Tag: protest

Categories
News

“I’m here because of our future”: Climate change activists march together in a global strike for climate justice

Noah Tremblay-Mimouni holding a sign picturing planet Earth at the Montreal 2021 Climate March.

The annual Global Protest for Climate Justice, part of the Fridays for Future movement (FFF) launched by Greta Thunberg, is back for the third year in a row.

On Sept. 24 thousands of demonstrators gathered in front of the Sir George-Étienne Cartier Monument to march against climate injustice, calling for radical change.

In August 2018, activist Greta Thunberg began a school strike for the climate that became an annual global event among high school and university students.

In 2019, as many as 500,000 people were reported to have attended the first Fridays for Future movement (FFF)  climate protest. 

Last year, Montreal was declared an orange zone, effectively restricting large gatherings shortly before the strike. But, protestors gathered anyway, proving that many consider the climate crisis just as important as the current health crisis.

A year later, the Coalition étudiante pour un virage environnemental et social (CEVES), The Racial Justice Collective and the Solidarity Across Borders led the crowd once again.

Rosalie Thibault, a student organizer, opened her speech by addressing it to the politicians at the march. “A politician’s place is at their desk, writing policies about climate change, and not here in a march against themselves.”

Jérôme Leclerc, a spokesperson and nurse for the CIUSSS de l’Est-de-l’Île-de-Montréal followed, saying that “the climate crisis is also a public health crisis.” 

Leclerc also voiced his concerns about the current climate situation.

“When I look at how our health care network has been KO’d by COVID-19, I wonder how we’re going to deal with this endless succession of disasters.”

He ended his speech with a hopeful note and said, “I hope for our families — I hope they can breathe healthy air. I hope they will make plans and emancipate themselves… I hope they can see the beauty of the world, but I dare believe we have the strength.”

Claudel Pétrin-Desrosiers, another spokesperson and doctor for the CIUSSS de l’Est-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, shared in her speech that the climate crisis is not receiving enough attention.

“As a Quebecer, I wonder,” she began. “I wonder, how can we invest billions of dollars in the construction of highways […] rather than investing in the fight and adaptation of climate change.”

She asked why the government continues to transform natural sites into harmful industrial projects, like the condo project located in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve district.

Pétrin-Desrosiers ended her speech by saying, “There is a clear plan: to keep the global temperature rise below 1.5 C.”

Student Sofia McVetty explained why she attended the strike.

“Climate change is going to devastate our planet if we don’t act now. We are already past the point of no return. At this point, education does not matter much. In the future, if the earth is a ball of fire, it won’t matter if you have a BA or a DEC,” she added.

As the crowd shouted “Political actions for climate justice,” protest participant Daryn Chitsaz  said that stronger regulations targeting companies are also needed.

“We need a more unified government. They really need to take the lead on this, and a lot of that would be done by taxing or putting tariffs on polluters,” Chitsaz suggested.

Another solution recommended by Eve Chabot-Veilleux, a Concordia student and member of the CEVES, is to create a CEVES group at Concordia.

“We really want Concordia to be involved in the climate crisis,” she said. “Climate justice is the fight of our generation, and Concordia should be a part of that.”

 

Photo by Lou Neveux-Pardijon

Categories
Opinions

“My body, my choice”, an ironic juxtaposition

How the use of this controversial slogan has shifted

Growing up, I heard the phrase “My body, my choice” often, whether it was in the context of a history class, in the news, or from a speech my mom once gave me. And then, in the mid 2010s, I discovered the ongoing feminism, womanism, and intersectional feminism movement, and the fight towards the right to decide what’s best for our bodies.

In today’s context, the phrase has been co-opted by a new movement – anti-vaxx – that intrudes upon the safety of many. 

The disease we shall not speak of has created a faction of society that has a fundamental problem with wearing a small piece of cloth over their mouths, getting a vaccine to protect themselves and others from stronger, more contagious variants of the virus, and the use of vaccine passports.

So now, here we are, at a crossroads between the right to choose and the right to… choose, I guess?

It is important to acknowledge that traditional feminism has a long and continued history of excluding Black women and women of colour. In the 1970s, women fought for the right to work outside the home and to ensure their reproductive rights, specifically in the United States Supreme Court’s ruling on Roe v. Wade, which made abortion services legal, though not nessesarily accessible.

Women everywhere were fighting for the right to choose, but white women mostly ignored important issues that mainly impacted women of colour. This resulted in the start of the womanism movement, which focuses specifically on the everyday concerns related to the Black female experience. It takes a focus on the deeper issues and the intersectionality between being a woman and a person of colour, ultimately addressing concerns that white folks were not interested in.

