Tag: Social Movements

Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP) rally in downtown Toronto. Photo courtesy Global Labour Research Centre/York University. The Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP) has announced its formal end. On May 13, 2023, OCAP’s Annual General Meeting formally voted to retire the organization and put its remaining resources toward anti-poverty struggles in

An activist holds an “Antifa” flag above a crowd of marchers, Berlin, June 27, 2009. Photo by Sam Chills/Flickr. The last few decades have seen regular debates on the left that counterpose “activism” and “organizing.” Long-time abolitionist organizer Mariame Kaba has recently laid this out plainly, contending that “activists are

Habibti Please interviewed Jeremy Corbyn and Paul Rogers in advance of ‘Selling Death: Why the International Arms Trade Must be Controlled,’ an upcoming event hosted by Egypt Watch and Jeremy Corbyn’s Peace and Justice Project. This week, Habibti Please is focused on a favorite topic of the show: disarmament. Nashwa

Members of the Proud Boys march in Washington, DC, December 12, 2020. Photo by Elvert Barnes/Flickr. The last few years have seen a sharp uptick in discussions on the North American left about right-wing movements. This makes sense. Across the globe, we’ve seen far-right forces gaining access to state power

The World Social Forum believes another world is possible. Photo by judygr/Flickr. We have succeeded in translating meetings, conferences, and even celebrations to virtual. However, how can we move international activism online? Since Saturday until January 31, the World Social Forum (WSF) celebrates its twentieth anniversary. Like other collective activities,

Women’s Liberation group marches in support of the Black Panther Party, New Haven, 1969. Photo by David Fenton. People whose names we will never know propelled liberatory struggles of the past. With plenty of contradictions and messiness, they fought oppression and exploitation, nurtured freedom dreams, and won victories that we

There’s nothing like a crisis to shine a light on the cracks in our socioeconomic systems. As the COVID-19 pandemic worsens, people in Canada and around the world are being encouraged to practice social distancing, but years of cuts to our social services and weakening labour laws are making this

New Zealand children join a protest against nuclear power in 1982. Photo by John Miller/ABC News. Increasingly, activists and organizers are discussing the question, “What’s your theory of change?” For the most part, this is positive. As climate justice organizer and activist-scholar Jen Gobby explains, a theory of change lays

Student protesters gather in York University’s Vari Hall to denounce an event that brought members of the Israel Defence Forces to campus, Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2019. Photo from Twitter. On Wednesday night, a controversial event hosted at York University called “Reservist on Duty: Hear from former Israeli Defence Forces (IDF)

Illustration from 1919: A Graphic History of the Winnipeg General Strike by the Graphic History Collective and David Lester (Between the Lines 2019). When the world watched Winnipeg Alexander Bittelman, a Jewish immigrant and leftwing activist in New York’s Socialist Party, recalled the impact of the Winnipeg General Strike in

Photo by The Charlatan Many activist spaces these days spend time developing critical analysis through events, writing, and discussion. But as much as we might wish otherwise, sharp analysis doesn’t automatically translate into the skills required for working in groups, making collaborative plans, and taking effective action. Successful movements create

Illustration by Gord Hill (The Anti-Capitalist Resistance Comic Book) The struggle against the monstrous radical evil that dominates our lives—an evil that is swiftly despoiling the earth and driving the human species toward extinction, stripping us of our most basic civil liberties and freedoms, waging endless war and solidifying the

Photo by Joshua Roberts/Reuters The continuing rise of fascism around the world is drawing increasing attention particularly as it takes firmer grip within national societies long seen to have rejected it. Some recent studies have reminded us of the characteristics of fascist movements and individuals, particularly as they manifest among

Cover of booklet to accompany a new sculpture commemorating the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike. Courtesy of Bernie Miller and Noam Gonick. The General Strike of 1919 was not only Winnipeg’s climactic event, but a watershed of some consequence in the evolution of Canada. It stands, too, among the great class-confrontations

Just a few months away from the next Québec election, the polls are indicating a possible majority government for François Legault’s Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ), with 37 per cent of the vote, versus 28 per cent for the Québec Liberal Party that continues to slide, a historic 19-per-cent low for

Photo by No One Is Illegal Ottawa “How do you avoid the feeling that you should be working ALL THE TIME given the urgency of the state of the world?” My friend Heather Hax, an experienced activist, recently posted that question on Facebook. This sense of urgency is completely justified,

Photo from Public Domain This is the third and final piece in a three-part blog series. In the first post, I provided an overview of Manitoba’s activist left. In the second piece, I explored reasons why the Manitoba activist left is struggling. In this final entry, I offer five modest proposals

Photo by Terence Faircloth, This is the second piece in a three-part blog series. In the first post, I provided an overview of Manitoba’s activist left. In this second piece, I explore reasons why the Manitoba activist left is in its current state. In the final entry, I offer some