Ontario Public Interest Research Group at York University.

FB Event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=129482140443512

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Radical Cookbook Callout!

Deadline: January 1st 2011

Calling all radical cooks and activist bakers- we need your help!

The Community Solidarity Network's Fundraising committee is in the process of putting together a cookbook to sell as a fundraiser for the G20 legal defence fund, and are seeking recipe submissions.

From dinner dishes to desserts, and everything in between we want your recipes!

To submit a recipe, or if you have any questions email us at:
g20cookbook [at] gmail.com

FB Event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=168121463200994
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C: Community Solidarity Network Endorsed Events in Toronto:

Give Rob Ford the Welcome He Deserves!

Date: December 1

Time:12pm EST
Location:Toronto City Hall (100 Queen St W., Toronto ON)

Mayor Ford: Respect People!

On December 1, Rob Ford becomes Mayor of Toronto. In his campaign speeches and his public statements, Ford has called for cuts to fair wages, a dismantling of the already inaccessible public transit system, supported Toronto's police brutality during the G20, and repeatedly expressed racist anti-immigrant sentiments and outright hatred for poor people.

While claiming to speak on behalf of the 'majority', Ford actually believes in a Toronto for the few. He believes in a Toronto divided into suburbs and the downtown. A Toronto divided into streetcar riders, bikers and drivers. A Toronto divided into immigrants, refugees and citizens. A Toronto where the homeless are driven out of sight as social housing is sold off to developers. A Toronto where police budgets grow and cops act with impunity. A Toronto that is open for business, but closed for the public.

This is not our Toronto. Our Toronto is about justice, dignity, and respect for immigrants, precarious workers, poor people and unions.

On December 1, at 12noon, a public, family friendly demonstration is being called outside City Hall as Rob Ford becomes Mayor to remind him what the people of this city need, expect and demand.

Please invite all your friends. Keep visiting http://ocap.ca/ and http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/ for updates.

FB Event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=136768189707239

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People’s Assembly on Climate Justice

Date: December 4
Time: 9:30am-5pm EST
Location: Sidney Smith Hall - rm 2118 (100 St George St., Toronto ON)

On June 23rd 2010, in advance of the G20, Toronto held its first People’s Assembly in community response to the climate crisis. Now on December 4th, 2010, activists, groups, community organizers and neighbourhood participants will gather for the second Toronto People’s Assembly on Climate Justice.

Faced with the illegitimate and false solutions promoted through the UN climate talks, La Via Campesina has called for the creation of a thousand Cancuns to counter the next round of negotiations in Mexico from Nov. 29th to Dec. 11th. For Dec. 4th, the Global Climate Campaign has initiated an international day of action, and the national call-out by the Council of Canadians to hold countrywide assemblies on the same day has been answered by communities across Canada. The second Assembly, as a manifestation of these calls to resistance, will serve as the launching point for a series of regular Assemblies in an effort to build a united movement for Climate Justice in Toronto.

The challenge of the climate crisis can only be met with a coordinated response that will bring forth our power in numbers. It also requires that we confront the root causes of the crisis and not just the symptoms. Through a horizontal people’s process, the Assembly will seek to create a space where we can work together to share experience, knowledge, and resources in order to build a local response to a global crisis. The Assembly hopes to work towards this objective through channels of collective dialogue and community empowerment.

Our goal is to generate new possibilities and new hopes in order to bridge the gap from separately operating groups, communities, and individuals, to converge into one diverse, united movement. We must equip ourselves with the tools we need to fulfill our potential as an effective Social and Climate Justice community.

For More information:
The Toronto People’s Assembly on Climate Justice
http://www.torontopeoplesassembly.wordpress.com/
peoplesassembly.toronto@gmail.com
647-869-6496

Sponsors: Council of Canadians, Greenpeace, OPIRG-Toronto, Toronto Climate Campaign, Toronto Bolivia Solidarity

Endorsers: Canadian Youth Climate Coalition, Canadian Animal Liberation Movement, Community Solidarity Network, Community Solidarity Response Toronto, Earth Rangers, ecoSanity, Environmental Justice Toronto, Indigenous Environment Network, Kairos-Toronto, Ontario Coalition Against Poverty, Polaris Institute, Science For Peace, Toronto Vegetarian Association

FB Event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=107327446002085

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Support all those still facing charges. Donate to the G20 Legal Defence Fund:

http://g20.torontomobilize.org/

Thursday, November 25, 2010



CANADIAN ANARCHIST MOVEMENT TORONTO:
A NEW AND MUCH BETTER ANARCHIST COOKBOOK:


Here's a neat new project being put on by the Toronto Community Mobilization Network in support of arrestees at the G20 summit last summer. No, this time around it is for real, an actual honest to God cookbook. Here's the details...
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Send us your recipes!
We're making a RADICAL COOKBOOK!
Time Wednesday, October 20 at 7:00pm - Saturday, January 1, 2011 at 7:00pm

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Location everywhere

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Created By Community Solidarity Network

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More Info
Do you have tasty recipes and a passion for helping people fundraise for legal fees?

