Tamil Protests downtown

[GraphicMatt]

You're full of shit! Nobody, and I mean *Nobody* said the Tamils don't have the right to protest so get off that topic and move on! There is a peaceful and lawful way to protest that is accepted and indeed encouraged by all.

I... what? Did you the quote the right sentences? I said that using a peaceful protest as an example of why multiculturalism doesn't work is completely ridiculous. Do you disagree with that? Do you think multiculturalism doesn't work?

Pretty much all of the Tamil protests have been technically illegal, but that's kind of irrelevant. Laws are not the arbiter of right and wrong. Sometimes laws need to be broken. Or do you think the people who smoked pot at Queen's Park last week should have been arrested, too?

Your endless harping that people are racist for being angered by these irresponsible and illegal actions is insulting, as is your assumption that anybody who does so is white and racist.

I don't want to speak for nfitz here, but in my mind it's not that anyone who is angry about the traffic stoppage is racist, but rather that a lot of people sure seemed to get all kinds of racist in their angered reaction to it. That's not okay.

Let me tell you, YOU are the only biggoted racist posting in this thread. Even worse, you are a hypocrit for accusing white people of the very thing you show yourself to be!

Both 'bigoted' and 'racist' are words that have meanings. I am not sure if you are aware of that.

The Tamils lost me, and other citizens of all colours and backgrounds, when they started breaking the law, disrupting the functioning of the city and compromising the safety of fellow citizens for an 'overseas' issue. Not acceptable!

So you support the killing of people 'overseas' (I am not sure why we are putting this in quotes - Sri Lanka really is overseas! It's over several seas away!) now because a bunch of dudes here blocked traffic in a (probably misguided, sure) effort to make sure everyone knew about it? That is kind of harsh.

These illegal actions must be shut down so that an example is set. Canadian citizens taking part should be jailed or fined or whatever is appropriate, and landed residents deported as they do not have 'citizen' status yet. Also, quite frankly, Children's Aid should be removing children from the custody of those who are using them as pawns in their illegal activities.

You should probably calm down a little bit. It's possible for someone to be a good resident of Toronto AND care about what's going on in Sri Lanka AND attend the protest on the highway.

As far as kids at protests go, do you regard any kids at an active protest as 'pawns'? If I brought my hypothetical kid to a gay rights protest would be that be using them as a 'pawn'.

The proud display of Canadian pride:

Hey, look, a Canadian flag! I thought these guys were TERRORISTS!

 

[SP!RE]

Waving a terrorist group's flag, the flag of a group who too is senselessly murdering innocent people?

That's UTTERLY unfortunate and merits SERIOUS CONCERN from many of us.

For me that's the bottom line here.

 

[GraphicMatt]

It's absolutely concerning, and I think KeithZ has made some great points in this thread regarding that.

There's a bit of a sad tradition of oppressed minority groups waving terrorist flags. The fight for Irish Independence saw people in Toronto supporting the IRA and our Palestinian community inevitably involves some who wave the flag of HAMAS and make anti-semitic comments during protests.

Does that invalidate their cause completely? Of course not. It just makes things more complicated.

It strikes me that this is the kind of conflict that Canada would have, at one time, been able to play a leadership role in resolving. Back in the days when Canada was just emerging onto the world stage as an architect of peacekeeping with visionaries like Pearson at the helm... I don't think we would have been so quick to say "there's nothing we can do!" back then.

But, admittedly, I'm an idealist.

 

[Prometheus The Supremo]

Toronto needs a "Protest Square." A place where all protests must take place, by law. Oh, make it a giant cage on the 1 Bloor East site.

don't laugh, they did that for the RNC.


the problem with some protests is that they create a solid wall that can cause problems (and i'm not talking about slight delays) for others. instead of being a wall and concentrated in one spot, be like a gas and spread out. you cover more area with the same people and allow other things to move through you. you also interact with more people that way and can better spread your message.

if you gotta be like a solid wall, announce it ahead of time and do it in places where it is the least detriment to your and others' health and safety.

