Peaceniks Plan Vic Day Protest @ Victoria BC City Hall

[The Bread Guy]

Thought folks here would be interested....

Peace Activists Speak Out at Victoria Day Parade
by UVic Students Against War, 18 May 08
News release link

Dear Friends; the Canadian Government is disregarding the democratic will of Canadians by extending the mission in Afghanistan until 2011 and by continuing to send Canadian soldiers to the war in Iraq.

The Liberal-Conservative coalition is playing power politics while Canadian soldiers are dying and democracy crumbles here and abroad.

We object to the gross violations of human rights which have been witnessed in these two wars. While torture, chemical weapons and indiscriminate bombings are no less tolerable than the tactics of any Taliban or Saddam Hussein, our terror carries the flag of democracy, reflecting poorly upon us.


The Victoria Day parade, this Monday May 19th, celebrates Canada's continuing colonialism at home and abroad, and glamorizes a military culture which brings havoc and corporate profits. Tanks and guns are instruments that kill people, not something that children should be riding on or waving to. It is time our society moved beyond these colonial relics and celebrated something that brings about peace and understanding, not war.

We support the troops coming home, which is why we fight for democracy here. We are standing in solidarity with people around the world, advocating for freedom and justice.  We demand our tax dollars be spent building communities in Canada, rather than destroying them overseas. We insist that all funding for the extended mission, as well as Brigadier-General Nicolas Matern's salary while deployed in Iraq, be redirected to housing, health care and education.

Students Against War is calling our friends and allies to support our rights and stand up against our would-be rulers on May 19th. Come leaflet, hold placards and banners, or voice your support.

To help or learn more, join us for a brief pre-parade meeting in Centennial Square (by City Hall) at 8:00 am on May 19th. Sorry for the early meeting time, but this is a great opportunity to make our message heard! If possible, please RSVP to uvicsaw@riseup.net to give us an idea of numbers or to ask questions.

Peace and Solidarity,
Students Against War

This notice from the Students Against War invites all activists to join in. While many Victorians may scratch their heads about the overwhelming presence of a US marching band-colonial culture in "OUR" parade, SAW is taking this opportunity to divert attention from war to peace. - Victoria Peace Coalition

 

[vonGarvin]

I wish them all the best, so long as they don't lie.  Also, the inference that I am but a pawn, and not a willing volunteer, is rather insulting, but that is their opinion, and I support their Victoria Day protest.

I'd show up, but I'm rather engaged right now, training (post-training, actually), for deployment to Afghanistan.

 

[wannabe SF member]

and by continuing to send Canadian soldiers to the war in Iraq.

Wow, once again, the uninformed Canada in Iraq argument :

  We demand our tax dollars be spent building communities in Canada, rather than destroying them overseas.

Personally, I want our tax dollars to be spent educating the rest of canada enough for them to see how dumb these people are.

*edited for ortograph

 

[1feral1]

Wow, once again, the uniformed Canada in Iraq argument :

Personally, I want our tax dollars to be spent educating the rest of canada enough for them to see how dumb these people are.

Dumb, no, but misinformed opinions yes, however, its everyone's right to have an opinion, however misinformed they may be. Clouded by the smoke of bongs, piss warm beer, in smokey uni lounges/pubs.

 

[Shamrock]

Wow, once again, the uniformed Canada in Iraq argument :

Personally, I want our tax dollars to be spent educating the rest of canada enough for them to see how dumb these people are.

Pot, this is kettle. 

 

[wannabe SF member]

All right wes, I stand corrected

Cheers

 

[aesop081]

Wow, once again, the uniformed Canada in Iraq argument :

We do in fact have Canadian soldiers in Iraq. My understanding of it is that some are there in exchange capacity with US units and some are there with the UN mission. Regardless, the numbers are not very large.

 

[aesop081]

Tanks and guns are instruments that kill people, not something that children should be riding on or waving to.

This from the same citizens who would send us to Darfour ( maybe even Burma). What do they think we would need to take with us there ?

Harsh language ?

 

[Ex-Dragoon]

This from the same citizens who would send us to Darfour ( maybe even Burma). What do they think we would need to take with us there ?

Harsh language ?

These are the same people who believe that everyone loves Canadians and no harm would ever come to our troops because we are really peacekeepers [sarcasm]

 

[aesop081]

We are standing in solidarity with people around the world, advocating for freedom and justice. 

They obviously do not give a rat's rear end about freedom and justice for Afghans.

