(March 21) Demonstration and March: Against colonialism, racism and the proposed Quebec “Charter of Values” (Bill 60)

Demonstration and March: Against colonialism and racism
FRIDAY, MARCH 21, 2014
Gathering at 6pm at Mt-Royal métro
(Mt-Royal Avenue, between Berri and Rivard)
Part of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on the anniversary of the 1960 Sharpeville Massacre in South Africa.
Organized by Ensemble contre la Charte xenophobe
info: contrelachartexenophobe@gmail.com
web: http://ensemblecontrelacharte.tumblr.com
-> Posters and flyers for this demonstration are available for download at: www.solidarityacrossborders.org/en/downloads-for-the-anti-racist-demonstration-on-march-21-posters-flyers
You can also pick up posters and flyers at QPIRG Concordia (1500 de Maisonneuve West, #204, métro Guy-Concordia; tel: 514-848-7585).
Supported by:
QPIRG Concordia / Groupe de recherche d’intérêt public à Concordia
Personne n’est illégal-Montréal / No One Is Illegal Montreal
Solidarité sans frontières / Solidarity Across Borders
Graduate Students’ Association (Concordia)
Études en action (UQÀM, McGill et Concordia)
Association pour une solidarité syndicale étudiante (ASSÉ)
Assemblée populaire et autonome de Villeray (APAQ Villeray)
Collectif éducation sans frontières (CESF)
Concordia Students’ Union (CSU)
Fine Arts Students Association (FASA) Concordia
Centre communautaire des femmes sud-asiatiques / South Asian Women’s Community Center (SAWCC)
Projet accompagnement solidarité Colombie (PASC)
Justice Climatique Montreal / Climate Justice Montreal
Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU)
Sigaw ng Bayan Radio Collective (CKUT)
Association facultaire étudiante de science politique et droit (AFESPED-UQAM)
Association facultaire étudiante des sciences humaines (AFESH-UQAM)
Students of Colour Montreal (SOCM)
Community-University Talks (C-Uni-T)
and more!
To endorse this demonstration, please contact contrelachartexenophobe@gmail.com.
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We are marching together on March 21 because:
We support the self-determination and sovereignty of all Indigenous peoples in “Canada” and “Quebec”; Canada and Quebec are unjustly built on stolen native land.
We oppose the politicians and corporations in both Canada and Quebec that continue to exploit the lands and resources of Indigenous peoples – Tar Sands, pipelines, Plan Nord, Anticosti and more — against the clear wishes of Indigenous nations.
We remember and salute the anti-racist struggles of the past, especially the struggle against apartheid in South Africa; the 1960 Sharpeville massacre in South Africa is commemorated each March 21, as part of the International Day Against Racism.
We denounce racism in Quebec, which continues to exist and persist, and which has increased in the past year, especially with increased harassment and attacks on Muslim women.
We support the struggles of all racialized and marginalized communities for their own dignity and self-determination.
We support anti-racist feminisms and anti-racist queer struggles that refuse to accommodate themselves to false fears and xenophobia.
We are opposed to the proposed Quebec Charter of Values (Bill 60), which is an electoral ploy that encourages racism and xenophobia in Quebec society.
We march for many more reasons, united in opposition to all forms of oppression and in the belief that our solidarity and unity against colonialism and racism is our most effective tool.
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Community Statement: “Ensemble contre la Charte xénophobe” (“Together Against the Xenophobic Charter”)
Link: www.qpirgconcordia.org/?p=4687

The community statement is endorsed by: À Deux Mains / Head and Hands * Artivistic * Assemblée populaire autonome de Villeray (APAQ Villeray) * Association facultaire étudiante des sciences humaines (AFESH-UQÀM) * Centre communautaire des femmes sud-asiatiques / South Asian Women’s Community Center (SAWCC) * Centre de lutte contre l’oppression des genres / Centre for Gender Advocacy * Chaotic Insurrection Ensemble / L’Ensemble de l’insurrection chaotique * Collectif anarchiste Emma Goldman (Saguenay) * Collectif éducation sans frontières (CESF) * Collectif oppose à la brutalité policière (COBP) * Collectif Québécois – Musulmans Contre Intégrismes et Islamophobie * Comité des Femmes de diverses origines / Women of Diverse Origins * Convergence des luttes anticapitalistes (CLAC) * Geograds (Geography, Planning and Environment Graduates Association at Concordia) * Groupe de recherche d’intérêt public à Concordia / QPIRG Concordia * Groupe de recherche d’intérêt public à McGill / QPIRG McGill * Immigrant Workers Center / Centre des travailleurs et travailleuses immigrantEs (CTI) * Montréal Nord Républik * Montreal Serai * No One Is Illegal / Personne n’est illégal-Montréal * Palestiniens et juifs Unis (PAJU) * People’s Potato * Queer Between the Covers * Réseau de la Commission Populaire de Montréal * Solidarité sans frontières / Solidarity Across Borders * Tadamon * Voix juives indépendantes / Independent Jewish Voices * and more. [To endorse this statement as an organization, please contact contrelachartexenophobe@gmail.com]
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A note about the P-6 anti-protest by-law and our demo route on March 21:
The organizers of this demonstration – Ensemble contre la Charte xénophobe – were also involved in the organization of the October 20, 2013 anti-Charter demo (a report back from that demo is available here: http://nooneisillegal-montreal.blogspot.ca/2013/10/report-back-demonstration-against.html). On that day, we openly defied the P-6 bylaw en masse during our family-friendly demo. We were able to march freely, on a route of our own choosing, without any police harassment, arrests or tickets (the P-6 by-law is the equivalent of an expensive parking or speeding ticket; it is not a criminal charge).
This March 21, 2014 we plan again to march in open defiance of P-6, as we bring forward our main message of resistance and opposition to Canadian/Quebec colonialism, racism as well as Bill 60 (the proposed Charter). This demonstration will be family-friendly, and we are confident that we will be able to march on a route of our own choosing (that we will share only with demo participants, not the police or any state authorities). There have been many demonstrations within the past year that have openly defied P-6 without arrests or tickets (including the Status For All demonstration, the À qui la ville mobilizations, demos organized by groups like FRAPRU and POPIR, as well as the recent International Women’s Day marches).
More generally, we encourage organizations that have not yet done so to add their name to the following Community Declaration against P-6, signed by more than 80 groups: http://www.solidarityacrossborders.org/en/solidarity-against-police-repression-in-montreal-we-will-not-submit-to-municipal-by-law-p-6). If you have any accessibility needs relating to our demo route (which we can change, including on the day-of), please contact contrelachartexenophobe@gmail.com.
info: contrelachartexenophobe@gmail.com
web: http://ensemblecontrelacharte.tumblr.com