OCAP Statement of Support with Occupy Toronto

November 17, 2011 - Ontario Coalition Against Poverty
http://ocap.ca/node/977

While our statement of Solidarity still fully applies, it needs to be noted that Occupy Toronto has won a TEMPORARY injunction against the eviction order. One of the conditions of the injunction is that no new tents are allowed to be erected, and a mass mobilization this evening may be unproductive.

Instead, come out for the large labour mobilization this Friday at 11 AM starting at St. James Park, and also the 'Evict Rob Ford' march this Saturday at 2 PM also starting at St. James Park.

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OCAP Statement of Solidarity with Occupy Toronto

November 15, 2011

The City has given notice to Occupy Toronto of impending eviction and unions, community based organizations and individual supporters are moving to defend those staying in St James Park. A rally has been called for 11.00 PM tonight. OCAP urges all who are able to attend.

The Occupy Movement, internationally, has focused the attention of tens of millions of people on capitalism's intensified agenda of austerity. It should not be overlooked that the man sitting in the Mayor's office in our city is a particularly ugly expression of that agenda of greed and viciousness. When we can evict him and defeat everything he stands for, we'll know we are going down the path Occupy Toronto has pointed to.

We must expect that sooner rather than later, cops will be mobilized to do on a larger scale what they do regularly to poor and homeless people trying to survive. They will be ready to use their power to clear out St James Park as their counterparts have done in a range of cities. Occupy Toronto has symbolized opposition to greed and injustice and has prompted people to take a stand. For this, those in economic and political power have decided that the camp must be shut down.

In the next short while, the immediate fate of Occupy Toronto will be decided. We'll know very soon the results. Having ourselves faced eviction from buildings we have squatted and parks we have occupied, the members of OCAP know some of the feelings that the people in St. James Park are now experiencing. That makes this expression of solidarity particularly heartfelt.

Whatever happens now, Occupy Toronto is already too powerful to destroy. Whether it exists in a city park or in the struggles against austerity that take place in the months ahead, it has established itself as a part of our movement.

A world of obscene wealth and massive poverty, a city organized as people like Rob Ford would like, are prospects that are too terrible to accept. We can only choose resistance and that is why we are proud to stand in solidarity [with] Occupy Toronto.