Protest Season Starts Strong in Victoria

If you’re into protesting social injustice and live in the greater Victoria area, you’ve got plenty of events to choose from in the next few weeks, as protest season just started in earnest.

I say it was about time. This summer was so boring. Even International Overdose Awareness Day was tepid in town, to the point that I went to Vancouver instead to document VANDU blocking an intersection. That was a whole month after the previous rally I covered, which was itself low key. And the last sizeable event was in June.

In contrast, there’s been a torrent of event announcements lately for the second half of September, to the point that I won’t be able to cover them all. I actually missed an event on Wednesday because I can’t keep up with the volume of notices. Although of course I couldn’t miss yesterday’s rally to end fossil fuels.

So here’s my event calendar for the rest of the month, for those who can’t keep up with my Facebook and Twitter feeds:

Sunday, September 17th, 11am @ Legislative Assembly of British Columbia: Status for all rally organised by the Migrant Rights Network, as part of a nationwide campaign to regularise the status of immigrants.

Monday, September 18th, 6pm @ Legislative Assembly of British Columbia: Search the Landfills International Day of Action, part of a nationwide campaign in support of searching the Brady landfill in Winnipeg for indigenous murder victims. Participants are invited to wear red.

Wednesday, September 20th, 3pm @ Legislative Assembly of British Columbia: Trans rights counter-protest, in response to the Concerned Canadians Standing Together Against Gender Ideology in Schools (CCSTAGIS) staging an anti-trans protest at the Legislature. High-risk event, which may see scuffles between protesters and even arrests. Bring your flak vest.

Saturday, September 23rd, 11am-6pm @ Fernwood Community Centre, 1240 Gladstone Avenue: Victoria Anarchist Bookfair. Annual event. Not a protest but you don’t want to miss your best chance of the year to meet fellow activists. See you there.

Sunday, September 24th, 12pm @ Centennial Square: Chrissy Brett 2nd Walk for Justice, in memory of the homeless advocate and activist. I covered the first walk last year.

Thursday, September 28th, 12pm @ MLA Murray Lankin’s office, 3930 Shelbourne Street: Old Growth Day of Action, organised by the Wilderness Committee as part of a provincewide campaign to demand the end of old growth forest logging. I won’t be attending that one because I don’t want to miss even the beginning of the next one:

Thursday, September 28th, 1-6pm @ MLA Grace Lore’s office, 1084 Fort Street: Indigenous-led Ceremony, Prayer Walk, and Street Occupation, organised by the Mamas Movement and Protectors of the Salish Sea; I’m expecting the Wilderness Committee to join in as soon as its own event finishes. They’re plotting something big and I’m certain I know what it is. High-risk event; expect antagonistic interaction with law enforcement. Be there if you’re looking for excitement, it’s going to be wild.

Then Saturday, September 30th is of course Victoria Orange Shirt Day. No rally has been announced so far, but I expect a gathering at Centennial Square like last year.

The above is enough to keep you busy every other day for the next couple of weeks. And I already have more events lined up at the beginning of October. This fall promises to be hot! Stay tuned for coverage. Or even better, see you there.