[Stopwar-l] events notices

Wed Oct 14 14:09:04 PDT 2009

Hello Friends,
Below is a listing of upcoming events either being organized by StopWar,
its member organizations, or are being endorsed by StopWar.  For more
information about these events, or to contact StopWar please email us at:
stopwar at resist.ca.

1. 2010 Welcoming Committee Open Meeting
Wednesday, Oct. 21, 7 - 9pm
SFU Harbour Centre

2. SIEGE AND OCCUPATION
Thursday October 22, 7pm
Rhizome Cafe

3. Dr. Sherene Razack
Saturday, October 24th, 7–9 pm
Vancouver Central Public Library

4. Anti-Olympic Torch Relay Kickoff
Fri Oct 30, 2pm
Victoria

5. War Resisters Wine and Cheese Benefit
Friday, Nov. 13, 7 p.m.
Burnaby

6. Malalai Joya in Vancouver
Saturday, November 14 7p.m
St. Andrew's - Wesley Church

________________________________________________________________________________________________

1. WELCOME THE OLYMPIC TORCH AND OPENING CEREMONIES WITH A MASS
DEMONSTRATION!

HELP BUILD THE 2010 WELCOMING COMMITTEE!  (PLEASE POST WIDELY)

Meeting to plan a public mobilization for the opening ceremonies of the
2010 Winter Olympics (on February 12, 2010):

**  Wednesday, Oct. 21, 7 - 9pm
SFU - Harbour Centre, 515 West Hastings St.; 1315 Scotiabank Lecture Room
Vancouver BC – Coast Salish Territory

The Olympic Resistance Network, Work Less Party, Anti-Poverty Committee,
StopWar.ca, Streams of Justice, and Pink Resistance are endorsing the 2010
Welcoming Committee and a mass demonstration to coincide with the opening
ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games and the arrival of the Olympic
torch from its RBC sponsored cross-country relay.

The 2010 Welcoming Committee invites you/your group to join in organizing
this event. Other than the date and general location (close to the opening
ceremonies at BC Place Stadium), the messaging, action plan, and specifics
are up to those who choose to participate in the planning. The goal is to
invite a wide range of activist, Indigenous, social justice, labour,
environmental, anti-poverty, civil libertarian, anti-globalization,
community, anti-war, women’s and other groups and individuals to build a
broad and accessible protest presence.  This group is united by a social
justice critique of the 2010 Olympics.

As the Winter Olympics begin, we need to show the world that there is
opposition and to articulate the negative impact it has on our communities
and environment.  The very act of demonstrating and marching in the
downtown core has become a defiant act as many of the streets and sites
have been specially purposed for the Games with bylaws that restrict
speech, protest, mobility, and assembly.

The agenda is open to public input
________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. SIEGE AND OCCUPATION:

Reality on the ground in Palestine

Eyewitness Reports from Palestine: The Ongoing Reality of Siege and
Occupation-Two local Palestine solidarity activists speak about and show
photos of their recent trips to Gaza and the West Bank.

7:00pm
Thursday October 22, 2009
Rhizome Cafe
317 East Broadway, Vancouver

$5-10 suggested donation.
Sponsored by: Jews for a Just Peace . Canada Palestine Association

________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. RAGA,  Centre for Race, Autobiography, Gender, and Age
&
Lawyers Rights Watch Canada
Invite you to join us for a public talk by

Dr. Sherene Razack

“We didn't kill 'em, we didn't cut their heads off":
Reflections on Torture at Abu Ghraib

Saturday, October 24th, 2009, 7–9 pm
Vancouver Central Public Library, Coast Salish Territories
350 W. Georgia St., Alice MacKay Room

It’s now four years since the Abu Ghraib pictures hit the airwaves and
discussions of torture
are still everywhere. Dr. Razack explores how many contemporary
discussions of torture
that take place as critique, rely upon, even as they install, the idea
that the enemy is
culturally different from us. She traces the work done by the idea that
Arab/Muslim means
a different kind of human that can only be kept in line through violence.

Dr. Sherene Razack is Professor of Sociology and Equity Studies in
Education at OISE of the
University of Toronto. Her area of research focuses on race and gender in
the law. Her most
recent book is, Casting Out: The Eviction of Muslims From Western Law and
Politics (2008).

Admission is free. Seating is limited. Childcare available on-site, please
RSVP.
For more information contact the RAGA Centre at 604-822-0232 or
ragacentre at gmail.com.

Co-sponsored by Women’s and Gender Studies & Law and Society (UBC),
Vancouver Status of Women, Lawyers Against the War, & StopWar.ca
________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. ANTI OLYMPIC TORCH RELAY KICKOFF

*** For travel details includes times of departure and arrival from
Vancouver to Victoria, check out the transportation information below.

The Canada-wide Olympic Torch Relay officially begins in Victoria,
Lekwungen and WSANEC Territories, on October 30th and the Anti-Olympic
Festival will be there to greet it.

Join us in the spirit of creative resistance to ongoing colonization,
cut-backs in social services, environmental destruction, the privatization
of public space, the quashing of free speech, and the corporate spectacle.

==> PROGRAM INFORMATION FOR FRI OCT 30TH <==

1. Early: The cauldron arrives from Greece to Victoria international
airport in the morning. The cauldron is transferred to Legislature
building where it is officially welcomed. The first torch bearer lights
torch and the relay goes up Government Street, through Chinatown and over
the Blue Bridge and then to Esquimalt.

 In Esquimalt, the Torch Relay arrives at the Canadian Forces base, then
tours back out to the peninsula – North Saanich, Sidney, Central Saanich,
then to the University of Victoria.

