John Clarke from OCAP (The glowing eyes are mere coincidence…)
Yesterday was a very interesting one for Toronto’s City Hall. Shortly after noon a group of people from the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty setup camp in front of the mayor’s office to protest the city’s policy on shelters. It was a planned event, OCAP had booked space in the neighbouring Anglican Church of the Holy Trinity (a haven for Toronto’s anarchist groups) just an hour before.
Selecting the mayor’s office was a smart choice of a location. It’s not only high-profile, but most of the major news networks have access to pre-installed wiring to connect their cameras to live feeds. Unfortunately, being OCAP, they made some dumb choices too. The most significant one being their decision to try and slander me while talking to those news cameras. And, wow, did it ever backfire on them!
When I arrived at 2:15 there were a couple of banners hanging in the atrium, on said “no more homeless deaths” the other reflected OCAP’s union roots saying “Cuts kill the poor”. Let’s not forget that the head of OCAP, John Clarke, is tight with Sid Ryan (both who immigrated to Canada and started shit-disturbing when they got here.) Adding more shelter spaces creates more union jobs than permanent housing.
I walked up the stairs to find myself immersed in a crowd of 35-45 angry socialist revolutionaries camped-out in front of the mayor’s office. People were sitting on the floor with blankets, garbage was already strewn around, and there were some protest signs laying along the wall.
Then, suddenly, I was briskly approached by Mark Brill. On-paper, Brill is the webmaster for OCAP but it’s obvious he’s much more than that- I’ve seen him take a leadership role at every protest he’s appeared at. And, unlike most of the people there, Brill’s getting paid a salary (as is John Clarke).
Brill went into OCAP’s usual spiel- saying that I’am not allowed to be in a public place because OCAP deems me not worthy to be there. Could you imagine the kind of world we’d see if these people were actually in-power? Just like the last time I was accosted by OCAP members, I was polite and quiet and made my way to the sidelines. But, that didn’t stop them, they continued hounding me.
City Hall security approached us and made it clear to the bullies that I had every right to be in that place. They continued to argue with security right up to the point that they were threatened to be issued a trespass warning if they continue. I agreed with security that I’d stay where the media was setup (as was my intention) and I quietly filmed the event.
Then, out of nowhere, a very silly man named Gaétan Héroux came up and started harassing me. The security guards quickly intervened, explained that I had every right to be there, and warned him that he would get a ticket for trespass if he wouldn’t stop.
Instead, the guy starts spouting out the same set of lies Doug Kynikos threw at me from OCAP’s rally during the Liberal Party convention protest last month. This is very significant because it demonstrates that the lies OCAP broadcast about me last time have had an effect on my reputation.
Next, Héroux engages in a well-worn Lefty dirty trick- but, unfortunately, the guy is so deeply immersed in the language of his socialist obedience cult that he doesn’t realize how dumb he sounded. He actually said to the security guard that (because of my presence) there were female protesters who were going to leave! The security guard chuckled, as did a cameraman from the CBC. Isn’t that what the security team wanted anyhow?
Anarchist Christian Peacemaker Mennonite Doug Hatlem was making an announcement to the media at that moment- but Héroux’s rantings began to divert their attention. Soon all of the media was flocked around this guy and he began yelling-out lies about me in front of the cameras. When he finished with his litany of slander one of the reporters asked him a simple question:
“Who is he?”
To, which, he comes back with an answer that exposed the depths of his ignorance:
“I don’t know who he is.”
That was the point where the cameras were shut-off, when they realized that Héroux was all beard and no brains. Equally, he showed us the inner workings of a socialist obedience cult. When the leadership doesn’t want someone around them, they get their minions to make fools out of themselves with rabid attacks and false allegations. This sort of thing happens so often that it’s almost a required part of every obedience cult protest. You see, by finding an outside person to make the villain, the leaders are able to deflect criticism.
