CONTENTS

1. CALLS TO ACTION
2. EVENTS
3. ARTICLES

End the Suspensions, Drop the Charges

We, the undersigned, express our outrage at the Toronto Police Service’s raid of homes and subsequent arrests of eleven people on charges of hate-motivated mischief and conspiracy and, most recently, criminal harassment. Allegedly, those charged were involved in splashing washable paint and postering windows of an outlet of the bookstore, Indigo. The arrestees are now subject to doxxing, harassment, and workplace reprisals. We echo the voice of others in the community who have called for these charges to be dropped immediately and call for the police to publicly apologize for these acts of intimidation and harassment.

We condemn the characterization of anti-war actions against Indigo as antisemitic. Challenging the genocide unfolding in Palestine today, where more than 15000 Palestinian civilians have been killed, demands active protest against these war crimes. The unfolding genocide necessitates criticism of Israeli state actions, Canadian and US government complicity, and the exposure of private institutions actively bolstering the Israeli military, notably arms manufacturers and those that finance them.

docs.google.com

No Homeless Evictions

Dear Mayor Chow,

People who are unhoused, living in encampments, or staying in congregate shelters or in City of Toronto’s hotel program need and deserve the protection tenants and homeowners have to safeguard their right to housing and adequate shelter. Laws that prevent tenants and homeowners from legally being suddenly evicted or forcibly removed from their homes do not apply to members of Toronto’s unhoused community. Rather, members of Toronto’s unhoused community live under constant threat of eviction, whether they’re sleeping in a congregate shelter, a hotel program, or an encampment. They are being evicted from their rooms, beds, and tents every day. Eviction from encampments and shelters results in lost and stolen belongings, lost jobs, harms to physical and mental health, criminalization and violence from Toronto Police Services.

We’re calling for:

1. A full moratorium on evictions of unhoused people – in encampments, in congregate shelters, or in hotel programs – throughout the entire winter;
2. Investment in additional adequate indoor space with beds and nutritious meals;
3. The Mayor and City Council to start a robust consultation and accountability process led by grassroots groups of unhoused people and their allies and groups working directly with Toronto’s unhoused communities.

openletter.earth

Hands Off Poor Neighbourhoods

When: Thursday, December 7th, 11:45am
Where: Scotia Bank Tower, 40 King Street W

Join the picket outside the KingSett Capital office.

230fightback.com

Feminist in Solidarity with Palestinian Women in the Gaza

When: December 7th, 6pm

An online conversation sponsored by Scholar Strike Canada on Thursday 7th. Follow the event on the SSC YouTube. A conversation not to be missed.

scholarstrikecanada.ca

Some insights into COP 28

When: December 8th, 9am

How does militarism escalate climate breakdown? What has antimilitarism got to do with climate justice?

From the exemption of military emissions from carbon reduction targets, to military spending as a driver of emissions and diverter of climate finance. From intensifying military forms of greenwashing to organised violence used to enforce ecocide and police environmental defenders… The links are many and in dire need of addressing.

zoom.us

Candles for COP28

When: Friday December 8th, 4:30pm
Where: Matt Cohen Park (SE corner of Bloor St and Spadina), Toronto

The UN Climate Change Conference (COP 28) is taking place right now in the United Arab Emirates. Join us for an outdoor candlelight vigil. This will be a time to reflect and share our love for our planet, our concern for ourselves, humanity and all our non-human relations at risk from climate change. And a time to share hopes for truly transformative action to happen through global leaders and through each other. This COP must put an end to fossil fuels! Electric tea-light candles will be provided.

Science for Peace Holiday Celebration

When: December 8th, 5pm
Where: Duke of York, 39 Prince Arthur

Science for Peace members and supporters are invited to an informal celebration of the season.

scienceforpeace.org

Ceasefire Now!

When: December 10th, 1pm
Where: 1394 Upper Gage, Hamilton

Spread the word about this rally organized by residents of Hamilton for a ceasefire. The rally will happen in front of MP Lisa Hepfner’s constituency office this Sunday.

Twitter poster

Ceasefire Now!

When: December 10th, 1pm
Where: Yonge and Dundas Square

All out on International Human Rights Day for a Ceasefire Now!

Twitter poster

International Human Rights Day with Palestine

When: December 10th, 1:30pm
Where: Steelworkers’ Hall, 25 Cecil St

We in Toronto Forum on Cuba stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people for decolonization of their land until Palestine is free.

We would like to commend the leadership of the Palestinian Youth Movement for their inspiring and tireless efforts in mobilizing millions around the world for the just cause of Palestine.

Mobilization, mobilization and more mobilization of the broadest sections of the society is what the Cuban revolution has taught us in order to advance towards another better world.