Send us your recipes!!

The Community Solidarity Network is creating a cookbook with all kinds of delicious recipes.

All proceeds will go to the G20 Legal Defence Fund.

Send your submission to: g20cookbook@gmail.com

Submissions are due January 1st 2011

Sunday, November 07, 2010


INTERNATIONAL LABOUR SOUTH KOREA:
CALL FOR SOUTH KOREA TO HONOUR WORKERS' RIGHTS:
Beginning November 11 South Korea will play host to the latest meeting of the G20. Being as that is Remembrance Day here in Canada let's not forget what happened in Toronto during the last meeting of the G20. International unions are calling for a different sort of response from the Korean government ie that they act to respect rights rather than trample them down. Here's the story from the AFL-CIO Blog.
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On Eve of G-20 Summit, Global Unions Call On Korea to Honor Workers’ Rights
by James Parks, Nov 4, 2010

When the leaders of the world’s top 20 economies, also known as the G-20, meet Nov. 11–12 in Seoul, Korea, the global union movement will shine a light on the Korean government’s repeated violations of workers’ rights.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka today joined the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) in calling on the Korean government to honor its international commitments and respect workers’ rights. In a letter to Korea’s President Lee Myung-bak, Trumka said:

Repeatedly workers and trade unions in Korea are subject to violations of human and trade union rights. The number of arrests and severity of prison sentences as well as physical violence is increasing.

The AFL-CIO calls on the Korean government to honor your international commitments and respect workers’ rights.


In the week leading up to the summit, workers around the world are taking actions at their workplaces, in rallies and in cyberspace to convince Korean leaders to treat workers with respect and dignity. They also will visit Korean embassies and express solidarity with Korean workers.

When Korea joined the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in 1996, it made a commitment to reform its labor laws and meet international standards on workers’ rights. OECD is a global coalition of governments to coordinate worldwide economic development. Now, 14 years later, Korea’s laws still do not comply with international standards on protecting workers’ rights and Korea is one of the worst countries in the world for the repression of its workers and trade unions..

Specifically, the ITUC claims the Korean government “repeatedly and systematically violates workers’ rights by:

•Using criminal sanctions against “obstruction of business” to arrest union leaders and deny workers the freedom to join a union.
•Restricting union rights for workers in dangerous employment situations or workers who are employed by subcontractors.
•Restricting union rights for public sector workers.

Saturday, November 06, 2010


CANADIAN POLITICS TORONTO:
SUPPORT RYAN RAINVILLE:

The fallout from the recent G20 police riot in Toronto continues to come down. More charges have been dropped, and more investigations are being set up to investigate police conduct during those days. Some people, however, continue to be prosecuted even though it is doubtful that even one single rioter involved in the riot that police allowed to happen will ever be charged with any real crime. One of these who was arrested elsewhere on flimsy evidence is Ryan Rainville, a native activist. Here is an appeal for support for him in his latest upcoming court appearance. From the Community Solidarity Network in Toronto...
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Court Support for Ryan Rainville--Tuesday, Nov. 9
Ryan Rainville has had a court adjournment for his bail hearing from Thursday Nov 4th to Tuesday November 9th. Ryan will reappear on Tuesday November 9th at 9:30am at Superior Court of Justice, 361 University Avenue in Toronto, for his bail review. Please join his family, friends and supporters in the courthouse to show support to Ryan, who has been in jail since his arrest on August 5th 2010.

Ryan has been targeted as an Indigenous Sovereigntist from the Sakimay Nation, and charged with allegations stemming from June demonstrations against the G20 in Toronto. Ryan was denied bail in early August, and is being held at Maplehurst Correctional Complex.

His supporters would like to request that friends and allies come to the
Superior Court of Justice (361 University Ave) in Toronto to show their
support. Please note this is not a demonstration but a call for appropriate court support.

- For information on Ryan, please visit:
http://www.facebook.com/l/5cef0jy_PSpufkqD-uNlbBAEZQQ;g20.torontomobilize.org/node/596

- To donate to his legal defence fund, you can mail cheques to:
No One Is Illegal-Toronto
90C Beverley Street, Toronto ON M5T 1Y1
Please be sure to indicate “Ryan Rainville” in the memo.

You can also make a secure donation online through Paypal on the No One Is Illegal-Toronto website (http://www.facebook.com/l/5cef0B7j6F7_CNGh1pS_pEyBcKg;toronto.nooneisillegal.org ). Please be sure to send an email to nooneisillegal@riseup.net and let us know you have donated and what amount.

