Discontent City made a show of strength, but its defences haven鈥檛 been required yet.
An emergency rally in response to threats drew several hundred people downtown, but Soldiers of Odin Vancouver Island had not shown up at the homeless camp as of late Sunday afternoon.
Discontent City and Alliance Against Displacement had made via posts on the Soldiers of Odin Vancouver Island Facebook page on Friday.
Ivan Drury of Alliance Against Displacement said Discontent City would 鈥渉old our ground until we know for sure they鈥檙e not coming.鈥
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No one tries to take down Nanaimo鈥檚 Discontent City at rally. Here are photos鈥
鈥 Nanaimo Bulletin (@NanaimoBulletin)
Drury said if the Soldiers of Odin return to tent city next weekend, he鈥檒l be back.
鈥淎nd we鈥檙e going to bring a barbecue and maybe we can start to have poets and music and more speeches鈥 to strengthen a political community 鈥渢hat is radical and resistant and refuses to back down.鈥
Drury said if people came to try to break up the camp, tent city would be defended, 鈥渘ot by force, but because our force is one that is universal and powerful and has to do with a vision of complete change that leads to a world without inequality, without misogyny, without racism, without poor people and without rich people.鈥
At Sunday鈥檚 rally, there was drumming and speeches in front of the homeless camp and anti-Discontent City sentiment on the opposite side of Front street, with RCMP in the middle. Discontent City and its supporters chanted 鈥渉omes not hate鈥 and 鈥渢ax the rich to house the poor, social housing now.鈥 On the other side, people chanted 鈥渉ey hey, ho ho, tent city has got to go鈥 and called for camp residents to 鈥済et a job.鈥
Front Street was closed to traffic for about two hours.
No one tries to take down Nanaimo's Discontent City at rally. More photos鈥
鈥 Nanaimo Bulletin (@NanaimoBulletin)
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LETTER TO THE EDITOR:
Chants of 鈥渢ax the rich to house the poor, social housing now鈥 on one side, 鈥渉ey hey, ho ho, tent city has got to go鈥 on the other鈥
鈥 Nanaimo Bulletin (@NanaimoBulletin)
Tent city supporters and opponents exchange words in the middle of Front Street 鈥
鈥 Nanaimo Bulletin (@NanaimoBulletin)
After chants of 鈥渉omes not hate,鈥 Discontent City residents and supporters have set up a line of defence, asking people to line up with grandmothers at the front鈥
鈥 Nanaimo Bulletin (@NanaimoBulletin)
editor@nanaimobulletin.com
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