The phrase “My body, my choice” used to represent a movement that — although flawed — had an overarching goal to give power back to women, specifically when it came to our reproductive freedom. It’s ironic now to hear the slogan chanted by some of the same people who would yell “GOD LOVES YOU” as you walk into a Planned Parenthood clinic.

There are obviously some good reasons to not get vaccinated, such as if you have a health condition that is recognized as having a negative reaction to the vaccine.

Additionally, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, 49 per cent of Black Americans stated their lack of trust in the institutions that provide vaccines. There is a documented history of mistreatment of marginalized peoples in the era of eugenics, such as Black Americans, people of Asian and Pacific descent, Indigenous persons, and disabled people. Non-consensual medical experimentation, which goes along with medical professionals having a disregard for the pain and suffering of their patients, has led to a continued lack of trust in western medical institutions for many marginalized people.

Other reasons, such as the side effects of the vaccine or thinking COVID-19 isn’t a real threat seem like a bad joke to me. I can believe some Trump constituents were brainwashed into believing the pandemic wasn’t a real threat, I just cannot get over the hypocrisy in that belief. For decades, women have been fighting for freedom and independence for their reproductive rights, but that has always been outrageous to white conservative Americans, who are composed of 85 per cent Christians. They expect us to just sit down and listen to the Bible whether or not we believe what it says. But today, when the entire world is collectively enduring a pandemic, these same people cannot handle being told what to do.

For decades, people with uterus’s have had to put up and deal with inaccessible healthcare and old white men making the decisions about our vaginas and sex lives, but as soon as those same people experience one hundredth of what it is to have your body regulated, all I hear is whining.

And the fact that the so-called injustice of today is as simple as wearing a mask, in comparison to taking any method of contraception, highly gatekept abortions, the realities of having to live with those decisions, the external judgment, your body and your choices being debated every election, and plain old birth control side effects, whether it’s an IUD and your gyno has to crawl up your cervix every five years, or you have a pill to take everyday — a pill that could make you gain weight, lose weight, have acne, mood swings, painful period cramps, and the list goes on and on.  Keep in mind, I just had to think of my own experiences to make this list… which does not even scratch the surface.

But now, this same person is angry their president didn’t get elected, mad that there’s a hoax of a virus the elite Liberals have created, and that they blew it out of proportion to control us.

Instead of being mad, I’m just going to laugh at the irony of today. It’s everywhere you look, in each nook and cranny around us – from every social media post to every article.

 

Feature graphic by James Fay

Categories
News

Fairy Creek protest in Montreal

Protest in Montreal against logging in B.C.

On Saturday, Aug. 28, more than 60 people marched through downtown Montreal in support of activists and land defenders protecting an area of old-growth trees in B.C. called Fairy Creek.

In August 2020, a blockade was set up near the Fairy Creek Watershed after it was discovered that Teal-Jones, a privately owned timber harvesting and primary lumber product manufacturing company, was building roads in the area. Since then, the Fairy Creek movement has been on track to become the largest act of civil disobedience in Canadian history based on the number of arrests — over 800.

“It’s really startling to be in the forest and be shaded [by trees], and you hear all the beautiful animals, and then you go beyond into the cut blocks where there is absolutely nothing, and you’re kind of just brought into this reality of like: this is our future. These cut blocks, this desolation, this heat — this is our future,” said Sasha Golvin, a Concordia masters student who helped organize the protest, and was at the Fairy Creek blockade.

When asked why Montrealers should care about Fairy Creek, Golvin explained that in Quebec, there are similar situations where colonial resource extraction impacts Indigenous land, and that people should care because Indigenous sovereignty is being impacted across Canada. 

In a speech at the protest, Golvin described the police brutality she saw at Fairy Creek, particularly towards Indigenous land defenders. According to an article by CTV, the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission (CRCC), which holds the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) accountable, has received over 73 complaints dealing with enforcement at Fairy Creek.

A video was posted online of an Indigenous land defender being arrested by police, where the caption stated, “Her hair was literally on the road after her body was dragged away.”

In a press release from Climate Justice Montreal, it is stated that the RCMP are stopping and arresting journalists at the blockade and targeting Indigenous people. Some officers have been reported wearing “Thin Blue Line” patches, a symbol with connections to white supremacy. The RCMP has advised its officers across Canada not to wear the patch.

Members of the Pacheedaht, Ditidaht, and other First Nations support the movement against old-growth logging. Yet Pacheedaht chief Jeff Jones and hereditary chief Frank Queesto Jones, said in a statement that they were against the Fairy Creek blockade, and that all sides of the conflict must respect how the Pacheedaht decided to use their forestry resources.

