Women's Strike for Equality March, New York, August 1970 -- Daily LIFT #82

Women's Strike for Equality March, New York, August 1970 -- Daily LIFT #82

Giant leaps are ahead

On the Way! -- Postcard, USSR - Daily LIFT#81

From All Of Us At The Left Chapter to All Our Readers, Comrades and Friends, 

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas!

On the Way! -- Postcard, USSR - Daily LIFT#81

Lenin Gets Everyone Ready for the Holidays - Poster, People's Republic of China -- Daily LIFT #80

Lenin Gets Everyone Ready for the Holidays - Poster, People's Republic of China

-- Daily LIFT #80

Support the Anti-Imperialist Struggle of the World's People - Poster, 1967, You Long Gu, People's Republic of China - Daily LIFT #79

Support the Anti-Imperialist Struggle of the World's People - Poster, 1967, You Long Gu, People's Republic of China - Daily LIFT #79

Canada has a racism problem and the fact so many Canadians think we don't is a part of it

Perhaps after an election where Justin Trudeau was exposed for having worn blackface on several occasions and yet not only was not forced to resign as Liberal leader but was ultimately reelected as Prime Minster (albeit with a minority) it should not come as a surprise that "49 per cent of Canadians don't think racism is a serious problem in the country".

This according to an Ipsos poll released December 21 that also found 44 per cent disagreed with the firing of Don Cherry and 40 per cent think "white Canadians are under threat from immigration".

The same week that nearly half of Canadians patted themselves on the back and, no doubt, embraced the illusion that they are more socially evolved than Americans, saw an Indigenous "Winnipeg couple told they 'look like' thieves, asked to leave Winnipeg craft store", a woman in Nova Scotia talked of being "subjected to racist remarks" in a Tim Hortons and of how "Being brown is definitely a burden in a small, mostly white rural town," and the RCMP was revealed to have talked of “sterilizing the site”  referring to the planned arrests of Indigenous protesters in Wet’suwet’en late last year as if they were vermin.

None of this is at all unusual.

A report in Ontario in 2017 found:

The constant and unwarranted scrutiny of store clerks, police and public servants leaves many racialized and Indigenous people in Ontario feeling mistrustful and unsafe, according to a new report from the Ontario Human Rights Commission...
...It concludes that "racial profiling is a daily reality that damages communities and undermines trust in public institutions."

Earlier in December an Indigenous man in Winnipeg said that "he was racially profiled after several shopping trips at a Winnipeg grocery store" which led a former Superstore security guard to come forward and reveal that "'9 times out of 10' the shoppers that employees ask security to monitor are Indigenous".

Also in December in Montreal "Indigenous women denounce(d) ‘devastating’ random street checks" by police after a report revealed that they "experienced street checks 11 times more than caucasian women."

This same report also found that:

...black and Indigenous people in Montreal were four times more likely to be subject to street checks by police than white people were. Arab people were two times more likely.
Indigenous Peoples also appear to be increasingly targeted: while they were two times more likely to be stopped in 2014, the report shows, they became six times more likely in 2017. 

Despite the overwhelming evidence that this study provided, just like Canadians generally the Montreal police were in total denial. Police spokesman Andre Durocher when asked "whether police engage in racial profiling" replied “No.”

In March of 2019 a report:

...on racial profiling by Halifax-area police found black people were street checked at a rate six times higher than white people in Halifax.
The independent report found that in Halifax, the odds of being stopped for a street check were highest for black men, followed by Arab males and black females.

In December, 2018 the Ontario Human Rights Commission released a report that showed:

Between 2013 and 2017, a Black person was nearly 20 times more likely than a White person to be involved in a fatal shooting by the Toronto Police.
Despite representing only 8.8% of Toronto’s population, Black people made up approximately 30% of police use-of-force cases that resulted in serious injury or death, 60% of deadly encounters with Toronto Police, and 70% of fatal police shootings.

It revealed “serious use of force in interactions where there was a lack of legal basis for police stops and/or detentions of Black civilians in the first place, and inappropriate or unjustified searches of Black civilians.” and that despite "repeated claims by Toronto police of changes and improvements in interactions with Black communities, the picture is not much different when information from this period is compared to 2000-2006."

All of this is just the tip of the iceberg with countless other studies and investigations having revealed the same issues with deep, abiding systemic racism and colonialism across the country.

This is not news, of course, to activists and community members. Lindell Smith, a Black City Councillor in Halifax noted of the report about his city:

"As a member of the African Nova Scotian community, I certainly do not need Dr. Wortley's report to tell me that for decades the community has felt that there is anti-black bias, and racial profiling when policing black communities."

Earlier in December, 2019 an Environics poll:

...found that Canadians were more likely to view racial discrimination as the attitudes and actions of individuals, not a systemic issue embedded in Canadian institutions.  Two-thirds of respondents said people from all races have the same opportunities to succeed in life.

