Derrick Jensen- Founder of the Deep Green Resistance movement…
There’s been a lot of debate about eco-terrorism this past week. It all came out of an RCMP report that was released on a freedom of information request. Greenpeace was mentioned in this report, and they fought back against it this week– albeit poorly. As usual with the left-right paradigm- both sides of the argument were wrong…
Greenpeace, and most non-violent environmentalists, have stuck their headin the sand, denying the possibility that eco-terrorism could happen in our age. The RCMP seems to be putting their focus on the wrong organizations- or, at least, they aren’t talking about them publicly. Probably the most radical, and troublesome, group in Canada is the Deep Green Resistance (DGR).
This group bases its philosophy on the work of a man named Derrick Jensen- the writer of an influential book titled Endgame. Jensen’s, and the DGR’s view on environmentalism is that the earth is in peril, capitalism cannot stop itself from destroying it, and that the only solution is to use violence to save the environment. Jensen promotes that environmentalists sabotage capitalism’s infrastructure. Actions like blowing-up dams, powerlines, factories and cell towers.
Here’s a video with some of Derrick Jensen’s more radical statements:
Jensen may be a fringe but he has a dedicated, and growing, set of followers in the environmentalist movement. A lot of these names will sound familiar to my readers- some of these people include Macdonald Stainsby (who appears in his movie, End-Civ), and Dave Vasey (Stainsby’s colleague in the Tar Sands movement, and the leader of Occupy Toronto). Their threat is real, and the threat is one we are facing right now- this week in fact. DGR is holding a major planning meeting in Vancouver tomorrow:
The meeting will be held at the Purple Thistle Centre, an anarchist-run organization that gets funding from TIDES Canada, City of Vancouver, Vancouver Foundation, BC Hydro, Vancity Credit Union, and Service Canada. If you just scanned through that list, have a look again- yes, it’s true, local, provincial & federal government organizations are supporting an anarchist group that hosts organizations that promote eco-terrorism! Your tax dollars at work…
The purpose of this meeting will be to prepare people for creating an ‘action camp’ where environmentalists will train for their fight against the Enbridge pipeline. The camp will have a safe space policy, will last for five days, and will include the “hereditary chiefs” of the Likhts’amisyu and Unis’tot’en (C’ihlts’ehkhyu) Clans.
Pay attention to the phrase “hereditary chiefs”- those who read my article about how Kevin Annett uses people who claim to be hereditary chiefs to fake having support of native bands will see this as a big red flag. I’ll be doing some more research on this soon- if anyone out there has information to share, I’d greatly appreciate your input.
Now, let’s have a look at the sponsors for organizations behind this camp- some of the names will be familiar to my regular readers:
No One is Illegal (NoII)
The most radical of Canada’s radicals- NoII is an organization that has it’s fingerprints on most everything militant and angry. NoII is led in British Columbia by Harsha Walia, a violence supporting Trotskyist who works in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside poverty pimp industry where she recruits disaffected members of the First Nations community who have left their reserves.
Walia is probably most well-known for her support of the violence during the 2010 Olympics. In a debate afterwards, she used racist and sexist language to crush the side of pacifism. Her tactic of attacking pacifists is straight out of Derrick Jensen’s philosophy…
The Council of Canadians (CoC)
The CoC is a less radical organization, on the surface. But, dig a little deeper and you will find that they too have a history of promoting anarchist violence. They too were involved with the violence at the 2010 Olympics- where Bob Ages, the head of their Richmond BC chapter, helped to negotiate a partnership between non-violent protesters and members of the Black Bloc. The CoC’s have received extensive funding from TIDES Canada. They are connected to NoII- one of their more prominent employees is Harsha Walia’s partner, Harjap Grewal.
SalmonAreSacred.Org
This group is led by Jay Peachy, a prominent member of Occupy Vancouver who leads one of TIDES Canada’s most favoured campaigns- to stop commercial salmon farming. Peachy is well-known in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside- he is on the board of directors for the poverty pimping Gallery Gachet.
The Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is an environmental organization that most people view as being non-radical. Perhaps it isn’t, but many of their members are. For example, Taylor Flook, one of Occupy Toronto’s more radical members was a leader for the Sierra Club in Aberta. The Sierra Club is also funded through TIDES Canada.
The Dogwood Initiative
The Dogwood Initiative is, yet another, TIDES Canada funded environmentalist organization. They focus on issues over “land, air and water”.
I hope that Sandy Garossino is paying attention here- I really wonder what she has to say about TIDES Canada’s contribution the eco-terrorism movement. How is it that Canadians tolerate a foreign, US led, organization that funds initiatives that affect Canada’s sovereignty? Remember, the pipeline battle is one of the US vs. China.
I’ll end this article with screenshots from DGR’s Facebook event for their meeting tomorrow- showing some of the people who will be attending. Those who have been following BC’s radical community will find their names to be familiar- most have been covered in this blog already:
Yep, it looks like Jay Peachy supports the Black Bloc!
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If the the eco-terrorist threaten finite resources like lumber, isn’t good for Canadian commodities markets? Just like Oil. false threats/instability increases profits, due to perceived distribution dangers. Eco-terrorist attacks are rare and sporadic yet insurance and other fees and fixed
to offset potentials. It seems security, manufacturing, and shareholders are the real winners. Only losers are public and merchants class. Follow the money. Eco-terrorist play into other peoples hands.
Does someone else have my initials??? My initials are TD but this isn’t how I talk at all…. I’m Tamara Dippel… who’s this? OK I’ll change my name hope this is just a coincidence (until now I would show up as TD… anyone who wants to know who is me and who is this other person, our way of speaking (typing) is very different…
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It looks like there is some confusion- two people using the same initials. I don’t believe this was meant to deceive, only a coincidence. Nice to hear from you again Tamara! It has been so long since we last saw each other- hope we bump into each other again soon…
To your comment of: “The RCMP seems to be putting their focus on the wrong organizations- or, at least, they aren’t talking about them publicly”
Police often have to be cagey with investigations. I think the second part of your statement is likely true. They they are not talking about these groups publicly. Often if they say too much in the media it can cause issues later with trials. This is why you almost never hear the police publicly defend themselves when accustions from people like Julian Ichim are hurled at them.
the Government i mean terrorists, be afraid
Greg is it eco-terrorism when Weyerhauser clear cuts a forest, or Bechtel privatizes the water and jacks up the price, or when mining companies pollutes the water table with mine tailings then declare bankruptcy after transferring their assets to another company to avoid cleanup costs, or when trawlers with their drag nets deplete 90% of the big fish in the ocean because they are fishing in international waters, or when governments exercise eminent domain to dispossess the indigenous of their lands so they can give it away to corporations for cheap to develop? Is that considered Eco-terrorism or is it only when those lower on the hierarchy perpetrate it against the property of those higher on the hierarchy?
Your worry about the potential for Eco-terrorism is unfounded. It isn’t potential, it is already happening. It is just being perpetrated by unusual suspects as such violence from the top down is normalized and therefore, unnoticed.
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Yep, lots of things the corporations do are eco-terrorism. That gives no excuse to the Wiebo Ludwigs of the world though…
Hi Greg, I am glad we are on the same page in acknowledging that what corporations do is Eco-terrorism. I can understand your stance against activists use of violent tactics, but if I were to do a risk assessment I would suspect that on the balance corporation/governments pose a much bigger risk of committing Eco-terrorism as they are backed by both the weight of influence of money and law.
In the interest of efficiency and expediency one would go after the big players and not waste time on small potatoes. Especially considering that the ones you are speaking about in your article are pushed into taking their positions as a defensive measure whereas corporations are driven to these actions by an economic ideology and take their profits as their due.
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[…] Zoe Blunt (who’s real name is Tracie Park) is an anarchist who’s been involved with a number of militant environmental organizations including Earth First!, the Deep Green Resistance and the Ruckus Society. She’s also a devout follower of Derrick Jensen, a man who openly advocates eco-terrorism including the blowing up of dams. […]