CSJ Newsletter
May 15, 2025
CALLS TO ACTION
Protect the Right to Protest in Toronto!The City of Toronto is holding consultations for a proposed bylaw that would restrict public demonstrations (rallies, vigils, etc.) within a certain distance of “vulnerable institutions,” including schools, churches, and nearby City-owned property including sidewalks and streets.
The bylaw's intent is to prevent property damage, hate crimes, and violence. But these things are already illegal, and the Toronto Police Service is already empowered to prevent these things from happening. Instead, peaceful protests throughout the City would be restricted.
If adopted, this bylaw would have a chilling effect on all protests in the City of Toronto, whether they're tenants protesting rent hikes in their neighbourhood, or striking workers picketing for better working conditions. Violators will be on the hook for a $10,000 fine - a penalty that in and of itself would prevent Torontonians from taking direct action to transform their communities and their city.
acorncanada.org
EVENTS
40th annual Mayworks Festival
Mayworks 2025 bears witness to the strength, struggle and imagination of communities seeking labour justice.
Whether working in multi-channel video, experimental film, a walking tour, sculpture-based installation, poetry, theatre, or the painting of a large mural on the east side of the Steelworkers Building, the artists work within an honoured tradition of artistic practices engaged in social change.
mayworks.ca
24 Hours Palestine Poetry
When: May15th, all day
Where: 1115 Queen St W
From early morning (00:00) May 15th to midnight May 15th (24:00), join us for 24 hours of Palestinian poetry marking Nakba Day. This event is free. Come and go as you wish.
Join us to hear readings of vital poetry of life and resistance, works by Fadwa Tuqan, Dareen Tatour, Fady Joudah, Mosab Abu Toha, Mahmoud Darwish, Lena Khalaf Tuffaha, Hala Alyan, Refaat Al Areer, Ghassan Zaqtan, Mohammad El Kurd, Natalie Fasheh, Roula Said...
Facebook event
77 years of Ongoing Nakba
When: May 17th, 2pm
Where: Yonge and Dundas
Join us on Saturday, May 17th at 2 PM at Yonge & Dundas Square to march alongside 15+ cities across North America in commemoration of the ongoing Nakba.
For 77 years, the Palestinian people have endured genocide, sieges, dispossession, and forced displacement at the hands of the Zionist colonial project. And for 77 years—they have resisted. Palestinians continue to fight for their land, their freedom, and their return.
instagram.com
Arms Embargo Now
When: Sunday May 18th, 2pm
Join organizers with the Arms Embargo Now campaign to hear a status update on Canada's arms trade with Israel, learn why an arms embargo is a key way for our government to sanction Israel, and plug into the next steps of the campaign.
armsembargonow.ca
Booklaunch: Woman Life Freedom
When: Sunday May 18th, 5pm
Where: Another Story Bookshop, 315 Roncesvalles Ave
Join us for the Toronto launch of Woman Life Freedom: Poems for the Iranian Revolution! With editors Bänoo Zan, Cy Strom, and contributors Elana Wolff, Hollay Ghadery, Mahdi Ganjavi, Ehab Lotayef, Fereshteh Molavi, Nilou Doust, Katerina Fretwell, and Kate Marshall Flaherty.
eventbrite.ca
Canadian Foreign Policy Hour with Yves Engler
When: Mondays at 6pm
Join author Yves Engler on Mondays for a weekly news roundup and interactive discussion about Canada's role abroad. This weekly session will delve into the latest developments on subjects ranging from military affairs and Canada's role in Ukraine to its contribution to Palestinian dispossession, and the exploitation of African resources. Join Yves for a critical take on Canada's foreign policy. Questions, comments, and criticisms are all welcome.
zoom.us
Outreach at Dufferin Station
When: May 20th, 4pm
Where: Dufferin Station
Join us to speak to transit riders at Dufferin Station to advocate for more reliable, fast and frequent bus service. We will be calling for the installation of transit-only lanes and asking riders to speak up in support of transit-only lanes. No experience is required, just show up!
ttcriders.ca
Criminalizing Dissent?
When: May 20th, 5:30pm
Where: TMU, Pod 457
The City of Toronto has proposed a BUBBLE ZONE bylaw that would restrict protests near so-called “vulnerable” institutions. Join us for a community teach-in exploring its potential harms, featuring leading local voices in law, labour, housing, feminist activism, and disability justice.
communityteachin.rsvpify.com
What's next after the federal election?
When: Tuesday May 20th, 7pm
Join us for this pan-Canadian organizing meeting, where we'll debrief about the federal election, assess how we're doing in the fight for emergency supports for workers and communities, and take on bad bosses in our communities.
justice4workers.org
Radical Thought in a Time of Crisis
When: May 21st, 6pm
Through the lens of radical Black and Communist traditions and the interconnection of internationalism, socialism, and anti-imperialist resistance, we discuss the crises of capitalism, the legacies of racial violence, and the revolutionary possibilities for collective liberation.
Prolific writers and thinkers Dr. Jodi Dean and Dr. Charisse Burden-Stelly will discuss their book
Organize, Fight, Win.
zoom.us
ARTICLES
Shutdown Private Profit to Promote an Ecosocialist Transition
By Anticapitalistas
Last Monday [April 28], the entire Iberian Peninsula lost power overnight. The causes that led to the fluctuations in the electrical grid are still unknown, and we must reject any misinformation or opportunism in this regard. In this sense, the working class, through its unions and social organizations, must have the right to participate in the investigation of the causes of the event. However, the political dimension of the event goes beyond the specific causes.
Source:
The Bullet No. 3134
Reverse the Theft of Public Goods and Take Back Control
By Les Levidow
Millions of people have been suffering the effects of UK neoliberal policies, especially post-2010 austerity, which aggravated the damage from the 1980s-1990s austerity programme. They have endured greater hardship and social fragmentation, alongside weaker collective agency to gain improvements, especially as a practical basis for hope. People's deprivation and anxiety have led many to search for simple culprits, especially migrants, as demonized by Reform UK and more recently by the Labour government
Source:
The Bullet No. 3135
Portugal Left Challenges the Trump Tariffs
Donald Trump began a blackmail strategy with tariffs that has ended in a trade war with several countries. Now, he has paused some tariffs for 90 days and the European Union reciprocated, but the dispute with China continues. The impact of the announced trade war was felt on the stock market, with fluctuations, susceptible to rumours.
Source:
The Bullet No. 3136
People's Assembly for Housing Justice
On Friday, April 25, tenants, housing advocates, and grassroots organizers gathered at 163 Queen Street East for the launch of the People's Assembly for Housing Justice – a two-day event calling for collective action in the face of Toronto's housing crisis. Hosted by a coalition of local groups including 230 Fightback, the York South-Weston Tenant Union, the Regent Park Neighbourhood Association, and the Moss Park Coalition, the evening opened with a powerful panel focused on the financialization of housing and its impacts on low-income communities.
Source:
LeftStreamed