“Abolish the G20 and G8, and prioritize people, not summits say activists fighting for gender, disability and sexuality rights and justice!
Toronto Community Mobilization Network
Email response: tcmn.media@gmail.com
Media Liaisons: 647.454.2443 | http://www.g20.torontomobilize.org/media
Twitter @g20mobilize (for breaking news during the convergence) and http://2010.mediacoop.ca
12 Noon, Tuesday June 22, 2010
“Abolish the G20 and G8, and prioritize people, not summits say activists fighting for gender, disability and sexuality rights and justice!”
The Toronto Community Mobilization Network is promoting the ‘Themed Days of Action’ against the G8 and G20. On Tuesday at a Press Conference at 1266 Queen West, the Network called attention to the ways that the G8 and G20 summits refuse to address the needs of women, and transfolks, people with disabilities and queer communities.
Sharmeen Khan of the Toronto Community Mobilization Network noted that there will be different protest actions throughout the day, beginning with creative actions around gender justice early in the day, and ending in a Queer Liberation march with a samba band, kiss-in, street theatre and more at 4:30pm Yonge and Queen, Tuesday June 22nd.
Andrew Mindszenthy of the Toronto disability rights group DAMN 2025 links this reality to policies and practices of exclusion in Canada: “The leaders of the G20 are responsible for the brutal neoliberal capitalist policies that have kept us pushed and policed out of our streets, socially isolated, discriminated against and denied access. The government put one billion dollars into the G20. At the same time, the special diet has been cut, and services for poor and disabled people have decreased dramatically. Toronto residents are concerned about how the G20 is interrupting their freedom of movement yet the government violently denies freedom of movement for disabled people everyday”.
People with disabilities are agitating against the G8 and G20 as well. The World Bank estimates that persons with disabilities comprise about 20% of the poorest of the poor, and that the Millennium Development Goals cannot be achieved without taking into consideration the needs of people with disabilities.
Although the G8 meetings have child and maternal health on the agenda, many women’s groups are skeptical about the commitment of the world leaders to gender justice.
Sharmeen Khan adds, “We oppose the G8 and G20 in order to defend women’s freedoms: while Canada celebrates its commitment to funding maternal and child health at the G8, it is also stopping funding to those who support the right of women to choose an abortion – a right that is legally available to women in Canada.”
Anna Willats, a member of Gender Justice for All! explains, “The Harper Conservatives have been systematically undermining women's equality rights through severe program cuts and regressive legislation. We demand freedom from all forms of violence, and control over our bodies and our lives, including freedom of sexual and reproductive choice, for women and children, trans and queer people everywhere!”
"Queers and trans folk resist the invasions of our streets by police and the military - we reclaim our streets with our sexuality, our creativity, our joy which we do every other day of the year!" read Joanna Adamiak, member of the Toronto Community Mobilization Network from a statement from the Queer Liberation Action organizers.
Commenting on the two arrests yesterday, Sharmeen Khan explained, “Two community organizers were arrested at the Anti-Poverty demonstration on Monday under spurious possession of break-in and entry tools. Their charges were finally dropped when the Police accepted that their break-in and entry tools were keys to the office one of the organizer is staff at”.
Email response: tcmn.media@gmail.com
Media Liaisons: 647.454.2443 | http://www.g20.torontomobilize.org/media
Twitter @g20mobilize (for breaking news during the convergence) and http://2010.mediacoop.ca
12 Noon, Tuesday June 22, 2010
“Abolish the G20 and G8, and prioritize people, not summits say activists fighting for gender, disability and sexuality rights and justice!”
The Toronto Community Mobilization Network is promoting the ‘Themed Days of Action’ against the G8 and G20. On Tuesday at a Press Conference at 1266 Queen West, the Network called attention to the ways that the G8 and G20 summits refuse to address the needs of women, and transfolks, people with disabilities and queer communities.
Sharmeen Khan of the Toronto Community Mobilization Network noted that there will be different protest actions throughout the day, beginning with creative actions around gender justice early in the day, and ending in a Queer Liberation march with a samba band, kiss-in, street theatre and more at 4:30pm Yonge and Queen, Tuesday June 22nd.
Andrew Mindszenthy of the Toronto disability rights group DAMN 2025 links this reality to policies and practices of exclusion in Canada: “The leaders of the G20 are responsible for the brutal neoliberal capitalist policies that have kept us pushed and policed out of our streets, socially isolated, discriminated against and denied access. The government put one billion dollars into the G20. At the same time, the special diet has been cut, and services for poor and disabled people have decreased dramatically. Toronto residents are concerned about how the G20 is interrupting their freedom of movement yet the government violently denies freedom of movement for disabled people everyday”.
People with disabilities are agitating against the G8 and G20 as well. The World Bank estimates that persons with disabilities comprise about 20% of the poorest of the poor, and that the Millennium Development Goals cannot be achieved without taking into consideration the needs of people with disabilities.
Although the G8 meetings have child and maternal health on the agenda, many women’s groups are skeptical about the commitment of the world leaders to gender justice.
Sharmeen Khan adds, “We oppose the G8 and G20 in order to defend women’s freedoms: while Canada celebrates its commitment to funding maternal and child health at the G8, it is also stopping funding to those who support the right of women to choose an abortion – a right that is legally available to women in Canada.”
Anna Willats, a member of Gender Justice for All! explains, “The Harper Conservatives have been systematically undermining women's equality rights through severe program cuts and regressive legislation. We demand freedom from all forms of violence, and control over our bodies and our lives, including freedom of sexual and reproductive choice, for women and children, trans and queer people everywhere!”
"Queers and trans folk resist the invasions of our streets by police and the military - we reclaim our streets with our sexuality, our creativity, our joy which we do every other day of the year!" read Joanna Adamiak, member of the Toronto Community Mobilization Network from a statement from the Queer Liberation Action organizers.
Commenting on the two arrests yesterday, Sharmeen Khan explained, “Two community organizers were arrested at the Anti-Poverty demonstration on Monday under spurious possession of break-in and entry tools. Their charges were finally dropped when the Police accepted that their break-in and entry tools were keys to the office one of the organizer is staff at”.
Donate
 |
 |
The G8/G20 meetings took place in Ontario from June 25-27, 2010. Toronto-based organizations of women, people of colour, indigenous peoples, the poor, the working class, queer and trans people and disabled people organized a peoples convergence with 40,000 people taking to the streets, standing up for justice in collaboration and solidarity!
Activists, community members, inspired and outraged individuals came together as a movement to demand justice for people and the planet. Over a week of mobilizations, events, workshops and direct actions took place in the face of state and police repression, violence and infringements on rights and freedoms.
We must continue to mobilize and build greater solidarity among our communities- an important part of this is supporting all those arrested during the G20 summit, including our allies still in detention, and those released on bail.