Hate in Canada

He should be impeached, but canada isn’t off the hook

gillian massie

web writer

Trump has proven time and time again that he is not fit to be the commander-in-chief of the United States. The attack on Capitol Hill by his supporters, an attack that he incited through his tweets and addresses, shows it is time that he is officially impeached by the Senate and removed from office.

The events that unfolded in Washington happened after Trump continued to promote false allegations of election fraud. He encouraged supporters to go to Capitol Hill to fight against election results, and his speech encouraged violence. White supremacist groups such as the Proud Boys follow Trump’s commands and whims, driven by oppressive ideals. The Three Percenters, an anti-government organization, were also present at the seige – they support Trump for his anti-immigration policies, for his Islamophobia, and for his open hatred of the political left.

Swastikas, confederate flags, and the flag of “Kekistan” which is an alt-right symbol originating on internet spaces like 4chan, all appeared at the siege. In other words, it was a gathering of the far-right.

The internet has been out in

sara birrell, marty grande-sherbert, and staff

carillon team As we continue to reckon with the effects of rising COVID-19 cases in homes, hospitals, businesses and our university – and realizing how flawed the response to these cases has been – we cannot forget about those whose health and safety is most dependent on the government’s response. Some of the most vulnerable to new cases of COVID-19 are incarcerated people, who cannot move freely or isolate themselves beyond the terms set by law enforcement and government policy. If we want to know how the Saskatchewan government is truly responding to keep us healthy, people experiencing the pandemic inside prisons are a crucial indicator – and simply put, it is doing a shameful job.

On Wednesday, January 6, prisoners in Saskatoon Correctional Centre (SCC), Prince Albert Correctional Centre (PACC), Pine Grove Correctional Centre (PGCC), and Regina Correctional Centre (RCC) began a hunger strike in protest of institutional conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Scores of prisoners in Saskatchewan have been diagnosed with COVID, with 62 active cases in RCC alone as of January 6. On January 8, another person died while under the province’s care in a prison, this time full force since the event, making mocking posts and jokes about the Trump supporters bombarding the building. The remarkable difference in response, from the heavily violent policing during Black Lives Matter Protests to the recent mob being allowed easy access into the United States Capitol, shows where the government’s loyalties lie. Those involved in the BLM protests are pointing to the insurrection as another instance of white supremacist anger prioritized over Black people’s human rights.

Many Canadians have demonstrated their relief that we live away from the corrupt American policing system, but they forget that white supremacism, racism, and the same “alt-right” we saw at the Capitol are deeply ingrained within Canadian ideals and policing.

Only a few months ago, as a recent example, a horrific fire in Halifax destroyed a Mi’kmaq lobster fishery – an event suspected to be an arson. Ongoing disputes between commercial fisheries and Mi’kmaq fisheries have been clashing for months. Harsh criticisms of the RCMP’s reaction to the fire and handling procedures have been under fire ever since the incident. Policing systems are not only corrupt in the United States, but in Canada as well. at PACC where over 200 people tested positive for COVID.

Prisoners and advocates, like organizer Cory Cardinal, are calling for swift action for this vulnerable population. The demands include: the immediate release of all prisoners possible, including the medically vulnerable and those being held without conviction; the immediate resignation of Christine Tell, Minister for Corrections and Policing, who has shown gross negligence and apathy towards these conditions; immediate and ongoing investment in community supports over prisons; and an apology from the Saskatchewan government to prisoners and staff for failing to prepare for and prevent the spread of the virus.

The undersigned Carillon staff support the prisoners and their advocates in this brave fight for justice. We believe that all people are deserving of dignity and security of person, and that this right becomes more, not less, important during a pandemic. We recognize that in Saskatchewan, as elsewhere in so-called Canada, prisons are disproportionately populated by Indigenous people (making up a 75 per cent population of provincial jails) and, as such, they are a crucial component of ongoing settler colonialism. We understand that allowing a deadly illness to spread unchecked in these institutions is an act of violence and inhumanity towards incarcerated people,

Wikipedia Commons In the foreground, a man waves an American flag. Behind him, a crowd gathers around the Capitol Hill building in Washington.

Canadian hate groups are often overshadowed by Canada’s stereotype of being polite, which conceals the hatred and bigotry that exists here. Underestimating the power of a group of ignorant people was what led to the events that occurred on Capitol Hill, where the perpetrators of the siege were not taken seriously either. We need to be on the lookout for similar events. Support for Trump was even active in various Canadian cities such as Toronto, Vancouver, and Calgary on the same day as the siege. most of whom are Indigenous. We add our voices to the hundreds of people calling for the release of prisoners. We demand the resignation of Minister Tell, and the immediate redirection of funding away from prisons and policing – which are not keeping us safe – and towards the communities we live in.

It is important for us to remember that a set of iron bars or the slam of a wooden gavel do not take away a person’s humanity, nor their right to service by this government. Criminalization cannot and should not rob a person of their inherent complexity, nuance, and rights, nor erase

The riots occurring on Capitol Hill are an offense to democracy. But could we say that they were not predictable? No. Trump has proven that no matter the cost, he refuses to be wrong. His proclamations of election fraud discredit democracy and demonstrate how he needs to be right because his ego cannot take the blow of losing.

While the end of Trump’s Presidency approaches, I think the United States government must impeach Trump before his time is up. By enacting the 25th them as a member of our communities. It is far past time we accept prisoners as worthy of basic human dignity and proper treatment under the law, and to deny them any further on grounds of race or systemic apathy is a crime not only against them, but the very values for which we as human beings must hold.

To support the strikers, please sign this letter to the Saskatchewan government, call or write for the resignation of Christine Tell, and write or speak to your MLAs about the importance of safe conditions in prisons and divestment from police. Amendment, it makes a more legitimate statement from the United States Government that they do not condone Trump’s actions. While this will cause an uproar from MAGA supporters, terroristic, violent behaviors mustn’t be underestimated. After Trump’s almost full presidency, it is a shame that the United States government is only now finally seeking action to remove Trump from a position of power. Meanwhile, we need to be alert in seeking the

A letter of support for the Saskatchewan prisoners’ hunger strike

Solidarity on behalf of the Carillon

same patterns at home. https://docs.google.com/

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Signed,

Marty Grande-Sherbert, op ed editor

Sara Birrell, news editor

Matt T, news writer

Shae Sackman, technical editor

Morgan Ortman, production manager

Taylor Balfour, editor-in-chief

Hannah Sennicar, copy editor

Gillian Massie, web writer

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