Toula Drimonis
@mtltoula.bsky.social
3.6K followers 840 following 1.9K posts
“The possibilities for disgrace are enormous.” - Leonard Cohen on creating art. Writer, journalist, opinion columnist, flâneuse.
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Reposted by Toula Drimonis
“Conservative trolls continue to engage in deliberate disinformation campaigns, relying on the average X user’s lack of media literacy to erode trust in reliable news sources and attack opinions they simply don’t agree with.” @mtltoula.bsky.social
Observations from Montreal
An ever-changing collection of commentary and observations by Montrealers or about Montreal politics and culture.
cultmtl.com
Yes, I met many people with connections to Quebec.
Reposted by Toula Drimonis
“Weaponizing calls to emergency services based on race is a documented issue. When overt or even subconscious racism is involved, any pretext will do for people to feel threatened by those who look suspicious to them just because they exist as non-white bodies in this world.” @mtltoula.bsky.social
The killing of Nooran Rezayi by Longueuil police is part of a series of completely avoidable tragedies
The killing of 15-year-old Montreal boy Nooran Rezayi by Longueuil police on Sept. 21 was part of a series of completely avoidable tragedies.
cultmtl.com
Reposted by Toula Drimonis
Racial profiling within the Montreal police force is a very real and insidious problem:

“‘You're lucky to live in Quebec. They shoot people like you in Florida’ — The officer received a lousy 18-day suspension without pay for uttering that racist statement."

An editorial by @mtltoula.bsky.social.
The killing of Nooran Rezayi by Longueuil police is part of a series of completely avoidable tragedies
The killing of 15-year-old Montreal boy Nooran Rezayi by Longueuil police on Sept. 21 was part of a series of completely avoidable tragedies.
cultmtl.com
Reposted by Toula Drimonis
“If I didn’t speak French, I wouldn’t have understood my Moroccan taxi driver when he matter-of-factly informed me that I spoke the language ‘avec l’accent de Céline Dion,’ making me howl with laughter in the back of his cab.”
montrealgazette.com/opinion/colu...
Drimonis: In Morocco, I was made to feel like a Quebecer. How refreshing
Many detected my Québécois accent and colloquialisms — which, for someone accustomed to hearing I’m not a “real Quebecer,” felt validating.
montrealgazette.com
But ultimately, I understand the fears and the irrationality it sometimes creates. I think everyone could benefit from taking a deep breath and focussing on the positive because there’s a lot to love and to be inspired by around us. In all languages.
Of course, I feel at home in Quebec or Saguenay! I’m a Quebecer. And I agree with you that some anglophones and allophones aren’t that interested in French culture, but I know plenty of francophones who don’t know anything about Quebec English or Canadian culture. Sometimes they just think they do.
Omnipresent for you maybe. Lol Vero isn’t exactly a household name if you don’t watch TV, which is the overwhelming majority of young kids near Dawson. I don’t like assumptions being made on these silly test that I see often. Remember the Marie-Mai test? Not everyone is interested in everything.