activism

Our course is the conscience of humanity

This piece was originally published on the Council of Canadians website, on October 8, 2025, the day when Israeli Occupation Forces illegally seized the Freedom Flotilla vessel Conscience. Many of us have had our attention focused recently on the Flotillas sailing against the blockade of Gaza: it is natural to be drawn to this peaceful civilian challenge to the military might of the Israeli occupation at sea. Israel’s deliberate starvation of Palestinians in Gaza as part of the genocide backed by the U.S. and allies – including Canada – makes this year’s many sailings against the blockade all the more…

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“People before profit”: Draw the Line rally for global peace

On September 20, the London chapter of the International Socialists joined Seniors for Climate and Seniors for Climate Action Now to host a rally in support of the national Draw The Line movement. Activists and organizers from ACORN, Independent Jewish Voices, Youth Climate Corp, Canadian Palestinian Social Association, Registered Nurses Association of Ontario, For Our Kids, and the London and District Labour Council joined the movement. The following is a speech delivered by Matthew Webb of the International Socialists at London’s Draw the Line event.  We decided to join the Seniors for Climate and Seniors for Climate Action Now in…

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Artists Against Artwashing calls out Scotiabank investments in Israeli military tech at TIFF

On September 6, a paper mache head of Scotiabank’s portfolio manager David Fingold was paraded in front of the Scotiabank theatre during TIFF rush hour. The grand mache-Fingold had marionette hands carrying a large cheque with red paint dripping from the top, signed for $300,000,000 USD  addressed to Israel. The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) demonstration, organized by the No Arms in the Arts coalition, drew crowds of festival-goers to stop and take photographs, as well as a hefty police presence. “We are protesting Scotiabank’s stake in Elbit Systems,” said demonstrator Mitra Fakrashrafi, in an interview with Antler River Media.…

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Solidarity silent auction for protesters in Indonesia

On September 21 an information session and silent auction was held at DoughEV in solidarity with the struggles of the Indonesian people. Sabotage Media and the London chapter of the International Socialists hosted the event as a fundraiser to send money for the purchase of personal protective equipment and other medical supplies for those affected by police violence during the ongoing protests. The evening began describing how the event was imagined, as one of the organizers, Kepler Altiora, explained that their friend had sent a concerning message explaining why they wouldn’t be online much in the future. “Hey guys I…

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“Live for what they died for”: Srebrenica and Gaza genocide documentaries move London community

“I went to Bosnia not expecting to necessarily see Gaza, but everywhere I looked in Bosnia, there was Gaza. I think maybe some of the people that feel closest to Gaza in the world today are in Bosnia,” says Palestinian community member Nabil Sultan of his visit to Bosnia, sharing his reflections on the documentary Survivors of Srebrenica screened at London Public Library on the evening of August 29th. “You see it on the streets, in the graffiti, in the keffiyehs people wear. Even in Srebrenica they have the keffiyehs — the families of the victims who were going to…

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‘CRA is funding genocide’: Londoners rally against Canadian charities funding Israeli genocide in Gaza 

Around 40 Londoners joined a demonstration on Wednesday, September 3 in front of the Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA) downtown office to demand accountability for the charitable status granted to organizations who fund Israeli genocide in Palestine. Organized by the Canadian Palestinian Social Association (CPSA), the London rally was part of a national week of action called by the Canadian Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) Coalition, Just Peace Activists, and other groups. The rallies coincide with the United Nations International Day of Charity on September 5. “We are here because CRA is complicit in the genocide that is happening in Gaza,” said…

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Keffiyehs, banners, cheers, and suppression: Four days of Western University’s graduation convocations

From June 10th to June 13th, Western University convocations were held at Canada Life Place. They were invigorated by protests for Palestine.  Numerous graduating students across disciplines and faculties faced the celebratory stage with Palestine flags, banners calling for justice, and regalia draped with keffiyehs. Outside, more protesters held banners and chanted human rights declarations to the downtown rush. They stationed themselves in areas where students arrived to pick up regalia and families waited before convocations began.   University administration, London police, and Canada Life Place staff attempted to quell the protests.  *** On the morning of June 10th —  the…

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Open Letter: This Emerita prof Supports Divestment

Dear President Shepard, I would like to thank you for the generous offer to attend a dinner with retired faculty from Western: it is an important gesture to remember former professors and our contributions. Normally, I would be looking forward to seeing familiar faces and reminiscing with colleagues about our days on campus. However, under the circumstances, I must decline your invitation.  It is impossible for me to enjoy a celebratory meal with Western colleagues when our Palestinian colleagues in Gaza are enduring a brutal famine deliberately imposed by an occupying power which is actively supported by your Administration. How…

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“We carry your memory like fire in our veins”: 77th Nakba Day 

Whenever someone asked me my name, it was always followed by: “Are you a refugee or a citizen?” As a child, I would ask: “What is a refugee?” On this year’s Nakba Day — May 15, 2025 — an Al Jazeera article by Ruwaida Amer in Gaza describes the 1948 displacement of her grandparents from their razed village of Beir Daras to Khan Younis, where she was born in a refugee camp. Her grandfather was fifteen years old during the Nakba, married and with a baby son. The baby — Amer’s uncle — died as they fled. He was just…

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‘The system itself is flawed’: London community shows up to support sexual assault survivor 

Over 40 people joined together on Tuesday, May 13 outside of the Superior Court in London, Ont., to support survivor E.M. on her seventh day of cross-examination by defense attorneys in the sexual assault trial of five men. E.M. was 20 years old at the time of the reported sexual assaults. The trial began at the end of April this year — nearly seven years later. The five men, Michael MacLeod, Cal Foote, Dillon Dubé, Carter Hart, and Alex Formenton, were hockey players on the Canadian World Juniors hockey team. They were in London in 2018 to celebrate the team’s…

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