Category: Actions

Glorious Rage: Rail Sabotage in Solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en

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One recent evening, allies/accomplices went out into the night to pick up where others may have left off in the spring of 2020: targeting rail infrastructure.

Using various methods (detailed below for your reference, education and delight!) we disrupted rail all over so-called southern Ontario throughout the night, hitting nearly a dozen different spots on both CN and CP rail lines. We did this in heartfelt solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en defending their Yintah from destruction, and fuelled our actions with the justified rage we feel towards the RCMP and state for once against invading their territory on behalf of a private corporation. Read More …

Hamilton Supporters of Wet’suwet’en Shut Down Shell Terminal

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On Tuesday, November 23rd, around 7 am, about 40+ community members gathered at the gates of the Shell terminal in Hamilton located at 391 Burlington St E, blocking refuelling tankers from entering or leaving the facility. 

Royal Dutch Shell is a key stakeholder in the LNG canada project, which includes an export facility in Kitimat as well as the Coastal Gas Link pipeline itself. Shell was responsible for choosing TC Energy to build and operate the pipeline, which if successfully built would transport liquid natural gas over the 670km through the unceded territory of many Indigenous Nations including the Wet’suwet’en. Hereditary leadership from all house groups have been resisting pipeline development through their Yintahs for over a decade. Read More …

Toronto — Trial and Error: Lamport Stadium and Beyond

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Most people are aware by now that Toronto police and city workers cleared an encampment in Lamport stadium in late July. This report back will not be summarizing the events of that day, or providing much insight into the specific structures involved with eviction, as much of that has already been written. The goal is to hopefully prompt discussion about changes that we are seeing, and to encourage more imagination, exploration and sharing! Read More …

Oshawa: Stop Gentrification In Our City

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April 22 the city of Oshawa bulldozed the community-led Memorial Garden, which stood in downtown Oshawa for nearly two years. Made by unsheltered community members, the memorial originally started to commemorate those lost to the opioid crisis and drug overdoses. It grew to be a community memorial for anyone lost to drug overdoses, suicide, untreated illness or other ails from poverty and capitalism.

There was a rock garden and a board with names of those lost as well as religious/spiritual icons, photographs, cremation ashes and street art. For some, all they had left was their name in the memorial garden. And the city ruthlessly and without warning bulldozed it. Gone are the memories for so many that had nothing else. This is just the latest attack of gentrification against those most marginalized by capitalism. Read More …

Hamilton: Fuck the Covid Cops!

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Like millions of other people in Ontario, I woke up this morning in a world where the police had been given the authority to stop you at any time, question you, demand information without any reason, and make orders which have to be followed. In practice, a lot of this stuff already happens, but formalizing what is usually an abuse of power is a huge blow.

The government claims this is to try to stop the spread of covid. They are banning us all from sitting outside in the park with friends at a distance while factories and prisons are still operating full steam, prioritizing profits over relationships. Giving the police enhanced power to enforce these kinds of rules is just unbelievably fucked.

I was pretty upset so I made a bunch of posters and put them up around my neighbourhood in East Hamilton. Would they have been better if I’d taken more time? For sure. Should I have put “Covid is real” or something on them so it’s more clear I’m not an anti-masker or denialist? Probably. But I would say it’s more important to act, to make visible some opposition to these authoritarian measures, so that we don’t all feel scared and alone. Read More …

Call for Solidarity! Contact the Hamilton Crown’s Office on March 25th to ask for Blockade Charges to be Dropped!

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Le français suit l’anglais

Out of the charges laid for the 2020 Shut Down Canada blockades, some of the most serious are the ones against defendants in Hamilton. These charges stem from a 24 hours shutdown of the CN and CP tracks through the city on February 24th to 25th, which was a direct response to the OPP’s attack on Tyendinaga territory that morning and in solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en.

Initially, six people were charged for this action, but we are pleased to announce that charges against two of them were withdrawn in the past couple of months. Each remaining defendant is charged with four counts of indictable Mischief over $5000, each of which carries a maximum penalty of ten years in prison. Read More …

Hamilton: There is Always Resistance — Prison Demo Reportback & Solidarity with Koufodinas

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Prisoners always find ways to resist, even during the outbreak. The prison’s power over them is arbitrary and nearly total — they are not given even basic information about the covid status of people on the range, let alone throughout the prison, and there is no consultation about how to deal with the situation. And yet, this past week, we heard that one range initiated a collective meal refusal while another collectively refused to be tested yet again for covid. Prisoners continue to use the few minutes they have out of their cells to call us and let us know what’s going on.

There is always resistance, but it is stronger when prisoners know they are not alone. With outside solidarity, we can change the balance of power between the institution and those it cages by amplifying their acts of refusal and responding with action. Read More …

Hamilton: Report back on Land Defender Solidarity Demo

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Today, Hamilton cops arrested a Haudenosaunee woman while she was in her car with her kids for charges related to 1492 Landback Lane. We’ve seen time and again how Landback Lane has been hyper-surveilled and criminalized. In this case, the person was dealing with existing charges just for dropping off food and supplies at the site. And today, a false related charge apparently warranted ambushing and arresting her in front of her kids.
 
The community reacted quickly and met up this evening in front of thepolice station in solidarity. It was a strong a spirited display including music, speeches and chants. The crowd took the street and marched to the intersection of King and James, which was held for about an hour.  Read More …

Barrie: Anti-Police Rally

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On Saturday February 8th, 2021 a group of about 50 people gathered at Meridian place in Barrie ON to protest the recent police beating of a 20 year old man for skateboarding. Some held flags, others held skateboards and signs reading “Skateboarding is not a crime” and “Defund the Police”. We were met with many honks of support from passing cars and trucks. Police vehicles drove by many times, but were met with heavy boos from the crowd.

The beating of the young man reminds us that even small cities like Barrie are affected by the brutality that is imposed by policing. A brutality that will not end until the systems that inflict it are dismantled.

WE MUST ABOLISH THE POLICE. Read More …