Toronto: Hate and genocide apologism have no place on campus – an account of the Dec 18th anti-fascist rally at University X

On December 18th, a coalition of anti-fascists/anti-racists consisting of leftist organizations, labour unions, and concerned community
members, gathered at University X (the school originally named after the genocidal, Egerton Ryerson who played a crucial role in the Canadian Residential School system). This demonstration was originally intended to be a counter to a rally being held by the so-called “Ryerson Conservatives,” and was to feature notorious politician, and piece of shit, Maxime Bernier, as well as other far-right politicians/genocide apologists and anti-vaxx spokespersons. However, shortly after a number of groups and organizations stated their intentions to counter the rally, the event was cancelled. (-Their ‘official’ reason for the cancellation seems to keep changing…-) Despite the event’s cancellation, there were still concerns that some of the far-right would attempt to occupy the space at University X anyway. In response, the coalition of various orgs and individuals went ahead with the counter-demonstration. Read More …

Canadian Tire Fire #6: Far Right Losses, Neglect in Prison, and a Summer of Encampment Evictions

Yet more unmarked residential school graves were discovered this week, this time near the Kuper Island Industrial School on Penelakut Island in so-called BC. As communities across Turtle Island process the renewed grief and anger at the loss of their loved ones, recent weeks also saw backlash against the mourning. In Brantford, ON, a memorial to Indigenous children at the site of a former residential school was burned last week, seemingly by a lone vandal. Last month, a teepee for Indigenous high school students in Grande Prairie, AB, decorated to commemorate victims of residential schools, was also vandalized. Both instances are stark reminders of the racism embedded in Canadian culture – as communities mourn the harm done by the Canadian state, this will inevitably be viewed as a threat by those who take pride in their genocidal nation. Read More …