Tamil Protests downtown

[GraphicMatt]

The Tamil group's PR is terrible. David Miller was saying today that he'd love to talk to the group but they don't even have a leader or spokesperson to lead those discussions. I think they're just operating on sheer passion at this point, which is dangerous.

I do think Torontonians online really disgraced themselves with their xenophobia last night, however. Check out some of the stuff Christoper Bird collected: http://mightygodking.com/index.php/2009/05/11/people-say-things/

 

[AKS]

Well, not are hate comments. Some are true. What do they intend Canada to do? Step in and help fight? Like America meddling in other people's country affairs? (Iraq). They were told to butt out. Anyhow Canada is in no state to fight. We have debts growing and an extremely outdated infrastructure we are just starting to spend money to fix. Our economy is a slightly better than the rest of the world doesn't we are untouched. If Canada goes to war, they have to pick sides. What does Canada have to do with Sri Lanka's fight? They're not under our sovereignty. I agree Canada should and have sent provisions to help the innocent people. But that's as far as it goes. If they are serious they should take it to the UN and ask for their help. If UN agrees, then Canada may step in and aid along with other countries. Hijacking the Gardiner won't affect UN decisions. It's bad publicity and just fuels racism.

 

[GraphicMatt]

Referring to the Iraq War as something where America was just trying to help out another country is incredibly disingenuous. There were undoubtedly business interests behind that war.

As I understand it, the Tamils are looking at Canada and the U.S. to essentially put increased pressure on the government of Sri Lanka to stop systemicly killing Tamils in an effort to eliminate their population from the country. Has Canada done everything it can?

By the way, I think Ignatieff being the one to move the protest off the Gardiner last night shows that Harper probably could have ended things even quicker had he bothered to care at all.

Edit: Also 'fuels racism'? What is that? "We wouldn't be so racist if you minorities would stop doing stuff!" There's no excuse for a racist or xenophobic response. That so many are so quick to regard these people as something other than Canadians is troubling.

 

[Roy G Biv]

I tend to disagree in that most of the outrage is not xenophobia (disguised or otherwise).

I should have been more clear. The outrage is justified, but it's manifesting itself as a vehicle for xenophobia. It's tapping into pre-existing prejudices. I've heard so many people make legitimate criticisms of these protests, but then paint themselves as hateful by adding a "They should go back to Sri Lanka." or "We don't do this in Canada" jab. I find myself agreeing with ends of their argument, but not the means.

The Tamil group's PR is terrible. David Miller was saying today that he'd love to talk to the group but they don't even have a leader or spokesperson to lead those discussions. I think they're just operating on sheer passion at this point, which is dangerous.

That's odd... They seem highly organized. It can't be that hard to find someone.

 

[AKS]

Referring to the Iraq War as something where America was just trying to help out another country is incredibly disingenuous. There were undoubtedly business interests behind that war.

Undoubtedly, do you have any proof of what Americans have taken from iraq of monetary value?

As I understand it, the Tamils are looking at Canada and the U.S. to essentially put increased pressure on the government of Sri Lanka to stop systemicly killing Tamils in an effort to eliminate their population from the country. Has Canada done everything it can?

What kind of pressure? "please stop fighting each other or we'll come and bomb you?" or "pretty please stop this fighting or we'll....get angry?"
And does US and Canada have sovereignty there? Also, what if US and Canada does step in and innocent people get killed on either side due to all the fighting? Will America and Canada not get crapped on for it? There is no such thing as "innocent people won't get hurt or killed in a war".

By the way, I think Ignatieff being the one to move the protest off the Gardiner last night shows that Harper probably could have ended things even quicker had he bothered to care at all.

I wouldn't be surprised. Why would Harper care if the gardiner is stopped? It's only the gardiner and a few hundred people inconvenienced. Does Harper even care about Toronto?

Edit: Also 'fuels racism'? What is that? "We wouldn't be so racist if you minorities would stop doing stuff!" There's no excuse for a racist or xenophobic response. That so many are so quick to regard these people as something other than Canadians is troubling.

Anger fuels racism if the people causing the disturbance is a different race. If you keep causing enough trouble and over long periods of time, there will be labelling going on. Not that there isn't already. There's a lot of racism around the world, just certain actions might trigger it to make feelings stronger. Like many years back Indonesia killing, raping and pillaging Chinese people because their hatred grew over the years. We just happen to be more civilized and don't do anything drastic.

 

[Asterix]

Referring to the Iraq War as something where America was just trying to help out another country is incredibly disingenuous.

Not just with Iraq, but there have been many protests throughout the world against the US involving itself militarily in the affairs of other countries. In recent years, besides Iraq, there is Afghanistan and Kosovo. While one can make legitimate arguments that someone (ie the US) should have done what they did, there are many who object to any and all US meddling anywhere on basic principal, except in locations where the US isn't getting involved (like Darfur, or now, Sri Lanka).

