Former TIDES Canada Exec Joel Solomon Organizes In California With RCMP Designated Extremists

Hollyhocker Joel Solomon- the lighting is purely coincidental…

Correction: Joel Solomon resigned from TIDES in April 2014

On Friday Jorge Barrera of the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) released one of the most fascinating stories I’ve read in months. His article RCMP tracked movements of Indigenous activist from ‘extremist’ group discussed an access to information request filed by Carleton University criminology instructor Jeffrey Monaghan that confirms much of this website’s research into Canada’s growing problem with environmental extremists.

APTN reports that the documents (which they neglected to release, tsk tsk) came from the RCMP’s Suspicious Incidents Report database and that they detailed how police have been tracking the movements of the Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN), including a 2010 incident where one IEN member was recorded visiting the Unist’ot’en camp in northern BC. And, according to APTN, the documents indicate the RCMP have designated the IEN as “extremists”.

But while it may be validating and useful to learn that the RCMP understand the dangers of the IEN, none of this is new information- readers of this site are already familiar with the extremist rants and nefarious networks of IEN’s Canadian leader Clayton Thomas-Muller. There was however some exciting new information, a list of organizations the RCMP identified as “involved persons”. So, what’s the connection with Joel Solomon of TIDES Canada? They converged this weekend at conference in San Rafael, California.

The Bioneers (officially named the Collective Heritage Institute) is a New Mexico non-profit whose official mandate is to provide innovations for environmental and “bio-cultural” challenges. Clayton Thomas-Muller of the IEN sits on the board at the Bioneers- he and former IEN member Heather Milton Lightening have a long history with the group.  Joel Solomon joined this weekend’s event, participating in a panel on “Movement Building” with Clayton Thomas-Muller and Naomi Klein.

 Who Are the Other “Involved Persons”?

The RCMP’s document included an interesting list of organizations they identified as “involved persons”. Many of these organizations have already been covered on this site:

• Defenders of the Land is a union allied NGO based in Toronto that’s been previously covered for it’s participation in helping to co-opt the Idle No More movement from the four women who founded it. Clayton Thomas-Muller worked there until recently, but left after he took a position organizing for 350.org in Canada.
• Direct Action in Canada for Climate Justice is a protest group that pushes a UN affiliated climate change agenda, and runs an annual “award” against companies called “Fossil Fools”. Their website indicates they’re mostly dormant now.
• Ontario Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG) is a radical university group funded by student fees. OPIRG is closely connected with the fight against Line 9.
• The Ruckus Society is an Oakland, California based anarchist group that trains protesters how to engage in “direct action” (meaning, arrestable protests). Ruckus has received funding from the TIDES Foundation, and have connections to extremist militants across the country. Gopal Dayaneni from Ruckus was speaking at the Bioneers conference.
• The Global Justice Ecology Project is a Buffalo, New York based NGO. Clayton Thomas-Muller currently sits on their board of directors
• The Canadian Youth Climate Coalition is the organization behind Powershift, an annual “youth gathering” of climate activists that’s previously featured Black Bloc violence promoter Harsha Walia, Clayton Thomas-Muller, and David Suzuki. The CYCC has received money from TIDES.
• The Indigenous Action Movement is a Vancouver based radical group that has worked closely with Harsha Walia’s No One Is Illegal Vancouver.
• The Wet’suwet’en (Unist’ot’en) Direct Action Camp is a BC based camp run on crown lands by anarchists from Vancouver and Victoria, and a hand full of local indigenous people. The camp has hosted some of the country’s most violent and concerning activists, and is considered a high risk for future conflicts.

 It’s Time For An Investigation:

Joel Solomon, and his sister Linda are Democratic party activists: Seen here with Billy Carter during Jimmy’s election

November 7th will mark this website’s three year anniversary. We’ve seen a lot of evidence of TIDES Canada’s connections with militant radicals, but this weekend’s conference shows the clearest evidence to-date that TIDES provides supports to dangerous militants.

And it’s not just a stage that Joel Solomon and TIDES shared with a person the RCMP has labelled a dangerous extremist, TIDES USA has given 100’s of thousands of dollars in grants to the IEN. Most of the organizations on the RCMP’s “involved persons” list are also connected to TIDES.

It’s creepy enough watching an organization funded by American oligarchs with as much influence as TIDES has. It’s even creepier watching Solomon organizing “movement building” seminars with people and organizations the RCMP identifies as “extremist”. Adding insult to injury, it’s downright maddening an organization that operates this way has the privilege of being tax-exempt.

Joel Solomon has some explaining to do- better yet, there’s a train leaving Pennsylvania Station at a quarter to four…

I’ll leave you today with a video demonstrating Clayton Thomas-Muller’s dangerous rhetoric- and an organization he represented during the 2010 Olympics that called for indigenous activists to “Take back the land, kill the white man”.