The Queen's Park Student Rally!

Saturday Sept. 29:

The Student Movement: Queen's Park Rally: A Review:

About 100 protesters attended today's student run rally out front of the legislature. The students did a good job in getting a sound system, a press release and speeches together. It was very grassroots, and in fact very exciting. I watched with interest, and even a sense of relief, as a new generation of protesters took up the good fight for our democratic rights and freedom. Many of my readers will  remember protests at Queen's Park going way, way back to our youth. Whenever the politicos lost touch with the people they were elected to represent, we were there. It was great to see the students pick up the torch!

The students' support for teachers was quite clear and straight forward, unburdened by the big words and rhetoric that often makes these events seem so weighed down and dull. Basically, the emphasis in the speeches was on social justice, honest representation, and a strong understanding of the loss of democratic rights under Bill 115. The protest was very heartfelt and sincere. I heard it in the speeches or just walking around talking to the student protesters. Ontario's future is in good hands. Long may they run!

NDP Education Critic Peter Tabuns stuck his head out the legislature widows and came down for an impromptu meet and greet with the students. When he was introduced from the podium as "Peter", he joked that he'd been called many things over the years. He liked just being called by his first name for a change.

CUPE helped by providing a bus for the students who don't live in downtown Toronto. They were paired off with each other so nobody would get lost or left behind. PSAC lent them the huge paper mache heads of Harper, McGuinty, Hudak, and Ford, from the Court House protest a few week backs. Other than that today was very much the students' day in the sun, and they handled it with aplomb. It was an honour to be there at the simple beginnings of something really big; today's student movement!

The Toronto Star covers the student rally at Queen's Park. Students clearly in support of teachers. See:
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/politics/article/1264395--students-protest-in-support-of-ontario-teachers#.UGedST2SNCs.twitter

For a good photo of the rally on Twitter see: https://twitter.com/HeartsOnTheLeft/status/252086736207888384/photo/1

This one too: https://twitter.com/CFSON/status/252086453008482304/photo/1

Here's a possible prototype for a students movement flyer being shared on Twitter. Good! Just needs your own student logo. See: http://www.flickr.com/photos/egovsego/8031917275/

My photo's are below and in the top left slide show.....