In June, the B.C. government approved the request from First Nations to halt old-growth logging in Fairy Creek for two years, yet the RCMP continue to arrest protesters and land defenders.

Leela Keshav, a student at the University of Waterloo who went to the Fairy Creek blockade and the Montreal protest, believes that while the blockade is B.C. oriented, it affects everyone.

“It’s the last old-growth, and because we are in a climate crisis it’s so incredibly valuable to protect,” she said.

According to the Ancient Forest Alliance website, only 2.7 per cent of B.C.’s old-growth is still standing, and 75 per cent of that is slated to be logged in the coming years.

“We all live on this shared planet, seeing these connections, at first it seems like this is an isolated thing in B.C., but actually, it is part of all these interconnected movements across Canada,” said Keshav.

 

Photograph courtesy of Youssef Baati.

Categories
News

Quebecers gather and march in solidarity against domestic violence

Thousands of people gathered all around Quebec to raise awareness of the increase in domestic violence during the pandemic

Quebecers joined together to stand against domestic violence on April 2. Thousands of protestors reunited around La Fontaine Park and walked down Mont-Royal Avenue as they shouted “Enough is enough, not one more.”

“In the past two months, a horrifying count has been witnessed — eight women have been murdered in the context of domestic violence in just eight weeks,” explained Ingrid Falaise, comedian, actress and one of the organizers of the event, during her speech.

Falaise emphasized that not only 13 women have lost their lives from either partners or former partners, but there have been 20 kids left as orphans and five suicide attempts reported by the media in Quebec since the beginning of the pandemic.

“Behind these women who have died, there are millions who daily live in fear and 300 more suicides not announced — enough is enough,” she insisted.

Executive director for the the Fédération des maisons d’hébérgement pour femmes, Manon Monastesse, led the crowd in honouring all of the women who died since the pandemic began, by repeating their names one-by-one: Johanne Corriveau, Sylvie F., Francine Lussier, Mary Saviadjuk, Françoise Côté, Elisapee Angma, Marly Édouard, Nancy Roy, Myriam Dallaire, Sylvie Bisson, Nadège Jolicoeur, Kataluk Paningayak-Naluiyuk and Rebekah Harry.

Collectively, Falaise, the Alliance des maisons d’hébergement de 2e étape, the Fédération des maisons d’hébérgement pour femmes, L’R des centres de femmes du Québec, and the Regroupement des maisons pour femmes victimes de violence conjugale openly spoke to support all women and urge that all forms of violence, psychological, economic, sexual or physical, are unacceptable and that a change must be made.

Viviane Michel, president of La Fédération des femmes autochtones du Québec, said that there is a lack of solutions and resources and turned her questions over to the government. 

“How many times have you guys consulted us? How many memoirs have we submitted? How many solutions have we proposed to you against domestic violence, and we are still last on the list when it comes to budgeting?” Michel asked.

She points out that women need to feel safe and protected, which means more services and tools for women’s shelters.

Michel also suggests that it’s important to educate boys at a young age. She says that change starts by teaching boys what the word “respect” means and what it means to respect women and girls. 

The march ended with the final words of other spokespeople, with thousands of protestors watching on.

Chantal Arsenault, president of Regroupement des maisons pour femmes victimes de violence conjugale, says that this movement can’t be done without the help of the feminist organizations specializing in domestic violence. Arsenault says the government can’t ignore their experience and expertise, and they must take their advice and act now.

Alexandra Pierre, president of the Ligue des droits et libertés, concluded by saying, “These forms of violence prevent women of their rights to security, equality and the right to life itself.”

 

Photograph by Hannah Tiongson

Categories
News

Algerian protests in Place du Canada mark the re-ignition of Algeria’s opposition movement

Algerian organization plans to continue the protests on a weekly basis

On March 28, an Algerian organization based in Montreal known as “Tous unis pour notre Algerie” held a protest in Place du Canada in opposition to Algeria’s current government, which has been under the administration of President Abdelmadjid Tebboune since December of 2019.

The protests are a continuation of Algeria’s previous unrest in November 2019; the Algerian community postponed demonstrations until recently due to the surge of COVID-19 cases and restrictions.

Sara Sebbah, an Algerian national and frequent attendee of the organization’s events, was among one of the many protestors. She expressed her excitement at the reignition of the demonstrations, saying, “We stopped in 2019 to protect our country from COVID-19, but now they won’t suppress our protests and we’re not going to stop until we achieve freedom for our nation.”

