Always Against Prison — From Hamilton to Minneapolis

This evening, we dropped a banner over highway 403 going towards Toronto in solidarity with the five people in Minneapolis facing serious felony charges in connection to a New Year’s eve noise demo in that city. Although we’re glad all five are out on bail, the arrests and charges mark a significant escalation of repression against an international anarchist tradition.

In our region, New Year’s noise demos started in 2009 in response to a hunger strike campaign by anarchist prisoners, and we have kept doing them every year since. These demos let us a share a moment of celebration with prisoners, breaking the alienation through direct action. As an international tradition, they are also a thread that connects us to anarchists elsewhere, allowing us to exchange ideas and tactics with people whose contexts are quite different than ours. Read More …

Details of Police Surveillance Targeting Wet’suwet’en Solidarity Organizing

North Shore Counter-Info has received legal documents that have not yet been made public containing details about recent investigations targeting anarchists in Southern Ontario who have been engaged with Wet’suwet’en solidarity organizing in 2019 and 2020. Many of these details confirm practices of surveillance that many suspect take place, but that aren’t usually taken seriously. This includes collaboration by big tech companies, tracking devices, and long periods of active surveillance. Read More …

Hamilton: If the OPP Come Knocking: Info about Police Harassment

This morning, August 13, 2020, an individual in Hamilton was approached by plain clothes OPP officers in a park while they were out walking their dog. The officers knew not only the person’s name, but also that of their dog and family members, and they seemed to know the person’s routine well enough to be waiting for them. They made vague threats to the person and also offered to protect them, and asked to talk with them further. They were likely being approached in order to inform on others. Read More …

Hamilton Update: News About Arrests and Tips for Staying Safe at the Blockades to Come

Several arrests in Hamilton have been made in relation to the recent blockade action that saw rail lines shut down in response to the OPP raid in Tyendinaga early this week. Police took people from their homes and workplaces, for a total of 4 arrests at this time. These people are currently all still in police custody and will be appearing in court for bail in the next couple days. While unfortunate and enraging, none of this is surprising. Over the course of the last month, wave after wave of blockades and other actions have swept across the country causing incalculable economic damage and throwing Canada and its treatment of indigenous communities into the global spotlight. It was only a matter of time until the state responded with force and began to target those involved. This week appears to have been a tipping point in this regard, with police increasingly making arrests in different cities.  Read More …

From Embers: New Content in January 2020

From Embers is a regular anarchist podcast produced in Kingston, Ontario. We produce a few episodes each month about actions and projects going on in so-called Canada that inspire us, or about topics that we think will be relevant to anarchists living north of the border. We are a proud member of the Channel Zero Anarchist Podcast Network.

After a break in December, we hit the ground running in 2020 and published four episodes in January. Read More …

Hamilton: Charges Dropped Against 2 Pride Defenders

After months and months of utter nonsense, it is with great joy we announce today that two of the Pride Defenders have just had their charges DROPPED! While we may never know the reasons for this victory, we know that the public pressure campaign could only have helped so thank you, thank you for your continued support.

Let’s take a moment to celebrate!!!!

But while we’re putting our party hats on, let’s also take a moment to remember that THREE queer comrades are still facing charges. It is important to note that the people still in the courts are the three who are alleged to have defended Pride from the homophobic preachers, while the charges that have been dropped were related to crybaby Fred calling the cops on queers who allegedly delivered him some lawn signs. We are still being criminalized for defending ourselves. Read More …

Fuck the Parole Board, Fuck Hate Crime Policy, and As Always Fuck the Police

Anonymous Submission to North Shore Counter-Info After waiting close to five days, we finally got news on the outcome of Cedar’s parole hearing. At about 4:56pm today, after days of deliberation, we got the news that the revocation their parole stands. After submitting over a dozen affidavits to the parole board; after hundreds of community members spoke out and took action against the criminalization of pride defenders; after a day Read More …

The Saga Continues: Updates on Queer Resistance and Repression in Hamilton

Anonymous Submission to North Shore Counter-Info It’s been an incredibly hectic few weeks in Hamilton, and the situation here has been constantly evolving. Things have been beyond enraging and occasionally heartbreaking, but also quite inspiring and frequently heartwarming. For all the bullshit, stress, and violence, folks in the city have been radicalizing, conversations have been shifting (suddenly it’s not so controversial to hate the police or to condemn city council!), Read More …