Concordia Students Hold Dance Demo Downtown to Protest Austerity

NewsZachary Kamel — Published October 23, 2015

Mobilize Concordia’s “Anti-Austerity Post-Punk / New Wave Street Dance Party,”
wasn’t heavily attended. Only a tenth of the 300 people who RSVP’d on the Facebook event page braved the single digit temperatures and misty drizzle; but they danced their asses off.

“Education should be free and students should be resisting austerity,” said Morgan Peni, Concordia alumni and the first DJ of the night. “This is a continuation of the organizing that took place in 2012.”

“Onwards until we are all free,” she continued as a goth rock anthem by Christian Death played in the background.

The musical choices of the evening were globally diverse, hailing from countries such as the U.S., Germany and France, to echo the “internationally devastating effects of austerity,” said DJ Fuck Work, the second DJ of the night.

“Austerity is the systemic dismantling [by the government] of the public service sector; things like education and health-care,” said Michael Giesbrecht, a member of Solidarity Concordia. “Basically it’s a policy regiment that is committed to cutting funding to the public sector, then slowly restructuring those to a more privatized funding structure.”

Since 2012, Concordia University alone has had $36.6 million slashed from its budget by the Quebec government. The university responded by laying off staff and cutting courses from its catalogue, among other measures to deal with the deficit.

The Concordia Student Union, along with autonomous groups such as Solidarity Concordia, have made their positions against austerity measures known.

Giesbrecht said that the event aimed at getting students together for an alternative demonstration that wasn’t focused on protesting in the street, but on reclaiming space in a way that would attract the student body.

Giesbrecht noted that the dance party was strategically planned to take place outside of the GM building, which houses the university’s administrative offices.

As the night wore on, the vibe started to resemble an outdoor house party.

Several people sat drinking beer on top of a three-meter high wall overlooking the ‘dance floor.’ The wall was emblazoned with a giant, hand-painted banner that read “Concordia Against Austerity.”

“It’s cool to see people taking the streets not limited by their fear,” said Aloyse Muller, a third year Political Science student from atop his perch.

Not many people who passed by stopped to join in the festivities, but it certainly turned some heads.

Weiyang Xing, a first year Computer Science student at Concordia, paused to take photos from the sidelines. “I don’t want the government to cut the education budget,” said Xing.

He added that he is hopeful that the new Liberal government led by Justin Trudeau will be less austere than its predecessor.

No permit is required for use of the public space located in front of M4 Burritos and A&W. Although some of the attendees expected it, police never showed up to shut the party down.