If you’ve not been reading my articles you may be wondering why OCAP are so hell-bent on trying to stop me from covering their protests. I’ve been writing about violent Canadian activist movements for over a year now, exposing their funding sources, partnerships, and extremist dogma. OCAP is probably the most prominent in English-speaking Canada.
OCAP was front-and-centre during the Queen’s Park riot back in 2000. John Clarke screamed into his megaphone egging on the crowd- some of those people were carrying Molotov cocktails. OCAP’s is the most senseless type of violence- the kind of stuff that plays right into the hands of dark people who want to expand the police state (yes, that’s you Dick Cheney).
Someone shared a link with me last night that reminded me why it’s so important to expose what’s happening in organizations like OCAP. It’s a webpage by the Toronto District School Board outlining approved organizations for teachers to engage with for Anti-Classism Education. It’s downright scary.
On this page the TDSB advises teachers that “OCAP is willing to visit schools and deliver workshops regarding issues of poverty such as homelessness and housing issues”. Yes, you read that right- a group of slanderous bullies who, in their spare time, throw Molotov cocktails at the police are being invited into classrooms across the city. How could this be? Well, it gets worse:
Click to expand (then click again)
No One Is Illegal is probably the most racist, pro-violence and malevolent organizations in the English-speaking left. Their leaders openly advocate for the use of street violence against the police and have promoted causing massive property damage in our cities. NoII is also busy creating division, hate and misdirection in Canada’s indigenous communities. One of their leaders, Harjap Grewal, helps organize a group caught making videos singing “take back the land, kill the white man“.
There’s something seriously wrong here. The TDSB is supposedly putting a lot of effort into reducing incidents of violence and bullying- knowing that, how could they possibly invite two of Toronto’s most violent, racist and bullying organizations into our children’s classrooms? This is an outrage.
Chris Bolton is the chair of the board for the TDSB. I’m going to be writing him a letter shortly asking for a meeting, and the opportunity to explain this problem to him in-person. If you’re also concerned about this situation, you may want to send him a mail expressing your disapproval. The more of us who contact him, the more likely we can get it to end. Here’s his email: [email protected]
Here’s the video of yesterday’s incident- let’s hope this guy’s not the brightest bulb on OCAP’s string…
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“he showed us the inner workings of a socialist obedience cult”
More than anything else, I think it shows a real fear and desperation. I can’t ever remember the lamestream media ever doing any sort of investigative work about socialist “activists.” They are always uncritically reported. In my view, this is because journalists and activists are mostly from the same Machine: the University. The image of a University projected to the non-university rubes is that in the Ivory Tower, anything and everything is questioned—of course, those familiar with the inside of the tower know otherwise. They know the truth: the Ivory tower is constituted not so much by what its occupants question but by what they refuse to question, by what they take on their particular brand of faith.
You might think that the mention of the University is out of left field, but it is not. There is no need for an actual conviction at law, for example, in a University workplace for a woman to suggest that a male co-worker is making her feel uncomfortable. She may suggest that to management, and it is incumbent upon management to take steps to mitigate the potential danger, if only from the point of view of liability minimization. This lens renders the video a garish spectacle: essentially, you are being treated as a “co-worker” with the OCAP people. Some female workers are going to stop showing up to work if management (security) doesn’t fire you, Greg! Given that the University is where many activists “grow up” (or, rather, continue in teenaged fantasy with a more sophistic vocabulary) it is not surprising that they treat the whole world like it is one big University-workplace where the standard isn’t “law” but…well, I don’t know what to call it; it isn’t even right to call it a standard, because standards are public and knowable. A fitting isn’t a “standard fitting” if there isn’t some public, intelligible standard to which it conforms.
