95 lines
4.4 KiB
Markdown
95 lines
4.4 KiB
Markdown
*Not to be confused with [Action Directe](Action_Directe "wikilink") in
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France or the [concept of Direct
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Action](Direct_Action_\(Concept\) "wikilink")*
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**Direct Action** was a group of [insurrectionary
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anarchists](Insurrectionary_Anarchism "wikilink") committed to
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[anti-imperialism](Anti-Imperialism "wikilink"),
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[feminism](feminism "wikilink") and
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[environmentalism](environmentalism "wikilink") who took out three
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bombings against corporations in Canada in 1982 before their arrest in
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January 1983.
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## Members
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- Ann Hansen - Now a freelance writer
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- Brent Taylor - Considered the "intellectual leader"
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- Juliet Caroline Belmas - Now a filmmaker who focuses on prisons
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- Doug Stewart
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- Gerry Hannah - Later became a punk musician in the 2000s
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## Actions
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### Early Actions
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The first actions associated with the group included vandalizing the
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headquarters of Amax, a mining company which had been granted a [special
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exemption from environmental laws](Regulatory_Capture "wikilink"), and
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offices of the British Columbia Ministry of Environment.
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After these actions, the group dispersed. Belmas and Hannah retreated to
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the Rocky Mountains, and Hansen, Taylor, and Stewart moved underground
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together, becoming more militant. They began training with stolen
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weapons in a deserted area north of Vancouver, and stole a large cache
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of dynamite used for construction work. They supported themselves
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through various forms of fraud and theft.
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### Cheekye-Dunsmuir bombing
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On the 30th of May 1982, Hansen, Taylor, and Stewart traveled to
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Vancouver Island and set off a large bomb at the [Dunsmuir BC Hydro
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substation](Electricity "wikilink") causing $5 million in damages. Four
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transformers were damaged beyond repair, but no one was injured. The
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hydroelectric project had been criticized by some as environmentally
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unsound and contributing to the destruction of wilderness on the Island.
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### Litton Industries bombing
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In October, 1982, the five filled a stolen pick-up truck with 550 kg
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(1,210 lb) of dynamite and drove from Vancouver to Toronto. Their target
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was Litton Industries, a company producing guidance components for the
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controversial American cruise missiles many feared would increase the
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risk of nuclear war. The bomb was detonated on the 14th of October,
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1982, and was intended to cause only property destruction. The van was
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parked in full view of corporate security, with an elaborate "warning
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box" duct taped to the hood, displaying a message, a digital clock
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counting down, and a single stick of dynamite to draw attention to the
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danger.
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Belmas called the security desk and warned them of the explosion, giving
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instructions on exactly what to do and where the danger area was. The
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security personnel, however, suspected a hoax, and did not respond
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quickly enough to evacuate the facility before the explosion. The
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evacuation was just getting started when the bomb detonated minutes
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ahead of schedule, injuring ten people. Meanwhile, at the back of the
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factory, where the guidance system was being produced, no damage was
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done. The only damage was to a storage area where parts were kept prior
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to production, and the offices above and around the storage area.
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### Red Hot Video firebombing
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The bombers fled Toronto for Vancouver and ceased their activities as
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they moved underground together. On the 22nd of November, 1982, they
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re-emerged as part of a larger group under the name "[Wimmin's Fire
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Brigade](Wimmin's_Fire_Brigade "wikilink")". They subsequently
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firebombed three franchises of Red Hot Video, a chain of video
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pornography stores which had attracted the attention of feminist
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activists and was accused of selling snuff films. The majority of the
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stores either closed or changed names. Ann Hansen alleges in her memoirs
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that the police had them under surveillance at the time of the Red Hot
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Video action, which would mean the police broke the law in order to get
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the evidence needed to proceed with the charges on the earlier bombings.
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## Arrest
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The nature of the high-profile crimes had attracted major police
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attention and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) closed in. On the
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morning of the 20th of January, 1983, all five were captured on the road
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to their training area by an RCMP tactical unit disguised as a road
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crew. Upon hearing her sentence for life, Ann Hansen threw a tomato at
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the judge. All are now out of prison.
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## References
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[Squamish Five](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squamish_Five) at
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[Wikipedia](Wikipedia "wikilink") |