More demonstrations in Quebec

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Mega profits, mega unemployment

Unemployment isn't working!

People's Voice

     Official unemployment figures for January and February showed tiny improvements, but 1.4 million Canadians are still out of work nearly four years after the economic shock of 2008. Statistics Canada says that 7.2% of the Canadian workforce are jobless and actively seeking employment, down slightly from the rates from 2011; however, this does not account for hundreds of thousands who have dropped out of the workforce, unable to find employment, or many more stuck working a few hours a week in part-time, casual, low-paid, dead-end jobs.

     On the other hand, operating profits at Canadian corporations increased to $71.4 billion for the fourth quarter of 2011, up 9% from the previous quarter, says Statistics Canada. In total, profits for the year 2011 hit $264.8 billion, recovering to almost the historic peak reached during the pre-recession period.

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Arguments with deniers over climate change

By Bob Treasure, from The Guardian, weekly of the Communist Party of Australia

     It is sometimes tempting to tag our opponents as "climate deniers" or "climate change skeptics", simply because they often deny the evidence of their own senses, and what is happening all around them. Their views, ignorant and dogmatic as they usually are, tend to operate in a cynical and toxic way to undermine action around stopping carbon pollution, or pursuing renewable alternatives. Often, they are merely vehicles of a vested capitalist interest, defending the comfortable exploitation and profit‑taking of the past.

     Of course, it is frustrating to see certain media outlets overlook the common science and lionize the often irrational, "climate change sceptics". They get coverage way beyond their worth. If a "scientist", like the Cold War defectors of old, wanted instant fame and a market for their views, they need only question "climate change misrepresentation".

     It is our task to patiently, positively and rationally, explain the facts and expose the fallacies. Often the answers are simply a Google away, because the information, the data and the answers, are readily available on the Internet.

     This is a guide for activists, people engaged in the arguments on a daily basis, or who are confronting the cynical affronts of workmates who simply won't accept reality and therefore, refuse to act.

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Quebec student strike - English-language newsletter

Quebec 2012 student strike - flyer

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Photo essay: Police brutality in the Quebec student strike

A student journalist is arrested for filming police brutality 

Helmeted and shield-wielding police charge a line of students. Police fire a sound-bomb directly into the faces of protesters, blinding one student in the eye.  Without warning, tear gas explodes over a peaceful demonstration. A march of students in a downtown area is followed by twenty police wagons for arrests, a cavalcade of horse and mounted cops, riot squads, and a helicopter.

Is this the developing world? No it is Montreal and Quebec today, with police violence reaching a new nadir of aggression against democratic dissent. Rebel Youth presents this photo essay.

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Free education: Quebec solidaire`s response to the crisis created by the Charest Liberals and the brave struggle of the students

Massive demos have characterized the student struggles

Statement by Québec solidare, a left-wing political party in Québec. Translation by Rebel Youth

QS today unveiled its proposal to resolve the crisis caused by the Liberal government's refusal to establish a dialogue with the student movement.

"The proposal we are presenting today has shown that the rapid and dramatic increase in tuition fees is a political and ideological decision. It is possible to improve university funding without increasing the contribution of young families and middle class -- and do that while freezing tuition. We want to demonstrate that universal access to college is achievable if the government decides to pick up disposable income by requiring the financial institutions to pay their fair share. Currently, the Charest government is essentially offering a carrot to the students [to accept their plan] by increasing their student debt, "says Francoise David, spokesman for QS.

Rapid elimination of school fees

QS makes firm commitments. Government support [must] immediately cancel the $500 increases implimented since 2007 as well as the increase of $ 1,625 over the next five years. Our response to the crisis will see university tuition fees be reduced to zero by 2017-2018. "Against an increase of $ 325 per year, we propose a decrease of $ 325 accompanied by measures to improve the quality of training," says Amir Khadir, MNA for Mercier.

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More united, more defiant

After close to eight weeks, leaders of the protest against university tuition fee hikes appear more united, more defiant, and more combative than ever despite court injunctions ordering picket lines to be dismantled and a concession offer by the government on student loans. There are more rallies planned this week. [...] The coming events provide a build-up to what is expected to be another major demonstration marking Earth Day on April 22 that may rival the estimated record 200,000 protesters that marched in the streets of Montreal last month.


-- The Globe and Mail

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Dawson students give a history of Québec student strikes

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Norman Bethune - historic speech

In Spain, Bethune helped invent the modern MASH unit

In 1937, on the behest of the Spanish Republican cause and the Communist Party of Canada, Dr. Norman Bethune traveled across Canada telling Canadians the first-hand story about the war against fascism and for democracy. Rebel Youth reprint's an historic speech by Bethune here.

I went to Spain as a matter of honour. I have come back because there are some things that need to be said in reply to those outside of Spain who speak in the name of dishonour.

I am a doctor, a surgeon. My job is to sustain human life, in all its beauty and vigour. I am not a politician, but I went to Spain because the politicians betrayed Spain and tried to drag the rest of us into their betrayal. With varying accents, and with varying degrees of hypocrisy, the politicians ruled that democratic Spain must die. It was my belief, as it is now my conviction, that democratic Spain must live.

To the Spanish people, and to anyone who has seen Spain for himself, the position is clear. So clear, in fact, that Franco and his fascist backers urgently need a diversion to conceal their aggression, just as the Tory bleaters of non-intervention need a fig leaf to dress up the naked shanks of their miserable policy. They have found one, to their mutual relief. It is nothing more than the bastard child of the Austrian paperhanger and the Italian turncoat. It is "the menace of communism."

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Self-described communist admits defeat in war of wack hairstyles

The final throw-down of anarchist wild hair dudes which beat Rebel Hairstyle: 

Bakunin, Kropotkin, Galleani, Hoffman, Thoreau, Foucault.