According to an article published by Africanews last month, the anti-opposition sentiment has been fuelled by the fact that Tebboune is seen as a continuation of the nation’s previous president, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who throughout his 20-year rule was accused of corruption, suppressing freedom of speech and interfering in democratic elections to preserve his presidency. 

The article estimated that during the Feb. 3 protests, over 2,000 Algerians defied lockdown measures in the city of Algiers to demand the removal of Tebboune, but were met with violence.

“Our protests are always peaceful and public,” explained Sebbah. “But they provoke us, they make the police use force against us.”

Sebbah left Algeria over a year ago and has been living in Montreal ever since. Her situation is not uncommon among the community; a majority of the protestors were first generation immigrants.

Rajaa Elahmar, one of the volunteers handing out warm drinks to fellow protestors, had a similar story to tell, having immigrated to Canada 15 years ago.

“My hope is a free, democratic and civil Algeria. Not a military state,” said Elahmar.

A mother of three, Elahmar explained the severity of the situation by saying she would not consider Algeria a good place for her own children.

“The way things are now, no,” she explained, shaking her head. “Our children are here, but this protest is for all the Algerian children currently living in Algeria,” she said.

The organization announced that it has plans to continue their activism here in Montreal. Their next large demonstration will take place on April 20, and will be a march from Place du Canada to the Algerian Consulate on St-Urbain St. 

 

Photographs by Gabriela Villarroel

Categories
News

Thousands of Montrealers gather to protest violence against the Asian community

One of the protest’s organizers tells us how we can show continued support

Calls to “Stop Asian hate!” echoed through the streets of Montreal on Sunday, when thousands marched to protest anti-Asian hate crimes and to show their support for the Asian community in Quebec and abroad. The protesters marched from Cabot Square to Chinatown, shouting call and response chants.

Store owners along Saint-Catherine Street stood outside their businesses taking photos and cheering on the protestors as they made their way towards Chinatown. The protest ended with a vigil for the six Asian women murdered in Atlanta last week.

Violence towards the Asian community has increased rapidly since the beginning of the pandemic. British Columbia Premier John Horgan recently announced that the Vancouver Police Department has reported a 717 per cent increase in hate crimes against Asian-Canadians since the outbreak of the pandemic.

Protestors walking downtown.

One of the protest’s organizers, a member of Progressive Chinese of Quebec (PCQ) and Groupe d’entraide contre le racisme envers les Asiatiques du Québec (GECREAQ) spoke to The Concordian about the backwards sentiment behind these attacks. The individual wishes to keep their identity private.

“We are being scapegoated for a virus that’s a consequence of climate change, which is a consequence of our capitalist world.” They said that on top of struggling to adjust to life during COVID-19, “We are also feeling anxious to go into work or walk down the street, because getting attacked in broad daylight is becoming more common.”

“Even while we are born here, raise our families here, pay taxes and work here, we are not considered Canadian. We are subjugated to being seen as a ‘forever foreigner.’ When Canadians tell us to go back to where we came from, as if that same sentiment doesn’t apply to them, it’s to remind us that we do not belong here,” said the representative.

Chao Hua, a third-year international student at Concordia, found out about the protest “last minute,” but knew he needed to show his support. Speaking from the heat of the downtown protest, he argued that “You cannot just put your hatred on Asians, on us. We are not your scapegoat.” He pointed to his sign, which read those same words.

“Killing Asians, beating up the Asians, it’s not going to stop the virus. Everybody must work together. If all races, all ethnicities, all countries work together, we can beat up this virus. That’s the only way out.”

Onnie, another protestor, said that she feels sickened, not only by the violence directed towards the Asian community, but also by major media’s willingness to ignore the pervasiveness of the issue.

On the recent hate crimes, she said “They’re willing to put in the effort and energy to go into the fucking profile of a murderer, but not the grand profile of how this reflects on everyone else and our complicitness with the situation.”

Protestors laid flowers to honour those killed in the Atlanta shooting.

As the PCQ and GECREAQ representative stated, “It’s no secret that anti-racist work requires a lifetime

commitment.” To show support in the short term, they said to “Contact your representatives about denouncing the racist laws in this province, for instance loi 21; to continue standing with [the BIPOC community] against their racist relative(s); to ensure that the spaces, especially work spaces, are safe for their BIPOC friends and coworkers, especially women and gender minorities.”

However, in order to see real, actualized change, the PCQ and GECREAQ representative says we must recognize the root of the issue: colonialism, imperialism and capitalism.

“In the long term above all, keep learning about how prevalent racism is in our everyday lives and how it operates as such a fundamental gear in this capitalist machine we are all in.”

To the Asian community in Montreal and abroad, they give an important message.

