Discontent City made a show of strength, but its defences haven’t been required yet.
An emergency rally in response to threats drew several hundred people downtown, but Soldiers of Odin Vancouver Island had not shown up at the homeless camp as of late Sunday afternoon.
Discontent City and Alliance Against Displacement had made via posts on the Soldiers of Odin Vancouver Island Facebook page on Friday.
Ivan Drury of Alliance Against Displacement said Discontent City would “hold our ground until we know for sure they’re not coming.”
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No one tries to take down Nanaimo’s Discontent City at rally. Here are photos…
— Nanaimo Bulletin (@NanaimoBulletin)
Drury said if the Soldiers of Odin return to tent city next weekend, he’ll be back.
“And we’re going to bring a barbecue and maybe we can start to have poets and music and more speeches” to strengthen a political community “that is radical and resistant and refuses to back down.”
Drury said if people came to try to break up the camp, tent city would be defended, “not by force, but because our force is one that is universal and powerful and has to do with a vision of complete change that leads to a world without inequality, without misogyny, without racism, without poor people and without rich people.”
At Sunday’s rally, there was drumming and speeches in front of the homeless camp and anti-Discontent City sentiment on the opposite side of Front street, with RCMP in the middle. Discontent City and its supporters chanted “homes not hate” and “tax the rich to house the poor, social housing now.” On the other side, people chanted “hey hey, ho ho, tent city has got to go” and called for camp residents to “get a job.”
Front Street was closed to traffic for about two hours.
No one tries to take down Nanaimo's Discontent City at rally. More photos…
— Nanaimo Bulletin (@NanaimoBulletin)
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR:
LETTER TO THE EDITOR:
Chants of “tax the rich to house the poor, social housing now” on one side, “hey hey, ho ho, tent city has got to go” on the other…
— Nanaimo Bulletin (@NanaimoBulletin)
Tent city supporters and opponents exchange words in the middle of Front Street …
— Nanaimo Bulletin (@NanaimoBulletin)
After chants of “homes not hate,” Discontent City residents and supporters have set up a line of defence, asking people to line up with grandmothers at the front…
— Nanaimo Bulletin (@NanaimoBulletin)
editor@nanaimobulletin.com
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