Stories News Digest In Context All

More than 100 people hold anti-war protest in Halifax

War protesters want troops out of Afghanistan before Stephen Harper's 2011 deadline

Students and other peace activists took to the streets this Saturday to try and reenergize the anti-war movement in Halifax.

More than one hundred people peacefully chanted, danced and sang their way down Spring Garden Road and on to the Grand Parade on Saturday to demand Canada pull its troops out of Afghanistan.

Kaley Kennedy, a spokesperson for the Halifax Anti-war coalition, admitted the movement has waned in recent years.

“We’re hoping this will get people excited about the anti-war movement. We’ve seen the anti-war movement in Halifax decline quite significantly over the last five or six years.”

The Halifax Anti-War Coalition organized the event. The group is a blanket organization that brings together many activist-groups from around the city.

Protesters want the troops out sooner than the 2011 deadline Prime Minister Harper announced during the recent federal election.

The Student Coalition Against War was one of the groups that helped organize the rally.

The coalition had predicted it would supply half the numbers for the main rally. However, only 35 people showed up to the feeder rally at Dalhousie’s Killam Library. Some blamed high tuition fees for the low student turnout.

“Education isn’t accessible to the larger public,” said Laura Merdsoy. “The people who end up in school maybe have different concerns.”
Merdsoy is with a new group that aims to fight the military presence on Dal campus, Students Mobilizing for Action on Campus.

Another student group that marched on Saturday was the Dalhousie Native Students Association. It distributed “Death 250” patches to the protesters, a reference to the current Democracy 250 celebrations, which recall the beginnings of responsible government in the British Empire.

“Canada participated in pretty much genocide of the aboriginal peoples here for their settlement and colonization,” said society member Alana Lee. “Why not recognize that all is one? Colonialism and imperialism go together.”

Lee added that the Afghan mission is another case of Canada pushing its beliefs on another culture.

The students then walked to Victoria Park to mass with the other groups, marched to Grand Parade where there were more speeches and chanting.

Coalition organizer Rob Sangster-Poole was pleased with the main rally despite the low turnout to the student-feeder rally.

“This rally is a success for me. Look how many people showed up,” said Poole. “This is democracy at its finest. “

In terms of attendance, Saturday’s rally was average compared with rallies like it since 2001. The numbers were far short of the 2,000 people who marched in the lead up to the Iraq invasion in 2003.
The rally was far larger than Tamara Lorincz’ one-woman protest against the Afghan invasion when it started in October 2001. Lorincz was the NDP candidate in Halifax West in the recent federal election.

The police presence at Saturday’s rally was negligible. Two officers walked alongside the march and a police van followed up the rear. The protest remained peaceful despite a leaflet distributed by the Anonymous Anarchists promising “No peace between the classes.”

Organizers say their goal is to raise the profile of the Canada’s Afghan mission.

“It’s important to remind the country that we’re at war,” said Sangster-Poole. “Having dozens or hundreds of people marching down the streets of major cities like Halifax helps remind the public we’re at war.”

Both CTV and The Canadian Press covered the rally, which means the protesters reminder will go to a national audience.

Marcher Heidi Verheul of the Halifax Peace Coalition said the rallies are important.

“[Demonstrations] are necessary, absolutely necessary,” said Verheul. “You look at any sort of mass movement throughout history at any point in time it’s large numbers of people who network, who connect, who get out in the street and demand change. Nothing ever happens unless people demand it.”