To the Membership,

After careful consideration following the March 4 “Hands Off Our Education” Rally at Queen’s Park, the Trent Central Student Association will not be returning for the Rally on March 24.

During the March 4 rally, students faced police brutality and arrest. We vehemently condemn any occurrence of police brutality and cannot knowingly put students in a situation where they could experience harm. Especially for International students and students of colour, protesting poses many dangers, including increased risk of experiencing police violence.

We appreciate the importance of the student movement, and encourage students to participate in safe campaigns to continue to protest the cuts to education. On March 25, we will be hosting a “Hands Off Our Education Rally” in Peterborough at Dave Smith’s office (864 Chemong Road). We will also be creating a postcard campaign for students to mail a letter to Doug Ford’s office with their personal testimony about the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP). We encourage students to watch our Instagram (@thetcsa) and download the TCSApp for more information about these events in the coming days.

We continue to work with the Trent student assaulted at the rally to provide individual support. Students who choose to attend the March 24 rally are reminded that, for everyone’s safety, only designated crowd marshals should interact with police. Visit https://ofl.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019.02.11-OFL-Safe-Protesting-A-Guide-to-Your-Rights-web.pdf to learn more about how to protect yourself and others during protests. Please contact vpcampaigns@trentcentral.ca if you have any questions about the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS), the upcoming rally, or how to stay safe at a protest.

Yours in solidarity,

The TCSA Executive Team