Toronto: Solidarity picket w/ Greek Uprising THIS Friday (Jan 9, 2009)
*~SPARK IN ATHENS, FIRE IN TORONTO~**
Recognize the system as flawed and transform it!
What: Solidarity rally with the Greek uprising
When: THIS Friday Jan 9 at 12 NOON
Where: Outside the Consulate General of Greece at 365 Bloor St. E (at Sherbourne)
Sponsored by: Association of Part-time Undergraduate Students, Common Cause, CUPE 3903, CUPE 3907, No One Is Illegal Toronto and Ontario Coalition Against Poverty
Why: Privatization of education, corporatization of campuses, barriers to immigration, police repression, poverty and institutionalized racism all led to the current uprising in Greece. We are struggling here with the very same issues! This is why we stand with our brothers and sisters in Greece.
Racist and Classist Police Brutality
Police murdered unarmed 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos on Dec 6 in Athens, the latest outrage in a long string of brutality. His death sparked an uprising by thousands of Greeks fed up with police controlling their communities. In Toronto we also see police brutality and impunity. Racial profiling is common practice and police actions disproportionately target youth, racialized and poor people. Toronto police regularly cover up and bury cases of brutality and corruption while obstructing the complaints process. The police will not yield their power or behave responsibly unless we fight back.
Unequal Access to Education
For many years in Greece, students have successfully fought off attempts to end universal access to higher education by organizing themselves, protesting and occupying their schools. In Canada, undergrad tuition fees have almost doubled over the last decade. This makes higher education impossible for many working class people without taking on crippling debts. Schools like U of T and Queens are moving towards self-regulation, allowing them to charge whatever they want.
Unemployment
Anger in Greece is fuelled by lay-offs and increasing rates of unemployment among young graduates accelerated by the global financial crisis. In Canada, we're feeling these effects as we slide deeper into recession. The unemployed and those at risk of eviction will find gutted social assistance programs while banks and corporations, whose greed caused this crisis, get bailouts. The government, banks and corporations must be held accountable.
Attacks on Non-Status People and Union Organizers
In Greece, migrants and immigrants experience daily humiliation at the border and even murder by police and vigilantes. In December they took to the streets demanding justice and dignity. Organizers of predominantly immigrant and migrant unions face threats, assaults and death from company thugs. The rail company office has been occupied in response to the violent acid attack on Bulgarian migrant worker Konstantina Kouneva a militant syndicalist and general secretary of the cleaner's union of Athens (Panattic Union of Cleaners and Domestic Personnel). Non-status people and migrant workers in Canada often face deportation if they stand up for their rights. Immigrants and migrant labourers face overwork, substandard accommodations, unsafe conditions, unlivable pay and overt racism.