So, keep up the good work—and for any University-socialists monitoring this website, there is life outside of your cult. There was life before your cult, and there will be life after your cult. There is a whole living, breathing world out there, one that exists outside of abstract socialist philosophy. But perhaps not everyone is fit to live in the free world: perhaps some people require authoritarian socialist institutions to govern them:
“from the hour of their birth, some are marked out for subjection, others for rule.” (Aristotle, Politics)
They use the words “I feel unsafe around this person”. I’ve been in similar situations with this ilk of people and I’ve had that used against me as well as pedophile and sexist. I’ve heard them claim that people, even some supporters they didn’t want around, were rapists They don’t need evidence for this. It’s whatever they say. They take the position that THEY are in charge and in authority. All they want is for anyone who’s onto their game to leave. Heroux is such a scammer. I used to go to their gatherings and got to know instinctively when he’d put on his crying routine.
I love the safe space concept. It always gives me a chuckle. It is the concept the puppet masters use to control dissension in the ranks and the thing that emotionally unstable people cling to to try and feel emotionally stable. It is a concept that is as real as unicorns and fairies.
Hello Standing Water , i am still thinking about how to reply about the comment you made about university students playing grown up or continuing in a teenaged fantasy using better vocabulary. Don’t get me wrong, i don’t disagree with you, however, being one of those university students myself I like to think of myself as being fairly well versed in what is going on in the world ( ok, being older does help there ) , as well, experience has taught me a thing or two about social issues .
What I saw at city hall yesterday was presented as a decent idea and indeed , the issue of people not having homes is a very serious issue here. However, what was troubling was the use of threats of violence and encouraging persons to ” hold their ground ” was greatly irresponsible as this suggests that it is more important to get arrested for something now, rather than coming back and fighting another day having now earned the reputation of being at least law abiding and peaceful.
What I saw from these people who were bent on trying to draw negative attention upon Greg as being a act of desperation as they see that he IS right , they ARE wrong but they need to win… like all bullies. Appearances in front of their peers is important , facts be damned
Too many activists have read Saul Alinsky I think, Victory at all costs and everything is fair game. I find that most radicalized movements now can’t sustain themselves on the truth. Their movement collapses and they can’t garner support. Therefore they need to lie and twist fact or fade away.
Uncontrollable laughter from seeing that video…. The Russian National anthem was an especially nice touch!!
An English version of the Soviet Anthem for those interested. Early on it goes ‘The great Soviet Union will last through the ages’ lol…… little off on that one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpccpglnNf0&feature=youtube_gdata_player Great work Greg all the best.
I was shocked to see OCAP on the TDSB website but not nearly as shocked when I saw NoII. The biggest school board in Canada are going to invite a racist anti-Canada group to brainwash and recruit high school students. What is next, Heritage Front? And there they sit, amongst actual legit charities like Daily Bread Food Bank. Maybe when Alex Hundert and Mandy Hiscocks are done serving time they can go on a Toronto High School speaking tour telling students to attack the police. Maybe Harsha Walia can come along and tell every white male in the audience how evil they are and that Canada should be destroyed.
Hyya Hammer, you should have been to Ryerson a few weeks ago when harsha walia was here speaking. It may interest you to know that according to her, the sole purpose of white males is to abuse and exploit darker skinned females. it appears that this is all we do, well, according to her anyway .
Coming soon to a high school near you!
It may surprise you that the people you’re filming would be incredibly insulted that you are framing them as Soviet communists. They hate Soviet communism, or any known form of communism, so I guess you have that in common with them. If they do employ the word at all, they claim they are “anarcho-communists” which is just silly to me. It doesn’t bother me one bit that they’d be upset by your video. How I feel about it personally is a different matter altogether.
And you know this how? Why did I see all of the Soviet flags and imagery at the Occupy camp? Why do they want to redistribute wealth? Me thinks you’re being offended on behalf of someone else who actually wouldn’t be offended at all.
Having not been involved with “Occupy”, I wonder if you could direct me to any videos involving Occupy in Toronto or OCAP that feature “Soviet flags or imagery”. (Not sure what “imagery” could include but feel free to describe.). As for your “me thinks” etc. I’m not sure what you’re getting at. I suggest that if an Occupy or OCAP demo occurs again that you show up with a Soviet flag and see what happens. I’m very sure someone will give you a stern talking to and if you persist, you’ll be treated like Greg Renouf.
