Re-Occupy Toronto

On May 1st, Toronto saw thousands gather in the streets for May Day, an international day of anti-capitalist protest. In recent years May Day demonstrations have focused on migrant justice in much of North America. This year, a massive daytime march was organised, in response to a global call for mobilisations, by a coalition including No One Is Illegal, Occupy Toronto and the May First Movement. Occupy Toronto, like many such groups around the world, had plans to re-Occupy.

The May Day march ended in a park, with an early evening cultural event. The next phase, dubbed ‘Occupy the Beast’, was to begin at 9pm with a night march leading to an undisclosed but strategic location in Toronto’s financial district. The occupation was to be held for 24 hours, as part of a new strategy to target specific sites and events with temporary sit-ins.

Bands played at the cultural event in the park but the atmosphere was not promising. Over a hundred police officers cris-crossed through the crowd, making people feel uncomfortable. The crowd thinned as the bands played – fewer than 500 people remained by 9pm. Local hiphop crew Test Their Logik were the last band to perform. As they played their final song, they rallied everyone for the night march. “Time to Take the Streets! Let’s Occupy the Beast!” we chanted as we set off towards downtown Toronto.
The mood was tense but energetic. Approximately 400 activists were accompanied by a mass of police. Reminded of Montreal’s night protests, we yelled our solidarity with the students there – “Everybody Join the Fight! We Support the Student Strike!”.

As we approached our target location, many expected to see a line of police. The re-occupation site had been chosen and kept secret by a small working group, but keeping anything completely secure is a challenge. We had contingency plans if necessary but were pleased to find that the coast was clear and began to set up a mobile library and information booth. ‘Occu-pods’ – covered wagon-like bike trailers, invented to circumvent anti-tent byelaws – were wheeled into place, a prayer space was designated and a cinema screen was unfurled.

Police soon attempted to put a stop to our activities, making it clear that they would not tolerate the erection of any structure, not even a screen for our planned film night. They said that anyone present in the park after midnight, with tent or without, would be arrested under byelaws. New signs regarding park curfews had been put in place in every downtown park in anticipation of Occupy’s action.

In response, we called an impromptu General Assembly and the reason for choosing this location was explained. On the morning of May 2, the world’s largest gold mining company, Barrick Gold, would be holding its AGM just across the street. This company boasts the highest paid CEO in Canada and is responsible for numerous human rights’ abuses, theft of native land, destruction of environments and militarisation of communities around the world. Barrick is emblematic of corporate greed and the hegemony of the one per cent, and we were there to bring attention to these abuses while transforming the space into one of learning and dialogue. However, the police were uninterested in anything educational or transformative; they were not going to tolerate us holding that space. So the question was: should we stay or should we go?

What followed was an amazing Occupy moment: what felt like the entirety of the general assembly roared – in unison – “STAY!” We numbered over a hundred people at this point and the police seemed to have little appetite for arresting so many. Within ten minutes of our reaching consensus to stay, the authorities reversed their decision and granted us permission to remain, although not to erect structures. Our numbers swelled as word went out that the threat of arrest had been removed. We were joined by friends and supporters throughout the night and spent the next few hours in discussion groups, debating everything from food security to corporate greed and psychiatry.

The Occupy Chaplains were the first to challenge the no-tent rule. Their group had set up a table with candles and wanted a structure to shelter them from the wind. Surrounded by police – who were surrounded by occupiers – the chaplains explained that the tent was actually a place of worship and that they must be allowed to set it up. Despite repeated warnings, three of the chaplains erected a tent, only to be arrested and taken to a police van. Later released with trespass charges, the chaplains were not allowed back into the park.

The rest of the night was characterised by joyful solidarity interspersed with police harassment in the form of a no-sleeping policy. Anyone who shut their eyes whilst lying down would be woken with by the strong beam of a flashlight at close quarters. Soon occupiers abandoned the notion of sleeping and instead entertained one another with political folk music and good conversation. Many people left at around 5am, when fog rolled in and the temperature dropped. As dawn broke a couple of shivering but high-spirited activists held candles and sang Good Day Sunshine while others drank donated coffee and scavenged bagels. About sixty people made it through the night and in the morning supporters joined occupiers for a day of highlighting corporate abuses.

Leaders of communities directly affected by the activities of Barrick Gold had been invited to Toronto, so that they could speak their minds to the board of directors directly. Amani Mhinda from Tanzania attended, while representatives from Chile and Papua New Guinea sent written statements. Despite holding legal proxy shares, Mhinda was denied entry to Barrick’s AGM. His personal experience of human rights’ abuses, poisoning and the militarisation of Barrick’s Tanzanian mines was not to be heard by shareholders. Ironically, Peter Munk, Barrick Gold’s chairman and founder, was later quoted in a local newspaper saying that he “…would love to go outside where they are demonstrating… I’d love to go to Occupy Wall Street or Occupy Bay Street and I’d like to show them.”

People from Argentina, Balochistan and Tanzania spoke – not to shareholders but to occupiers, students and supporters – about their communities’ struggles against Barrick Gold. The crowds outside the Barrick AGM attracted reporters who brought Mhinda’s message to a wider audience than would have been possible if he had been allowed inside the building. Occupy had successfully lent its platform to a struggle previously marginalised by the media and excluded from decision-making forums. Even Peter Munk could not ignore the fact that his company had become the target of the local manifestation of a global mass movement. Our strong stand in the park had resulted in real consequences for a just cause; and we packed our bags on our own terms to Occupy another day.

By Sakura Saunders