I think a mass donning of other people's prominent religious symbols is a nice protest.
Reminds me of this one from last spring, when a soccer team without a Sihk on it decided to don turbans to protest the banning of turban wearing. (Ban's been reversed, not after the Canadian soccer authority said it wasn't kosher, of course, but only after FIFA did.)
It's weird because I always thought beyond the silly separatist thing, the PQ was reasonably socially progressive.
I take issue with calling the separatist thing "silly". It grew out of a very real oppression of French by English and (along with Trudeau's push for linguistic equality across the whole country) resulted in a vastly altered and greatly improved situation in the province. French Canadians really were second-class citizens, even in the province in which they were the vast majority, until the 1970s.
It was also a social democratic movement and (much like the NDP) still is in much of its grass roots. That said, it was also at its base an ethnic movement. "Québec au Québecois!" was at least in part code meaning "Quebec for white, French- from-France (whoever long ago)!". The inclusive, social-democratic movement and the xenophobic/racist elements of the party have always been uncomfortable bed-fellows at best.
When Jacques Parizeau drunkenly rambled on about how the '95 referundum was lost because of "money and the ethnic vote" the racist cat was out of the bag. And Marois seems to have decided that it's the only winning card she has to play.
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A potted history of Quebec Separatism by Young Geoffrey
Date: 2013-09-11 03:47 pm (UTC)I think a mass donning of other people's prominent religious symbols is a nice protest.
Reminds me of this one from last spring, when a soccer team without a Sihk on it decided to don turbans to protest the banning of turban wearing. (Ban's been reversed, not after the Canadian soccer authority said it wasn't kosher, of course, but only after FIFA did.)
It's weird because I always thought beyond the silly separatist thing, the PQ was reasonably socially progressive.
I take issue with calling the separatist thing "silly". It grew out of a very real oppression of French by English and (along with Trudeau's push for linguistic equality across the whole country) resulted in a vastly altered and greatly improved situation in the province. French Canadians really were second-class citizens, even in the province in which they were the vast majority, until the 1970s.
It was also a social democratic movement and (much like the NDP) still is in much of its grass roots. That said, it was also at its base an ethnic movement. "Québec au Québecois!" was at least in part code meaning "Quebec for white, French- from-France (whoever long ago)!". The inclusive, social-democratic movement and the xenophobic/racist elements of the party have always been uncomfortable bed-fellows at best.
When Jacques Parizeau drunkenly rambled on about how the '95 referundum was lost because of "money and the ethnic vote" the racist cat was out of the bag. And Marois seems to have decided that it's the only winning card she has to play.
Right. I have a book to typeset. Must be off ...