 

[realtycoon]

Considering you just referred to the entire Tamil community as terrorists in the Miller thread I'm going to go with 'fact'.

Again with the BS Spin!! If you want to accuse me of being racist!!, say it to my face! But don't twist my words. The fact is that there was a group occupying the Gardiner, waiving Terrorist Flags!

One thing for sure, if a Jewish group/Farmers/Europeans/fans celebrating a sports win tried to block the Gardiner, the cops would be out there with pepper spray, water cannons and the riot squad.. Is it also not racist to let the Tamils protest, while other groups are stopped! (remember the Queens Park riots of the 90's, Blue Jays world series celebrations etc)

There is a double standard here! And I would not be surprised if the direction is from the Mayors office (Miller used to be a Lawyer representing Tamil groups)

 

[GraphicMatt]

Again with the BS Spin!! If you want to accuse me of being racist!!, say it to my face!

You seem kind of racist.

It was a nonviolent protest. Similar protests would be handled exactly the same way by the police. Surely everyone can agree that it's better to deal with an unfortunate traffic delay than for anyone to get seriously injured. Right?

There was no special treatment here. The police also made zero arrests after the Critical Mass Gardiner ride.

 

[kEiThZ]

Blocking Yonge and Sheppard is one thing...rushing a highway without any warning is quite another. Again, I ask those who are supportive of this protest on here, what would you say if a motorist was killed while trying to avoid a protester scrambling onto the Gardiner?

The intimidation that followed (banging on cars, brawling with the cops) also caused a genuine concern for safety among those who were stuck on the ramp. People were outright terrified. Other protesters have not resorted to such behaviour. Did Lebanese Canadians behave this way during the Israel-Hezbollah bash? This was not a protest, it was a riot. Once we start using the right terminology, we can start defining the bounds of our freedoms. If you are threatening the lives of others and damaging their property that's not a legitimate protest. That's a riot with criminal actions. And it should have the same consequences as any individual who would have committed those offences.

 

[kEiThZ]

It was a nonviolent protest.

There's enough footage to show it was violent. Throwing police bikes over the side of an elevated highway, attacking police officers sufficiently so that they need on-site first aid, and intimidating those trapped on the highway by banging on their vehicles hardly makes this a peaceful protest.

 

[digi]

Waving a terrorist group's flag, the flag of a group who too is senselessly murdering innocent people?

There are a lot of american flags flying in this city too.

 

[ShonTron]

Actually, the police arrested a few Critical Massholes after they tried to pass the barracades at the Dunn/Lakeshore ramp.

The police used restraint, and good on them. Again, I'd hate to see what it would have been like under Toronto's last chief. The police have to be careful - there's no visible leadership, and taking too much action might provoke violence.

 

[Roy G Biv]

Waving a terrorist group's flag, the flag of a group who too is senselessly murdering innocent people?

That's UTTERLY unfortunate and merits SERIOUS CONCERN from many of us.

For me that's the bottom line here.

Would you be as upset if someone was waving a Sri Lankan flag?

 

[kEiThZ]

Would you be as upset if someone was waving a Sri Lankan flag?

I for one would find that more acceptable. At least Lebanese Canadians had more Lebanese flags than Hezbollah ones at their protests.

 

[realtycoon]

.........

 

[kEiThZ]

GM,

Why is it racist to suggest that if any of these protesters have committed a crime they should be deported? That's standing policy anyway. We do deport non-citizens who commit crimes. Likewise, citizens who do commit crimes get sent to prison. I am not white and I don't think the suggestion is racist at all. I don't think it's racist to suggest that the laws on the books should be enforced...particularly when the actions of some of these protesters could well have jeapordized the lives of others.

Would you have been defending them so vigorously if one of the motorists went flying off the Gardiner in an effort to avoid crashing into a protester?

 

[lordmandeep]

I would classify ultra right wing Zionist party in Israel a terrorist group using your views...