Perspectives from Londoners

Prisoners’ Justice Film Festival brings stories of resistance, healing, and liberation to screens across London

The Prisoners’ Justice Film Festival (PJFF) has a historic legacy in London, running from 2012-2016. This year, our organizing collective finally brought it back, screening five films in the first week of August as a lead up to International Prisoners’ Justice Day on August 10.  On that date in 1974, Eddie Nalon died by suicide at the Millhaven Maximum Security Prison near Kingston, Ontario, after being repeatedly subjected to solitary confinement — a practice which has been called a form of torture by the UN. One year later, prisoners at Millhaven stopped all work and went on a hunger strike…

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PERSPECTIVES: “Beneath Gaza’s Stars” and “Midnight Thoughts in Gaza” rewire my associations with my own memories

This piece is a companion to the article: “I want people to understand”: Writers in Gaza publish zines through volunteer-led Coastal Lines Press I read Coastal Lines Press zines Beneath Gaza’s Stars by Heba Ali and Midnight Thoughts in Gaza by Mohammed Al-Bardawili with a deliberate slowness, trying to build pictures in my mind, trying to open my heart further and further like training a muscle.  I needn’t have tried so hard. Their words surrounded me with their sights, sounds, and thoughts in a way that rewired my associations with my own memories.  Pain, when woven into language, becomes a…

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Open letter: Western University community demands action for colleagues in Gaza

The following is an open letter from hundreds of students, staff, faculty, and alumni addressed to Western University President Alan Shepard demanding support for students in Gaza admitted to Western University. It was provided to Antler River Media Co-op by members of the Western University community. Dear President Shepard, We, the undersigned, are Western University students, staff, faculty, and alumni who are concerned about the plight of students in Gaza admitted to Western University’s graduate programs. These students are passionate, scholarly, highly qualified, and keen to begin their studies after surviving three years of genocide during which they completed, against…

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PERSPECTIVES – Tragedies of Dundas Street: Homelessness, inequality and Canadian neoliberalism

Scenes from Zombie-Land: London Ontario, Dundas Street If you don’t know already, ask any local Londoner: they are likely to tell you that downtown London and especially Dundas Street is the “no-go zone,” “the zombie land.” What they mean is the daily unfolding of the human tragedies of homelessness and rampant drug addiction that have marred the face of downtown. You see numerous people lying unconscious on the side of the street, some going through the notorious fentanyl fold, needles and drug pipes left on the sidewalks. The sad news is that London is not an exception in comparison to other Ontario cities; it is just one of the worst ones.  When you look at the numbers, you start to fathom the depth and urgency of the problem. A 2025 report by Western University Centre for Research on Health Equity shows…

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A video still from John Greyson's film 'Sorry.' On the left, a woman stands on a stage with clasped arms and closed eyes, surrounded by stage lights. On the right, a young woman practices the violin.

PERSPECTIVES – Experiencing 2026 “Queer Cinema for Palestine: No Pride in Genocide”

On June 27, film festival “Queer Cinema for Palestine: No Pride in Genocide” screened at the London Public Library, hosted by Embassy Cultural House in partnership with People for Peace London, Independent Jewish Voices London, and Antler River Media Co-op, and organized by member of Embassy Cultural House’s advisory circle Ira Kazi. The 2026 program screened across 59 countries in a record-breaking 300 locations. It featured six short films: A Message by Mama Gannush (Palestine, 2026), Ceasefire by Teodor Vladar (Slovakia/ Hungary, 2025), The 5-year Plan for Financial Independence by Dua Omari (Palestine, 2025), Until We Return by Huss AC…

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Photograph. Activists are pictured at the May 16 counter-protest in a London, Ontario parking lot with signs, banners, and drums. A large banner reads "Your neighbour is not your enemy - hope not hate" and signs read "No matter where you are from, we're glad you're our neighbour" in English, French and Arabic. Flags from PSAC/AFPC and London and District Labour Council are visible.

PERSPECTIVES – Blame billionaires, not immigrants: confronting far-right rhetoric with working class unity

On May 16, the far-right group “Stand United Canada” called for a convoy to provincial and national borders across the country. The choice of a disruption on Victoria Day long weekend was specifically to align the protest with far-right UK activist Tommy Robinson’s rally, similarly dubbed “Unite the Kingdom.” British far-right organizers used Nakba Day, knowing there would be mass demonstrations of Palestinian solidarity, to rally anti-immigrant hatred out on the streets. “Stand United Canada” and Nazi Propaganda “Stand United” is one of many far-right groups that has cropped up and is vaguely calling for government accountability. Rooted in anti-vaxx…

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Photograph of a handwritten letter on brown wrapping paper with a variety of handwritten notes attached on adhesive note paper. The main text reads "Dear MP Kurt Holman, after watching the film Earth's Greatest Enemy and seeing the rapid embrace and expansion of military investment under the Prime Minister's new commitment to NATO spending targets that is underway in our community, here are some suggestions we would like to see implemented and fought for in Parliament." The notes below are not all clearly legible at a glance, but some of the most visible include "No profits from genocide," "Land Back," and "Free public transit." The letter was composed by community members after watching a screening of Earth's Greatest Enemy by Abby Martin in London, Ontario in May 2026.

PERSPECTIVES – It’s time to convert General Dynamics Land Services from weapons manufacturing to building rail transit: a conversation with Kurt Holman

I arrived at MP Kurt Holman’s office on a sunny Tuesday morning. The treats I had brought for the meeting did not make it to the door as the chocolate truffles melted in the spring sun. I waited for a moment as a moving truck from the Brick dropped off a new sofa for the office. Kurt and other office staff were quite excited to put that sofa to work, and I was intrigued to see all the volunteers abuzz in the board room working on citizenship packets for new residents to the area. I wondered to myself, how many…

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PERSPECTIVES: Bill C-22 poses a very serious risk to privacy rights

In an unprecedented move, the Liberal government led by Prime Minister Mark Carney is in the process of passing a controversial bill that’s garnered concern both at home and abroad. Bill C-22, the “Lawful Access Act” is currently in committee consideration and awaiting third reading in Parliament this coming Tuesday. This legislation, in its current form, is looking to provide law enforcement with the power to force service providers, including secure VPNs, to provide users’ personal information and metadata. It also requires said information to be stored for up to a year.  Although federal authorities defending the bill have stated…

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Three Community Living London workers belonging to OPSEU Local 166 take a photo in front of sign for MPP Rob Flack's office.

PERSPECTIVES: Worth fighting for: Community Living London workers ready to strike

Community Living London workers are preparing to walk off the job on Monday, joining thousands of workers across Ontario in a growing labour dispute driven by chronic underfunding, low wages, and worsening working conditions.  This action is a part of the “Worth Fighting For” campaign, a coordinated, province-wide community and labour action in Ontario led by frontline workers in the community and social services sectors, including members of OPSEU/SEFPO and CUPE. Workers are demanding retroactive pay to compensate for wage increases being unfairly capped at 1 percent in 2019 by the Ontario government’s Bill 124, which was ruled unconstitutional in…

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