Sunday, January 24, 2010

Prorogue photos

Here's the pictures I took at the rally from my cell phone yesterday. I had no idea how to upload them wirelessly until moments ago. I love living with someone who knows how to do this stuff.

Dude: You can do it with bluetooth.
Me: Bluetooth? Do I have to pay for that?
Dude: No, it's a device in your cell.
Me: What's Bluetooth?

Anyway, take a gander at these. McPal and I were really far back in the crowd away from the stage, and here are a few pictures of what was behind us...

...to the side of us...


...and to the front.

Notice the idiot with the sign protesting the other signs. As this was a grassroots effort, it cost individual people a lot of money to organize this whole thing: the stage, renting the square, flyers, signs, buttons. It wasn't financed by businesses or parties, so to recoup they charged money for protest signs, the "No to Proroguing, Yes to Democracy" ones. And people happily paid, as you can see below. It was a mutually convenient for organizers and protesters. But I guess some people, like the idiot above, go to protests to protest a minute aspect of the protest.

Here is a picture from when the march got underway. It looked the same from behind us as well. I can't believe they said only 3,000 people in the papers. 3,000 is a lot, yes, and right at 1:00 pm, there was about 3,000. But when the march commenced, there were considerably more than that, and people joined right off the street. But they were off by 2,000 or 3,000 people.


Again, it was insane. Don't listen to the naysayers. It was a success. People came, they were enthusiastic, and we marched all around the downtown core. Pedestrians stopped and took our picture, people were along the march route with signs of support, and it was a non-partisan event. No politicians, despite NDP provided orange signs saying "Stand up to Harper" and "Democracy Works". I saw most people with those signs hold them up, covering the party logo with their hand.

But 95% of the signs and banners were not politically affiliated in any way. I was so proud of Toronto. Like I said, the numbers were greatly under-reported. Here's a video showing the protest and should give a better idea of how many thousands participated:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhqdoTO_T3Y

Anyway, craft club is a little delayed today so I'm still at home in my robe. I'll still make quiche. Just later rather than sooner.

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