via idlenomore.ca

Monday, Dec. 10, 2012 (Edmonton) Under what is being called a national day of action and solidarity, First Nations and their supporters have organized more than 13 nation-wide rallies for Monday (December 10) to express opposition the legislation the Harper Government has put forward in Bill C-45 and other bills.

The movement, under the banner “Idle No More” (#IdleNoMore) emerged within the grassroots less than four weeks ago in Saskatchewan. It began as an effort to educate First Nations people on the multitude of legislation being put forward by the Harper government that they feel is a direct attack on the rights of First Nations. The organizers Sylvia McAdam, Jess Gordon, Nina Wilson and Sheelah Mclean began by organizing “teach-ins” to inform people.

On Dec. 2, when another Idle No More session was called in Alberta, more than 150 people drove into Louis Bull First Nation on a Sunday to hear what the presenters had to say. The organizer for that event, Tanya Kappo, took to Twitter and Facebook to help generate awareness on the matter as the passage of Bill C45 was imminent. Says Kappo, “the people in our communities had absolutely no idea what we were facing, no idea what plans Stephen Harper had in store for us.”

Sylvia McAdam, one of the organizers of the original Saskatchewan events stated, “We are not really surprised by the amount of support coming spontaneously from the grassroots and from the Chiefs, because we knew we could no longer stay silent in the face of what is a legislative attack on First Nation people and the lands and waters across the country.” McAdam said, ““Bill C 45 is not just about a budget, it is a direct attack on First Nations lands and on the bodies of water we all share from across this country.”

Opposition by First Nations to Bill C-45 garnered national attention last week during when 300 First Nations Chiefs marched on Parliament hill, and several Chiefs, led by Chief Fox, went inside Parliament to deliver a message to the government. This refusal to allow First Nations leadership to respectfully enter the House of Commons triggered an even greater mobilization of First Nation people across the country.

Rallies will be held on Monday, December 10 in Vancouver, Whitehorse, Calgary, Edmonton, Stand Off, Saskatoon, North Battleford, Winnipeg, Thunder Bay, Toronto and Goose Bay-Happy Valley. More information can be found at www.idlenomore.com and also on our Event Pages

#IdleNoMore

Facebook Pages:

Idle No More Community

Idle No More

See below for list of event pages for cities across Canada.

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Last weekend, anti-austerity activists including UK Uncut and Occupy London targeted the U.S. corporation Starbucks for tax avoidance while making a point about the disproportionate impact of austerity on women. Over 40 protests occurred across the UK at Starbucks shops, UK Uncut's biggest day of action yet. Protesters staged sit-in occupations and transformed Starbucks cafes into refuges, crèches, libraries, and homeless shelters in protest against the impact of the government's cutting of services ranging from subsidies for single mothers to rape crisis centers. Occupy Wall Street stands in solidarity with this brilliant action to attack austerity and demonstrate the alternatives of mutual aid and resistance, while also calling attention to the inherent hypocrisy of governments' allowing multinational corporations to avoid taxes while cutting services to the poor. This issue is by no means limited to the UK only; these actions stand as an inspiration and one possible model for resistance movements fighting austerity across the world.

via UK Uncut:

Growing public anger at Starbucks was clear today as over 40 of their shops across the UK- including in Liverpool, Cardiff, Bristol and Shrewsbury- were targeted today by the anti-cuts direct action network, UK Uncut.

In central London a creche and women's refuge were set up in Starbuck's flagship stores, and in Birmingham people slept in sleeping bags on the floor to highlight homelessness. In Barnet, activists turned Starbucks into a library, while in York protesters handed out free tea and coffee in store.

The group took action to confront the company over its tax avoidance and highlight the impact of the government's cuts on women.[1]

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Mass Rally at Thursday 5PM Times Square!

Direct Actions and Marches to Follow

RSVP on Facebook

Last week, 200 workers at Wendy's, McDonald's, Burger King, Domino's and Taco Bell went on strike and joined workers at Car Washes, Supermarkets, and Airports throughout NYC in demanding better pay working conditions.

