Rally for Peace
at the
CANSEC Weapons Bazaar
(Protest outside the gates of Canada's largest war-industry trade show)
June 2, 2010,
from 5-7 pm
(at the Bank St entrance to Lansdowne Park,
Ottawa)
The Coalition to
Oppose the Arms Trade (COAT) organised this large public event with great music,
inspiring poetry and informative speakers.
This successful Rally,
which attracted more than 300 people, was set against a colourful backdrop of
peace images, antiwar symbols, cartoons, photos and famous statements that we assembled to
decorate the CANSEC fence. (People joined us from Quebec City,
Toronto,
Montreal and
Kingston.)
Thanks to all the
individuals and groups that made our Rally a great success!
(Click to see a list of all participating groups.)
Read an article (with photos) by Koozma Tarasoff about COAT's June 2 Rally for Peace.
Our Emcees:
(Video*)
Alex
Cullen,
City of Ottawa Councillor (Bay Ward); Candidate for Mayor of Ottawa
(Video*)
Susan McMaster,
an Ottawa
Quaker and
the author of many books of poetry; Editor, Waging Peace: Poetry and
Political Action.
Speakers:
(Video*)
Janis Alton and Di McIntyre,
Canadian Voice of
Women for Peace
(Video*) Adam
Balsam,
Independent Jewish Voices
(Video*)
John Rafferty, MP,
Thunder Bay-Rainy River,
New Democratic Party of Canada
(Video*)
Rev. Canon Gary
Hauch, Minister of
Church of the Ascension,
Ottawa, was in the Vietnam War with the US Army medical corps
(Video*)
Diane
Holmes,
City of Ottawa Councillor (Somerset Ward)
(Video*)
Rev. John Marsh,
minister,
First Unitarian Congregation of
Ottawa
(Video*)
Alphonso Ibarra Ramirez,
political refugee from Colombia opposes US
military bases and the Canada-Colombia Free Trade deal
(Video*) Richard Sanders,
coordinator, Coalition to Oppose the Arms Trade
(COAT)
Music
and Poetry:
(Video*)
John
Akpata,
poet, Radio Host ("Monday Night Scribes," CHUO)
Jeff Froggett and Stephen Richer,
musicians (voice and banjo) active in
protecting a community vision for Lansdowne Park
(Video*)
Dr. Qais Ghanem,
poet;
Physicians for Global Survival; Radio Host,
Dialogue with Diversity
(CHIN 97.9 FM)
(Video*)
Just
Voices,
an activist community
choir that sings songs on protest themes such as social injustice, war and the
environment.
(Video*)
Raging Grannies,
"feisty older women who sing long and loud" about peace, justice, equality and politics.
(Video*)
Sandra Stephenson,
Co-founder, Poets Against War;
former Coordinator,
Peace Studies program, John Abbott College, Montreal.
(Margaret Atwood,
wasn't able to join us, but she sent us some peace poems that were read
by Sandra.)
* Videos were recorded and edited by
Qais Ghanem.
See
Photos
of COAT's "Rally for Peace," etc:
by Koozma Tarasoff (35 photos)
by Qais
Ghanem (26 photos)
by
Esprit
de Corps
(450 photos) (20 photos at Rally
for Peace, the rest inside CANSEC)
by The Media Coop (10 photos)
by The Ottawa Citizen (4 photos)
by Richard Sanders (6 photos)
(If you have photos/video of the Rally, please contact
COAT)
For more info. about CANSEC, visit the
Coalition to Oppose the Arms Trade (COAT)
Read more about COAT's
successful campaign against CANSEC 2010.
Click here for 30+
media links about CANSEC 2010 and our campaign.
Read "CANSEC: War is Business" for indepth research on CANSEC and Canada's role in the international arms trade
Quicklinks to more
info on CANSEC and the grassroots campaign against it
Please support
COAT's work! Subscribe to our magazine, or order copies. Thanks!