Nelson to join #ShutDownCanada demonstration Friday at High Noon
By Nelson Daily Staff
Vancouver is planning to join the cause.
So are Calgary, Edmonton, Fredericton and Kamloops.
Not lost in the #ShutDownCanada demonstration this week is the Heritage City where people are planning to march outside city halls, shut down highways, occupy high traffic areas.
“We’re doing this local action because Nelson is part of Canada and we are all concerned about the Harper government’s choices, most recently about his new anti-democractic security provisions which remove freedom of speech for dissenters and criminalize us,” said K. Linda Kivi of the Nelson movement.
#ShutDownCanada is scheduled to create a bit of havoc Friday (February 13) when, thousands of people plan to partake in a variety of direct actions and demonstrations.
The movement has more than 3700 people joining the Facebook page that was created for the event.
The group is asking for communities across Canada to blockade local railways, ports or highways.
The message on the Facebook page also asks Canadians not to purchase items, fly, attend work and keep the kids home from school with the goal of significantly impacting the Canadian economy for a day and demand there be an independent inquiry into the 2000+ cases of missing or murdered indigenous women.”
“We care about the missing and murdered women, their families and communities that continue to be deeply affected by this violence,” Kivi explains.
“Did you know that a Nelson woman went missing on the Highway of Tears about a decade ago?” Kivi asks.
“Until all women are safe, no woman is safe. Until a society can care for its most vulnerable people, it is not a healthy, functioning society.”
Kivi, who has been part of the local “Keep Jumbo Wild” and “Stop Pipelines” protests, said the Nelson demonstration hopes to bring attention to the fact that our government and police have not made it a priority to protect women at risk in this country.
“Also, we’d like to uphold our ongoing commitment to honour the First Nation folks here, the Sinixt, who continue to exist under bureaucratic extinction,” Kivi said.
“We’d like to encourage people to take action and speak out about the values of justice that are currently under threat.”
Kivi said the demonstration in Nelson, scheduled on Baker Street near the Food Co-op, is scheduled to begin at noon. The #ShutDownCanada Facebook page lists 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. as demonstration time.
“We want to act in solidarity with activists all across Canada,” Kivi said.
“Just because we are a small community, does not mean that we are insignificant. We speak out to maintain our senses of integrity, justice and connection to the change we want to see and be.”