“While we mourn for those who’ve lost their lives and who’ve been physically assaulted, it’s a great time to remind ourselves that we can’t feel disenfranchised. We have every right to exist. We have every right to be here. We are allowed to take up space and stand together against the colonial enemy.”

Photos by Christine Beaudoin

Categories
News

Migrants rallying together to protest Immigration centre living conditions

Protest currently halted to re-think a longer and more effective strategy

According to advocate group Solidarity Across Borders (SAB), a group of seven detained migrants held at the Immigration Holding Centre (IHC) in Laval initiated a seven-day hunger strike in protest against the centre’s living conditions and lack of COVID-19 care between Feb. 28 and March 6.

SAB is calling for their release from the holding centre, stating that the current conditions migrants are living under are inhumane and unacceptable. The Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) confirms that there are currently 17 migrants detained at the centre, seven of whom went on strike.

The first wave of protests initially started Feb. 15 by a lone migrant, under the pseudonym Marlon, who went on a hunger strike after testing positive for COVID-19 at the centre. SAB spokesperson Bill Van Driel says that after an 11-day protest, Marlon regained his strength for a few days before joining the other six migrants who decided to also protest against forced solitary confinement and unsanitary living conditions.

“From the moment that there was a confirmed COVID case at the centre, they put all detainees in solitary confinement,“ Van Biel said. The detainees state that being held under confinement, even without showing symptoms of COVID-19, is unjust and inhumane. In solitary confinement, detainees are held in cells all day, only having the right to leave for a limited amount of time to use the phone or to bathe.

However in an email received by The Concordian, Mark Stuart, spokesperson for the CBSA, contradicts SAB, claiming no protest occurred at the Laval IHC. 

“The Canada Border Services Agency can confirm that there were no detainees on food protest on the week of March 1, 2021 at the Immigration Holding Centre in Laval and there are still no food protests at the IHC as of March 15, 2021,” Stuart said. However, the CBSA did confirm that there was in fact a hunger protest, but at a different provincial facility.

According to SAB, the added inability for family or attorney visitation due to COVID-19 has also taken a toll on the migrants detained there.

“That creates a lot of difficulty for people, it creates psychological difficulty of having less contact and being cut off from the outside world, especially for people facing deportation,” Van Biel said.

The CBSA also disputes the allegation that they forbid visitations from attorneys, claiming they do allow lawyer visitation at their facilities across Canada. 

“Regardless of location of detention all detainees have access to legal counsel or a representative, in person or over the phone, at any point throughout their detention,” Stuart said.

Through SAB, the seven detainees released a declaration letter describing the things they’ve experienced. The declaration recounts mistreatments the detainees have faced, including COVID-19 negligence, unsanitary living conditions, and other negative experiences.

“Some of the detainees have already contracted COVID-19. Others complained of pain similar to the symptoms of COVID but were given only Tylenol. We are in a lot of pain,” the letter says. “We had also been confined to separate rooms without receiving any psychological assistance. We are distraught and very fearful for our health.”

“The sanitary measures taken by the immigration officers are clearly insufficient.”

Stuart claims that since the beginning of COVID-19, the CBSA has ensured precautionary and additional steps to sanitize cells to help prevent the spread of the virus between detainees.

“In addition to standardized cleaning procedures, the CBSA has put in place additional measures to disinfect the premises and facilities where detainees and staff are located. Maintenance crews have increased the frequency of cleaning the bathrooms, common areas, reception area, etc.”

Though the CBSA claims that conditions are being taken care of, now more than ever, Van Biel doesn’t believe in what the CBSA claims they’re doing. 

“The conditions in the immigration centres are terrible,” Van Biel said. “The conditions of these detention centres are always terrible, even when compared to other prisons in Canada.”

According to SAB, migrants communicated to each other by means of yelling from cell to cell, and SAB organizers assume that was the method that sparked the large hunger strike.

Van Biel says that after seven days, the protest was halted to re-think a different long-term strategy all while attempting to keep steady pressure at the IHC.

“We are asking to be released from the Laval detention centre because it is a place where the virus can spread, and it is only a matter of time before we are all infected,” the letter says.

 

No statement has been released on what the next method of protest will be.

 

Categories
News

Indian protesters will not back down till their demands are met

Indian farmer protests explained

Tens of thousands of Indian farmers have been protesting against three new farming bills for almost seven months now. Around 60 per cent of India’s population works in the farming industry and many are living in poverty. They fear these new laws will make their current situation even worse.