Facebook poster

Palestine 101 and How Workers Can Take Action

When: December 10th, 7pm

Join Labour for Palestine for an online teach-in about Palestine, how we got to the current crisis, and what we as workers and CUPW members can do to support the struggle for Palestinian liberation. The teach-in will build participants’ confidence to talk about why Palestine is a workers’ issue, and will equip them with tools to take action on Palestine in their union.

zoom.us

Canadian Foreign Policy Hour with Yves Engler

When: Mondays at 6pm

Join author Yves Engler on Mondays for a weekly news roundup and interactive discussion about Canada’s role abroad. This weekly session will delve into the latest developments on subjects ranging from military affairs and Canada’s role in Ukraine to its contribution to Palestinian dispossession, and the exploitation of African resources. Join Yves for a critical take on Canada’s foreign policy. Questions, comments, and criticisms are all welcome.

zoom.us

A Classic Palestinian Film Screening

When: December 12th, 6:45pm
Where: Eyesore Cinema, 1176 Bloor St

The Leo Panitch School for Socialist Education and the Socialist Project proudly present Fertile Memory as the next movie shown in our ongoing FilmSocial series.

As a way to shine a light on the current tragedies occurring in Palestine and to explore the history of the decades long occupation, we have chosen to screen Fertile Memory. Fertile Memory is the feature debut by Michel Khleifi and the first full length film shot within the occupied West Bank “Green Line”.

tickettailor.com

Queers 4 Palestine

When: December 18th, 7:30pm
Where: Trinity-St. Paul’s United Church, 427 Bloor Street W

Calling all queer, trans and gender diverse people to join in an evening of building community solidarity for Palestine in Toronto. Join us to hear about the long history of queer Palestine solidarity activism in Toronto, sexual and gender diversity in Palestine, and current actions to demand an immediate ceasefire, an end to the siege on Gaza and to stop Canada’s military aid to Israel. As queer and trans people, we resist all forms of oppression and pinkwashing, because we know that our liberation is tied to the liberation of Palestinians and all people. We refuse to be complicit in genocide.

The evening will include speakers, performances, and an opportunity to connect with groups working for the liberation of Palestine here in Toronto.

eventbrite.com

What Israelis Won’t be Asking About the Palestinians Released for Hostages

By Orly Noy

Earlier today [Nov. 23], Israel and Hamas finalized the details of an agreement to pause hostilities in the Gaza Strip nearly seven weeks into the war. The deal includes a four-day ceasefire and an exchange of 50 Israeli hostages for 150 Palestinian “security prisoners,” with the possibility of further exchanges thereafter. These are terms that Hamas reportedly offered Israel weeks ago in the early phases of the war, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu preferred to wage an all-out assault on the besieged Strip, killing more than 14,000 Palestinians, before considering a deal – even at the detriment of the safety and wellbeing of the Israeli hostages.

Source: The Bullet No. 2917

COP28: We Need to Challenge the Power of Fossil Fuel Capitalism

Back in May, the World Meteorological Organization reported there was a 66% likelihood of exceeding the 1.5 degree Celsius threshold in at least one year between 2023 and 2027. On November 21, only nine days out from the start of COP28 in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), 350.org’s Bill McKibben shared an alarming graph, showing that for the first time, global surface temperatures temporarily rose by 2⁰C, compared to pre-industrial levels. Climate scientists conclude that the remaining carbon budget for a 50% chance of keeping warming to 1.5 °C is around 250 gigatons of carbon dioxide (CO2) as of January 2023, equal to around six years of current CO2 emissions.

Source: The Bullet No. 2918

Youth Organizations in Israel Call for an Immediate Ceasefire

We, youth anti-apartheid activists, stand firmly against the indiscriminate killing of civilians and against the war-crimes perpetrated by Hamas and the Israeli army (IDF). We condemn all violence towards all civilian populations in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and Israel, and call for an immediate ceasefire. We find the events of October 7th abhorrent, when children, women, and men were indiscriminately massacred or kidnapped by Hamas militants. Families from all across the country were torn apart, and entire villages and towns in the south had to flee their homes.

Source: The Bullet No. 2919

Stop the Forced Deportation From Gaza of Palestinians to Egypt

We, the undersigned organizations, raise serious alarm regarding the ongoing forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza as part of the Israeli leadership’s stated intent to commit genocide. Omer Bartov, one of the top scholars on Holocaust and genocide studies warned that forced displacement and ethnic cleansing usually precede genocide. Similarly, 36 UN independent experts have pointed to forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza as one of the main indicators for “genocide in the making” in Gaza. William Schabas, the leading international law scholar on the crime of genocide stated in a legal opinion that, indeed, there is a serious risk Israel is committing the crime of genocide against the Palestinian population in Gaza.

Source: The Bullet No. 2920