- For more information please contact:
thesheelephant@yahoo.com or mcorbiere@hotmail.com or hwalia8@gmail.com

http://www.facebook.com/l/5cef0U2umxKF6KIYLYD-lWKfhpw;torontomobilize.org/node/628

Wednesday, October 27, 2010


INTERNATIONAL LABOUR SOUTH KOREA:
REPRESSION OF WORKERS IN SOUTH KOREA:

South Korea is due to host the next G20 meeting soon. It will no doubt be true to form with protests being violently repressed. Whether SK can live up to the heights of overkill recently demonstrated on the streets of Toronto is an open question. What is sure is that South Korea has yet to live up to its commitments to bring its labour legislation in line with international standards. Here is an item from the international union federation the IUF about what sort of country the g20 meeting will be held in this time around.
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International Unions Call for Action on Labour Rights Abuses in Korea
When Korea joined the OECD in 1996, a condition of adherence was a commitment to reform its industrial relations legislation in line with ILO standards. Not only has there been no reform, but the situation has markedly deteriorated.

In the runup to the G20* meeting scheduled for November 11-12 in Seoul, South Korea, international union organizations are calling for pressure on the Korean government to bring its repressive labour law and employment regime into line with international standards and its own commitments.

The ILO has repeatedly called on the government of South Korea to amend its labour legislation, which criminalizes legitimate union activity, blocks large numbers of public sector workers from joining unions or bargaining collectively and promotes the massive use of precarious employment relationships to effectively deny workers their collective rights.

Despite its 1996 pledge, current and previous Korean governments has refused to ratify ILO Conventions 87 (freedom of association) and 98 (collective bargaining).

Article 314 of the Penal Code on "obstruction of business" is routinely used to arrest and imprison union leaders and members and impose fines totalling millions of dollars in order to cripple union activity. Over 300 trade unionists have been imprisoned over the past 18 months.


When the crisis affected production at Ssangyong Motors, management responded to union demands to negotiate worksharing by unilaterally dismissing agency workers. In the course of the strike which followed (May-August 2010), riot police consistently used violence against the workers, including using electroshock weapons. ( See previous posts here at Molly's Blog- Molly )

A loose definition of "essential services" allows the government to deny large numbers of public sector workers the right to join a union. Unions of government employees, teachers, construction and transport workers are refused the right to represent over 250,000 workers.

Outsourced, subcontracted (dispatched) and other forms of precarious work have been aggressively promoted to deny whole categories of workers their right to union representation. Some 50% of all employed persons in Korea today lack an open-ended, direct permanent employment contract. The KCTU Korean metalworkrers have identified companies making use of up to a hundred labour contractors in a single factory - all to prevent workers from joining a union and bargaining with the real employer.

In an important decision last year, the ILO Committee on Freedom of Association called on the government of Korea to stop the abusive use of precarious contracts to deny workers their rights.

The only labour law reform, however, is proposed legislation to extend the current two-year period after which dispatch workers must be made permanent - to 4 years! Sungjong Lee, Policy Director of the IUF-affiliated Korean Federation of Private Service Workers' Unions (KFSU), denounces the proposed legislation because it will be used by employers to evade their obligation to regularize precarious workers: most employers, says Lee, will simply replace irregular workers as their contract conversion approaches with new, precarious hires.

Newly proposed legislation would also expand the range of job classifications allowed for dispatch (agency) work from the current 32 with up to 17 additional job classifications (in accordance with "market needs"). According to Nambee Park, President of the IUF-affiliated Korean Women's Trade Union, this has already encouraged the conversion to agency work of many directly-employed women workers, with a consequent loss of security, wages and benefits. If the remaining restrictions on agency work are done away with, says Park, the result will be a further expansion of low wage work, deepening insecurity and gender discrimination

The global union federations, the ITUC and TUAC are together calling for pressure on G20 governments to make sure the urgent need for labour law reform comes to the fore at the G20 meeting. A briefing note, sample letters and background materials for trade unions are available on the website of the International Metalworkers Federation in English, French, German, Russian and Spanish.

But you needn't live and work in a G20 country to take action in support of our Korean sisters and brothers! Unions everywhere can use these campaign materials to urge your government to pressure the government of Korea, to organize actions and protests at South Korean government representations and to inform your members and the wider public about the current situation - and the urgent need for change.

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*The Group of 20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors is made up of Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, European Union, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, United Kingdom and the USA.
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THE LETTER:
Please go to this link to send the following message to the President of South Korea.
KLKLKLKLKL

Dear President Lee Myung-bak,

I join with the International Metalworkers' Federation in calling for the Korean government to honour its international commitments and respect workers’ rights.

Repeatedly workers and trade unions in Korea are subject to violations of human and trade union rights. The number of arrests and severity of prison sentences as well as physical violence is increasing.

When Korea joined the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in 1996 it was on the proviso that your government would take the necessary measures to bring Korea’s labour law in line with international standards.

Korea has failed to adhere to or ratify ILO conventions no. 87 (right to freedom of association) and no. 98 (right to collective bargaining) and your government has repeatedly refused offers of technical assistance from the International Labour Organisation to bring your legislation into line with international standards.

The Korean Government routinely uses criminal sanctions under Article 314 of the criminal code to arrest and imprison trade unionists for exercising their legitimate right to conduct trade union activities.

The Korean law denies workers in precarious or irregular employment the right to join a trade union and bargain collectively. Employers systematically engage workers on precarious employment contracts specifically to prevent them from forming and joining trade unions.

