Upcoming Events
1) Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan: War resisters speak out!9) Anti-War Slide Show and Presentation
2) Drop Fees, Not Bombs conference
3) Social Justice: From Rhetoric to Action conference
4) Al-Quds Day rally and march; Solidarity with Palestine
5) Community Iftar Dinner
6) Peggy Nash on the Lessons of Lebanon
7) Art in the Struggle Against War
8) Artists Against War panel discussion
10) Film Screening - Camden 28: What Would You Do to Stop a War?
11) A Matter of Conscience: Resisting War
12) Labour Peace Breakfast
13) Student Breakfast and Feeder March
14) Mississauga October 28 Rally and Transport to Toronto rally
15) Toronto October 28 Pan-Canadian Day of Action march and rally
NEWS:
16) Voices from Afghanistan
17) NATO strikes kill 9 Afghan civilians
18) Troops will be in Afghanistan for next 20 years, says commander
9) Anti-War Slide Show and Presentation
Slide Show Presentation on:
- Missile Defence
- Afghanistan
- Iraq
- Canadian Hypocrisy and Complicity in the Business of War
Speaker: Richard Sanders, coordinator, Coalition to Oppose the Arms Trade; editor, COAT¹s magazine, Press for Conservation!
Tuesday, October 24
7:30pm
St. Andrew¹s United Church
117 Bloor Street East (between Church Street and Yonge Street)
NOTE: Limited free parking-enter via Hayden Street, one way west, one block south of Bloor Street. Press button, say ³VANA² or ³Veterans².
Informative slide show, replete with many dozens of graphics illustrating Canada¹s complicity in the US-led wars in Afghanistan and Iraq as well as the biggest, weapons-development program in world history, namely Ballistic Missile Defense. This data-filled presentation is balanced with satirical social commentary and sprinkled with the biting it and wisdom of Mark Twain, Pogo and Oscar Wilde.
Sponsored by:
Veterans Against Nuclear Arms, Ontario-Quebec Region (VANA)
Science for Peace (SfP)
For more information, please contact:
Audrey Tobias (VANA) tel: 416-398-7447 e-mail: atobias@primus.ca
Jean Smith (SfP) tel: 416-535-6605 e-mail: jsmith@chem.utoronto.ca
Or visit COAT¹s web page: http://coat.ncf.ca
10) Film Screening - Camden 28: What Would You Do to Stop a War?
Development and Peace, Homes not Bombs, and Science for Peace Present the Canadian premiere screening of the award winning-film Camden 28: What Would You Do to Stop a War?
Wednesday, October 25
7:00pm
Innis Town Hall
University of Toronto
(corner of St. George and Sussex, just south of Bloor Street)
³What do you do when a child is on fire, in a war that was a mistake? What do you do? Write a letter?² Msgr. Michael Doyle, one of the Camden 28, who faced 47 years in prison for destroying government draft files during the war against Vietnam. Join us for a compelling evening of inspiring filmmaking.
For more information: Homes not Bombs (416-651-5800)
11) A Matter of Conscience: Resisting War
Thursday, October 26, 2006
7:30pm - 9:00pm
Trinity St Paul¹s United Church
Fireside Room
427 Bloor Street West
(south side of Bloor, east of Spadian; nearest subway station: Spadina)
Canadians are increasingly concerned about the impact of war in various regions of the world. What does resisting war mean to you? Join us for a panel discussion with:
Charlie Diamond came to Canada during the Viet Nam War with help from Quakers. A Quaker, Charlie works on housing settlement at Evangel Hall for the Presbyterian Church.
Stephanie and Chris Teske US War Resisters, will speak about the role of conscience in their decision. Chris served in Afghanistan for the US military; he and his wife, Stephanie, arrived in Canada in October 2006.
Nnancy Lessin is a founding member of Military Families Speak Out (USA). She will speak about the American experience in resisting the war, and the role of opposition within military communities.
Dr. Jane Pritchard is a Mennonite activist and doctor. She and her husband, Doug, have a long history of resisting paying taxes to support war.
Sponsored by the War Resisters Support Campaign
tel: 416-778-7872
web: www.resisters.ca
e-mail: resisters@sympatico.ca
12) Labour Peace Brunch and Labour Feeder March
Saturday, October 28
11:00am
Steelworkers Hall
25 Cecil Street
(1 block south of College between Beverly and Huron)
$5 suggested donation
Join trade unionists for a pre-rally brunch before heading out to the U.S. Consulate. Bring your union flags and banners
Organized by Steelworkers Toronto Area Council
Supported by Toronto and York Region Labour Council
13) Student Feeder March and Peace Breakfast
Saturday, October 28
Breakfast begins at 10:30am
Assemble for march at 12:30pm
International Student Centre
33 St. George Street
All students and youth from universities, colleges and high schools welcome!
