#maple spring

Posted before as part of the Street Politics 101 doc, this is the amazing song from the end on its own.

Best line:

"We don't disrupt anything! We remain pacifists! We don't break anything! Must not harm public opinion!"

In Street Politics 101, subMedia.tv features some of the best footage from what some called “the maple spring.” It also features interviews with students, teachers and anarchists involved in one of the most militant rebellions in Quebec.

Really, really, really great doc about the anti-capitalist student eruption in Quebec.

If you've ever wondered what combative syndicalism means, why ASSE and CLASSE are different, how they moved from student strikes to economic disruption to "anti-capitalist revolt".

The revolt helped "anarchists educate students about the importance of keeping the streets", and generated a really great zine Blockade, Occupy, Strike Back: a collection of tactical knowledge for students and others (with tips on masking up, building barricades as well as media support and other logistics).

From the article "Génération #moi" published in French in the magazine L'actualité, March 15th 2013, by Noémi Mercier (translated by myself)

From an email:

Hey comrades,

Recently, a campaign to target Sallie Mae's central, detrimental role in the student debt crisis has began to build great traction. Conversations have been sparked amongst various collectives and organizations as to how everyone can participate to effectively target Sallie Mae and how together, this can be an avenue to make strong demands and envision alternatives on fundamental issues like free public higher education, racial justice, and equal access to education for immigrants.

Organizers at Jobs with Justice and Student Labor Action Project have already begun to coordinate efforts against the already beleaguered corporation by organizing workers in Sallie Mae call centers, to pressuring the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau for tougher regulation to pursuing legal recourse for Sallie Mae's redlining practices.

Here in New York, folks from New York Students Rising, Strike Debt, Occupy Student Debt Campaign, and All in the Red have been discussing what it would look like to continue to focus on Sallie Mae together in the context of building a broad-based coalition.  

We'd like to open up the discussion to organizers and activists across New York City (there will be a national call following this) to unpack what this could look like locally and nationally in the coming months. Please send this to anyone in and around NYC who may be interested and indicate your availability on this Doodle if you'd like be a part of the call: http://www.doodle.com/8tz3w6nwc7a63xvd

Best, Matt Tinker, (479-366-8609) #allinthered

Janna Powell (484-695-1204) #allinthered

In my humble opinion, All in the Red is one of the most promising new economic-justice/education groups you can choose to be involved with in the U.S. They are creative & smart & serious about testing innovative organizational tactics. 

All in the Red fights for accessible debt-free education for all!

Through visionary tactics, surprising actions, and creative networking, we resist corporate ownership of our schools and the commodification of knowledge.

By combining artistic and organizational innovations with grassroots direct action, we strive to create dynamic experimental spaces of connectivity and collaboration–incubators for new forms of creative protest.

Quebec students aren't stopping at their fees being frozen at the election - they're continuing their joined-up fight for free tertiary education.

"After a year of revolt which became known as the "Maple Spring"—including massive street protests that received global attention—university students across Quebec were celebrating victory on Thursday night following the announcement from newly elected Premier Pauline Marois that the government was cancelling the proposed tuition hike that led to the student uprising and nullifying the contentious