By Michael Truscello

The Olympic torch relay was invented by the Nazis at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, to demonstrate an ancient Aryan lineage with the Third Reich, proof of a warrior culture and foreshadow of the domination of Europe. The contemporary "Olympic Movement" trots out a similar set of symbols, but now backed by corporate logos and the promise of a portable "state of exception," to use the term articulated by Nazi political theorist Carl Schmitt.

Anarchists in Canada, especially those whose primary concern is class struggle, may not see much value in protesting the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver. Why so much fanfare for the Olympics, a one-off event, while barely a whimper from radical groups over the installation of the HST in Ontario and BC — a tax grab that punishes the poor forever?

By Nicolas Phébus
Quebec correspondent

On Oct. 30, the public sector unions in Québec made their central demands for the negotiations with the province. Under the banner "together for public services", they are demanding a negotiated agreement that includes better pay, improved retirement plans and accommodation of workers family commitments. The demands are backed by a “Common Front” of unions representing 475,000 workers in health care, social services, education, public service and government agencies. While the mobilization is not yet impressive, and may never become, some unions and activists are taking positive steps for wider grassroots participation.

Video of the delivery of the demands to the Quebec government

By Jeff Shantz
State Repression columnist

Criminal justice systems in capitalist liberal democracies like Canada have criminalized work that is predominantly done by women. Examples of this regulation of women's labour range from the witch hunts — the punishment of women largely for medicinal knowledge; the criminalization of midwifery and abortion provision; and the criminalization of sex-trade workers. Three sex-trade workers challenging Canada's prostitution laws in a court case in Toronto show the struggles over the regulation of sex work in Canada.

The three sex-trade workers involved in the court case, dominatrix Terri-Jean Bedford and prostitutes Valerie Scott and Amy Lebovitch, argue that the laws against keeping a common bawdy house and communicating for the purposes of prostitution perpetuate violence against women by forcing them into more dangerous working conditions.

By Jeff Shantz
State Repression Columnist

The 2010 Olympic Winter Games are scheduled to take place from February 12-17, in Vancouver-Whistler on land that was never given up by indigenous communities. For growing numbers of indigenous people, homeless and poor people, low-income tenants and sex workers the Olympic Games represent a continued history of colonization and “social cleansing” of poor communities.

Construction for the Olympics infrastructure is adding to extensive destruction of indigenous peoples’ traditional homelands and contributing to the displacement and criminalization of people living in poor urban neighbourhoods.

We won! But did we do it right?
Reflections of an anarchist union organizer

By Peter Marin
LINCHPIN

On July 31, 2009, Post-Doctoral Fellows at McMaster University became the first post-docs in Canada to form a union and win a contract. As a member of CUPE 3906, I was involved in this campaign first as an organizer and later, after the successful union drive, as a member of the bargaining support team. The following are my reflections on this campaign, written from the perspective of an anarchist worker and union member.

By the standards of most union organizers, this union drive was an all-out success. Besides breaking new ground for unions in a growing sector, the post-docs won significant gains including higher wages and benefits, more vacation time, paid leaves and professional development funds.

THE FESTIVAL OF ANARCHY
MAY 1-31, 2009, MONTREAL
No gods, no masters; no bosses, no borders!
[Full calendar of events below]

* Theatre Festival * Art Exhibitions * Squat! * Films * Poetry Nights * Parties * Benefit Shows * Workshops * BBQ * Book Launch * Demonstrations * Guerilla Gardening * Community Dinners * Discussions and Roundtables * Anarchist Cabaret * Bookfair * Day of Anarchist Workshops & Presentations * and more! *

The entire month of May in Montreal is part of the Festival of Anarchy, with diverse anarchist-themed events occurring at different venues all over the island of Montreal. The Festival of Anarchy is organized as part of the 10th Montreal Anarchist Bookfair. The Festival of Anarchy is the largest anarchist event in North America.

Festival of Anarchy event venues include:

Mark your calendars …
Montreal's 10th Annual Anarchist Bookfair
MAY 16-17, 2009
at the CEDA, 2515 Delisle
(a few blocks from Lionel-Groulx metro)

Part of the month-long Festival of Anarchy, throughout the month of May 2009 at venues and locations all over the island of Montreal

The Montreal Anarchist Bookfair -- and month-long Festival of Anarchy -- brings together anarchist ideas and practice, through words, images, music, theatre and day-to-day struggles for justice, dignity and collective liberation.

The Bookfair is as much for people who don't necessarily consider themselves anarchists, but are curious about anarchism, as it is a space for anarchists to meet, network and share in a spirit of respect and solidarity. All are welcome.

http://www.ccsd.ca/csf/2009/index.htm

The inaugural Canadian Social Forum will take place at the Telus Centre in Calgary , May 19th to 22nd, 2009. It is being organized by the Canadian Council on Social Development at a time when a serious financial downturn threatens the economic security of all Canadians and intensifies the pressures on the most vulnerable among us. "This is the time to be bold, creative, and to work together," says Peggy Taillon, the new President of the Canadian Council on Social Development. "Backing down in the fight against poverty is not an option."

Key Theme Areas:
* Addressing poverty as a factor of homelessness in Canada ;
* Addressing systemic discrimination: Policies to advance the economic security of historically marginalized groups;
* Addressing the poverty of Aboriginal people in Canada 's cities;
* Addressing poverty in economic hard times;

October 19th marked the beginning of Hassan Almrei's eighth year in prison, most of it spent in solitary confinement, and of course without ever having been given any kind of fair hearing or opportunity to clear his name.

The following day, in downtown Montreal, a few people set up a mock solitary confinement cell, decorated on the inside with drawings of torture techniques. The drawings in recognition of the fact that Hassan has not only been locked up all these long years, he has been kept under the threat of deportation to Syria. As Hassan knows - and as all the judges, government ministers, members of Parliament, government lawyers, and CSIS officials who
have been involved in keeping him in this situation know - Syria is the country where Maher Arar, Abdullah Almalki, Muayyed Nureddin, and Ahmed El Maati were detained and tortured with, as it turns out, the involvement of
Canadian officials.

BY PETRE MARIN

Unless you have been stuck in a cave somewhere over the past few weeks, you have no doubt heard about the financial crisis south of the border. You have also likely heard Canadian officials and business people claim that the Canadian economy is doing just fine and is immune from the US turmoil. We can hardly expect them to say other wise, not least during an election. But in fact there is more than a good chance that Canada will follow the US into a major economic crisis.