Foreigners think of Canada as a nation untouched by terrorism, and it’s true that we’ve been (mostly) spared the sorts of atrocities experienced in New York City, London and Bali, to name three relatively recent targets.
Yet even many Canadians don’t give much thought to the domestic terrorism we’ve been subjected to in the not so distant past:
The FLQ’s campaign of mayhem occurred in a previous generation; millions of us probably haven’t even heard of the Wimmin’s Fire Brigade, or just barely recall the Squamish Five.
We also assure ourselves that “terrorism never accomplishes anything anyway,” ignoring the obvious:
Quebec now gets trillions of dollars in glorified protection money from the ROC (the “rest of Canada”) lest those violent separatists get restless again.
The Brigade’s fire-bombing of “XXX” video stores ushered in tighter Canadian laws against porn, while the Litton Systems bombing cost them their contract to produce cruise missile guidance systems for the U.S. military.
Interestingly, all these events were undertaken by crazy white lefties; the plans of belligerent Muslims to behead the prime minister or sabotage a commuter train were headed off by the authorities.
Meanwhile, a new generation of crazy white lefties (and their aboriginal allies) are candidly declaring their plans to use eco-terrorism to get their way, most recently in a cover story in the Canadian equivalent of The Village Voice.
Brian Lilley at Sun News reports:
If the burning of RCMP cars and violent tussles with police in Rexton, N.B., shocked you last fall, then get ready — you ain’t seen nothing yet. Environmental radicals are gearing up to fight the Northern Gateway pipeline using violence if need be. (…)
Shannon Hecker, a UBC anthropology student also interviewed for the [alt-weekly cover] story, told the [Georgia] Straight that when it comes to using violence, “That depends on your willingness to commit.
“I don’t want to tell anyone what they should or shouldn’t do. But we all need to be aware that this is a war.”
Ezra Levant’s investigation exposed other Canadian activists matter of factly talking about breaking the law, but more importantly, he theorizes about why they’ve suddenly become so bold.
It helps that the “grassroots” Canadian activists are heavily funded by wealthy U.S. environmental groups. (No, that’s not illegal.)
And it doesn’t hurt that Canadian police at all levels ignore crimes committed by native protesters — including attacks on police personnel and property — but handcuff non-native counter protestors for “crimes” such as “carrying a Canadian flag on a public road.”
Levant also points to the “Overton Window” phenomenon, by which the previously unthinkable eventually becomes acceptable.
Due to unrelenting exposure and pressure by activists, the average person can come to accept the unacceptable as “the new normal.”
Today, the Georgia Straight is, arguably, granting their imprimatur to sabotage. Tomorrow, it may be a more mainstream publication.
Then an independent movie. Then a Hollywood production.
All gradually wearing down the resistance of decent folks.
The Straight, Levant says, “just fired the starter pistol for a crime spree.”
But it will probably win a bunch of journalism awards for bravery, so it will all have been worthwhile.
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