Anti-Prorogue Rallies across Canada - Jan 23, 2010

TORONTO RALLY:
I got there at about 12:45 and Dundas Square was already full. I went upstairs across the street to a 3rd floor flower shop window and took a photo of the square. Within an hour there were many thousands more people. I wandered all around the square taking pictures and talking to people. Everyone seemed pretty excited and well-informed about the issues surrounding this prorogation by Harper.

Of the various big TV news stations/networks I only saw Global and CBC - no CTV. Maybe the CTV crew was there before 1pm and that is why they estimated the crowd was only 1,000 people (It must have been only 1,000 people around 12:30pm - half an hour before the rally began.)

It was a very peaceful and well-mannered protest rally.

There were people of all ages and political preference at the rally.

Just before we marched, we all sang the national anthem (about 10,000 Canadians singing the anthem together!). I don't think there are many other times I've ever felt more proud while singing our anthem than at the rally today.

Here are the photos I took at the Rally.

Here is a video of the protest march princesssparkle posted to Youtube.

Toronto rally video

Toronto march up Bay St video - 7 minutes long - gives you an idea of the numbers of people there.

http://www.blogto.com/city/2010/01/canadians_against_proroguing_parliament_protest_in_photos/

A headcount on the Toronto Rally - over 18,000 people

National Anthem video



OTHER REPORTS ON RALLIES ACROSS CANADA AND PHOTOS:
A follow-up by Judy Rebick (Judy Rebick is a Canadian  journalist, political activist, and feminist. She is currently the Canadian Auto Workers–Sam Gindin Chair in Social Justice and Democracy at Ryerson University in Toronto.)
A great day for democracy in Canada
and video of her speech at the Toronto rally
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIQv6LlcFHI&annotation_id=annotation_151845&feature=iv

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/01/23/prorogue-protests.html

http://scottdiatribe.canflag.com/2010/01/23/my-call-the-anti-prorogue-rallies-are-a-success/

Patricia reported on the CAPP FB page: We met an old friend, retired pro cameramen, who stopped to watch: said his pro opinion was up to 10,000, minimum 5000 on the march in Toronto. Woo-hoo!
CTV: "There are so many demonstrators, they cannot fit inside Yonge-Dundas
Square. Police shut down Yonge Street between Queen Street and Dundas.

Justin Arjoon of CAPP(Toronto chapter) said Jan 24th of the Toronto Rally: Thank you all for showing up and providing your support to us. We estimate there were about 10-12 thousand people there (the square holds 7, we were over capacity, and they only shut down all of bay st if there's more than 10,000 people).

I read that Steve Pakin of TVO estimated that about 10,000 people were at the Toronto rally.

Photos by Todd Claydon on FB

Vote in the on-line CTV poll!

http://www.mediastyle.ca/2010/01/estimated-25000-canadians-rally-for-democracy/

http://www.sindark.com/2010/01/23/media-from-the-anti-prorogation-protests/

Trevor Strong performing The Wild Proroguer at the Ottawa rally.

Lots more photos from rallies

http://www.torontosun.com/news/canada/2010/01/23/12587651.html#/news/canada/2010/01/23/pf-12587111.html

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=10580339&id=516195423&ref=mf&fbid=440592095423#/album.php?aid=370175&id=516195423

http://skinnydips.blogspot.com/2010/01/macleans-blog-toronto-anti-prorogation.html

http://www.flickr.com/groups/distinctlycanadian/pool/

The NoProrogue - Why We Protest site
http://noprorogue.whyweprotest.net/