protest

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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“Do not forget Gaza”: Londoners hold emergency protest for journalists murdered by Israel

More than 220 Londoners gathered in front of city hall on Monday in an emergency protest for journalists in Gaza assassinated by Israeli forces.  This protest was organized by the Canadian Palestinian Social Association (CPSA) in response to the Israeli Defense Forces’ targeted assassination of an Al Jazeera crew in a media tent outside of al-Shifa hospital. Among the deceased were journalists Anas al-Sharif, Mohammed al-Khaldi and Mohammed Qreiqeh, as well as camera operators Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal and Moamen Aliwa. “We are joining a coalition of millions upon millions of people who are saying with a very loud and…

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Dresden community rallies against Bill 5 and proposed landfill site

On Thursday, more than 160 people gathered in Dresden’s Rotary Park to oppose the Ford government’s Bill 5 and a controversial landfill site proposal that the province has reopened the doors to.  The landfill proposal would expand and reopen an inactive landfill site less than a kilometer away from the Dresden town line. The landfill proposed by York1 Environmental Waste Solutions would accept more than 6,000 tonnes of solid non-hazardous construction and demolition waste every day, running around the clock with an estimated 700 trucks travelling to the site each day.  The Dresden community has been actively opposed to the…

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“We can’t be in Gaza – but we can be here”: London rally echoes global march to rafah

LONDON, ONTARIO — “We can’t be in Gaza – but we can be here,” shouted members of the Canadian Palestinian Social Association (CPSA), a local community organization dedicated to celebrating Palestinian culture and raising awareness about the ongoing genocide committed by the Israeli occupation. The rally, held outside MP Peter Fragiskatos’ office, was one of many acts of international solidarity as thousands of activists across the globe mobilized for the Global March to Gaza. On June 12, around 60 people gathered at the rally, holding signs, keffiyehs, and Palestinian flags under the cloudy London sky. The event was co-organized by…

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What can be done to combat the rise of anti-SOGI protests?

For Western University’s April 30th conference “Showing Up: Solidarities and Feminisms in Times of Crisis”, organized by the department of Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies, I had the honour of presenting a paper I had written in the final year of my undergraduate degree about the rise of protests against SOGI (sexual orientation and gender identity) teaching in schools in Canada during 2023.  In 2024, these protests arose once more, albeit with less popularity, and I suspect they will happen again in 2025. The goal of my essay was to understand what motivates these kinds of protests with the hope…

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Western community protest: demanding divestment, accountability, and policy changes

This Tuesday, March 18th, Western University students and faculty members gathered on concrete beach to protest the preceding night’s deadly raid in the Gaza Strip — a raid in which over 400 Palestinians were killed by Israeli strikes. This attack sparked global outrage as many — including local health officials in the Strip — recognize it as a violation of the current ceasefire (effective January 19th, this year). The rally was composed of students from the Western Divestment Coalition, members of Independent Jewish Voices, amongst students and faculty. The protestors had two demands. Fourth year Psych student and Palestine activist…

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“From the river to the sea, from the cedar to the olive tree”: Stories of Lebanon and Palestine

“There is nothing that will compare to that childhood,” says Lebanese-Canadian PhD student Amer El-Samman, who grew up in the port city of Tripoli in northern Lebanon. He remembers the city as huge, bright, and authentic. It boomed with up-and-coming Internet cafés while remaining lush with old towns infused with unique, intergenerationally-preserved customs. The people were tolerant. Ways of life were passed down with “care, affection, and stability”. All religions lived side by side; El-Samman remembers sects of Muslims and Christians, and a Jewish family in his grandmother’s town who were a “remnant of a once sizable population before the…

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