Toronto activist and writer Desmond Cole responded by stating:

That is a fantasy...Unsurprisingly, a lot of Canadians are in denial that racism is a systemic thing.
That is why we are still where we are today. That’s why I have to write a book about this topic,” said Cole, who wrote the forthcoming “The Skin We’re In,” about racism in Canada. “It’s not just a few people’s nasty or racist, bigoted opinions. It’s not just Don Cherry spouting off on Coach’s Corner. It’s us not getting jobs. It’s us being kicked out of the education system. It’s us being disproportionately the victims of violence. Until that stops, do all the studies we want to. Those are the real issues.”

“Before you can tackle a problem, you need to recognize it exists” Alain Babineau "formerly with the RCMP and now with the Center for Research-Action on Race Relations" said of the refusal of Montreal police to admit that racial profiling by the force actually occurred.

This lack of recognition of the devastating and violent reality of systemic racism in Canada, unfortunately, extends far beyond just the police. And that is profoundly troubling and disturbing.

Indian Protests, RCMP & Wet'suwet'en, Sanders Smeared, Bolivia & more -- The Week in News, Opinion and Videos December 15 - 22

This week's list of articles, news items, opinion pieces and videos that I see as a must if you are looking for a roundup that should be of interest to The Left Chapter readers.

This list covers the week of  December 15 - 22.

We have changed the format of the round-up so that the links, videos and photos are presented in sections related to topic.




Bolivia:

"The unity of the people will always be the defeat of the empire."


Watch this exclusive interview with ousted and exiled president Evo Morales speaking on the coup, the role of capitalism and imperialism in Latin America and the future of the struggle.



- 'Fascists, Racists Plotted the Lithium Coup in Bolivia' Morales

- Morales Announced Party Candidates Until End of Month

- Coup Leaders in Bolivia Issue Arrest Warrant for Evo Morales

- Argentinian Govt: "We Will Not Hand Over" Evo Morales

Chile:

Tens of thousands of feminists took to the streets of Santiago to protest for women's rights and against gender-based violence.

They marched on the Presidential Palace as well as the Chilean Museum of Memory and Human Rights where they performed the viral "Rapist In Your Way" flashmob.



- 'They Did it on Purpose': Protester Crushed Between Police Jeeps Latest Victim of Months-Long Chilean Crackdown on Dissent

- NO MORE REPRESSION! SOLIDARITY WITH POPULAR STRUGGLES IN CHILE

- Controversy in Chile over use of toxic substances by police officers

- Chilean President's Disapproval Rating Jumps to 79 Percent

Colombia:

- Colombian Gov't Responsible for Crimes Committed by ESMAD

- Colombia: Protests Against Tax Reform and Police Repression

- National protest in Colombia against Duque’s tax reform

South & Central America:

- TIME MAGAZINE WON’T SAY IT, BUT MADURO IS THE MAN OF THE YEAR

- UN Accepts Credentials of Venezuela's Legitimate Government

- Brazil: The Bolsonaro Clan Is Investigated for Money Laundering

- Every McDonald's in Peru closes amid protests at death of two workers

Climate Emergency:

- 'Everything is Burning': Australian Inferno Continues, Choking Off Access to Cities Across Country and

- Australia breaks its own heat record twice in one week as country burns

- As heatwave bakes Australia on land, an unprecedented marine heatwave causes fish kills in the ocean

- B.C.'s clear-cut forests are 'dead zones,' emitting more greenhouse gases than fossil fuels, report finds

- As Alaska permafrost melts, roads sink, bridges tilt and greenhouse gases escape

RCMP & Wet'suwet'en:

- Canada police prepared to shoot Indigenous activists, documents show

- Gidimt'en spokesperson Sleydo', a.k.a. Molly Wickham, accuses RCMP of acting as mercenaries for industry

Canada:

- Higher TTC fares, more fake cops and a cancelled LRT -- Ontario's politicians ring in the holiday with a boot to the face for transit users

- Ontario cancels Hamilton LRT in chaotic announcement; mayor calls it a 'betrayal'

- The case for free public transit in Toronto

- Caring in Crisis: Ontario’s Long-Term Care PSW Shortage

- The Ford Fallout: “You’re seeing innocent people plead guilty to avoid navigating the courts”

- The Ford Fallout: “I was scraping by on $1,406 a month. Now that’s been cut to $823”

- The Ford Fallout: “I have to tell rape victims to come back in 11 months”

- Parents burst into tears as Ford gov't delays new autism program by another year

- Coalition of unions launch challenge to public sector wages cap

- Canadian workers aren't entitled to bathroom breaks, lawyer says

- 'You're not welcome here': Winnipeg couple told they 'look like' thieves, asked to leave Winnipeg craft store

- Bible Hill woman subjected to racist remarks wants businesses to do more

- Most cases of extremist conduct in Canadian military don't end in discipline, says document

- 'This is a tough week': GM to end automotive production in Oshawa

- Nationalize General Motors

- Toronto mass shooting victims sue gun maker Smith & Wesson in $150m lawsuit

- Canada has a secret program that grants visas to war criminals, terrorists, security threats

- Trans Mountain oil pipeline faces latest legal challenge in Canada court

United States:

- Sanders Calls Out 'Deficit Hawks' in Both Parties Who Support $738 Billion Pentagon Budget But Claim US Can't Afford Medicare for All

- Sanders surges ahead of Iowa caucuses

- Barack Obama is going after old men. His real target is Bernie Sanders

- Alan Dershowitz Has Wasted His Life Doing Terrible Things

- Impeachment is a Ruling-Class Spectacle

- ‘It is beyond cruel’: Ice refuses to reunite girl with the only family she has left

- Outraged Response Forces US Border Patrol to Allow 19-Year-Old Mother to Stay With Sick Newborn

- Vigil honors 275 homeless and poor people who died in SF this year

- This Story on Cellphone Tracking 'Is the Most Important Article You Should Read Today. Period.'

- Hundreds of ‘pink slime’ local news outlets are distributing algorithmic stories and conservative talking points

- Report: WA Republican Rep. Matt Shea Participated in Domestic Terrorism

- Ryan Matthews spent 5 years on death row for a crime he didn't commit. He was exonerated and just graduated college

- Black Drivers And Pedestrians Most Likely Traffic Stop Targets In Ohio's Biggest Cities

- New Jersey Governor Signs Bills Restoring Voting Rights To More Than 80,000 People

- Anthony Clark Is a Socialist Running for Congress with the Spirit of Fred Hampton at His Back

- Warren Backs Down on Medicare for All, Now Says It’s a ‘Choice’

- Mainstream media sees a puzzling obstacle to Pete Buttigieg's rise: The voters

- Possible mass grave from 1921 massacre found: "It was hell on earth"

- Extremist cops: how US law enforcement is failing to police itself

- Supreme court won't revive homeless camping ban

Censoring of Palestinian Voices and of Those Opposed to Israeli Apartheid:

- Trump Elevates an Anti-Semitic Slur Into Law

- Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission rescinds Rana Zaman's rights award

- Confronting The Censorship Of The Palestinian Struggle

- SAIA Demands That Herut Canada And The JDL Be Permanently Banned From York University

- Accusing Bernie Sanders of antisemitism? That's a new low

- Of Course They’re Accusing Bernie Sanders Of Anti-Semitism - Because He Supports Palestinians

- Bernie supporters: talk about Palestine, or succumb to the smears

Israel / Palestine:

- Gaza 2020: How easy it is for the world to delete Palestinian pain

- 'I Said, Get Up, Mother. Then I Realized She Was Dead': Survivors of Israel's Gaza Strike Speak Out

- Israel set to be investigated for war crimes in Palestinian Territories, ICC announces

- Canada again votes at UN to back Palestinian self-determination

UK Election Aftermath:

- Letter to Jeremy Corbyn from Ken Loach, Brian Eno and others

- Labour must remember that the ‘traditional working class’ includes minorities too

- Why so surprised? The British electoral process has always been fixed

- Communist Party blames Labour's 'Stop Brexit' stance for election defeat

- Corbyn’s Defeat Has Slain the Left’s Last Illusion

- Media smear cost Labour the election, McDonnell is right to point that out

- 2017 - 2019: what changed?

United Kingdom:

- Racism 'prevalent' in the armed forces, ombudsman warns

France: 

- French Executives Found Responsible for 35 Employees' Deaths by Suicide

- Macron ‘ready to make concessions’ as pension strikes continue to paralyse France

- France on strike: Power cuts, schools shut, no Eiffel Tower

Cuba:

- The Cuban economy has advanced without neoliberal prescriptions

- Cuba Denounces New OAS Attack Against Medical Collaboration

- Diaz-Canel commends Cuba's economic results despite tensions

Indian Protests:

Indian student protesters against the Modi-government singing a Bengali version of the famous anti-fascist song Bella Ciao in the streets of Kolkata.



- India: largest protests in decades signal Modi may have gone too far

- Indian citizenship law: six killed in deadliest day of protests over new bill

- Communist Party of India launches padayatra in Puducherry

- Anti-CAA Protests : Left Parties’ Joint Nationwide Demonstration Today; Protesters Stop Train In Bihar

- Mass Protests Spread in India After Citizenship Law Passes

- 'Night of horrors': Inside the Indian university stormed by police

Middle-East:

- Lebanese communists denounce technocratic stitch-up behind new PM

Africa:

- Algerians continue mass mobilizations, reject offers of talks

- South African Communist Party looks at rebuilding alliance with ANC

- Apple and Google named in US lawsuit over Congolese child cobalt mining deaths