Ottawa: September Activist Event Round Up

It has come to my attention that a number of events are coming up this month in Ottawa. Here is a list of the major ones I have been told about.

Taxi to the Dark Side
Fundraiser for Nowar-Paix.
Thursday, September 11, 7pm
Bytown Theatre (downtown on Rideau near King Edward)
* This Iraq War documentary won the 2007 Oscar for best documentary

Human Rights Rally:
Bring Abousfiam Abdelrazik Back To Canada!
Friday, 12 September, 12 Noon
Human Rights Monument (Elgin at Lisgar)
Abousfian Abdelrazik, a Canadian citizen, is currently in limbo in the Canadian Embassy in Sudan, with the Canadian government obstructing every effort to bring him home. His lawyer, Yavar Hameed, needs public support in his effort to bring Abousfian back. Please join the rally. Speakers include Paul Dewar, Monia Mazigh and Yavar Hameed. They will indicate the extent to which the government is repeating the same shameful behaviour as in the Mahar Arar case!

uOttawa Cinema Academia
Every Friday, MacDonald Hall auditorium (MCD 146), 150 Louis Pasteur Street.
Doors open at 7pm, film starts at 7:30pm.
Friday, September 12th
Film: DOGVILLE(USA / 2003 / 178 minutes / English)
http://www.iconmovies.co.uk/dogville/
Organized and facilitated by professors Claude Lamontagne and Denis
Rancourt.

Stop The Deportations: Let US War Resisters Stay in Canada
Saturday, September 13
2pm: mass leafletting session at entrance to Byward Market (on Rideau & Williams)
3:30pm: march to the Prime Minister's Office
5pm: film screening at Cafe Nostalgica (University of Ottawa)

Feminist Discussion Group
Sunday September 14th, 1-3pm
Umi Cafe 610 Somerset St. West
This will be the second of what will hopefully become a bi-weekly feminist discussion group. For a possible discussion topic, we had decided on the following question: "What role do men and people of other genders have to play within the feminist movement?" People of all genders, orientations, races and (most importantly) opinions are welcome!

Indecent Sex Acts On Parliament Hill
Thursday September 18th
5-6pm Parliament Hill
POWER (Prostitutes of Ottawa / Gatineau Work Educate & Resist) -- cordially invites you to witness...
INDECENT SEX ACTS ON PARLIAMENT HILL
Please join us in this call to protect sex workers’ rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and international human rights law by repealing Sections 210-213 of the Criminal Code!

Take Back the Night!
30 years- A March to end Violence Against Wimmin
Thursday, September 25th
6:30 pm: Rally at the Women's Monument at Minto Park (Elgin and Gilmour) with speakers and aboriginal drummers.
7:00 pm: March to the University of Ottawa
MAKE NOISE! Feel free to bring whistles, horns,
tambourines, drums, pots, pans, etc!

Ontario: Six Nations being targeted by OPP

On this day in 1877 Crazy Horse was killed. After he had been arrested for leading the rebellion of the Lakota against the United States government, he was taken into a dark building and bayoneted while still tied up. Now years later First Nations on both sides of the border are still treated without dignity and respect. It can be shown by the disregard when Aboriginal womyn go missing, or in the sad state of reservations or, through police violence.

Here in Ontario, the Six Nations are the most systematically targeted group. For the past few years in Caledonia blockades have gone on and off the most extreme of which in 2006. The most recent set of attacks by Ontario Provincial Police happened over the weekend. According to Mohawk Nation News:

[Sunday], a man was grabbed by the cops from his van and held incommunicado for hours. His 14 and 16 year old sons were arrested. The cops ransacked another van looking for something to charge the driver with. Eventually they charged him for driving without a license. Two more youths were arrested. None of the parents were allowed to speak to their children.

Today, at 7:00 am. Labor Day, the OPP raided the demonstration at the illegal construction site of the Irish company, Kingspan. This had been shut down by Six Nations defenders. Two more youths were arrested, according to sporadic reports.

These blockades result in three groups on the highway, the Six Nations blocking the section on their land, Ontario Provincial Police surrounding them and, on the other side caucasian Caledonian residents. In the past this has resulted in a lot of violence being committed by the OPP on the Six Nations as well as, increasing racism from Caledonian residents.

As we saw the brutal violence by police on demonstrators in St. Paul this past week, we forget that, that type of police brutality occurs in Canada as well. However, it is targeted at those who are already disadvantaged like the homeless, poor, and sexual or racial minorities. The worst of which First Nations experience. As is stated in the article:

Canada must start listening to our legal reasoning. The violence against Indigenous peoples has got to stop. We know what’s right and wrong. The more they beat us, the more they make it clear that they are wrong.

The Six Nations want to take these claims to a true court of law. The truth of the matter is though in international law the Six Nations would win. The Government of Ontario and despite the residential schools apology neither does the Government of Canada.

Opinion: Marginalized Groups Against Each Other

It seems that the largest problem standing in the way of true freedom today is a combination of apathy and, opposition. Every day it seems that one oppressed group is being pitted against one another. Instead of communities that should be exploding you have communities imploding. Groups fighting each other as if it is life or death or worse turning the struggles into life or death. We loose sight that the same powers that be are usually the ones oppressing all of us. Instead we see the other oppressed group as a threat to their own freedom and so oppress them more.

It saddens me to see Queer groups being pitted against racial or religious groups. Religion becomes a profane word for Queers and is made into something evil to be defended against. Then just harder we see the opposite happen, fear of Queers used as a political tool to distract the masses and win elections. It saddens me to see poor whites being pitted against immigrants as if they are some awful invasion force stealing the jobs and education poor whites deserve. When in reality its the large corporations outsourcing jobs and the education is failing due to the government.

Liberation movements seem coopted to oppress others as if there is only so much liberation to go around. A major example is the 2nd wave feminist movement which was discriminatory against people of colour, lesbians and, trans people. Movements today have been pushed by others and seem less so, but so is the amount of people willing to participate feeling so much apathy. Instead you see rights movements waning in strength (except I would say for the anti-globalization movement) and marginalized peoples being politically used against each other. It is a unfortunate state of affairs in my mind and the greatest political tool for keeping the people in line for them to think that their greatest threat to their freedom is the person down the street.