Public sector workers are subjected to anti-union discrimination and disciplinary measures and their collective agreements are unilaterally cancelled by the Government. Whole categories of Government workers are prevented from organizing through an overly broad definition of “essential services”.

I call on the Korean government to honour your international commitments and respect workers’ rights.

Yours,

Sunday, October 10, 2010


CANADIAN ANARCHIST MOVEMENT TORONTO:
SPEAKING IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE ?:
The following call for solidarity with an Ontario activist is from the Toronto Community Solidarity Network.
TOTOTOTOTO
Subject:
For Immediate Release: G20 defendant Alex Hundert found to have breached ‘no demonstration’ cond
http://www.facebook.com/l/3e8b0K5jQ1YORLPTCh6-rBa8OWQ;g20.torontomobilize.org/node/549

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
OCTOBER 08, 2010

G20 defendant Alex Hundert found to have breached ‘no demonstration’ condition for speaking at a university panel event

October 8, 2010 – Toronto, Mississauga New Credit – G20 defendant and alleged ‘ringleader’ Alex Hundert was found to be in breach of his ‘no-demonstration’ bail condition today for speaking as an invited panellist at two recent university events. A new bail hearing is now underway at the Scarborough Courthouse at 1911 Eglinton Avenue East in courtroom 405. This hearing is now expected to drag into next week and continue on Tuesday October 12, and Wednesday, October 13.

According to Yogi Acharya “We are outraged at this ruling. He was speaking at a panel discussion in a university classroom alongside professors, which is clearly not a public demonstration. This is yet another attempt to silence Alex, and is a strong indication of the police's intent to criminalize ideas, dissent, and effective community organizing.”

In a previous media statement, Hundert has stated “They are targeting me and because I am part of communities that are effectively organizing across movements. Whether it is the criminalization of anarchists and community organizers like me, or the daily demonization of Indigenous peoples, poor people and migrant communities, we are living in the midst of an increasingly aggressive and openly racist Harper regime that serves only to protect property and profit, not people. We have to show them that our resolve and our solidarity can be stronger than their intimidation and repression.”

Several other G20 defendants remain behind bars, including Indigenous sovereignty activist Ryan Rainville of the Sackimay Nation, punished by the criminal justice system for being poor and unable to afford exorbitant bail, while others face the possibility of deportation as a means of stifling their dissent.

Hundert is currently facing politically-motivated conspiracy and counselling charges in relation to the Toronto G8/G20 protests. He was arrested pre-emptively at gunpoint in a violent house raid on the morning of June 26th, before the protests began, and is being targeted as a member of the community group AW@L and Southern Ontario Anarchist Resistance.

This latest attempt is not the first time the Crown has attempted to send Hundert back to jail. On July 28, 2010 the Ontario Provincial Police warned Hundert that media interviews him and his co-accused Leah Henderson did with CBC radio, Toronto Sun, Vancouver Media Co-op, and Rabble were a violation of the no demonstration bail condition and threatened to re-jail them. A day later at a press conference, Hundert and his supporters decried this media ban as a blatant violation of his right to free speech and of freedom of the press. On August 20, the Crown had appealed Hundert and Henderson’s release from jail in the Ontario Superior Court and was seeking pre-trial incarceration. However Federal Court judge Todd Ducharme dismissed the Crown’s appeal.
-30-

For more information and interview requests:

Yogi Acharya 647-764-0488, Rachel Avery 519 616 5549

Tuesday, October 05, 2010



CANADIAN ANARCHIST MOVEMENT TORONTO:
FUNDRAISER IN TO FOR G20 LEGAL DEFENSE:

The following item is from the Toronto Community Solidarity Network.
@@@@@@@@@@

Bold

"The Chicago Conspiracy" Premier Screening!
A G20 Legal Defense/Mapuche Political Prisoner Fundraiser
200 Years of Genocide – Our People Continue Resisting...


**
A Fundraiser for the Toronto G20 Legal Defence Fund AND the Family Support Group of Mapuche Political Prisoners of Angol and Chol-Chol on Hunger Strike (Familiares de los Presos Politicos Mapuche en Huelga de Hambre de Angol y Chol-Chol)
**
Night of Solidarity for our Mapuche Political Prisoners Dying on a 90+ Day Hunger Strike, and all those who have Suffered the Pain of Physical and Psychological Torture as a Result of the G20 - Kidnapped in the Jails of the Canadian state

NO BICENTENARY ON STOLEN MAPUCHE TERRITORY!

Freedom for All the Mapuche Political Prisoners on a 90+ Day Hunger Strike & All Our
Political Prisoners!

NO ONE IS FREE UNTIL EVERY PERSON IS FREE!

*****

Featuring the EXCLUSIVE Toronto Premier of the Documentary Film:

**THE CHICAGO CONSPIRACY**

Chile. Dictatorship. Legacy. Today. Social War.

The State and its Neo-liberal Agenda are the Real Conspirators!
SPECIAL PERFORMANCE BY ILLOGIC (Hip-hip)

See Trailer: http://www.facebook.com/l/21ebcuJwAcY8ScVWzOyoMINrATQ;vimeo.com/2127661

A Film based on the Anti-Capitalist Struggles in Chile since the Pinochet Dictatorship (the Student Movement, Community Organizing, & the Uprising of Mapuche Indigenous Sovereignty Movement) taking its name from the 25 Chilean economists from
the Chicago School of Economics who assisted the making of the bloody regime in the implementation of Neo-liberal policies.

**
Presenting the Director of the Film of Subversive Action Films in an intimate Discussion/Conversation of the Documentary
**

Speakers Directly from Six Nations of the Grand River Territory, WCCC [Toronto ] on the ongoing struggle of the Mapuche Nation in so-called southern Chile], the Toronto 19 Support Group, Live Music, and MUCH MORE.... (MORE UPDATES/ARTISTS TBA!)

$10-20 Sliding Scale
No One Turned Away!

** See Us on Facebook!:
http://www.facebook.com/note.php?saved&¬e_id=443069539490#!/event.php?eid=161593357188005&ref=ts


For More Info: http://www.facebook.com/l/21ebcTNXn_Zl2KNGc6TOnPFhJdA;www.nobicentenaryonmapucheterritory.wordpress.com

Friday, October 8th @ 8 PM
Birge Carnegie Reading Room (University of Toronto)
95 Charles Street West (Just East of Museum Station)

Organized by:
The Women’s Coordinating Committee for a Free Wallmapu [Toronto]

Email: wccc_98@hotmail.com

Endorsed By:

Equity Studies Program (University of Toronto)
Ontario Coalition Against Poverty
Community Solidarity Network
National Council of Latin American and Caribbean Women of Canada - LATIN@S
Latin American Solidarity Network-LASN (Toronto)
Barrio Nuevo
Graduate Student Union (University of Toronto)

Saturday, September 25, 2010



CANADIAN POLITICS INTERNATIONAL POLITICS:
PITY SOUTH KOREA:



Now this is getting a jump on things. Having experienced what happens at summits directly people in Toronto are going to be demonstrating next Friday at the Korean Consulate to protest the next G20 summit to be held in November in guess what country. Here's the callout from the Toronto Community Solidarity Network.
◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘
Call for Action:
The G20 Sucks! Our Condolences to South Korea
Time Friday, October 1 · 5:00pm - 8:00pm

---------------------------

Location South Korean Consulate
555 Avenue Road
Toronto, ON

---------------------------
More Info
October 1st- International Day of Action against the pre-Summit attack on Democratic and Human Rights in South Korea


Three months have passed since the G20 invaded Toronto. Behind miles of security fencing and lines of riot police, representatives from the world’s twenty richest countries and central bank governors met to discuss and further implement their policies of systemic exploitation and destruction. Citywide mobilizations greeted the summit as communities took to the streets in opposition to the G20 and everything it stands for.

Our resistance was met by state-sanctioned violence, police brutality, harassment, and intimidation. The criminalization of dissent is ongoing and our communities are still feeling the painful repercussions. The healing process will be a long one.

Unfortunately, the G20 continues and this upcoming November will spread its terror elsewhere. The legacy of the G20 summit, widespread repression, the targeting of community activists and the attacks on democratic and human rights will be brought to South Korea. To our allies and our friends organizing in Seoul we send our condolences.

For all they are currently going through, for all they will surely have to deal with as the summit approaches we send our condolences. We realize the G20 is nothing to celebrate, but rather something to ragefully mourn. And so, on October 1st, the ‘International Day of Action against the pre-Summit attack on Democratic and Human Rights in South Korea’ we will gather in front of the South Korean Consulate (555 Avenue rd.) at 5pm to deliver the following demands to the South Korean government:

1. The G20 Summit is NO excuse! Stop the crackdown on migrants, street vendors and homeless people!

2. Honour international labour standards and ILO recommendations! Stop labour repression and labour flexibilisation policies!

3. Repeal the “Special Law on the Safe Escort of the G20 Summit” and end repression of the rights to freedom of expression and assembly!

Come out in solidarity and show your support for all those organizing against the G20 in Seoul! Food will be served, and materials will be on hand to construct condolence cards and paper flowers that will be put together in a creative package to be sent to our comrades organizing in South Korea.

Background:

http://kctu.org/ActionAlerts/9842

http://g20.torontomobilize.org/

Friday, September 24, 2010


CANADIAN POLITICS:
THE COST OF THE G20:

Things are proceeding as usual in the lala land known as Ottawa, and the reports of the costs of the G8/G20 summits in Muskoka and Toronto are coming back in drips and drabs. It must be pleasing to the Harper government that costs are being reported this way rather than in an overall accounting. The fuzzier the better may be Stevie's motto. The final cost is now estimated at $1.24 billion. The fractured accounting that is being used is guaranteed to add yet another significant stash of cash to that pile. A radio report that I heard today said that it may take millions of dollars to find out how many hundreds of millions were spent.