OCAP is infamous for their tactics.
Here is OCAP’s John Clarke whipping up a large G20 crowd at Allan Gardens before the riot http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oE5Mc2CA5fY Pay particular attention to what is said 1min15sec when he says “we’re not looking for war but they have given us war and we’re looking to give them war back… things are not going to be peaceful”
As they all marched off to the ensuing riot, John Clarke took a taxi home to watch it all on the telly!
You could spend a week searching Google and old newspaper articles at the library to find piles of this stuff.
Here are a few videos of the last time they made a scene at City Hall February 10, 2011 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DZMc8VfS94
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQXfM2y–Sw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIYJg53Ty-M
This is information on OCAP’s 2001 Bay Street riot incident
http://www.ainfos.ca/01/oct/ainfos00341.html
This is an account of OCAP using the poor, seniors and psyche survivors as a shield to be put between Black Bloc anarchists OCAP hired a bus to import from Quebec City and the Toronto Police force’s riot squad http://www.causepimps.ca/sarah-vance/top.html
Further there are the reports from former OCAP members about how when you join you must submit to a formal interview usually in OCAP’s offices about your personal history, your family, where you go to school or work and your background in activism. They want to know if you have a criminal record and berate you if you don’t, both to encourage you to get arrested to become accepted as an OCAP member and to encourage you to talk about anything criminal you have done in the past but were never caught by the police. If you do try to leave OCAP they will use that information to coerce you to stay just like Scientology does to its members who question that group.
OCAP even has sent members to the New Socialists, their political indoctrination wing where their higher members all belong, for “reeducation” when some of your beliefs are in conflict with John Clarke’s or other OCAP elite members’ view of reality. Yes, “reeducation”!
OCAP boasts of having many sympathetic high school teachers who send their students to join OCAP! And here is another OCAP member who is public school teacher http://www.torontosun.com/2012/05/08/hey-hey-were-8-lets-smash-the-state
But best of all here is an OCAP fundrasing email where John Clarke complains about not having a pension from OCAP http://www.causepimps.ca/john-clarke/poverty%20pimp%20pension.html
The “New Socialists” have to be the worst, rivaling the “International Socialists” for being scumbags. If any group require re-education, it’s the “New Socialists”. Trotskyists are really the bottom of the barrel.
No One Is Illegal is still much more of a concern for me.
A few years back I remember NOII held a pro Palestinian protest outside of the various Chapters stores because the owner is supposed to be pro Israel.
I remember being outside of the Bloor West Chapters store which was being picketed by a 30 or so nannies with their charges mostly in strollers. Did their employers know what was being done on paid time with their children being brought to political protests?
A few of the nannies had signs demanding that zionists be “expelled” from Canada.
I found it shocking that they were demanding Canadian citizens of certain viewpoints they disagreed with should be expelled from Canada, when I doubt these protestors were Canadian citizens and were probably in this country on temporary work permits hoping to eventually get landed status.
To think that these women are now either landed immigrants or even citizens who want Canadian citizens expelled merely because of their beliefs is a scary thought.
The “Israel apartheid” and “Pro Palestine” movements have evolved into anti-Israel movements and are evolving into anti-Semitic movements. Almost every state in the Middle East is an apartheid state but they choose to only focus on one state. Additionally, if they are “Pro-Palestine” they why do they ignore the plight of Palestinians in other Middle East countries. Jordan is the only Middle East country with a significant Palestinian population where Palestinians have equal rights. You never hear about Lebanon where Palestinians are persecuted badly. Or the expulsion of 400,000 Palestinians from Kuwait. In the Middle East Palestinians are treated much the same way the Roma are in Europe.
