Quebec student leaders speak in Victoria Thursday
The main public events take place:
Thursday, Oct. 4, 7:00pm University of Victoria.
Room A120, Social Sciences and Math Building.
Friday, Oct. 5, 7:00pm W2 Media Cafe,
111 W. Hastings, Vancouver.
The most high profile spokesperson to emerge from Quebec's student movement arrives in British Columbia today.
Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, the former spokesperson for the student union CLASSE will be a featured speaker at events in Victoria and Vancouver over the next two days.
"When people stand together for what they believe in, there is no limit to what they can accomplish," said Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois.
"We hope that the historic victory of the Quebec student movement will inspire people across Canada to resist neo-liberal governments and fight for a society which puts people first."
The following speakers are available for interviews Thursday and Friday:
Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, former spokesperson for CLASSE
Cloé Zawadzki-Turcotte, a former member of CLASSE's executive and a key organizer behind the strike
Ethan Cox, Quebec-based journalist and a former student organizer
"The longest student strike in Canadian history ended with the resignation of two education ministers, the defeat of a sitting Premier and his government, and the repeal of both the tuition hikes and Law 12, which many have argued violated basic civil liberties," said Ethan Cox.
"This tour is about telling the story of what happened in Quebec this year, and inspiring people across the country to stand up to austerity."
BC is the final stop on a week of public forums known as the 'Maple Tour,' a reference to Quebec's 'Maple Spring' protest movement.
Last week, on June 5th, 2012, the government of Jean Charest revealed to the citizenry of Quebec that "the true north, strong and free" refers not to the freedom or strength of the people, but to the strong arm of law enforcement and its freedom to beat and trammel Canadians with impunity.
As a measure of Charest's determination to bring to heel the people, his gendarmes arrested Amir Khadir, sole member of the Quebec Solidaire party in the National Assembly, and a particularly vocal political opponent, among seventy other peaceful demonstrators. But more than this, Charest's enforcers, for good measure, raided the Khadir household Thursday, taking his teenage daughter, Yalda Machouf-Khadir away.
Roger Annis is a Vancouver-based trade unionist and social activist; a member of Vancouver's Stopwar.ca coalition, Roger has also been involved with the Canada Haiti Action Network and runs the website, A Socialist in Canada.
Roger Annis in the first half.
And; across Canada, and in capitals the world over, pots and pans are being brought into the streets to clang; not only in solidarity with Quebec's students, but also to chime a chorus for a change in the crashing capitalist paradigm. And Victoria is no exception to the Casseroles movement; over the weekend, for a third week, the kitchen ware got air - this time downtown with the Soldarite! Block Party for Quebec Students. I went down to check it out.
Banging pots and pans with the Block Party in the second half.
And; Victoria Street Newz publisher and CFUV broadcaster in her own right, Janine Bandcroft will join us at the bottom of the hour to bring us news from the city's streets and beyond. But first, Roger Annis and turning a corner in the Quebec student movement.
Chris Cook hosts Gorilla Radio, airing live every Monday, 5-6pm Pacific Time. In Victoria at 101.9FM, 104.3 cable, and on the internet at: http://cfuv.uvic.ca. He also serves as a contributing editor to the web news site, http://www.pacificfreepress.com. Check out the GR blog at: http://GorillaRadioBlog.blogspot.com
Went down to Victoria's contribution to the nation-wide convergences, or Casseroles, marking solidarity with Quebec's student and civil uprising. Here's a blurb on what's happening... - ape.
Over 15 towns across Canada have already planned local protest actions.
Inspired by the Quebec student strike and the popular uprising in Quebec against Law 78 and the Charest government... On Wednesday, May 30, starting at 8pm, people from coast to coast to coast all over Canada are showing solidarity by banging pots and pans everywhere!
G-Radio is dedicated to social justice, the environment, community, and providing a forum for people and issues not covered in corporate and state media. Gorilla Radio airs live every Monday, 5-6pm Pacific Time. In Victoria at 102FM, 104.3 cable, and on t