Activist Yves Engler wants to run for NPD Leadership, but some are trying to block his approval. Show your support here. (lemmy.ca)

submitted 2 days ago by brianpeiris@lemmy.ca to c/canada@lemmy.ca

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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/52502868

I'm still learning more about Yves, but I like what I've seen so far. Apparently some people are calling for him to be blocked from the leadership race because of his pro-palestine, anti-zionist, and anti-genocide views. Contrary to their complaints, he is not antisemitic.

Yves Engler’s campaign for the leadership of the New Democratic Party represents a defining moment in Canadian politics. For too long, the NDP has drifted toward centrism, attempting to appease corporate interests and mainstream media narratives rather than boldly representing the working class. Engler’s vision is different. He stands unapologetically for democratic socialism — a society rooted in economic justice, peace, democracy, and the empowerment of working people.

More info here:
https://yvesengler.com/
https://yvesforndpleader.ca/about-yves/

Send a letter to support his approval:
https://actionnetwork.org/letters/dont-let-genocide-supporters-hijack-ndp-leadership-race

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[-] capt_kafei@lemmy.ca 18 points 2 days ago

This guy sounds like a fucking tankie to me. From this article on his blog:

Additionally, Ottawa’s unnecessarily aggressive posture has stoked tensions with Russia. Despite knowing that NATO enlargement eastward and into Ukraine threatened Russia and risked a conflict, Canada promoted it. With 100,000 Russian troops amassed on the border, Canada’s then foreign minister Mélanie Joly went to Kyiv in mid-January 2022 reiterating that “We believe that Ukraine should be able to join NATO.”

Blaming the expansion of NATO for Russia's invasion of Ukraine is just parroting Kremlin propaganda. Countries in Eastern Europe want to join NATO due to the extremely justified threat of being attacked by Russia.

In 2014 Canada also backed the ousting of the democratically elected Ukrainian president, Viktor Yanukovych, who sought neutrality and good relations with both Europe and Russia. As Owen Schalk and I detail in Canada’s Long Fight Against Democracy, Ottawa played a significant role in destabilizing Yanukovich and pushing him out. At the height of the anti-government Maidan protests, opposition forces, including the far-right C14, used the Canadian Embassy in Kyiv, which was immediately adjacent to Maidan square, as a staging ground for a week in their bid to topple Yanukovych.

It's called the Maidan Revolution, and it was the Ukrainian people exercising their collective power to prevent their country from falling back into Russia's orbit. I would recommend reading about the event from people who actually lived through it: EuroMaidan Revolution.

The coup spurred right wing violence, Russia’s intervention in Crimea and a war that left 14,000 dead in the east.

Calling the illegal invasion and occupation of Crimea "Russia’s intervention in Crimea" tells you everything you need to know about this guy. If he cannot call unprovoked invasion of a sovereign country what it is, then he is not fit to run the NDP or have any role in the Canadian government. Having a Kremlin bootlicker lead the NDP would be a complete embarrassment and would ensure their failure in the next election.

I encourage anyone who's interested to read about these events from the perspective of Ukrainians: The 2014 annexation of Crimea — How Russia stole Ukraine's peninsula

[-] brianpeiris@lemmy.ca 7 points 2 days ago

Hmm, I definitely agree his use of "Russia's intervention" is worrying. Not sure I know enough to say he's a Kremlin bootlicker, but I'll keep reading up on him. Thanks.