Anarchism or Barbar-ism?

April 1st 2012

Rebel Youth

In a surprise move that has shocked the internets, a self-proclaimed communist has admitted defeat in his War of Hair with the anarchists.

"We lost by a whisker, but in the final analysis they were a cut above us," a poster by the name of 'Rebel Maoist Hairstyle' wrote in a discussion thread on the website BasementRevolutionary.org

"Although we once said, 'Wherever there is a comb there is a resistance,' I now think the Proletariat brush their hair more often than I realized," the poster added.

The remarks engendered a strong response from the blogosphere. 

"A few commentators, clearly envious of the posters fame, sarcastically accused Rebel Hairstyle of engaging in pointless debates and urged him to try politics in the 'real world,' an inside source told Rebel Youth Magazine.

A transcript obtained by Rebel Youth from the site owners of BasementRevolutionary.org shows now-deleted posts reported by users as hateful trolling. The posts suggested that the essence of communism is collectivity and you can not be a self-proclaimed basement blogger speaking for the entire movement -- engendering a slew of replies from the website's radical community.

"Positively, the 'haterz' were happily drowned-out by a slew of supportive, powerful and profound (if short) remarks urging Rebel Hairstyle not to proclaim defeat," our inside source said.

But the debate seems to have shown that many actively engaged in what some call 'the online struggle' in social media and other sites believe that the scissors and razor are really weapons of ruling class and the neo-liberal capitalist austerity agenda.

"In my micro-group we say we are 'not your grandmother's communist party' and we are all pure revolutionaries -- students who have rejected grooming as a bourgeois legality of our parents and therefore never untangle our hair after rolling out of bed," one commentary with the name of "People Radically Against Coupe de cheveux" said in the discussion thread. 

"Rebel Hairstyle, it is with great pride we count you within our ranks of fashion," they added.

It remains unclear if the appeals will sway the young man who is behind the avatar.

REPORT UPDATE

Posted at 04/02/12 14:38 by Rebel Youth

Disregarding the strong appeals Rebel Hairstyle has now gone on to make a full disclosure video admitting defeat, Rebel Youth has now confirmed. 

In a nine minute and twenty-three second YouTube called "Four year hairiversary" (referring to the hair war hobby taking up four years of his life), the blogger speaks out and strikes an pose, smoking a cigar, looking very well dressed, and wearing a classic slick-back hairstyle. 

In the video Rebel Hairstyle tells the world that "A lot of the subscribers who have been watching for a long time do remember this location. This is the place, as I said, where I originally started it. This is also the place were I recorded the video announcing that I had become -- a Vidal Sassoon partner!"

"We knew immediately it was an important Youtube because Rebel Hairstyle had chosen to leave his basement," our source told Rebel Youth after watching the film. "He came outside, upstairs to his garage or somewhere. Amazing. It is surprising he was not wearing sun glasses or protective facial gear from the sun."

Later in the Youtube Rebel Hairstyle admitted that he could not have come close to matching the final throw-down challenge he received -- Bakunin, Kropotkin, Galleani, Hoffman, Thoreau, Foucault.

"Marx was equal to Bakunin on the beard if not superior, but Bakunin beat him out with his crazy hair," he says in the video. "I then threw down Engles, Lenin, Stalin, Kalinin, and Molitov all against Kropotkin but it was like I was the Rock but the other side has Paper!" he added.

In a passionate, detailed, lengthy and involved part of the video monologue, Rebel Hairstyle also described how he desperately tried Fidel and Che against Galleani but the man's powerful 'bomb-thrower' moustache could not be beaten.

Some commentators have been critical of Rebel Hairstyle's plays and moves, however.

At the time of battle he apparently tweeted "Galli beat Castro but I wood [sic] have felt bad to have used  #Fidel anyway, #HugKhrushchevYuck, #WarOfHair." This has earned several sharp replies from users who take a much less narrow view of Cuba's revolution and the socialist experience of the last century.

The video has already earn several comments including a proposal that he fight with Cienfuegos. "Who the f@&%! is that?" Rebel Hairstyle apparently replied in a comment which has now been deleted.

"I tried to come back against Hoffman with Victor Jara and then I realized from reading Wikipedia that he was a revisionist and supporter of Allende," he told another commentator via a Facebook  when asked why he had not used the famous Chilean communist musician against the American author of Steal this book. "You have to keep pure like in World of Warcraft!" he insisted, adding "I'm not that revisionist Young Commie League of Canada!"

Asked about Foucault, Rebel Hairstyle said it was a trick. When he realized the big problem -- which he identified as Foucault having no hair -- he tried to launch an appeal, but the anarchists had bogged-down the process with a discourse about the technology of power and he was forced to abandon the case.

"All my usual trump cards -- Mao, Kim Il Sung, Enver Hoxha -- seem to have favoured barber-ism over bed head," he said. 

When asked by another commemorator if "maybe next time he should study actual classic and current Marxist politics in connection with practical struggle of living people and workers in his own country, and maybe also talk about what is really going on inside the ideologues heads rather than just their flowing locks," Rebel Hairstyle said he was focusing on the future. 

"I think its time to make a self-criticism, yes, and my conclusion will be released soon" he said in a posted dated 1:15 AM April 2nd.

His latest post as of 2:03 PM April 2nd is discussing a proposed War of Memes between the "Stalinists" and Trotskyists as well as a version of the [10] Guy advice animal meme.

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Photo essay: Quebec Student Strike

Massive student mobilizations against rising tuition fees in Québec are not being reported in English-speaking Canada, and even under-reported by progressive media. RY helps break the silence with these pictures that say a thousand words -- or rather show 250,000 people in the street!  This is a taste of what social transformation and mass democratic struggle looks like.

Photo: CLASSE

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