As I understand it, the Tamils are looking at Canada and the U.S. to essentially put increased pressure on the government of Sri Lanka to stop systemicly killing Tamils in an effort to eliminate their population from the country. Has Canada done everything it can?

It's worth asking how we know the government of Sri Lanka is systemically killing Tamils in an effort to eliminate their population from the country. Is that what they are actually doing or are they doing what they can to combat a terrorist organization that has attacked civilian targets all over the world and continues to hold thousands of their own people hostage as human shields?

Surely if the elimination of Tamils was the goal, then having corralled thousands into camps should allow them to quickly get rid of them instead of lobbing shells into the jungle. The fact they haven't engaged in such mass extermination suggests that may not be their intent.

By the way, I think Ignatieff being the one to move the protest off the Gardiner last night shows that Harper probably could have ended things even quicker had he bothered to care at all.

What could Harper have been expected to do? Comply with the demands of a group of people who have explicitly disrupted the civil order? Wouldn't that just be condoning such behaviour and encouraging others to follow suit to get what they want?

And what did Ignatieff really do to end things? Have someone promise that someone would talk to Ignatieff about the issue and maybe someone would say something in the House of Commons? Is that decisive action to address the issue or just the mouthing of platitudes to get the demonstrators to move along?

 

[mc_h]

I don't see how anybody can truly defend these people for the protest. They decided that to get their point across, they would throw their children in front of them on one of the busiest highways on the continent. Bravo. Reminiscent of what the terrorist group that they so vigorously support would do back in Sri Lanka.

There's law-abiding demonstrations and there's not-so law abiding demonstrations. Guess which this was! It's no different than me drinking and driving but because of the circumstances, it's okay...It's still breaking the law, it could still end up having detremental consequences on somebody else as a result of it.

If you ever wonder why this city is in the mess it is, it's more often than not because of over-tolerance of this kind of crap. We can't deport them for what they did, no - But they should all be fined for their actions, just as the truckers should have last year and so forth.

Mark

 

[jade_lee]

The women and kids kept the cops from tazering or using tear gas...it's effective
The highway did not look threatening in the pictures closed down, there were cops galore.
Where do you deport Canadians?
We listened to both the truckers and the farmers grievances as a result of their protest on the highway just like we are listening to those protesting the treatment of the Sri Lankian civilians caught in this bloody conflict. The protest is not just happening in Canada....but the response here is not as Canadian as I would like it to be. Tolerance. Empathy. Not so Harperish.

 

[Automation Gallery]

If these pussys down at the Toronto Police Force feel sensitive about this whole matter, then next time these Tamils want to pull this crap the city should just call in the army and deal with it.

 

[AKS]

The women and kids kept the cops from tazering or using tear gas...it's effective
The highway did not look threatening in the pictures closed down, there were cops galore.
Where do you deport Canadians?

So you're saying it's okay to put women and kids on the front line? That's cowardly. If the boat sinks, do the men get off first and leave the women and children on the boat?

 

[Whoaccio]

This thread really is horrible. Protesting on the Gardiner and shutting down highways is hardly new. Truck drivers did it last year. As did the Critical Mass cyclist protesters. Several years ago Ontario farmers shut down a whole set of highways in a rolling protest against agricultural policy. No one was calling for mass arrests and deportations after those events, much less implying that the participants somehow aren't "real Canadians".

I did, especially those farmer assholes. Not that I support Critical Mass jerkwads, but didn't they at least clear it with the police/city before?

I don't think anyone really wants Tamils to be deported, I haven't read any comments to that effect thus far. Just that they should conduct themselves in a manner respectful to the larger society. I think I said it in the other thread, but these people specificly blockaded University Ave. a few meters from Queen's Park for no reason but to annoy the City. Why shutdown the Gardiner? What does it possibly accomplish?

 

[jade_lee]

This is not the first fight women and children have fought. Your women and children on the life boat first suggestion is odd to me seeing that most people living on this planet in poverty are women and children. Even here in this great Country of ours, where traffic disruption appears to be the new major crime du jour.

 

[Automation Gallery]

Where do you deport Canadians?
.

Back to their country of birth. Its not uncommon. You screw around with the system and you get send back home.

 

[Whoaccio]

So you're saying it's okay to put women and kids on the front line? That's cowardly. If the boat sinks, do the men get off first and leave the women and children on the boat?

They did that in the USSR during the Purges & Collectivization. Whenever the Party Cadres would come to some village to requisition grain, the men would have the women go and harass them. If the cadres complained, the men would claim it was "that time of the month" again and that women aren't mentally stable the rest of the time anyways, and thus shouldn't be punished.

 

[AKS]

women and children are the last line of defense. If all the men die, then it's the women and children who fight to defend their country. The strong is suppose to protect their loved ones. The men are suppose to be strong. They fight for their family to keep their loved ones alive. That is why the women and children get on the boat first when the ship sinks. It is also the gentlemanly thing to do.

Sure you can say women's rights. Why can't women die for men. Sure they can but the man would lose honor for letting the one they love die for them. At least the other way around the woman knows their man loves enough to protect and die for them.