What follows is one report from the CBC on the costs tallied so far. Two things in this report jump out of the page at me. One is the $14,000 spent on "glow sticks". Believe it or not these things actually have a use in providing light, but they saw little (no?) use. I went online shopping for glow sticks, and the largest size available cost about $1 each for an order of 200 or more. This means that the various police forces now have thousands of left over glow sticks to play with, enough to supply a division of renegade Jedis with light sabers. Have fun guys.

The other matter is more serious. Note the confusion of Conservative House leader John Baird about how many international biggies actually showed up for the party. Anyone other than a politician who is considered "informed" enough to help rule a country knows that there is a significant difference between 50 and 100, let alone 10,000 and 20,000. The cavalier way in which Baird exposes his ignorance says volumes not only about his grasp of affairs but about the contempt which the Conservative Party has for ordinary Canadians. he thinks those who pay the bill for such good times have as little regard for their dollars as he does.

Anyways, here for your amusement is the CBC article.
G20G20G20G20
G8/G20 costs include $80M for food, lodging
The Liberals are strongly criticizing the federal government over expenses incurred during the G8/G20 summits, which, expenditure reports reveal, included $80 million for food and accommodation, $85,000 for snacks and $14,000 for glow sticks.

"This is totally unacceptable," said Liberal MP Dan McTeague, who tabled the expenditure reports in the House of Commons on Thursday.

McTeague had requested details on all contracts for goods or services relating to the G20 meetings.

"The reams and reams of documents present a very disturbing trend and tale, I think, for Canadians," McTeague said. "It suggests there is a very deep and serious problem. There was no accountability or oversight in terms of those expenditures. Money was no object."

According to the documents, $80 million was spent on food and accommodation, more than $34 million on telecommunications and electronics and almost $17 million for vehicle rentals and transportation.

Of the accommodation costs, the RCMP spent under $7 million.

McTeague also asked how many of the contracts were sole-sourced.

He said the released material shows the government's "reckless" attitude toward spending for the events.

But the government defended the costs, saying the majority were security-related.

"Obviously, the bulk of the costs were for security: RCMP, OPP, municipal police forces," said House leader John Baird. "We obviously don't put those out to tender. Those are employees who work for the public, and that's really the bulk of the costs."

"Don't forget we were bringing together about [10,000] or 20,000 people, probably 50 or 100 of the most powerful people in the world. There was not only just the issue of terrorism, and the issue of people trying to disrupt the summit, some violently. So, obviously, we have to spend what is necessary to ensure that we keep these people safe."

Items include headgear, glow sticks
The expenditures include $4.5 million for the security fence around the exclusive Deerhurst Resort in Ontario's Muskoka region, the G8 event host site, along with more than $300,000 for sun screen and insect repellent for the police guarding the fence.

Also detailed are a $3.2-million single contract for shuttle buses and a $2.2-million car rental bill — for a single day. ( Try costing that one out. I'm surprised there are so many rent-a-cars in Ontario, let alone in Toronto-Molly )

An $85,000 tab is listed for snacks at the exclusive Park Hyatt hotel in downtown Toronto and $68,340 was spent on Nikon cameras, according to the documents. Another $45,000 was spent on binoculars.

In addition, the costs include $1.2 million on condominium rentals, $14,049 for glow sticks and more than $13,000 for "miscellaneous textiles, headgear and umbrellas," the documents show.

No final tally has been given yet on the price tag for Canada's hosting back-to-back summits in Ontario's Muskoka region and downtown Toronto in late June, but the overall cost has been estimated to be about $1.24 billion, including at least $930 million for security.

The auditor general's office says a report on the security costs of the G8/G20 summits is scheduled for spring 2011.


Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/politics/story/2010/09/23/g20-g8-summit-costs.html#ixzz10Q9B9hCR

Friday, September 17, 2010



CANADIAN POLITICS TORONTO:
URGENT APPEAL FOR COURT SUPPORT:



This just in from the Toronto Solidarity Network...an urgent call for court support tomorrow (September 18) morning for G20 community organizer accused of breaking his parole by speaking at a public meeting. Accused of "being at a demonstration".
G20G20G20G20


URGENT COURT RESPONSE REQUIRED

Time Saturday, September 18 · 9:00am - 12:00pm

-----------------------------

Location Old City Hall (60 Queen St W) Queen & Bay

---------------------------
Created By Community Solidarity Network

--------------------------

More Info
URGENT COURT RESPONSE REQUIRED

Saturday, September 18, 2010
9:00am
Old City Hall (60 Queen St W)
Queen & Bay
Toronto

Alex Hundert, a community organizer facing g20 charges, was rearrested at 11pm, outside his surety’s home.

This is an urgent call for support. Please spread the word.
Court appearance at 9:30am.