 

[dglad]

These are people who are choosing to see the world the way they wish it was, rather than how it is.  Hardly a new phenomenon.  History is replete with examples of well-intended, but misguided and misinformed people taking positions that make sense only within a very specific world-view.

And it's not confined to the political left, by any means.

 

[Infanteer]

Ahh...university students.  At least they keep us honest....

 

[Celticgirl]

We object to the gross violations of human rights which have been witnessed in these two wars. While torture, chemical weapons and indiscriminate bombings are no less tolerable than the tactics of any Taliban or Saddam Hussein, our terror carries the flag of democracy, reflecting poorly upon us.

"Our terror"? I'm still on my first coffee of the day, so I could be misreading this, but did this person just directly imply that our troops are behaving like terrorists?  ???

 

[The Bread Guy]

did this person just directly imply that our troops are behaving like terrorists?  ???

Sorta kinda, or at least some of their colleagues say so:

28 Oct protest poster:  "The aggressive, U.S.-style search and destroy missions and lack of aid have lost the hearts and minds of the people of Afghanistan, putting Canadian troops at great risk."

April 2007 open letter:  "The government of Canada and NATO continue to maintain that they are fighting a “Taliban insurgency” in Afghanistan. Why? Because saying otherwise would mean admitting the truth: that they are not fighting and killing a small number of isolated rebels, but that they are battling a popular resistance movement of regular Afghan people who are fighting with sticks and stones and everything they have against the occupation. "

"Canada in Afghanistan:  Portrait of a Failing Criminal and Brutal War and Occupation":  "Canada, NATO, and other occupation forces troops, along with the corrupt, occupation-backed Afghan government, have been facing increasing protest and resistance from Afghans who are sick of seeing the six-year-long destruction of their country. As civilian casualties of NATO bombings rise, NATO’s response has been simply bomb a village, apologize, promise they’ll be more careful – and then turn around and do the same thing the next day."

Note a trend in messaging?

 

[PMedMoe]

people who are fighting with sticks and stones and everything they have against the occupation.

Because sticks and stones have killed so many NATO soldiers......

 

[Celticgirl]

Note a trend in messaging?

Sadly, yes. I find the comments ridiculous, though. NATO is bombing Afghan civilians who are fighting with 'sticks and stones'. It paints a pretty dismal - and grossly inaccurate - picture of what is going on over there. I haven't been there, but my fiance has, and so have friends of mine. Canadian troops are not just fighting insurgents in Afghanistan now, they are fighting ignorance back in their own country. Pitiful.

 

[The Bread Guy]

Because sticks and stones have killed so many NATO soldiers......

...not to mention all the AFG civvies.....

 

[RTaylor]

Just more propaganda from idiots who have literally no clue. All they are aware of is that they see soldiers overseas, there's sand and there's foreigners involves. I can almost guarantee that none of them have been to any war afflicted country much less have ever even talked to anyone from such a place.

Just getting their asses in the air because that's what PC university students to do assauge their minds that they are making a difference by whining and bitching to anyone who listens. Happens anywhere there's soldiers being sent out, Canada, US, Britain, etc.

Try to talk to these individuals, it's like trying to have a discussion with religious devotees about the possibility of life on other planets. All they can spout is their repetitive garbage that they've talked themselves into believing.

 

[wannabe SF member]

people who are fighting with sticks and stones

I do not believe, that the talibans fight with sticks and stones, I do not believe that sticks and stones brought down the World Trade Center.
The talibans where harbouring Al-Qaeda and therefore are in several ways responsible for the deaths of these 3000 civilians. They attacked the US.

What they have to understand is that we are fighting against an enemy that hates everything about our way of life and wants to see it destroyed. It is a war against the talibans and they cannot be allowed to survive as an organization not only because we would be letting an enemy triumph but also because it would be a gross violation to the memory of all the innocent victims of such attacks.

What these "protesters" want is not justice, they are in it for the kick, they need want a cause because they want to be back to the glory of the sixties, woodstock, the giant demonstrations. They would love it. Only, the protesters of the time arguably had a defendable position, but for these students right now, I see neither justice nor sense in the cause they are"fighting" for

 

[Flip]

What they are agitating for (though they don't know it) is a return to civil war and anarchy for Afghans.  What they are supporting, through their protest, is a foreign intervention, by Arabs, Pakistanis, Chechens, etc in the affairs of a relativly democratic
Afghanistan.

In short, their claims are not consistent with their means.  If they want to support democracy, literacy and if they want to reduce poverty, the pot testers are are on the wrong side of this issue.