On December 6th we’re standing up to protect the right to organize!

Too many low wage workers rely on public assistance to get by in our economy. While workers throughout the city are making near or below minimum wage or are fighting to protect their wages and benefits, CEOs are making record incomes and their lobbyists are pushing our elected officials to cut spending on social programs and extend tax cuts for the richest 2%.

We won't stand for this. We won't stand policies that prioritize tax cuts for millionaires over funding programs that working families rely on. And we are telling workers who are struggling at work that we've got their back.

Stand with workers as they come together to demand better wages and working conditions and economic policy that’s good for all of us.

More info: NY Workers Rising | @ny_rising | #fastfoodfwd | #riseupny

#D6: RECLAIM OUR HOMES, RECLAIM OUR FUTURE

On Thursday December 6th 2012, communities around the country are turning the spotlight on the crisis that continues to hold our neighborhoods and our economy hostage as part of the Occupy Our Homes movement’s national day of action to Reclaim Our Homes and Reclaim Our Future.

Tomorrow, Occupy activists and housing justice allies are taking action to mark the first anniversary of this movement to defend our homes, hold Wall Street accountable, and affirm the human right to housing.

Actions will be taking place in Atlanta, Minneapolis, Chicago, St. Louis, Denver, Baltimore, Detroit, San Francisco, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Oakland, San Diego, Richmond CA, Lake Worth FL, Greensboro NC, Mendham NJ, and other cities, to be announced.

“Occupy Our Homes began with the simple idea of bringing the bold energy of the Occupy movement into communities facing housing crisis to build power through victories for the 99%,” said Nick Espinosa, an organizer with Minneapolis-based Occupy Homes MN. “Over the last year, we’ve fought back against the banks, stopping evictions and winning homes, churches and community landmarks, while relieving debt and reclaiming land.”

December 6th Actions will vary from community to community, but include:

• Eviction defenses/home occupations
• Reclaiming vacant homes for the homeless
• Establishing foreclosure and eviction-free zones
• Marches and protests at big banks

On December 6, 2011, scores of groups around the country participated in a day of action for housing justice, launching the Occupy Our Homes movement. Since then, homeowners, housing justice activists, homeless advocates, and occupy groups have come together to fight back under the banner of Occupy Our Homes.

“All over the country, activists have declared housing a human right and come together in solidarity,” said Shab Bashiri, an organizer with Occupy Our Homes Atlanta, “We’re occupying our homes to prevent eviction, disrupting foreclosure auctions, restoring vacant homes to community use, and putting the spotlight on the banks that caused this mess in the first place.”

Occupy Our Homes has showed time and again that when people fought for their homes, they could win.

But the fight is far from over. Despite dozens of victories for homeowners around the country, banks are still choosing to foreclose instead of taking payments, refusing to negotiate in good faith with families, still using fraudulent tactics like robo-signing to speed through illegal foreclosures. And bank-owned houses continue to sit empty and untended, destroying property values and pushing more families underwater.

Follow live updates throughout the day on OccupyOurHomes.org, and on Twitter with @OccupyOurHomes and the hashtags #D6 and #occupyhomes.

via the ‘Your Inbox: Occupied’ team:

A month after Hurricane Sandy first hit many residents, homeowners and tenants alike are still living without electricity, heat, and working appliances. Black mold is taking hold of walls and other surfaces, and absentee landlords refuse to fix their properties. Temporary housing is desperately needed.

We must act, as we have since day one of this crisis; pledge your support and stay informed.

Far too many think that everything has gone back to normal, just because lower Manhattan has its lights back on. The truth is that this disaster is ongoing, and worsening as the weather gets colder. We have to make sure that the current despair does not become the new normal for tens of thousands of people.

Read Strike Debt’s in-depth public service report criticizing government and NGO relief efforts.

Just as Occupiers were among the first to respond to the crisis, we are also leading the charge in reporting on and acting to solve Sandy’s far-reaching and still-developing consequences.

As Yotam Marom writes in Waging Nonviolence: the best response to disaster is to go on the offensive.

Join us as we push forward.

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