Please keep checking back here for updates:
http://g20.torontomobilize.org/
www.twitter.com/g20mobilize

Friday, September 03, 2010



CANADIAN POLITICS TORONTO:
IN THE WAKE OF THE G20:



Here's an upcoming event down Toronto way in the wake of the massive arrests surrounding the G20 summit in that city.
G20G20G20G20


Strengthening Our Resolve
Time September 17 · 6:30pm - 11:30pm

------------------------
Location Ryerson University - Rogers Communication Centre, room RCC 204 (Eaton Lecture Theatre), (80 Gould Street, Toronto ON)

-----------------------
Created By Toronto Community Mobilization Network
(or the website -Molly)

------------------------
More Info
Strengthening Our Resolve: Movement Building and Ongoing Resistance to the G20 Agenda

http://g20.torontomobilize.org/node/486

Speakers include Alex Hundert, Jen Meunier, Judy Rebick, Liisa
...Schofield, Ro Velasquez, Harsha Walia, and a representative from the
Greater Toronto Workers Assembly

This is a Pay What You Can event. All contributions go to the G20
Legal Defence Fund (http://g20.torontomobilize.org/support )

While 40,000 demonstrated and over 1000 were arrested in the streets of Toronto, so-called leaders met behind a security fence and 10,000 police to further their exploitation of people and the Earth. Hundreds face G20-related charges stemming from an unprecedented coordinated police operation, and political dissent remains criminalized as arrests of community organizers have occurred as recently as September.

Meanwhile, across the globe we see G20 austerity measures snatching away health, educational and social services, while the governments of G20 countries continue to bail out banks and corporations. Locally, we witness racist criminalization of migrants and refugees becoming more vicious, while colonization and destruction of Indigenous nations and their lands continues. Many of us daily experience the entrenchment of a racist, ableist, patriarchal, queer-phobic, profit-driven culture, while countless bodies bear the violence of an oppressive police state that enforces these norms.

Join us in this event with speakers and discussion about responses the G20 agenda, and making linkages across issues and ongoing struggles. With courage and with care, this event is about building solidarity and understanding, about creating real alternatives to this
exploitative and destructive system, and to strengthen our resolve to
continue resisting.

For more information email alex.hundert@gmail.com or call 416 922 4595.

Sponsored by: Toronto Community Solidarity Network, the 247 G20
Defence Committee, CAW Sam Gindin Social Justice and Democracy Chair, OPIRG York, OPIRG Toronto, CUPE 3903 First Nations Solidarity Working Group, CUPE 3907

- Alex Hundert is a G20 defendant charged with “conspiracy” who was arrested in a violent pre-emptive house raid. He has been targeted as a “ringleader” for his role in Indigenous solidarity and anarchist networks including AW@L, SOAR and the Six Nations Solidarity Network.

- Jen Meunier is an Anishinaabekwe (Algonquin) Indigenous
sovereigntist who has been involved in land defense struggles from
Site 41 and Six Nations to the No Olympics on Stolen Native Land
campaign.

- Judy Rebick is an author, past CAW-Sam Gindin Chair in Social
Justice and Democracy at Ryerson University, past president of the
National Action Committee on the Status of Women, media commentator, and founding publisher of rabble.ca.

- Liisa Schofield is a documentary filmmaker, an anti-poverty activist
with the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty, and an activist for
Palestinian rights.

- Ro Velasquez is an artist, York University student, and a member of
the Queer Resistance Network. She is active in movements rooted in
racialized, immigrant, and queer communities of resistance.

- Harsha Walia is an organizer with No One Is Illegal-Vancouver. She
is involved in migrant justice, Indigenous solidarity,
anti-imperialist, anti-poverty, feminist organizing. She has been
active in the 2010 Olympics and G20 convergences.

Friday, August 27, 2010


CANADIAN POLITICS:
G20 FORUM AT MCGILL UNIVERSITY:

Tomorrow, Augst 28, there will be a public forum at McGill University in Montréal focusing on the movement against the g8/g20 and its present relevance today. Here's the promo.>>>
G20G20G20G20
Summit Up: Reflections on the Movement against the G8/G20
Time
Tomorrow · 3:30pm - 5:30pm

--------------------------
Location
Saturday August 28th at 3:30 pm Shatner Ballroom (3rd floor, 3480 McTavish)

-------------------------
Created By Rad Frosh, A.p. Mals, Qpirg McGill, Andrea Figueroa

------------------------
More Info Summit Up: Reflections on the Movement against the G8/G20

Saturday August 28th at 3:30 pm
Shatner Ballroom (3rd floor, 3480 McTavish)

...
This panel will be focusing on the events of this summer in Toronto, an attempt to get beyond the media’s one-sided coverage and hear from those directly involved in mobilizing efforts. By giving historical context to the summit against the G8/G20, panelists will discuss how the anti-globalization movement arrived at this moment.

The intention of the panel is;
to highlight why different groups became involved in the movement
against the G8/G20,
to share their analysis of the movement as it stands today,
to highlight successes and/or lessons that have been learned this year.


Featuring speakers from QPIRG McGill, No One is Illegal, PolitiQ, and CLAC 2010.

This panel is part of Rad Frosh 2010, organized by QPIRG McGill. Find out more at http://radfrosh.qpirgmcgill.org and http://qpirgmcgill.org!

