It was a great night for a street gathering. Add some pots and spoons, a red flag or two, and viola – Casserole Night in Calgary! Approximately 200 people (we heard estimates of 150-250, so I’m going with the average) came out to show their solidarity for the Quebec Students Movement. and to show opposition to Quebec’s Bill 78. Others protested where they were, whether Ogden or Brentwood or Killarney.
And that’s just Calgary. Over 60 other solidarity actions were happning in Canada, the US, Europe – and who knows where else. People were banging pots, wearing red, shouting their support – hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of people standing up to support the Quebec students, because what they’re fighting is not simply “tuition increases” but the austerity movement that continues to tell us that we must give in, cut back and be content with what little we have.
“Another world is possible,” we chant, we write and we sing. But another world is only possible if we stand up and create it. This is just one action among many, and it connects with what has come before (liberation movements, anti-globalization) and what is yet to come. Standing in solidarity with one group and seeing the connections between all our struggles is a wonderful moment, and I’m looking forward to dancing to more of the revolution to come!