The new bills seek to reform India’s current farming system by:

  1. Allowing farmers to sell directly outside of Mundis (state-owned markets)
  2. Allowing farmers to enter into contracts with the private sector by allowing orders on future crops
  3. Removing hoarding regulations, allowing traders to stockpile food

The Modi government claims that these new regulations will “liberate” the farmers; however, farmer’s unions believe that the government is “throwing them to the wolves.”

Farmers claim that these laws will put them at the private sector’s mercy, since their obligations are to their shareholders and not the farmers’ wellbeing.

In the state-owned Mundis, there are currently Minimum Support Prices (or MSP) in place, which guarantee the farmers a minimum price to sell their crops. These new bills will remove MSP pricing since the private sector’s goal is to increase profitability.

Additionally, nearly 70 per cent of Indian farmers are small producers, which means they will have little to no bargaining power against big corporations.

The only way Indian farmers and farmers’ unions can spread their concerns is by protesting. This is why tens of thousands of farmers from the Punjab and Haryana regions marched to India’s capital on January 26th. They have been protesting in the region for over 100 days.

Farmers have set up camp, brought food, and are ready to stay for as long as needed. They have already stated that they will not leave until the government rectifies the bills.

Overall, the farmers protest civilly and peacefully per their rights in the Indian constitution. However, the Indian government has been using “war-like measures” to disperse the protesters and stop them from exercising their rights.

Indian officials have put up barricades and nail strips around the Delhi region to prevent farmers from entering the area. Additionally, police have used tear gas and water cannons against the crowds. Some protesters have reported being beaten with batons. At one point during the protests, the government even cut off internet access.

Antonio Guterres, secretary-general of the United Nations, even called out the Indian government by saying, “People have a right to demonstrate peacefully, and authorities need to let them do so.”

With the Indian government refusing to rectify the farming bills, the protests could last several more months.

 

Graphic by @the.beta.lab

Categories
News

Protestors gather to protest against police-based solutions to the health crisis

“Money for the health, not for the police,” shouted protestors.

A group of organizations and protestors joined to march against the police-based solutions facing the COVID-19 pandemic on Feb. 6. The group of 300 people met at Place Émilie-Gamelin and walked down De Maisonneuve Boulevard.

Collectively, Meals For Milton-Parc, The Racial Justice Collective, Solidarity Across Borders, Ensemble Contre la Gentrification, L’Association Québécoise pour la promotion de la santé des personnes utilisatrices de drogues (AQPSUD), Pas de solution policière à la crise sanitaire, and many more marched.

The groups demanded new systemic solutions such as reinvestment in the social safety net, such as housing to fight against the pandemic.

By giving the police the power to decide how the curfew is applied arbitrarily, it deprives vulnerable people of their rights to the health and safety,” said Chantal Montmorency, a member of the AQPSUD.

Though the curfew has been suspended for the homeless population, the protestors believe that the curfew remains ineffective for other marginalized communities like people with precarious status, drug users, domestic violence victims, sex workers, and fugitives.

During her speech, Montmorency emphasized that the curfew prevents vulnerable people from accessing the health and security services and care they are entitled to and guaranteed by the Canadian Charter of Rights.

Montmorency also said that the AQPSUD has dealt with managing epidemics for over 30 years, and stated that repression, denunciations and police interventions are not the only solutions to end the pandemic. Whether it is an epidemic or pandemic, she said, it is prevention, education, and constant care that will solve the issue.

According to Maryan Kikhounga-Ngot, organizer of the housing group Projet d’organisation populaire, d’information et de regroupement (P.O.P.I.R), the protest’s goal was to address the housing crisis.

“We don’t need a curfew, we don’t need repression and repressive measures, but rather we need solutions.” According to Kikhounga-Ngot, the solution is to increase housing options for the homeless.

If [Raphaël André] had housing, he would have respected the curfew in his house as the prime minister wanted, and not dead in a public toilet.”

Raphaël André was a 51-year-old man who froze to death in a portable toilet at the corner of Milton Street and Parc Avenue trying to respect the curfew rules.

Member of the Socialist Fightback Students (SFS), Simon Berger, shared the same thoughts.“We are here because we vote [against] the repressive measures of the CAQ government like the curfew, and we are for solidarity measures against the pandemic.”

Berger clarified that he and the SFS did not attend the protest because they don’t believe in the virus. He explains that the best way to fight against the pandemic is for all the different organizations to protest for everyone’s health and safety by demanding democratic measures.

On the Facebook event page for the protest, a post by Pas de solution policière à la crise sanitaire says that the protest was a success, making it possible for their message to be heard loud and clear. The post concludes by assuring the public not to give up as the fight is not over.

 

Photographs by Christine Beaudion

Categories
News

Protesters call for defunding of police after fatal shooting of Sheffield Matthews

Push for funding of mental health services after SPVM kills another Black man

 

Protesters held a demonstration on Nov. 7 seeking justice for Sheffield Matthews, a Black man who was fatally shot last week by police in Montreal. The protest called for the defunding of police and the reallocation of funds to mental health intervention teams that are trained to de-escalate people in crisis.

Black Lives Matter and the Defund the Police Coalition organized the rally that took place in Trenholme Park in the Notre-Dame-de-Grâce neighbourhood.

Protestor at the Defund the Police protest sign points to the fact police were called because Sheffield Matthews was in distress

“I’ve had enough. I’m angered, I’m triggered, I’m just sad and annoyed that this keeps happening right in our backyards,” Antonia Haywood, a protester at the demonstration, told The Concordian. “When there’s a crisis involved, I don’t think the police should be there … we need people trained in crisis intervention and mental health to be present in times like these.”

Early last Thursday morning, police responded to a call of a man in crisis in NDG. When they arrived on scene, they reported seeing a Black man holding a knife near a civilian car. When the man came towards their squad car, police alleged that the man lunged at them with the knife and they shot him seven times, killing him.

Sue Montgomery, mayor of the borough Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, said she’s attending the protest in solidarity with Black Lives Matter.

“It’s a tragic, senseless loss of life and I’m here to stand side by side with the Black community,” said Montgomery. “It’s clear there’s systemic racism in this city.”

Julien Lévesque, a spokesperson for the SPVM, said he had no comment on the killing of Matthews or response to the calls by protestors to defund the police. He said he supports the right for demonstrators to stage a protest, as long as it’s done safely.

Remy Gibbs, whose uncle was shot and killed by police two years ago in the same neighbourhood, spoke to the crowd in the park. Gibbs contrasted the killing of Matthews to the police’s treatment of Carl Girouard.

Girouard, who’s white, slayed two people and injured five with a sword in Quebec City this past Halloween. He was talked down and left unharmed by police.

Protestor wore an earring with the acronym ACAB, which stands for “All Cops are Bastards”

“Sheffield Matthews supposedly had a knife and was still murdered after he didn’t kill anybody [which] is a sign that systemic racism does exist,” said Gibbs, megaphone in hand.

Hundreds of people cheered after each speech was made. Demonstrators chanted “No justice no peace, defund the police!” and “Black lives matter! Black lives matter!”

After the speakers finished, the organizers led the protest to the streets as the chants carried on. Protesters banged pots, others whistled, and many held up their fists as they blocked traffic from passing through. The protesters marched to the corner of Côte-Saint-Luc Road and West Hill Avenue where the shooting took place.

Several people placed bouquets of flowers at the spot where Matthews was killed. One man said he picked flowers from his garden.

“It’s Montreal standing up to injustice,” Egbert Gaye told The Concordian. Gaye is the founder of Community Contact, a newspaper that covers Black and Caribbean issues in Quebec.

“Police have a weak point in dealing with two things: Black people and mental health,” said Gaye.

The Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes (BEI), an internal provincial organization that conducts independent investigations when someone is seriously injured or shot by police, is still investigating the death.

 

Photographs by Fenn Mayes

Categories
Concordia Student Union News

CSU hosts second event of BLM Campaign: Know Your Rights, Legal Info 101

The virtual workshop helped students to understand their constitutional rights when fighting for change

On Nov. 5, the CSU hosted a virtual workshop as the second part of their Black Lives Matter campaign. The event focused on educating attendees about their basic legal rights when participating in activism and social justice work.

The workshop was given by Arij Riahi, a Montreal lawyer who focuses on cases of racial profiling and works with grassroots communities, students, and individuals from marginalized communities. Riahi has been involved with social justice and anti-racism work for as long as she can remember.

Riahi’s presentation covered the constitutional rights one has if detained, the different crimes that people participating in demonstrations can be charged with, and how to “cop watch” safely and legally.

Riahi hoped the event would equip its attendees with the ability to make informed decisions in their activism.

“I am a firm believer that knowledge is power,” she said. “I am a firm believer that every single person should evaluate for themselves the level of consent when they enter a political action.”

She also advises activists to think of others when protesting. She said, “Come from a perspective of care, and always be mindful of the people around you.”

Put your own political practice within a broader scheme, and make sure that you understand who is involved, and why they are involved.”

While she believes strongly in the importance of sharing legal knowledge and understanding one’s rights, Riahi acknowledges the complexities of the law.

“It’s a learning curve,” she said. “There’s always room to learn more, to know more.”

