Mtlcounter-Info

We write this just to give a quick update on the rapidly changing situation in Hamilton (traditional territory of the Chonnonton, Anishinabeg, and Haudenosaunee peoples). Since yesterday, May 31 2018, three more people have been arrested in connection to the so-called Locke St riot: one was picked up by the SPVM in Montreal and was flown to Hamilton, where they are in custody awaiting a bail hearing, and the other two were arrested in Hamilton. One of these people is already out on bail and another will appear again on Monday. Further, the police released an additional three names of people against whom they have laid charges and are seeking to arrest. Charges against all six include mischief against property, unlawful assembly while masked, and variations of conspiracy and counseling to commit those things. ...

From Embers is a new anarchist podcast out of Kingston, Ontario. A few times a month, we post episodes 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. The Canadian state and especially it’s smiling backstreet boy of a leader gains its credibility and legitimacy increasingly by differentiating itself from the raving neo-fascist to the South. At the same time, the Canada-US border is becoming increasingly surveilled and fortified. In this rapidly shifting context, we hope it will prove useful to create a space for conversation about anti-state politics on this side of the made-up colonial line that traverses the 49th parallel. We have particular enemies here, in the form of smooth-talking liberal politicians and a far right whose rage is fueled as much by distaste for the liberal talk of our acting government as by inspiration from south of the border. We are also challenged by strong and increasingly popular mythologies about peace, love and “reconciliation” that mask the brutal reality of the Canadian state and its colonial history. We hope that making space for this border-defined specificity will strengthen our ability to take on borders, rather than reify them. ...

On May 19, anti-immigrant protesters descended on the U.S./Canada border following a call by Storm Alliance, one of Quebec’s main far right organizations. Due to the Safe Third Country Agreement between the Canadian and U.S. governments, over the past 18 months the border in Quebec, especially at Roxham Road near Hemmingford, has become a major crossing for refugees fleeing the Trump regime. One consequence of this is the far right seeking to turn this human drama into a political flashpoint from which to profit. This was the third time that Storm Alliance had mobilized to the border in this way, and the third time antifascists and antiracists from Hemmingford, Montréal, and the Eastern Townships mobilized to counter them. ...

Each May, thousands of people meet in Ottawa for the “March for Life,” an initiative of organisations opposed to free choice and free information concerning the voluntary termination of pregnancy. This year, it was on May 10th that the anti-choice demonstrators took the streets of the capital city to demonstrate against the rights of women (and every person with a uterus) to control their own body, to have the right to an abortion. The Riposte Feministe organised a Montreal contingent to join the counter demonstration with feminist groups from Outaouais and Ottawa. We were about 50 people leaving from Berri-UQAM station that morning, caffeinated with indignation. ...

On Saturday, May 12, there was a demonstration in the Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie neighbourhood of Montréal to publicly denounce the presence of Gabriel Sohier Chaput, a neo-Nazi ideologue with close ties to Daily Stormer, one of the most influential sites for neo-Nazi propaganda in the world today. Antifascists in Montréal revealed that Sohier Chaput, whose primary pseudonym is “Zeiger,” lived until recently at 6308 rue Fabre. Zeiger was also the key coordinator of a so-called “Stormer Book Club” in Montréal , a social club for young men who identify with the neo-Nazi alt-right. ...

Few street artists have captured the sights, feels, and emotions of combative social movements as well as Zola , an anarchist based in so-called Montreal. Bringing to the streets high color posters, stickers, and artwork that reflects anarchist, antifascist, and anti-pipeline battles – among others, their work has become a staple in the area as well as synonymous with the growing anarchist movement in the city. Wanting to know more about Zola, their work, and what drives them, we caught up with them to find out more about the artist behind the posters. ...

Original anonymous communiqué by the Henri Paul* Anti-Monarchy Brigade, shared with subMedia: In advance of colonial ‘Victoria Day’ holiday, two Queen Victoria statues are (again) vandalized in Montreal Racist and imperialist legacy of the British Monarchy denounced May 18, 2018, Montreal – Days before the outdated and insulting Queen Victoria holiday, two landmark statues to Queen Victoria in Montreal were vandalized last night. ...

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There is only one month left until the G7 Summit at La Malbaie, which will take place at the Richelieu Manor from June 7th to June 9th! As is the case each year, the seven main imperialist and colonialist powers of the world will meet to decide how to keep pillaging our communities, while extracting as much profit as possible. We will not leave them alone! Mobilization and resistance to the G7 keeps moving forward… ...

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This has been a big month for Hamilton. To contextualize Cedar’s arrest, we can start with the Anarchist Bookfair in early March, our first bookfair here in 7 years. The event was a smashing success, and brought together people from all over the continent to explore possibilities for radical change, to envision a world without enforced hierarchies and domination, to simply meet each other and learn from each other. The weekend was particularly marked by a small riot through one of Hamilton’s most affluent neighborhoods and down one of its most noxious commercial streets. The “Locke Street Riot” was a collective expression of rage, not only against the rapid gentrification of Hamilton, but against capitalism and the violent world of alienation it fosters. It led to a lot of productive conversations about the inevitability of discomfort in fighting for new worlds, and the importance of clarifying and articulating our politics . The riot also kicked up some toxic Hamilton sediment, including a mass spillage of sentimental tears for small businesses, shrieks of “terrorism” from city councillors, and anti-anarchist fervor from local alt-right trolls who saw this as an opportunity to step into the limelight. ...

[Crimethinc recently published an excellent historical overview of the struggle on the ZAD , including a critical look at events of the past few months that should be the subject of discussions within our struggles.] In response to the call made by the zadists to mobilize where we are against the ongoing expulsions. See you on Friday, April 13th at 7 pm, Mont-Royal metro station. ...