There is no space for hate in Guelph

J4WG and OFL are asking everyone who can to stand in solidarity to defend our community by showing up on September 20 by 8:30 am outside City Hall to occupy space for inclusion and to block the haters

Photo credit: Ontario Federation of Labour website

First they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist

Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist

Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew

Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me

Martin Niemöller (1892 – 1984) – a later version by the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, a charity established by the British government, added in the first stanza, First they came for the Communists.

Niemöller, a German Lutheran pastor, was an anti-Communist supporter of Adolf Hitler. But when Hitler insisted on the supremacy of the state over religion, Niemöller became the leader of a group of clergymen opposing Hitler.

Niemöller was arrested and sent to Sachsenhausen and Dachau concentration camps for over seven years and eventually freed by the Allies in 1945.

Earlier this year, American broadcast journalist, John Merrow updated those words written in the 1930’s to reflect what is happening in Republican dominate states across America.

First they came for the transgender kids, and I did not speak out—because I am not transgender.  

Then they came for the bisexuals, the gays, and the lesbians, and I did not speak out—because I am none of those.  

Then they came for the same sex couples, and I did not speak out—because I am married to a woman.  

Then they came for me—but by that time the puritans, the fascists, and the power-hungry were in complete control, and speaking out was not allowed. 

Unfortunately, this rhetoric of hate infringes on bodily autonomy and self-determination which according the United Nations, are basic human rights.

“Our communities and countries can flourish only when every individual has the power to make decisions about their bodies and futures,” United Nations Population Fund.

And, this destructive propaganda has made its way to Canada in the form of anti-2SLGBTQIA+ ideology.

On Wednesday, September 20, 2023, religious hate-mongers are mounting a cross-Canada campaign billed as the “Million Person March to protest schools indoctrinating and sexualizing children with LGBTQ ideology.”

This group is for a nation-wide school walkout on that day to bring the same hate-based fear to our communities that is sweeping the US.

Similar hate-based attacks are growing in Canada with religious extremists protesting aggressively at schools, school-board meetings and targeting drag performer story-readings at public libraries.

If we allow the haters to build their forces unopposed, they will escalate to banning books, threatening teachers, attacking reproductive rights, and promoting the execution of gender rebels.

Most people oppose the persecution of gender rebels. When anti-trans fascists targeted elementary schools in Ottawa, community members organized a human blockade to support trans youth and protect the school.

Justice for Workers Guelph (J4WG) and the Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) are saying Enough is Enough!

J4WG and OFL are asking everyone who can to stand in solidarity to defend our community by showing up on September 20 by 8:30 am outside City Hall to occupy space for inclusion and to block the haters plan.

J4WG and OFL want to build a safe, joyous, non-violent counter rally! No one is to engage the hate-mongers physically or with taunts or insults. Instead, peaceful, inclusive protestors will calmly take the space, turn their backs on the haters and celebrate the rich diversity or the Guelph community.

Good trouble makers are encouraged to bring noise-makers and organization/union banners.

Bring everyone you know to outnumber the haters by the hundreds and end these human rights targeted attacks once and for all.

Let these ultra-right conservatives know that there is no space for hate in Guelph, Ontario or Canada – period.

Some important information provided by the Guelph chapter can be found here:

From the OFL website with additional counter-protest sites: https://ofl.ca/event/no-space-for-hate/

Confronting and Preventing Hate in Canadian Schools: https://ofl.ca/wp-content/uploads/CAHN-Confronting-and-Preventing-Hate-in-Canadian-Schools.pdf

Guide For Pride Defenders Handout (ABRIDGED VERSION): https://ofl.ca/wp-content/uploads/Canadian-Anti-Hate-Network-Pride-Defence-Handout-abridged-version.pdf

Guide for Pride Defenders (full Version):  https://ofl.ca/wp-content/uploads/Canadian-Anti-Hate-Network-Guide-for-Pride-Defenders.pdf 

Anti-hate Rapid Response: https://ofl.ca/wp-content/uploads/Anti-hate-Rapid-Response.pdf

Safe Protesting: A Guide to Your Rights: https://ofl.ca/wp-content/uploads/OFL-Safe-Protesting-A-Guide-to-Your-Rights.pdf

Safety Tips for 2SLGTBQIA+ Youth:  https://ofl.ca/wp-content/uploads/GSA-Network-Pride-Protest-Safety-Tips-for-LGBTQ-Youth.pdf 

Know Your Rights: https://movementdefence.org/2020/02/a-legal-guide-for-activists/ 

Pride and Safety Toolkit: https://ofl.ca/wp-content/uploads/Egale-Pride-Safety-Toolkit-2.0.pdf 

Let’s get as many people out to this event as possible! There is safety in numbers. And if we outnumber them significantly, they will think twice about coming out again.

For more information about Justice for Workers Guelph check out their  FB page and Instagram.