 From UVic the relay goes to Oak Bay, then out to Mile Zero on Dallas
Road, and the final leg goes back to the Legislature grounds.

2. 2:00pm, Anti-Olympics festival of resistance in "Spirit Square"
(formerly known as Centennial Square) downtown Victoria on Pandora between
Government and Blanshard.

3. 4:30pm: "Zombie March" In memoriam of Olympics past, hosted by the
Anti-Olympics festival. Depature from Spirit/Centennial Square. People are
encouraged to bring scary costumes, or just costumes!

4. 5:30pm: The Torch will be blessed during an officially planned ceremony
at the Legislature buildings.

Does your group want to get a message to the world on October 30th?  Over
a thousand media people can't be wrong. Get in on the fun! Organize a
friendly competition, step up to the soapbox, take over a ring of the Five
Ring Circus! Music, art and theatre especially welcome.  Join us, don't
sit this one out!

For updates as the become available keep your eyes on:
http://no2010victoria.net/   and http://olympicresistance.net/

==> TRANSPORTATION INFORMATION  <==

People are encouraged to arrive in Victoria as early as they can on Oct
30 or the night before, Oct 29.

* For those interested in leaving the evening of Thurs Oct 29th, please
fill out the transportation form indicating whether you can  provide or
car pooling or need a ride located at olympicresistance.net or email:
marlarenn at gmail.com.

* For those leaving on Fri Oct 30, there is a planned meeting point at the
Granville Canada Line Station, outside - at the South West corner of
Granville and Georgia at 9:00am leaving by 9:15am. This is to encourage
group travel on public transit (please note ORN is not providing financial
assistance for transit).

* Transit from Vancouver to Victoria: http://tripplanning.translink.ca

Take the Canada Line southbound to Bridgeport Station (25 min) Transfer to
the bus "620 Tsawwassen ferry terminal" (to make 1st ferry board at
5:55am)

Buy a walk on ticket for the ferry going to Swartz Bay. Go to
www.bcferries.com for schedules and fares. The 1st ferry is 7:00am. After
arriving in Swartz Bay, there is a bus stop right in front of the ferry
terminal, where you’ll catch the "No. 70 Downtown/Airport" bus.

The cost is $2.75. If you catch the ferry at 10am you will arrive in
Victoria at 12:30pm

Check the Victoria Transit website for schedules:
http://www.bctransit.com/regions/vic/schedules/schedule.cfm?p=dir.text&route=70:1&day=1&

==> CAN YOU HELP? <==
No2010 Victoria is working on providing billeting and people are
encouraged to go over the night before (Thurs Oct 29th).
* If you know folks that can provide sleeping spaces in Victoria please
contact no2010victoria at gmail.com

--------------------------

Hosted by: No2010 Victoria
This invitation brought to you by the Olympic Resistance Network

______________________________________________________________________________________________

5. War Resisters Wine and Cheese Benefit
                  Friday, Nov. 13
                        7 p.m.
      Featuring the music of Shari Ulrich

Despite two majority votes of the Canadian parliament and clear support
from the majority of the Canadian populace, the Harper Conservative
government continues to deny safe haven to US war resisters who are
refusing to serve in Iraq.  Instead, war resisters have been deported to
serve time in US military prisons and the deportation process is
continuing.  The War Resisters Support Campaign needs your help in funding
ongoing costs needed to keep war resisters in Canada and to challenge the
Harper government in the courts and in parliament.

Please join with us in an evening of music and socializing and help
support the cause.  Legendary Vancouver musician and performer Shari
Ulrich, who herself came to Canada during the Vietnam War, will be
performing a short house concert and we will be hearing a brief report on
the current situation facing US War Resisters in Canada.

Tickets to this event will be limited by space.

Location: Home of Jane Turner,  390 North Springer Ave., Burnaby

Tickets:  $50/person

RESERVE YOUR TICKETS NOW BY PHONING OR WRITING
BOB ROSEN - 604 251 3439 or bobrosen at shaw.ca

Thanks for your support.....

War Resisters Support Campaign
Vancouver

http://ca.geocities.com/vanresisters/

Tel: 778-837-1475

c/o 1143 E Pender St
Vancouver BC V6A 1W6
_______________________________________________________________________________________________

6. Malalai Joya in Vancouver

Saturday, November 14
7p.m., St. Andrew's - Wesley Church (1022 Nelson St, at the corner of
Burrard)

Suggested Donation: $5-10

Please join us for this special event: the Canadian launch of Malalai
Joya's book, A Woman Among Warlords: The Extraordinary Story of an Afghan
Who Dared to Speak Out, which Kirkus Reviews calls, "A chilling, vital
memoir that reveals hidden truths about Afghanistan and directly addresses
the misguided policies of the United States."

Co-written with StopWar activist and writer Derrick O'Keefe, A Woman Among
Warlords is an important and timely book. Malalai Joya's personal story is
inspiring, and her political message is an uncompromising appeal for an
end to NATO's occupation of Afghanistan and the impunity of the warlords
in the Karzai regime. Don't miss this rare chance to hear Malalai Joya in
person.

Suggested donation: $5-10. All proceeds will go towards Malalai Joya's
humanitarian projects in Afghanistan.

Organized by StopWar.ca.

Sponsors: Simon & Schuster Canada, the Canadian Peace Alliance, Voice of
Women - Canada, rabble.ca, Iranian Centre for Peace, Freedom and Social
Justice.

For more information contact: stopwar at resist.ca