Thursday, August 26, 2010


CANADIAN ANARCHIST MOVEMENT:
PARTY FOR THE G20 ARRESTEES:

The following notice for an event in Toronto in support of those arrested in connection with the G20 Summit in Toronto comes from the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP).
G20G20G20G20
TOMORROW:
Freedom Assembly - Party for G20 and Special Diet Demo Arrestees

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please Forward
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Freedom Assembly - Party for G20 and Special Diet Demo Arrestees
Time
Tomorrow at 9:00pm - Saturday at 2:00am
Location
Blue Moon Bar
725 Queen St E.
Toronto, ON
Freedom Assembly
Party for those arrested at the G20 and Special Diet Demonstrations
DJ No Capitalista
...El Machetero
DJ eLman
DJ NoLoVes
all funds will go to legal expenses for those arrested and to fight the criminalizing of protests Friday Aug 27th
9PM
$10
Blue Moon Pub
725 Queen St. E. (at Broadview)
organized by the member organizations of the May 1st Movement
For more info or endorsements: may1st.toronto@gmail.com
For more info on the legal defense for the G20 arrestees check out the Movement Defence Committee (http://movementdefence.org/ ) and the Toronto Community Mobilization Network (http://g20.torontomobilize.org/support )

Monday, August 16, 2010



CANADIAN POLITICS TORONTO:
DROP THE CHARGES AGAINST G20 DETAINEES:


The following notice of a public meeting to demand that charges against those arrested at the G20 summit in Toronto be dropped comes originally from the G20 Toronto Mobilize group. It came Molly's way via the Ontario Coalition against Poverty (OCAP).
G20G20G20G20


Drop G20 Charges!
Resisting the Criminalization of Dissent
Date: August 17th
Time: 6pm - 7:30pm
Location: Room 116, Wallberg building, 200 College Street, Toronto, ON

Speakers include Lesley Wood, Syed Hussan and organizers from OCAP. Full list of speakers and video statements to be announced!

For ten days at the end of June, the Police led a coordinated armed assault against Toronto's civilian population. Community organizers were in particular targeted. Mobilizations for justice, for dignity and for self-determination were infiltrated, harassed and intimidated. A Canada wide response is at hand... as people fight to have the criminal charges dropped and to continue the struggle against the G20's anti-people and anti-environment policies. (Support the Legal Defence Fund! http://g20.torontomobilize.org/support )

To understand why people mobilized against the G20 and how organizers were targeted; to hear accounts of police brutality and repression; and to understand the political nature of the bail conditions, the criminalization of dissent and ways to support the people facing charges, join us for an informative panel and discussion.

This event is focused towards activists, grassroots organizers and people who are interested in knowing more and acting in solidarity with local struggles and defendants.
Endorsers: Ontario Coalition Against Poverty No One Is Illegal - Toronto Rainforest Action Network - Toronto Common Cause - Toronto Branch Sponsored by: Hussan Freedom Committee, Ontario Public Interest Research Group - Toronto
===
LESLEY WOOD is a Professor of Sociology at York University and a member of the Toronto Community Mobilization Network and the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty. Lesley will be speaking about G20 policies, police violence during the summit and the role of global justice movements and community struggles. Read her latest movement article at: http://bit.ly/bT5LdB
SYED HUSSAN is a member of the Toronto Community Mobilization Network and No One Is Illegal-Toronto. He was arrested on the morning of June 26, 2010 and held for 12 days. Hussan will speak about his arrest, bail conditions, and the need for solidarity and ongoing organizing. Read statements from No One Is Illegal at http://bit.ly/9xt45c and http://bit.ly/dkQ8hG

ONTARIO COALITION AGAINST POVERTY is a grassroots anti-poverty organization that faced increasing police repression following mass demonstrations in 2001. Organizers will be speak about the targeting of various community groups in 2001 and during the G20 and the need to struggle against the G8/G20 policies in the coming years. Read more at http://bit.ly/bKZfyu and http://ocap.ca/node/904

Tuesday, August 03, 2010


LOCAL EVENTS WINNIPEG:
PANEL ON G20 AND CIVIL LIBERTIES:
Thursday, August 19...a panel discussion on the recent g20 summit in Toronto and its effect on civil liberties. Here's the blurb.
WWWWWWWW
G20 Perspectives:
A Panel Discussion on Civil Liberties and Global Justice
Time August 19 · 7:00pm - 9:00pm

-------------------------------
Location Carol Shields Auditorium, Millennium Library, 2nd Floor
251 Donald St.
Winnipeg, MB

-----------------------------
Created By Canadians Demanding a Public Inquiry into Toronto G20 (Winnipeg Chapter)

-----------------------------
More Info Join us for a panel discussion on issues pertaining to the recent G20 Summit in Toronto.

The panelists will be:
-David Camfield: Member of the editorial board of New Socialist webzine
-Joan Grace: Professor of Politics at U of W specializing in civil society and policy advocacy, state architecture and political engagement.
...-Chris Powell: Professor of Sociology at U of M
-Dan Lett: Political Opinion columnist for the Winnipeg Free Press
-Robert Chernomas: Professor of Economics at U of M and board member of the Council of Canadians

The above list is subject to change.