Mtlcounter-Info

Is a racist who knows they’re a racist more, or less, racist than a racist who doesn’t know that they’re a racist? It’s a pertinent question, since it seems that a trait almost universally widespread among racists is to energetically deny their racism, a posture epitomized by the classic phrase “I’m not a racist, but …” The participants in the anti-fascist demo at Lacolle on September 30 were a bit taken aback by the cheerful response of the Storm Alliance demonstrators to the slogan [♫ Tout le monde… déteste les racistes! ♫] (tr: “everyone hates racists!”). The several dozen older folks, white as the snow, who had come from the four corners of Québec to protest “illegal immigration” and “Trudeau government policies,” began to chant the same slogan back at the anti-racist protesters with remarkable enthusiasm. ...

On September 30th, anti-fascists converged to the Lacolle “US/Canada” border crossing to support migrants and to oppose far-right group Storm Alliance. The group claims they are not racist but many in their ranks are known white nationalists and neo-nazis. For more info visit https://montreal-antifasciste.info/en/

This antifascist poster has been turning up in the streets of Hamilton the past few days. It offers some analysis of the group Storm Alliance that will be holding rallies in various cities and at the border on September 30th. A local group of far-right losers decided to call themselves Storm Alliance and to try to hold a rally in town that day as well, but they quickly took down their event page and it’s unclear if the local event will even happen. Still, it’s concerning that they are trying to hide their racist, anti-immigrant rhetoric behind language about poverty and mental health, a sensitive subject in this city like in many others. It includes a link to a page where you can leave tips about far-right activity in your neighbourhood. Full text of the poster below. ...

Pipelines are war; one built from the insatiable greed of corporations which have normalized violence against the land and its living. Our resolve within this struggle intensifies with each audacious assault Enbridge launches; each time they dismiss the concerns and requests of Indigenous Nations. Every court proceeding. Every act of intimidation. Every lie or false claim of safety or necessity. We’ve had enough. So back when Enbridge started shipping in pipeline segments for their line 10 expansion, we started sabotaging them. ...

On September 6, 1995, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) violently attacked the occupation of the Ipperwash Porvincial Park, by members of the Stoney Point Ojibway band, shooting and killing indigenous land defender Dudley George. But George’s death was not in vain, and to this day, the members of the Stoney Point Band continue to live on the former army base in Ipperwash. As part of our series “Indigenous Resistance in Five Minutes” historian and comic book artists, Gord Hill retells the story of Ipperwash. ...

Recently, a video has been posted on Facebook and YouTube entitled La vérité sur les Antifas, Jaggi Singh et la Corruption de l’Université Concordia #StopQPIRG. It was initially shared on the Facebook page of “DMSQ”, before it was taken down, but it remains up on YouTube here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8JDmapM6uc Such a video would not normally be worth mentioning, except that it has been linked to on “clickbait” style websites like “La Clique du Plateau” and “Thug Life Quebec”, and as such has gained a larger audience than most similar anti-left media interventions. ...

Friends in Sherbrooke did a banner drop yesterday morning on the Terrill bridge, close to the Cégep and downtown Sherbrooke, in solidarity with the river camp and against the oil industry plundering. This small visibility action is embedded within the week of action called for by the camp!

What is the Storm Alliance? The Storm Alliance is an anti-immigrant organization that has been active in Quebec since 2016, when it broke off from the Soldiers of Odin, a more openly racist group. Storm Alliance is led by former Soldiers of Odin leader Dave Tregget, who has explained that his goal is to unite the far right while softening its image. [1] How many members does Storm Alliance have and what do they do? The Storm Alliance claims to have 3,000members across Canada, but this figure really only represents those who have joined its facebook groups. In actual fact, the group has difficulty getting more than a few dozen of its own members out for any of its events. Their biggest event to date was July 1 at Roxham Road, in Hemmingford, where they gathered to intimidate people crossing the border. Their numbers that day were boosted by the anti-Muslim far right group La Meute, who had agreed to cooperate with them on that occasion, and still they were only 60-70. ...

La Meute and Storm Alliance are two organizations which claim not to be racist, but which find their raison d’être in expressing (and spreading) fear of immigrants and Muslims, i.e. of “the other”, within Quebec. Both organizations are undemocratic, hierarchical, and operate within the far right range of politics that we could term national populist. Both aim their message primarily at conservative white francophone Québecois, of a similar set of social demographics (what one might think of as “good ol’ boys” and the women around them). ...

We would like to extend our unconditional solidarity to individuals in Quebec City who were recently arrested, in relation to allegations surrounding the antifascist mobilization on August 20th. We do not know any details beyond what we have seen in the media, but it is clear to us that these arrests are intended by the police and Quebec City Mayor Régis Labeaume to intimidate antifascists and stifle our resistance to the far right. To those arrested, and all others who may be targeted, we say: stand strong and let us know what we can do to help. ...

Antifascist activism has a long history in Montreal, going back to the 1980s. Prior to 2017, though, things had been relatively quiet for a number of years, most activity not occurring in the public eye. ...

We would like to remind everyone about some security measures regarding comrades, accomplices, and allies. After demonstrations, actions, or any kind of activity that could lead to repression, it’s essential to not publish or publicize photos of the events. If you think it’s absolutely necessary to publish photos, please blur the faces and any distinctive signs that could help identify individual participants. Even if photos can contribute to spreading the struggle or help with legal action taken against the police, they can equally be used by the police and the judicial apparatus to repress actions that we see as important and necessary. Please note that even if they are not made public, pictures could be seized by police in the context of an investigation and trial. It is also important to understand that some people, for various reasons, do not want to be photographed. Given this, in terms of our ethical framework, we find it problematic to spread and circulate photos that implicate comrades, without their consent. ...