Blueprints of Disruption

Various media figures, organizations and politicians have been sharing, in some cases creating, misinformation with seemingly malicious intent.

Bad faith actors stoking and weaponizing people's fears. But to what end?

Hosts Jessa McLean and Santiago Helou Quintero give their takes on some of the worst offenders from this week's attacks on the pro-Palestinian movement, including Ben Mulroney, Bob Rae, CIJA, Jesse Brown, Toronto City Council and of course, the Police.

Justin Trudeau does not come off unscathed in this episode either. We discuss Canada's hardening position around a ceasefire and the illegal occupation and our abysmal record at the UN.

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Resources:

• Twitter Thread on Toronto Council Motion mentioned in episode
• CBC News: Calgary Protest Arrest
• Breach Media - VIDEO - Why Canada is one of Israel's most extreme defenders
• The Geneva Conventions and the Israeli Occupation of Palestine - CJPME - English

The Death of Aaron Bushnell

His last words were "Free Palestine". 25 year old Aaron Bushnell livestreamed what he called an extreme form of protest. In front of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, the US Airman and self described anarchist doused himself in an accelerant and lit himself on fire.

In these dark times, many folks may be feeling desperate and looking for ways to make a bigger impact. Our hosts unpack those feelings, share some writings on the issue and implore the audience to find other ways to fight that keep us alive.

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Resources:

• Crimethin.com: This is what our ruling class has decided is normal
• Opinion | Why Would Anyone Kill Themselves to Stop a War? On Aaron Bushnell and Others | Common Dreams

The Greenbelt and the Auditor General Report

The Ontario Greenbelt's history has been a contentious one. From its creation, it has been resisted by developers whose sought to make obscene profits from unended sprawl. The Greenbelt Act in 2005 did not deter them, only increased their involvement and investment in Provincial politicians.

Ford Nation also has a complicated history with the Greenbelt and political resistance to his plans to carve it up and hand it over to his biggest donors. But now, the receipts are official in the form of the Auditor General's report on the land selection process by the Ontario Progressive Conservatives. And it is scathing.

As people are process on these details, environmentalists are feeling validated and extremely frustrated. Their warnings and calls to action largely went unheard.

The time comes to decide what our collective response needs to be. Some are calling for the OPP's involvement, others for resignations. What can stop this development from happening now?

All of these discussions and more in this latest Rabble Rant brought to you by the same folks producing Blueprints of Disruption.

All of our content is free - made possible by the generous sponsorships of our Patrons. If you would like to support us: Patreon

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Resources:

• Nora Loreto - Who Funds Ontario Proud
• Greenbelt History via TVO

Globally, workers ARE taking a stand, and refusing to transport Israeli weapons, or refusing to offload them at major ports. They are answering calls from Palestinian workers to disarm Israel and stop the siege on Gaza.

This episode's guests are part of some of those actions, which are at their core - economic disruptions aimed to isolate Israel politically and cut off their well funded supply of arms. We hear first hand what its like holding the line at this high tension actions, and what it takes to get there.

We also talk about the different forms of Palestinian resistance and why it must continue. This of course, brings up the difficult subject of a ceasefire - and why that may not be the way to Palestinian liberation.

As an added bonus, one of our guests gives a brief overview of the resistance to imperialism in the Philippines, and draws parallels to the movement to Free Palestine.

All of our content is free - made possible by the generous sponsorships of our Patrons. If you would like to support us: Patreon

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Resources:

• DIRECT ACTION TOOLKIT
• Workers in Palestine Letter
• Follow the Communist Workers Circle on Facebook
• Activist Study – Araling Aktibista (ARAK) – Foreign Languages Press
• PRWC » Make the US-Zionist Israel pay for the genocide of the Palestinian people
• The Palestinians’ inalienable right to resist — Ebb
• Resistance News Network – Telegram
• Follow ILPS on Instagram
• Israel's Military Spending Info - Al Jazeera

The episodes starts off with the story of Skigh Johnson, a Toronto resident who taped handwritten posters onto her local Starbucks to protest their support of genocide and their attack on workers who voiced pro-Palestinian views. What happens next is almost unbelievable - except it isn't and its how many activists are being targeted and made examples of.

What happened to Skigh helped spark positive connections in her community as well. Out of it all a group formed, Eglinton-Lawrence and Don Valley for Palestine. They called it that because its made up of folks from those two electoral ridings who initially wanted to work together to pressure one of their local MPs, Marco Mendicino.

But it became about more than that - it became about asserting their right to exist in their own neighbourhood.

Listen in as five comrades talk about the police ban on protests, the confrontations they've had to endure, the media's failure and the very personal impact it has had on all of them.

All of our content is free - made possible by the generous sponsorships of our Patrons. If you would like to support us: Patreon

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Resources: