On Saturday, September 20th, we’re drawing the line - for People. For Peace. For the Planet.
From rallies to strikes, marches to gatherings, this September 20th, communities will mobilize across the country and demand that Prime Minister Carney and the Canadian government pick a side: injustice, violence, and climate destruction- or a just and safe future for all of us.
We refuse to stand by while the government and Canada’s richest corporations hoard wealth, gut our public services, fuel climate collapse, attack migrants, exploit Indigenous lands, and prop up a genocide in Palestine.
They think that if they can overwhelm and divide us, we won’t fight back. But climate justice, migrant justice, economic justice, Indigenous rights, and anti-war movements are uniting to prove them wrong.
Read the demands here: https://drawtheline.world/canada#demands
I generally approve of protests. But I think they need to be focused, with a very specific goal and audience in mind. This one seems to be very general:
A good protest can invigorate the participants, attract new advocates, and worry those in power.
Without a clear message and goal, it isn’t clear to me how this will help move things forward by doing anything other than invigorating the participants.
But maybe I’m just too old for the new decentralized form of protest.
There are 5 demands with this protest, but at the core of the demands is anti-colonialism and anti-capitalism (which go hand in hand). These protests are about teaching people how even though we (on the left) support our own causes, some more strongly than others, they do have a common point.
They’re about finding some form of unity between everyone, because the right are so focused and rallied around one thing (hate) that it’s easy for them to organize.
But you’re right, there’s just too fucking much. And even with the different points, they still missed at least a few important topics (lgbtq+ rights and disability rights come to mind).
It’s a start though.
It’s a fair criticism, but I think there’s still enough value in a united protest like this one, precisely because it brings people together with common interests. People who might not otherwise cross paths. I was at Toronto’s Palestine Youth Movement protest recently, which had a very specific demand – an arms embargo. But the thing that struck me the most was the diversity of the crowd who showed up. There were groups representing Jews for Palestine, Irish for Palestine, Greenpeace for Palestine, and many more.
So the goals for Draw The Line may be diluted, but I expect the biggest impact will be a demonstration of camaraderie across groups.
That can be a good thing. I hope it goes well for them.