By Surkh Musafir
“After thirty years of corruption, poverty and corruption, we’re telling Mubarak to get out of Egypt now,” says 21-year old Rana.
She is holding a sign condemning Egypt’s unelected president Hosni Mubarak at a rally held in Toronto’s Dundas Square on Saturday, January 29, 2011. Upto 700 Egyptians and allies came out to demonstrate solidarity with the millions of Egyptians rising up against dictatorial rule.
“They are demanding an end to Mubarak’s thirty years of power, of the National Democratic Party and his ruling elite,” says Mostafa Henaway, an activist with Tadamon! (Solidarity! in Arabic) in Montreal, where hundreds have been demonstrating outside the Egyptian consulate for several days. Read more…
On the evening of May 5, 2010, a horrific crime was committed in this city. The terror took place in what was more or less broad daylight, in front of numerous onlookers, off a major street and on the campus of a well-known university.
At around 6:30 pm, a victim fled two assailants who had been harassing him without any provocation at the Keele and Steeles intersection.
He made it to Founders Rd. just off Steeles when his attackers caught up with him. They knocked him to the ground and began to beat him mercilessly in the face and chest.
Despite the victim’s clear disadvantage and cries for help, the attackers called for five of their buddies to join in the frenzy. Read more…
The SIU has cleared the Toronto police of any wrongdoing in 18-year-old Junior Alexander Manon’s death last May. We sought reactions from people in Junior’s community.
We interviewed four residents of the Jane-Finch community, ranging from age 18 to 40, all of whom have been recognized for serving their community in positive mentorship roles and in positive community-based projects and initiatives for youth.
They will all remain anonymous.
“It’s the police investigating the police, what do you expect?
“…It’s like sending a child to their room and having them decide what the punishment should be…. Read more…
We are now in February and for Africans in North America it is a significant month. It is usually observed as Black History Month.
February is taken as an opportunity to acknowledge African people’s struggles and achievements and commemorate significant moments in the fight against white supremacy, capitalism, sexism and other forms of oppression.
Some of us use this month to reflect and rededicate ourselves to the revolutionary or radical African political tradition.
In the spirit of collective self-criticism, are we at the point where Black History Month is due for a name change and focus? Read more…
By Ashley M.
“It’s a day to celebrate solidarity and difference among women” – Jeevini Sivarajah
“International Women’s Day becomes a canvas for our past and current struggles and as such, it becomes an opportunity to learn about our struggle from other perspectives and meet other women allies” – Tzazna Leal
“It’s a time to celebrate women’s victories and to learn from women’s struggles” – Nadeen el Kassem
“Even though challenging systemic norms and oppression is a day to day thing, IWD is a day when we can really bring our issues to the forefronts while highlighting our strengths and celebrating one of the longest and biggest movements of resistance in herstory worldwide. ” – Keerthy
In talking to sisters, International Women’s Day (IWD) means a lot of things, but the resounding message is unified: Mobilize and continue to fight!
The Revolutionary Women’s Collective (RWC), a working class women’s collective, will focus on confronting precarious work and standing in solidarity with our sisters (and brothers) against imperialism. Read more…
By Shafiqullah Aziz
Rebel Diaz, the revolutionary hip hop group originating out of Chicago, performed a four city concert tour from January 19 to 22 which was organized by Barrio Nuevo and BASICS. They hit up Waterloo, Toronto, Ottawa and finally Montréal to cap off the weekend.
Rod Starz, G1, and Lah Tere performed songs from their Otra Guerrillera Mixtape Vol. 1 and 2, along with a couple tracks from their upcoming album.
The crowd in every city would always go crazy when Rebel Diaz performed “Which Side Are You On”: Read more…
Petronila G. Cleto
Difficult as it has been for women to awaken and believe that power is also rightfully theirs, it is amazing that two things happened to the women’s movement in the 20th and the 21st century.
First, a global assembly of women workers at the turn of the 20th century came up with International Women’s Day (IWD); “a day of international solidarity, and a day for reviewing the strength and organization of proletarian women,” as Alexandra Kollontai, a major figure in the Russian socialist movement, explained in 1920.
Second, an international conference of women from all sectors established a global alliance of women, the International Women’s Alliance (IWA) in Montreal last September. The IWA is set to further women’s militancy regarding their rights and unity for women’s freedom from their chains.
“Chains” is not some “feminist propaganda.” You can ask any temporary woman worker today, who has felt the chains in her country of origin, and often, in the country wherein she now works. Read more…
By Justicia 4 Migrant Workers
“No work, no pay, I fed up of the broken promises, and I don’t work for no one for free!!!”
Over a hundred migrant workers employed under the auspices of the Canadian Seasonal Agricultural Workers program (CSAWP) were recently deported for demanding thousands of dollars in back wages.
The migrant workers had not been paid for several weeks. Meanwhile, the employer kept telling its workers that their pay was coming and that they should continue to work.
As the employer continued to break its promises, the solidarity between Mexican, Trinidadian, Barbadian, and Jamaican workers strengthened and they began a wildcat strike in November 2010. Read more…
By Sakura Saunders
Two large Canadian mining companies, Barrick Gold and Banro Corporation, are suing Écosociété, a small publishing house in Québec, and Montreal-based academics Alain Deneault, Delphine Abadie, and William Sacher.
The mining companies claim that Écosociété is deliberately publishing falsehoods about their operations.
These suits are criticized as being SLAPP suits, or Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation, as the book in question, “Noir Canada,” merely analyses national and international documents already available to the public about Canadian companies operating in Africa.
The combined sum of the lawsuit is $11 million, amounting to 45 times Écosociété’s annual revenue.
In addition, the cases were filed in separate jurisdictions, Barrick filing their suit in Quebec and Banro filing in Ontario, a hurdle that could prove insurmountable for the small publishing house.
Last year Barrick issued a threat of legal action against Vancouver publisher Talonbooks before the book was even published.
The Talonbooks website nevertheless indicates that the book will still be published in May 2011.
So, while Peter Munk is branding the International Studies and Global Policy program at the University of Toronto, his company, Barrick Gold, is, amongst other unspeakable things, threatening free speech.
For more info on the cases, visit: www.freespeechatrisk.ca.
By M. Cook
“It’s not just about U.S. Steel, it’s every company. They’re doing all the same thing,” a worker from the United Steelworkers told BASICS.
On Saturday, January 29, thousands of working class people from Quebec and Ontario marched through the streets of downtown Hamilton. They came to show solidarity with United Steelworkers (USW) in Hamilton who have been locked out by U.S. Steel for over 11 weeks.
When asked how the fight was going, one USW worker replied, “It’s getting better. We had a lot of support from the community and other locals; they donate money. People are donating food, money, everything… Everybody’s helping out.” Read more…
