What began as a seemingly peaceful demonstration had become a very violent scene. As I walked along University Avenue in the early afternoon of Saturday June 26th, I was amazed to see all the different causes, voices, and opinions that were represented in the protest march. Not only were local unions and groups represented like CUPE and the Catholic Teachers Association of Ontario, but international causes such as Amnesty International, voices raising the causes for Cuba, Vietnam, India, Afghanistan and other international centres of conflict. One could not help feel in their heart a sense of solidarity as the voice of the people joined together to raise the consciousness of the world in one tiny centre of our nation. As crowds walked by, I was touched by one of the signs held by a protestor, “Power to the Peaceful”.
Being a witness of the call to peaceful non-violence has always been the voice of the Spirit moving in anyone who has stood up against injustice and “fought” for peace to reign. That little sign reminded me of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5), “Blessed are the Peacemakers…. for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”. Polite protestors were more than willing to give to the onlooker’s brochures and information about their respective causes. All they wanted was to inform, to educate, and to raise awareness of issues that often do not make it to our emails or newspapers each day, yet are directly affected but meetings just a few blocks from where we stood, and where many, like myself live and work each day.
As the majority of the demonstration made their way around the designated square that surrounded St. Patrick’s Church and Redeemer House, the peaceful demonstration continued back at Queens Park. But as we know, the protests took on new shape, new energy, and a new meaning.
Violence erupted by those who wanted change, new order, and make a difference. Gone were the protesters who sought for difference through peaceful means. But also, gone is their message of peaceful protest. What remains now are the images of violence that will not help the cause, but now hinder the peace that we seek to build.
When we look around our city and nation, and recall the flags of peaceful protest that were raised in the early afternoon, we know that behind every flag, every cheer, every person there present are 10-100, if not more, who sweat, and pour their life into their causes whether it is for our poor brothers and sisters of the streets of Toronto, for political refugees, victims of mass genocide and torture, or fostering a peaceful future in the minds of our school children. These people are the instruments of change, through peace, living the “gospel of Jesus”, whether they know it, or not.
Our faith and teachings have always called us to work for justice through peace. Over the last century, our church has supported the “raising of the alarm” against injustice through Catholic Social Teaching. We recall the need for interdependence, cooperation, seeking the common good, global solidarity, human dignity, economic justice, human rights, stewardship, development, transformation, option for the poor.
Around the world, the documents of Catholic Social Teaching have made huge impacts – The Condition of Labor (1891), Reconstruction of the Social Order (1931), Peace on Earth (1963), The Church in the Modern World (1965), The Development of Peoples (1967), On Human Work (1981), and The Gospel of Life (1991). Words that have inspired peaceful means among the people to bring about the change needed for the reign of God to take shape on earth.
As the day continued, and as myself and a long-time friend (who has been involved in peace/protests abroad) walked through the damage of our neighbourhoods, I was reminded of the movie, “The Mission” when Robert DiNiro’s character informs Jeremy Iron’s character that he will fight for the people with any means necessary including violence. Jeremy Iron’s character responded, “If might is right, then love has no place in this world”. At the end of that film, both characters were dead, the armies had destroyed what had been built, and the children were left to start over. The children were left to start over. Innocence restored. Hope for peace beginning again.
The world is not only watching the G20 meetings, but our response as the people. What has reached their Twitter and Facebook accounts are the YouTube videos and pictures of police cars being torched and windows being smashed. How will innocence in our streets be restored? How will the hope for peace and justice become manifest in our Governments? How will our children view and judge the response of violence in our streets? How easily will we recall the thousands of peaceful protestors who seek to inform us and empower us to make our voices heard and enabling us to speak? That will depend upon us and how we now rise to the occasion to work for peace in the here and now – to be bridge builders and to stretch out our hand in friendship and solidarity, and then cast our vote to make whatever changes are needed towards just policies at national and international levels.
Violence is not the Spirit at work when there are clearly other ways.
Lord Jesus, come and reign!
Fr. Santo Arrigo C.Ss.R.
Thanks for this thoughtful peace. Hopefully hooligan antics will head off for the next spotlight while those who labor for justice will stay on and continue to spread the peaceful message.
by Jon Hansen about 66 days ago
A wonderful weekend of reflection, insight, prophetic gesture and street theatre. Naomi Klein and Maude Barlow inspired us on Friday and led us to Allen Gardens to support the tent people. Saturday found us locked inside a restaurant at Queen and Spadina at the request of the riot squad and Sunday was for Christian Peace Makers. Maybe the streets of the Market Place are the new temple.
by Paul E. Hansen about 65 days ago
I wonder if being seen with/supporting organizations like CUPE, other unions and groups that are clearly “leftist” is the route that a Christian should be taking. Many of these organizations are using expressions like “power to the people” as a facade that covers a struggle not for the people, but for their own self -interests. The usual result is confiscation of personal assets in the name of the “people” and social divergence from the path delineated by Christ.
Unions and these other organizations are in it for themselves. Unions, in particular, have changed over the last few years. Their leadership, in many cases, has gone from protecting their workers’ interests to pushing for a one-world system – frequently at the expense of their local members. They are as much a part of the problem as big (multinational) business and big governments.
This is not a struggle between right and wrong, but of self-interests. Big government, big business and big unions are protecting their turf. Does anyone really believe that these groups care about what happens to the middle class anymore? They are becoming our enemy.
Do you believe a Christian should support any of these groups? Should we be in favour of using the power of government to steal from the rich (taxation and other means) to put the money into wasteful, misguided governments and other groups that are the antithesis of Christianity? Please name a government, union or even a business that follows the Christian philosophy. There are some businesses, but they are few and far between. I can’t think of any unions or governments – certainly not in North America – that are supportive of Christian values.
We should be trying to turn the hearts of others not by force, but by example. Unions and governments are confiscatory by nature. They struggle to maintain and gain power over the “people”, not represent their interests. It’s a power struggle that frequently sees the interests of Christians and the middle class suffer.
These groups are not there to protect the free will given to us by God, but to impose their will on others. Most wish to impose non-Christian values on our society. These people are not our friends. They are at best misguided – at worst, workers of iniquity.
Wake up people, the struggle here seems to be one group of despots against another group of despots. It is not “power to the people”, but power to special interest groups (not the individual). The coming world leader will use this struggle take power over the world by seeding discord among people then calling for unity.
Power to the people should mean power to the individual. God gave us free will – as individuals. We are to make the decisions, right or wrong. We are given the free will to accept God and Christ and bend to His will. With big government, big government or big unions in charge, free will and freedom of the individual will be erased. By Christians associating and supporting these organizations, we are selling ourselves into slavery.
by Paul Mumby about 17 days ago