Quote of the week

“Mr. Ecclestone is either an idiot or morally repulsive.” —Jewish Chronicle editor Stephen Pollard on F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone, who told the London Times in a bizarre interview that he admired the way Hitler “got things done.” Ecclestone admitted to being an idiot and apologized.

Injection rejection

On July 14, the United States will likely reach a dubious milestone, as the 1,000th execution by lethal injection is scheduled to take place since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. As part of a global campaign against capital punishment, Amnesty International Canada is marking the occasion with a demonstration in Montreal.

“It’s an opportunity to make people aware of why Amnesty and the majority of the countries in the world are against the death penalty,” says Anne Sainte-Marie, a spokesperson for AI Canada’s francophone section.

Although the global trend has long been moving towards abolishing capital punishment, thousands of people are still executed every year, the vast majority of them by the “big five” of China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the U.S. In 2007, in a move denounced by human rights groups, the government of Stephen Harper announced that it would end Canada’s longstanding policy of seeking clemency for Canadians sentenced to death abroad if they were in “democratic” countries. The death penalty was officially abolished in Canada in 1976.

Amnesty’s demonstration takes place on Tuesday, July 14, at 350 Place Royale, beginning at 6 p.m. For more info, call (514) 766-9766.

CHRISTOPHER HAZOU

Hochelaga vs. hate

The East-End neighbourhood of Hochelaga-Maisonneuve has been undergoing a makeover in recent years, but condos and trendy cafés are not the only things sprouting up. Some residents are concerned by the increasing visibility of far-right hate groups on the streets.

In an effort to flush the neo-Nazis from the neighbourhood, anti-racist ass-kickers Antifa-Montreal hold an annual march and barbecue. This year’s takes place Saturday, July 11 at 2 p.m. outside metro Viau.

They chose the neighbourhood “because this area has the unfortunate honour of receiving the least number of immigrants in Montreal,” says the group’s press release. 

Antifa chapters in Europe have received criticism for their aggressive tactics handling far-right groups “by any means necessary.” So far, Antifa Montreal has interpreted that as meaning barbecues, graffiti campaigns, music festivals and peaceful marches. But because of their dubious relation to both the law and their violent opponents, the group clings to anonymity (its Web site features Wal-mart-esque smiley faces over the participants at their events). They’re also allied to other organizations that seek to reclaim Docs and shaved heads for the left, such as SHARP (SkinHeads Against Racial Prejudice).

Info: antifa.ath.cx.

MATT JONES

Justice and tomatoes

Temporary foreign workers (TFW) and their supporters will bike from Jean-Talon Market down to the Atwater Market this Saturday, July 11, to show the worker behind the tomato in the “Justice for Greenhouse Workers! Transparency in the Tomato Industry!” event. The impetus was the recent dismissal of Noe Arteaga Santos, who says he was fired after speaking up for a fellow tomato worker who was being denied medical help.

Though Saturday’s action is public, Michael Freeman, an organizer with the Immigrant Workers’ Centre, says Santos is going through the legal channels and has filed for unjust dismissal with the Commission des normes du travail du Québec. Santos was ordered to return to his home country of Guatemala, but will present his side of events in Saturday’s presentation and public forum.

Freeman hopes the event will raise awareness about farming practices. “The production process is disconnected with the way we live. We want to put people together with the people who are actually growing the tomatoes,” he says.

The caravan will meet on the north side of Jean-Talon Market at noon for a presentation on “Agricultural Work and the TFW Program.” Another presentation will take place once they get to Atwater, at 1:30 p.m.

LINA HARPER

Alleys in
history

Many might be surprised to learn that there’s more to the alleyways of our fair city than simply bloody old syringes, cum-filled condoms and packs of happy-go-lucky stray cats.

“The story of Montreal’s alleyways, how and why they came into existence and their continuing evolution, is actually fascinating history,” says Mychèle Fortin, spokesperson for L’Autre Montreal, who will be presenting a combination bus/walking tour called “Neighbourhood Alleyways: The Hidden Side of Montreal” on Sunday, July 12, from 1:30 p.m. until 5 p.m.

“Alleys were first introduced here by the English bourgeoisie in the upper-class neighbourhoods and gradually spread throughout the city. The tour we offer focuses primarily on the historical and sociological aspects of their progression, but we have fun with it too, with our guides sometimes delving off in their imaginations to spin off little tales, which are sometimes true and sometimes not. Really, we consider this tour to be intelligent entertainment; people always come away from it having learned a great deal.”

The tour leaves from Carré St-Louis and costs $27. Tickets can be purchased in person at Librairie du Square (3453 St-Denis) or by calling (514) 844-2172 or toll free at (866) 844-2172. For more information, go to autremontreal.com.

CHRIS BARRY

Rear-view mirror

15 YEARS AGO - JULY 7–14, 1994

On the cover: Local “Hiphoperators” Da Freshmen, who are three basically nice kids from St-Laurent. “We listen to Snoop Doggy Dog, the G-Sound, every day, we love it. But we’re not going to do it,” says 22-year-old La Supa da Flava. “When Snoop sings about a drive-by shooting, he means it. But let’s face it, Montreal is not that dangerous.”
•Pierre Moncius Etienne, a former night-shift worker at Le Parchemin restaurant, says an attack on him by a dozen racist skinheads has left his life in shambles. Having lost both his job and his house following the attack, the 47-year-old says, “They destroyed my life. They took away my dignity.”
•“Ultimately, Forrest Gump becomes a couch-potato’s delight, a film that talks to a mentally deficient audience,” reads the review.
•In the Last Word column, Matthew Hays pines for a return of the Mary Tyler Moore Show. “Almost a quarter century after the show was first aired, Mary has earned her rightful place as both feminist heroine and gay icon.”

Angel >>Saner driving Maybe it was the spate of gruesome driving news this week alone—a 38-year-old car surfer dies, a speeding maniac was found guilty to killing two teenage girls, four people are injured when a truck sideswiped a mini-bus that had pulled over onto the 40’s shoulder around Vaudreuil-Dorion—that makes the decision to lower speed limits on residential streets to 40 km/hr appealing. Or maybe it’s just the day-to-day frustration of dodging idiot drivers and the sound of squealing tires and hi-rev engines. But Montrealers, with their unique relationship with the road, could do with some reminding that being a little less stupid goes a long way.

Insect >>The broke-ass Plateau The Plateau’s mayor denies it, but La Presse is sticking by its revelation this week that the borough is cash-strapped and citizens may wind up paying for it. The news was leaked by former Union Montreal-turned-Projet Montréaler Josée Duplessis, and was designed to embarrass Plateau mayor Helen Fotopulos months before the fall election. But the news was nevertheless grim: an anonymous borough official confirmed to the paper that the Plateau’s finances are “very precarious,” and last year ran a deficit of over $4.1-million. Fotopulous says an emergency city hall loan prevented the closing of ice rinks, libraries and éco-quartiers and that there won’t be a special tax imposed next year, but chaotic finances are never calming.