More things change, the more they stay the same.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/story/1999/08/03/lastman990803.html
may i kindly reveal the REAL horror story here please : these are the people RUNNING the homeless shelters housing +++++ . they are all OVER these people and places like sweat on a FISH . they have ZERO qualms about ignoring and barring and throwing homeless out ( ‘ relocating them ‘ ( to the SIDEwalk ) regardless of conditions – esPECIALLY if you are NOT one of THEM or you present some sort of headache ( especially special needs people and they lose every . single . TIME . disgusting ) . do NOT get me started . thank you . – victim .
Author
This sounds exactly like the stories I’m hearing from people in Vancouver. It’s disturbing to hear this is happening here in Toronto too. I’ll have to dig further into this – thank you for sharing your story.
1 – OCAP took protesters up to OTTAWA at a time when prime minister jean chretien was in EUROPE
2 – OCAP burned ontario premier dalton mcguinty in EFFIGY – the only premier to RAISE welfare rates the last 20 – something YEARS – right after he ‘ d annOUNCED it
3 – the this should be housing sign is on a very large rooming house ( 230 sherbourne street ) that has lain empty for YEARS after OCAP closed it down and ran the landlady all the way back to PARKdale and that locals ( them again ? ) have been agitating for years to have torn DOWN ( at the landlords expense ) ( like 3 others beside it already HAVE been ) .
4 – Council Fire Native Cultural Center ran an overnight ( only ) WINTER program that housed 120 people per night ; OCAP aficionados got that reduced to 60 for not meeting u . n. standards
4 – these ‘ temporary ‘ shelters have proven to be long – term ( YEARS ) of free hotel – like accommodation ( for those inSIDE the loop ) garnering $ 50 .00 to $ 75 . 00 per person per night from the city
5 – there is some question as to who all this housing is really for ( immigration ? ) ; lifting RENT CONTROL would be an obvious and imMEDIATE solution that they continue to igNORE
and 6 – these people are VERY destructive and labour – intensive no matter WHAT they are given ( think group – home behavior ) . my own personal phrase for it is : more ( and BETTER ) housing for the bam – bams . have a nice day .
there seems to be a never – ending influx OF homeless here , generally single 40 – yr – old or so males w / baseball cap jacket backpack bluejeans and running shoes like some proDUCTION line. and every one of THEM a blue – collar worker with addiction issues ( not : they just lost their job ) .. every food bank / soup kitchen / shelter / welfare line is overwhelmingly MEN with maybe 3 women and no teenagers . HUGE mens shelters : seaton house mccaul street 107 jarvis harbour light maxwell meighen . HUGE men – only rooming – houses / residences . overcrowding in the jails PLUS the women and young offenders moved out to MILTON to make MORE room for them . numerous numerous times i have tried to disocver where are all these GUYS coming from but to no avail .
A great many come from out of town as the small towns they live in / come from hav eno services to look after them . They are usually given a bus ticket to come to toronto and live of our system
Which then ruins the system for the deserving local population—in the old English system of poor law, people had a degree less mobility than they do today; people were to be supported in the parishes/districts in which they had their settlement, either by birth or by purchase. But absent purchase of a settlement in another district, at least for a time, does one really have any claim to use its social services? In the DTES, I suspect that you would find a low proportion born within Vancouver City’s limit. Having to deal with everywhere’s poor people creates generalized resentment of the poor. If it were only the local poor, I suspect the situation would be very different, but Canada’s cities are expected to deal with the poor _produced_, with assembly-line like precisions by Canada’s suburbs and rural areas. Thus the problem is insoluble because no City can be expected to realistically grow its social service to keep up with the influx from the suburbs and rural areas that in their infinite wisdom do not provide these sorts of slums.
I think the real question is whether or not we’re scientists or romantics about it. If we’re scientists, we have the last several decades of data to demonstrate that the “DTES Model” is an abject failure. So, we need to try new models, gather data on them and see if they help out. What we do not need is a bunch of romantics obsessed with those Romance Novels produced by Marx, et al. foisting more of the same on us. The system is clearly broken.
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