Organized by Student Administrative Council at the University of Toronto
Supported by student groups across the city
For more information, please call 416-978-4911
14) Mississauga October 28 National Day of Action
Mississauga Coalition for Peace and Justice Demonstration
Troops out of Afghanistan
Bring the Troops Home
Canada Out of Afghanistan
Military Action Won¹t Create Stability
Saturday, October 28
10:30am
Revolution Square
Hurontario and Dundas (south east corner)
The Mississauga Coalition for Peace and Justice, along with other student, labour, faith and environmental groups will be joining cities across Canada in a nation-wide call for an END to our military role in Afghanistan. As the debate over Afghanistan grows and intensifies, it¹s crucial that the voices for peace are heard loud and clear! More than ever, the anti-war movement must remain an ever present, unwavering force that works to uphold peace and justice.
Continue to join us as we head downtown to march in solidarity with Torontonians later that afternoon. A bus from the Mississauga Rally will be heading downtown.
For more information,and to reserve a seat, please e-mail mcpj@resist.ca
15) BRING THE TROOPS HOME NOW!
Canada out of Afghanistan march and rally
Rally and march
Saturday, October 28
1:00pm
United States Consulate
360 University Avenue
(between Dundas and Queen; nearest subways: St. Patrick and Osgoode)
On October 28, tens of thousands of people in dozens of towns and cities across the country are expected to demonstrate to bring Canadian troops home from Afghanistan. This pan-Canadian day of action has been jointly called by four major organizations: the Canadian Peace Alliance, le Collectif Échec à la guerre, the Canadian Labour Congress and the Canadian Islamic Congress. In addition, dozens more organizations - both national and local, including the Toronto Coalition to Stop the War - have joined the call and will be mobilizing for October 28.
Our demand is a simple one: "Support our troops and bring them home now!" Right now, the Stephen Harper government continues to support a NATO-led mission in Afghanistan that has made the situation in the country worse than it was in 2001. Fewer people have access to clean water and electricity than five years ago, reconstruction is at a standstill, opium production generates twice the amount of income than international aid, and Canadian troops are keeping in power a government that is dominated by war lords and drug lords - people who continue to commit war crimes and human rights abuses on a massive scale.
And as Stephen Harper pours billions of dollars more into George Bush's war in Afghanistan, he continues to cut billions from social programs here in Canada. Money that is badly needed for healthcare, childcare, education, the environment, social programs and other services is being diverted to war and militarism. For every dollar the Canadian government spends on the Afghan mission, fully 90 cents goes towards the military operation. Only ten cents goes to aid.
On October 28, the anti-war movement has an unprecedented opportunity to challenge Harper's support for Bush's war. In addition, we also have the opportunity to challenge Harper's pro-cuts, pro-corporate agenda. As much of the national press have already noted, the war in Afghanistan is Stephen Harper's Achilles heel. We hope that you will join us on October 28 as we take the first steps together to stop the war and to stop Stephen Harper.
For information about actions in other locations, please contact the Canadian Peace Alliance: www.acp-cpa.ca.
For information on the Toronto march and rally, please contact TCSW:
stopthewar@symaptico.ca.
16) Voices from Afghanistan
Exclusive Video Clips of Afghan MP Malalai Joya now available (cut and paste link into your browser).
Malalai Joya comments on women¹s rights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v
- on children¹s rights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v
- on Karzai¹s warlord government:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v
- on how Canada should support Afghanistan:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v
Background on Malalai Joya:
Malalai Joya, a women¹s rights advocate, is the youngest member of Afghan parliament at 27 years old. She has been an outspoken critic of the majority presence of warlords and drug lords in the Afghan government, including known human rights abusers. Malalai has survived physical attacks in Parliament, as well as numerous death threats. She is outspoken, independent and fearless but has been all but ignored by mainstream press in the West.
More info: http://www.malalaijoya.com/
Video Footage Presented by Intrinsic Audiovisual Productions © 2006
Released in honour of Media Democracy Day: October 18
17) NATO strikes kill 9 Afghan civilians
By Kathy Gannon
Associated Press
Airstrikes by NATO helicopters hunting Taliban fighters ripped through three dried mud homes in southern Afghanistan as villagers slept early Wednesday. At least nine civilians were killed, including women and children, said residents and the provincial governor.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap
18) Troops will be in Afghanistan for next 20 years, says commander
The Independent
The commander of the British forces returning from Helmand said that his forces were having to make up for the time lost by the decision of the US and UK to invade Iraq instead of concentrating on post-Taliban Afghanistan.
http://egyptelection.com
id=38&pop=1&page=0
Toronto Coalition to Stop the War
TCSW is Toronto¹s city-wide anti-war coalition, comprised of more than fifty labour, faith and community organisations, and a member of the Canadian Peace Alliance.
www.nowar.ca stopthewar@sympatico.ca 416-795-5863
