Toronto
#May1TO, May Day: Solidarity City! Status for All! Decolonize Now!
Posted in May Day
Start: May/01/2013 - 5:30 pm
Join us in the streets for our 8th Annual May Day of Action!
5:30pm, Wednesday May 1st, 2013
March starts at Toronto City Hall
On facebook: www.facebook.com/events/306795326114626
Videos from previous year: http://bit.ly/MayDayTOVids
Poster series imagining a Solidarity City: http://on.fb.me/12HV9DO
For seven years, you have marched on May Day to celebrate and invigorate migrant justice struggles in Toronto. On May 1st, 2013, let's take to the streets once again to build a Solidarity City. Solidarity City is a unified struggle for: Respect for Indigenous Sovereignty; Status for All; an End to Imperialism and Environmental Destruction; an End to Austerity and Attacks on the Poor and Continued Resistance against Patriarchy, Racism, Ableism & Homo/Transphobia.
Pipelines, tankers, mines, and so-called development projects are being forced onto the lands of Indigenous nations. Harper, like every Prime Minister who came before him, refuses to respect the sovereignty of Indigenous peoples and continues to neglect his treaty obligations, as seen in Omnibus Bill C-45. In the face of this and more, land defenders across Turtle Island continue to resist in powerful and inspiring ways. As we look towards an exciting summer of action and resistance fueled by the Idle No More movement and Defenders of the Land, this May Day let us honor all ongoing decolonization struggles and commit to continuing our support for Indigenous sovereignty.
The past year has seen the implementation of C-31, dubbed the Refugee Exclusion Act, further criminalizing migrants and expanding the detention and deportation machine. Jason Kenney announced the creation of a designated countries of origin, a racist, two tiered system under which refugees get fewer rights based on their place of birth. This past November, many of us honored our communities and confronted Minister Kenney when he showed up in Toronto. On May 1st, let us take to the streets to build community alliances and resistance once again.
Exploitative temporary worker programs continue to expand and many migrant workers continue to meet deportation, injuries and in some cases death. Workers are being forced to pay thousands of dollars to get jobs in Canada for which entire families go in to debt, yet no provisions exist for status on landing. Since Harper came into power, over 72,000 people have been locked up in immigration detention. In December we rallied in solidarity with security certificate detainees Mohammad Mahjoub, Mohamed Harkat and Mahmoud Jaballah and all those locked up in immigration detention. This May Day let us take to the streets to end detentions and deportations and to call for freedom to move, freedom to stay and freedom to return!
On February 21st, Toronto City Hall reaffirmed its promise to providing services to residents without full immigration status. We will continue to build a Solidarity City where communities work together to ensure justice and dignity for all residents. The history of Access Without Fear in Toronto is a long one and on May Day let us march to celebrate our victories and commit to continued struggle.
In the face of austerity, climate destruction, colonial and capitalist wars and interventions here and across the world that push people out of their homes, let us fight for status for all. Status for All is the struggle for self-determination, just livelihood, housing, food, education, healthcare, childcare, shelter, justice and dignity for all people, with or without immigration status.
Coordinated by a coalition of community groups including No One Is Illegal - Toronto, May 1st Movement and Ontario Coalition Against Poverty. Endorsers include Association of Part-Time Undergraduate Students (APUS), Camp Sis, Casa Salvador Allende, Educators for Peace and Justice. Health for All, Maggie's: Toronto Sex Workers Action Project, OPIRG York. Rhythms of Resistance - Toronto, Socialist Project, Toronto Haiti Action Committee, Toronto New Socialists, Women's Coordinating Committe for a Free Wallmapu [Toronto] and more. To endorse the event, fill out this form http://bit.ly/ZDRwKU
JOIN MAY DAY!
- Organize a contingent: bring a group of people from your class, organization, neighbourhood, or union local to this demonstration, bring your demands, banners, flags and signs.
- Help fund a bus, food, transit tokens, ASL, and materials for the day. If you or your organization or union local can make donations of money or in-kind, please help us make this day as participatory and accessible as possible. Cheques can be made to No One Is Illegal and mailed to 260 Queen Street West, PO Box 60006, Toronto, ON M5V 1Z8. Please put May Day in the memo line and email
[email protected] to let us know.
- Build the movement: add your organization to the list of endorsers for this day of action. Fill out this form http://bit.ly/ZDRwKU
- Get the word out. Call, text, and email your friends. Share the facebook events, or better yet, start your own! Make sure to tag everything, including pictures and videos after, with the hashtag #May1TO.