Back from the Ottawa protests. Tweeting this from the office because it is minus 29 outside (= tabarnak qui fait frette). Fairly small size today, not surprisingly. Slightly more entrenched than last week (supply tents, tightly parked trucks perpendicular to the street). Thread.
Towing these away will be hard
Still your usual mix of bad analogies. No, Canada is not a communist state.
Fairly big gap without trucks between Parliament and Sussex, with another group of trucks there, close to Chateau Laurier (for non Ottawa people, no, we don't actually have a castle in downtown Ottawa).
Fascinating how the far right appropriates the left's things
Still a few supply tents, including this one, famously established with police help. There were people inside but, like some others, it was closed, so it was hard to see inside.
Another one had grilled chicken
If it were up to me, the national arts centre's brutalist architecture is much more worthy of protest
A handful of protesters established a tent close to the war memorial, after others removed the fence around it a few days ago, and police famously told they were now in charge of the site.
(yes, still smelled like pot on wellington)
Kids' corner also still there, just to the west of the peace tower on Wellington
On Wellington, it was mostly music while I was there, with a few dancing. Hard to give speeches at minus 29. One speaker did refer to decisions ahead.
As the Islamic Republic becomes more vulnerable, the US & allies need to support the democratic opposition. But they also need to be careful not to support the wrong actors, which is exactly what @TonyclementCPC does here; the MeK is illegitimate & corrupt nationalpost.com/opinion/tony-c…
This is important: the US & allies have repeatedly made mistakes in the past in supporting the wrong opposition actors, including loud exiled groups with well-oiled PR machines. The danger is that MeK (and others) will crowd out those who deserve to be heard and receive support.
This illustrates a persistent pathology of much of western foreign policy: we try to apply a broad ideology while being totally ignorant of actual conditions on the ground. The idea that the MeK is a legitimate alternative is absolute BS. The group has zero support inside Iran.
This article refers to "Tom Quiggin, a former military intelligence officer who also worked with the RCMP and was considered one the country's top counter-terrorism experts".
No - he left years ago & is widely viewed in the intelligence community as an islamophobe & a buffoon.
Every year Canadian politicians (Harper, Baird) attend the MeK summit. The media then quote them as attending an "international conference" of an "opposition group". But the MeK is a former terrorist group and a cult hated in Iran, not a partner in the fight for democracy there.
Supporting democracy/human rights in Iran and opposing the Islamic Republic is the right thing to do. But to partner with the MeK is counter-productive. Yes, it allows these politicians to tick the "tough on Iran" box for domestic purposes. cbc.ca/news/politics/…
(It also reportedly pays well, according to multiple media stories).
But history should teach us that allying with the wrong groups, like the MeK, does not advance the cause of democracy and can backfire. There are real democracy activists inside Iran - they deserve support.
It's that time of the year when the MeK, a thuggish cult based in Albania with zero support inside Iran, has its annual summit, where well paid western politicians show up to pretend they support democracy in Iran.
Reminder: you are not supporting the actual cause of democracy and human rights in Iran - a noble cause - by endorsing the MeK, a group that is not democratic by any stretch of the imagination and that has no legitimacy beyond aging Iranian exiles
Insane story by @SarahDadouch, of a Saudi dissident who vanished in Canada.
-This is part of a pattern of pressure on and kidnapping of exiled Saudi dissidents - including, not for the first time, in Canada
-Al Harbi has a lot of information... (1/4)
...on other Saudi dissidents in Canada and elsewhere - phone numbers, identities, etc. This can be useful for Saudi security services to try to hack their phones and pressure their families inside Saudi Arabia.
-Not that there was serious doubt, but this story shows that... (2/4)
... the growing foreign policy assertiveness under MbS may have toned down a bit since its peak in 2017/18 (Qatar blockade, kidnapping of Lebanese PM, dispute with Canada, Yemen war...) but clearly continues... (3/4)
So - Biden finally spoke to Saudi King Salman today. Excerpts, with quick take (1/6): 1. "...address the longstanding partnership": this is meaningful - the statement is full of signals from Biden that this is a deep relationship that will continue.
2. "they discussed regional security, including the... efforts led by the UN and the US to end the war in Yemen": two things here, an emphasis the US is leading these efforts (which it was not before), and, by saying this is as the 1st item, a signal it is the top priority.
3. "and the U.S. commitment to help Saudi Arabia defend its territory as it faces attacks from Iranian-aligned groups": another clear signal - that the US remains committed to its role as the extra-regional guarantor of Saudi security.