By: Paula Monroy
Saturday, November 5, 2011 – Place des Peuples
Today, the GA decided that “Because the increase of costs reduces the accessibility to post-secondary studies, and because education is a fundamental right for the individual, the movement Occupy Montreal supports students in their fight against the rising of tuition fees.”
To make it official, the occupation will join the students in the National Manifestation Against the Hike in Fees on Thursday, November 10 at 2pm, departing from Place Emilie-Gamelin (metro Berri-UQAM).
Demands of the Movement, the March of Indignation
Dan Parker from the facilitation team, proposes the following list:
We are indignant about the criminal and careless usage of our taxes and natural resources.
We are indignant towards the endless rise of tuition costs, education that should be all but inaccessible.
We are indignant about lobbies, corporations and other private interests that should never take precedence over the interests of the people.
We are indignant about income inequality based on age, gender and/or origin.
We are indignant about the profits of a few being more important than the quality of life of most.
We are indignant in front of the superficial democracy preventing our voices from being heard.
We are indignant about the pitiful place our society gives to those of different sexual identities and orientations.
We are indignant in front of the rampant disinformation and manipulation of the public opinion by the media through negligence, carelessness and allegiances.
We are indignant about our personal information being merchandised so we are more easily sold products we need.
We are indignant about the lack of access to existing technologies that should benefit us all rather than the monopoly of the petroleum industry.
We are indignant about the lack of access to existing treatments that would benefit us all rather than the monopoly of the pharmaceutical industry.
We are indignant towards the status of First Nations Peoples on these occupied lands.
We are indignant about useless weapons contracts profiting local and foreign private interests.
We are indignant about the barbarous ways of our mining industry on our environment as well as humans, both here and abroad.
We are indignant in front of the complete avoidance of our demands since the day listening to public opinion became politically incorrect.
We are indignant about brown envelopes* having more weight in our society than the future of our children.
We are indignant about our police forces being the last line of defense of our common enemies.
The list is praised with some amendments. The sun shines east, bright, powerful. The proposal is accepted.
More, more proposals
Another proposal adopted today is that “any proposal submitted to the GA must be written and signed by at least 5 people supporting it.”
Operation McDonald’s was not accepted by the GA regardless of the long debate it required. The proposal aimed to express disagreement with the company, specially work conditions for employees, by going to one of their franchisees and talking with costumers about such issues.
Part of the reason being that “anyone who comes here in the kitchen can find products from companies which we should also fight against” It concluded, “people who want to do it can do it as individuals, but not in behalf of the occupation.”
Announcement
Valérie Prout, starting Monday, November 7th, 2:30 – 4 PM : “At the request of the ‘Organisation communautaire et action citoyenne’ class teacher, at UQAM (travail social), the AG/facilitation comitee organizes a discussion with the master students. All the persons interested by democratic participation (deliberation modes, decision taking, etc.) can come to this event which is set to share the views, experiences and questions of occupiers and students of the class.”
To read the course’s plan (french): http://cjoint.com/?AKeqNqnN3RP
AG/facilitation comitee’s Wiki: http://facilitationmtl.wikia.com/wiki/En
Occupy Montreal 