Carmen Labelle
Aug 25, 2017 · 3 min read

« because a handful of people smashed glass and threw patio chairs.» A few patio chairs? What about the old man who arbored a patriot flag who was severely beaten by masked anti-fas, while leftist bystanders did nothing to stop it? What if he had died? In Charlottsville, it wasn’t even a handfull of people but a single driver that killed Heather Heyer .

And what about the man in the purple shirt, previously seen holding with other leftists a anti-racist banner, punched and sprayed with black ink by masked anti-fas because he asked them to stop their violence? Still think the left is without blame?

As for Jaggi Sign, he is just a professionnal trouble maker . He collects arrests in order to justify his hate of quebec ,francophones and sovereignists, wich he has profusively showed over the years. Activists who rubbed shoulders with him in alter-mondial demos confirm his egocentricity.

Your tactic of blocking speeches and démos is not only counter-productive( as it not served the right in Qc city?) but is also anti-democratic

Noam Chomsky, yet a strong advocate of left wing and socialism has condemned these tactics, saying they only serve the right wing :

« “with regard to freedom of speech there are basically two positions: you defend it vigorously for views you hate, or you reject it and prefer Stalinist/fascist standards”.He also said after the Charlottsville events that tactics like your’s are “It’s a major gift to the right, including the militant right, who are exuberant.”

“What they do is often wrong in principle — like blocking talks — and [the movement] is generally self-destructive,”.

He added: “When confrontation shifts to the arena of violence, it’s the toughest and most brutal who win — and we know who that is. That’s quite apart from the opportunity costs — the loss of the opportunity for education, organising, and serious and constructive activism.”

Your excuse is that «The Left will never be peaceful enough, nice enough or lawful enough because we are made illegal or we are marginalized the second the state has the chance.»

I suggest you read about Gandhi and how he and hindous conquered their indépendance against YOUR ancestors, the cruel rutless colonialist british empire, who by the way are responsible for the native génocide here in Canada , the reserves and the awfull native schoolboards ; (the french were getting along fine with them, mainly trading, before the brits came)….

So unless you the alt-left are willing to keep in check the antifas who join your protest only to put on their violent show, stop reacting by trying to muzzle the discourse you abbhore and start acting( information, éducation, conférences, banners, posters, vidéos on social medias and other means, exert your creativity) , and acknowledge the 400 years francophone fight to keep french culture and language alive in a sea of english-ism in America , the only «other-ness» that you will not acknowledge nor defend , you that portray yourselves as advocates of diversity, you will loose the support of a lot of leftists like me , leaving the way for the libéral party to continue its neoliberalism destrcution of what my génération has fought so hard to gain in terms of democracy, social justice, public services and women’s rights .

I left Quebec solidaire after being a candidate in the last two élections because of blind counter-productive views and tactics like yours. I hope that we can get our act together to defeat the liberals in 2018 !

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