Sunday, December 4, 6pm
at QPIRG Concordia
1500 de Maisonneuve West, #204
(métro Guy-Concordia)
Open Door Books and Certain Days Freedom For Political Prisoners Calendar present an evening of discussion and letter writing in solidarity with the G20 “main conspiracy” defendants.
Following in the wake of the G20 conspiracy hearings, this night will be a chance to hear directly from two of the 17 alleged co-conspirators. The charges were recently settled with a plea bargain, seeing 6 people facing prison time and 11 people’s charges being dropped. In a recent statement condemning the conspiracy charges while emphasizing that “there is no victory in the courts”, the 17 explained their decision to take the plea. Pat and Bill will talk about this decision, their experiences of state repression, and the conspiracy trial. They will also reflect on the responses and failures of anarchist communities to address state repression and infiltration over the past two years. This will lead into a broader discussion of ways to continue and advance movements against colonialism, capitalism, borders, patriarchy, white supremacy, ableism, hetero/cis-normativity, and environmental destruction, and to organize effective prisoner support that encourages the continued involvement of prisoners in these movements. This night will also be a chance to write letters of support to Leah, Mandy, Alex, Peter, Adam and Erik, who are facing prison time from these trials. Oh, and there will be snacks!
Translation to and from French will be available, the space is wheelchair accessible and there will be childcare available with 48 hours notice. For these or other accessibility concerns or event questions, please contact bookstoprisoners@gmail.com QPIRG at (514) 848-7585.
“This system targets many groups of people including racialized, impoverished and Indigenous communities, those with precarious immigration status, and those dealing with mental health and addiction. The kinds of violence that we have experienced, such as the pre-dawn raids, the strip-searches, the surveillance, and pre-sentence incarceration happen all the time. The seventeen of us have moved through the legal system with a lot of privilege and support. This includes greater access to “acceptable” sureties, and the financial means to support ourselves and our case. While the use of conspiracy charges against such a large group of political organizers is noteworthy, these tactics of repression are used against other targeted communities every day.
There is no victory in the courts. The legal system is and always has been a political tool used against groups deemed undesirable or who refuse to co-operate with the state. It exists to protect Canada’s colonial and capitalist social structure. It is also deeply individualistic and expensive. This system is designed to break up communities and turn friends against each other. “ – collective statement of the 17 conspiracy defendants http://conspiretoresist.wordpress.com
INFO:
opendoorbooks.wordpress.com – certaindays.org – qpirgconcordia.org
514-848-7585
bookstoprisoners@gmail.com
Your campus community link for social change