TORONTO REPORTBACK!  (via Toronto Against Fascism): Saturday was…

TORONTO REPORTBACK!  (via Toronto Against Fascism):  Saturday was a beautiful day for antifascism! It was a warm, sunny day that invited high spirits, until we learned that a local fascist had uploaded a hateful rant suggesting an imminent, suicidal attack against us Youtube and Facebook. Sobered but unfazed, we hugged, raised our banner, and marched to confront the usual axis of fascists and state forces. PEGIDA’s streak of ineffective rallies continued with their lowest attendance in recent months. Labour Day weekend and a simultaneous bigot festival in Estevan, SK. sapped their numbers, but the solid turnout from the anti-fascist side tells us that the frustration and infighting inflicted by our counter-demos is having an effect. As fascists are uncreative and boring, we decided to have a small celebration of our own while opposing them. With our allies and supporters we enjoyed refreshments, banners, singing, and dance. We’re especially grateful to the Raging Grannies who came out to lead us in their anti-oppressive songs. Thank you, angry grannies! The small fascist group, not more than 15 at any time, gave up and went home early. None of the usual spectacular confrontation seen at previous rallies was needed. Instead of trying to hold a march, PEGIDA laid a cheap styrofoam wreath at the Old City Hall Cenotaph before their rally. Their skulking around is a welcome self-admission of their inability to confront us without a police escort. That said, we should not mistake Saturday as anything other than a minor lull in the wider struggle. It’s a well deserved breather, but not much else. We must continue to build broader action to oppose bigotry from street fascists, business, and the government.As a reminder, on this same weekend: In the GTA, bigots harassed and attacked people at Muslimfest in Mississauga on Sunday. The crisis in Hamilton continues to simmer, and City council may soon give neo-Nazi Paul Fromm a platform to talk about ‘free speech.’ As queer people in the city report feeling more threatened than ever, this is an outrageous concession to fascist thugs.In Boston, police made repeated unprovoked attacks against hundreds of pro-LGBTQ demonstrators. The crime? Peacefully outnumbering a “straight pride” rally organized by a white supremacist group.
This and more remind us of the magnitude of what we’re facing, and why we continue to call for the abolition of police. While we were preparing to leave, a group of Proud Boys rounded the corner on us. Passersby could be forgiven for thinking the Proud Boys were simply late to their own rally. That said, their jeers and posturing indicated a clear intent to attack departing supporters and the food servers of Snack Bloc. But for all their machismo, they could not help but defer to authority figures. When confronted with a mix of black bloc’d and everyday antifascists, the Proud Boys–as they do when facing real opposition–bravely begged the police to arrest us for (possibly) glittering them. Sadly, there have been no reports of any of them having turned queer from this deadly antifa superweapon. Finally, the fallout of this confrontation requires us to re-iterate a point made by our allies in INAF from before the rally . We will not tolerate any form of bigotry at these events, for any reason. It is unacceptable on the part of self-described antifascists to use gendered slurs when confronting obvious bigots. This conduct only reinforces oppression and the misogyny that bolsters fascism. If you behave in this way, and attempt to justify your behaviour when corrected, it doesn’t put you on our side, and you are not welcome at our events.There is already a boy’s fighting club that slings misogynistic slurs at their enemies. They’re called the Proud Boys. We ask that all who participate in our rallies reflect on how they both uphold and undermine the oppressive structures in our society. We build a better world not only by street action, but also by developing our own political consciousness and acting in solidarity with each other.

In our victory march after the action, the TAF banner is prominent, but we couldn’t have done it without our allies: INAF – Intersectional Antifascists, the Toronto IWW GDC Local 28, other local antifascists and affinity groups, the faith community, the United Steel Workers, the Raging Grannies, and everyone who supported us.You have our love and solidarity.

We will see you again.