On January 18, 2013, Winter Has Its End and BASICS CNS correspondents interviewed Durlabh Pun, a secretary in the International Department of the Communist Party of Nepal – Maoist.

Durlabh explains why and how he joined the Maoist movement, his experiences in combating caste and class oppression, and the necessity of communism in today’s world.

On January 8, 2013, BASICS CNS and Winter Has Its End correspondents caught up with Ganesh Kumar Chitaure, owner of a radical bookstore in Kathmandu.

Chitaure explains some of the basic inequalities along caste and class lines in Nepal that motivated him to join the Maoist movement. He talks about the role that he played as a member of the Maoist party and how that led to his founding this bookstore.

Chitaure also provides a brief overview of the differences and splits that have emerged in the Maoist movement now after the ending of the insurgency.

The word “Oshkimaadzig” refers to the “New People” of the Seven Fires Anishinaabek Prophecy, the people who were prophesied to be the ones who would pick up the remnants of their traditional ways of life and values long repressed by colonialism, and by reclaiming these values they will begin to unite all peoples for the survival of humanity and Mother Earth.

Oshkimaadzig Unity Camp is located in traditional Wendat (“Huron”) land, and since the genocidal dispersal of the Wendat by the French and the wars that forced them to flee the area in the mid 17th century, the Anishinaabe have been the keepers of the eastern door, recognized by the Three Fires Confederacy (Odawa, Potawatamie, and Ojibwe). This land also falls within a number of treaties amongst indigenous people and between indigenous nations and European settlers, including the Two Row Wampum, the ‘One Dish, One Spoon’ Treaty, the Beaver Belt, the Haudenosaunee-Anishinaabek Friendship Belt, the 1764 Fort Niagara Silver Chain Covenant, and the 24 Nations Belt.

Oshkimaadzig Unity Camp is located in ‘Awenda Provincial Park’ two hours north of Toronto in the Penetanguishene Peninsula and is by the Anishinabek Confederacy to Invoke Our Nationhood (ACTION), Oshkimaadzig.org, a member organization of the chapter of the International League of People’s Struggles in Canada.

Video produced by BASICS Community News Service (BASICSnews..ca).

Video from Mass Art-illery concert on Saturday, November 10. Featuring: Acalanto, Rise Up, James Blood (from Tru Rez Crew), Dbi Young and LAL.

On October 26th, Walton Development attempted to file an injuction against Mohawk workers and Six Nations people, who have been protesting against future housing development at Tutela Heights, in Brantford, Ontario.

Tutela Heights is part of the Haldimand Tract and contains Tutelo burial grounds. The site was unlawfully taken by the Crown in 1835. It was reclaimed by the Mohawk workers on September 19th, 2012.

*Article: Megan Kinch & Steve da Silva * Videography: Darryl Richardson *  Video: Editing Camila Uribe * Photos: Darryl Richardson & Steve da Silva *

Four years to the day after Jane Finch Action Against Poverty’s (JFAAP) founding on October 17, 2008 – the International Day for the Elimination of Poverty – one of Jane-Finch’s leading people’s organizations took to the streets once again with its allies to protest the worsening of poverty and police brutality in the community.

Designed for the quick flow-through of cars, the protest circled through the intersection that is the community’s name-sake and that corporate media and local university media loves to vilify: Jane-Finch.

The protest was very much of the corner as well, as people waiting for the bus listened to speeches and watched street theatre from their bus stops and at their red lights. The rally of some 150 people circled through the intersection, for nearly 90 minutes.

Demands from the crowd ranged from calling upon York University’s Excalibur newspaper to end its stigmatization of the area for problems on campus and in the university’s Village Community; calling for community control of policing and an end to police brutality; raising the welfare and disability rates; as well as more support for elders; and an end to horizontal violence within the community.

Despite the ‘good-cop’ act of the so-called ‘community policing’ strategy, with some of 31 Division’s foot cops chatting it up with people in crowd that has many problems with policing in the neighbourhood, the local division’s real attitude towards community residents was demonstrated when two cop cruisers barrelled through the Jane-Finch intersection, nearly hitting protestors and forcing marchers to leap out of the way.  Civilian cars weren’t irritated by the few-seconds delay caused by the tail end of the 150+ person rally that circled through the intersection on the green lights – but not for the cops.

The cop assigned to ‘engage’ with the protest quickly distanced themselves from the incident, saying that they had “nothing to do with the protest” and were simply “responding to another call” – even though the cars had no sirens on.

The protest concluded with performances from local popular theatre group, Nomanzland, as well as performances from other local artists.  The short street acts included, a mock oath to the queen, a desperate community member meeting the red tape of the social service bureaucracy, and a Jane-Finch rendition of the good’ old “Oh Canada… our home on stolen land.”

JFAAP is one of the few community-based organizations in the city that is moving the people in its community for social justice and political mobilization.

Video by Zach Ruiter

Still No Texts/Supplies for Six Na, not much else to say except for that Six Nations has a lot to say and they will say it Thursday October 11 in Toronto, noon at 25 St. Clair Ave East. Some schools may have their photocopiers repossessed, this is very sad to treat children this way.

[Editor note: this article was originally posted on venezuelasolidarity.ca. The Spanish version follows.]

by: Juana Cabezas

Over 50 people convened in Toronto’s Trinity Bellwood Park, site of a bust of South American Liberator Simon Bolivar, as an expression of solidarity with the Venezuelan people and with the Bolivarian Revolution.

In a recent meeting in Caracas, Venezuela, a grouping of continental Left parties and movements calledthe Sao Paulo Forum issued a call for international solidarity for Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and the Bolivarian revolution to take place around the birthday of Simon Bolivar.  The forum also called for more expressions of solidarity and the combatting of a decade-long media campaign against Bolivarian Venezuela that have looked to topple President Chavez and reverse the gains made by Venezuelan people in their political process.

The event included words from Nery Quintero of the Gran Polo Patriotico-Partido Socialista Unido de Venezuela (GPP-PSUV) in Toronto, as well as greetings from Consul General of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in Toronto, Martha Pardo.  Numerous participants also read short statements of solidarity, with others reading passages and quotes from Simon Bolivar.

Pablo Vivanco, Barrio Nuevo delegate before the ‘Avanzada Bolivariana campaign’ urged participants to join the campaign especially in the lead up to the October 7th Presidential elections in Venezuela.  The Avanzada Bolivariana and PSUV in Toronto will be working to produce materials and other information in order to show the tremendous social, political and economic gains Venezuelans have made and the dangers that are threatening to undo these.

On July 7th, Dundalk residents, Six Nations land defenders, and non-native allies, marched through the town to oppose a hazardous sludge project. The theme of the march was Two Row Wampum in Action.

The first video is from Zach Ruiter of the Toronto Media Co-op. The second is from Camila Uribe of BASICS Community News Service.

Clear cutting on Algonquins of Barriere Lake territory is happening at devastatingly rapid rate. A group of Anishinabek people are camped out at Poigan Lake, Quebec determined not to leave until Resolute Forest Products (formerly AbitibiBowater) stops clear-cut logging their unceded territory. There are urgent and immediate calls to mobilize and act in solidarity. Organize an action to confront the Quebec government and Resolute Forest Products!

See http://www.barrierelakesolidarity.org and www.ipsmo.org for some other ways to show your support.

http://youtu.be/RW_AvAI-OkY