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People move across borders from necessity or desperation, providing the citizens of the territory they enter with an unfree workforce that is often used to undermine the rights of more established workers. More than race, more than class, more than gender - but interacting powerfully with all three - the colour of one’s passport, or the misfortune of having been displaced from one’s country of origin, can do more to limit a person’s opportunities than almost any other single factor. Declaring war on walls of all kinds, Briarpatch explores the politics of migration in our “freedom of movement” issue.
To subscribe or order a copy of this issue, call 1-866-431-5777 or visit our secure online shop.
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From the Briarblogs
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G20 protests through a different lens
Toronto-based photographer Ian Willms captured some very compelling images from the G20 protests — full of raw emotion, ugly contradiction and creative beauty. These photos offer a much richer and more textured perspective of the protests than you’ll get from any mainstream news source.
Check them out here:
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“Stand firm. Repeat your message. You’ve argued for peace your whole life.”
By Joyce Green and Darlene Jushka
Rabble.ca
On March 23, 16 University of Regina professors, including us, signed a letter to our president, Dr. Vianne Timmons, asking that she review her decision to join the U of R to “Project Hero.”
We wrote: “In our view, support for ‘Project Hero’ represents a dangerous cultural turn. It associates ‘heroism’ with the act of military intervention. It erases the space for critical discussion of military policy and practices.”
What followed was a media feeding frenzy that mostly misrepresented our position, and a week of the worst sort of national attention for us and for the university. Despite several of us doing numerous interviews, most media focussed on the erroneous notion that our opposition is to soldiers being considered heroes and to parentless children being given education assistance.
Those of us who signed the letter have been subjected to virulent hate mail and argument by decibels and epithet. The language of many of our critics would make a stevedore blush and a grammarian wince. Always helpful, local Conservative MP Tom Lukiwski poured gas on the fire at every media opportunity, repeating his claim that we oppose help for the bereaved and honour for the dead and demanding our public apology (boiling oil not being available) for something we didn’t say and didn’t intend.
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Voices of Union - Voices of Young Workers
A great new video from our comrades at Making the Links radio:
Voices of Union - Voices of Young Workers - A compelling short documentary about the importance of unions to young workers. This video documentary shows not only why young workers want to be unionized, but also the challenges of involving young workers in the labour movement - how they could be the new leadership incorporating their hopes and concerns.
Announcements
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Calling all Artists!
Briarpatch Magazine is seeking submissions from artists and illustrators of all kinds, including a regular comic to be published in every issue.
If you are a comic illustrator interested in contributing original artwork rooted in a radical analysis of social, environmental and political issues, please send three samples of your work along with a brief description [...] -
The Soul of Activism: Call for submissions/involvement
“The process of changing ourselves and the way we relate to each other is just as important as policy change.”
-Judy Rebick“Spiritual change, psychological change, and ethical action go hand in hand, forming together an interconnected path of awakening.”
-Michael StoneHow do our inner revolutions fuel revolutionary action, and vice versa?
What motivates us to fight for positive change?
What role does our inter-connectedness with other people and our environment play in the struggle for social and environmental justice?
Does activism need more soul? Does spirituality need more action? What do the two have to teach each other?