The event concluded with a presentation from Walter Chi-yan Tom of the CSU’s Legal Information Clinic (LIC). Tom discussed different tickets that can be given at demonstrations, including social distancing infractions, and the ensuing court process, with information about the rights of immigrants and international students when receiving a ticket or a criminal charge.

Tom encouraged students who have legal questions to contact the LIC, a free service for students to receive legal information and referrals.

Jessica Quijano, a spokesperson for Montreal’s Defund the Police Coalition, agrees that it is important for everyone who attends demonstrations and advocates for BLM to understand their legal rights, but emphasizes the importance of centering minorities to ensure safety at protests.

She urges allies to remember the communities that will be targeted and focus on helping the movement.

“It’s really important to not take the voices away from the people that are the most affected by police violence,” she said.

Is this about you or is it about a collective movement?” Quijano asked people to consider.

In addition to attending protests and informational events, Quijano encourages those who want to help the movement to try to do six actions after every protest they attend.

“It could be making phone calls or sending emails to your local representatives … educating people around you, and your family,” she said. “The protests and education part is one piece of it, but then it always has to go further than that.”

The series of virtual workshops provided by the CSU’s #BLM Campaign aims to equip students to participate in anti-racism work. They will be occurring regularly throughout the rest of the fall semester.

Riahi is currently working to allow her workshop to be accessed online.

 

Graphic by Taylor Reddam

Categories
Concordia Student Union News

Abolition or reform? A new CSU position

CSU’s police brutality position is controversial in its wording

On Oct. 28, the CSU’s second meeting of the month discussed Arts and Science Representative Shivaane Subash’s police brutality position. In hopes of being added to the CSU’s Positions Book, the position highlights how the CSU does not support the SPVM in its treatment of Black and Indigenous students.

Two distinct positions were recognizable in the discussions: one for abolition, and one against. This doesn’t mean that any parties were against taking a position; rather, they had different approaches to the position.

Subash wrote in the position, “The CSU recognizes its racially diverse student population and how widely reported racial profiling experiences by the SPVM affects their educational experience. Thus, it is vital to advocate for their safety and security to ensure a safe, enriching university environment.”

This universal statement is one that most CSU representatives agree with. However, there are a handful of representatives that have issues with the last clause in the position.

The section originally read, “CSU stands in favour with defunding and abolishing the SVPM, so as to redirect those financial resources to areas such as healthcare, mental health, housing, education, jobs, and restorative-justice models that better suit the needs of our community.” After the discussion, the section of the quote in italics was removed.

Subash explained that she “looked at the Positions Book and realized there was just a small section on police brutality.”

As one of the only remaining women of colour in the CSU now that many have stepped down, she knew that someone needed to take a stand, and change the CSU’s position on these issues.

Subash is aware that abolishing and defunding the police is a controversial idea, and was expecting push back from fellow council members.

“This is natural, there was pushback and confusion from the general public and different leaders as well, so it was expected by everyone,” she said.

Despite this, she said it’s still exhausting to deal with this type of push back.

“It’s mostly tiring … especially when everyone is learning about concepts such as police brutality. They’re not new concepts, but they’re penetrating the public more nowadays.”

She stood by her ideas and statement, based on her own personal experience as a minority.

“A lot of people are against it because the police have always been there as an institution that we’ve had for ages,” she said.

So people are so used to that police presence, they don’t want to consider abolishing/ defunding the police.”

However, this isn’t the section that Tzvi Hersh Filler, a member of the CSU Council of Representatives, had issues with, but rather the word “abolish.”’

In Filler’s opinion, “In this case, seeing as [the police] is an essential service, scrapping it doesn’t make sense. Obviously, you have to fix the accountability issues.” He argues that the word “abolish” will create a sour relationship with the SPVM, which can lead to bigger issues.

Filler compares the situation to a similar one that occurred in New York City, where a group of Orthodox Jews were being harassed with bricks. According to Filler, the police failed to handle the situation properly.

He said, “The fact that the police were unable to properly handle [the situation], came down to the fact that the police felt like [the mayor] was out to abolish them, and that created this atmosphere where they couldn’t do their jobs.”

James Hanna, a Gina Cody councillor at the CSU is of the same opinion as Filler. Both agree that the SPVM is extremely problematic and needs to be fixed. However, these two don’t see how abolition is the key to this.

He said, “Without fixing society itself; without lowering the racism score, the level of [racism in] the police also won’t change because it’s the same pool of candidates, it’s still the subset of that same population, unless you radically change the population.”

As of now, the position’s 12.8 section stands as such: “CSU stands in favour with defunding and abolishing the SVPM.”

 

Exit mobile version