The Goal Through Acts Of Domestic Terrorism

In further analysis, angry people are more likely to listen to militants and commit violent acts, building a tense environment for Quebec citizens to live in. According to CBC Digital Archives, in response to the FLQ and other revolutionary groups forming, “when innocent people became injured from terrorist attacks, the cry for police involvement became shrill.” (FLQ Backgrounder Web) It is evident in this statement that many separatists who resorted to acts of terrorism consequently stimulated anger and fear in Quebec. If the Quiet Revolution had not occurred and the feelings of separatism and rise of terrorist groups did not follow, fewer people would have been hurt by the violence, both directly and indirectly. All things considered, the encouragement of separatism also weakened English-French relations as Quebec left 30 large shared programs, though the other provinces did not have the right to do so. All things considered, “from the Quebec Act of 1774 to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Canada has protected the place of its French minority. If Quebec were to separate, that protection would be gone and the Francophone society would be assimilated by the wider world within a generation or two.” (Kheiriddin) In relation to this comment, many English Canadians viewed Quebec’s special status during the revolution as

Pierre Trudeau is one of Canada’s most renowned Prime Ministers. He was in office April 20, 1968, to June 4, 1979, and later on March 3, 1980, to June 30, 1984,.¹ An event that Pierre Trudeau is well known for is the enactment of the War Measures Act during the October Crisis. This decision to invoke the War Measures Act during the October Crisis has led to a great deal of controversy on whether the act was justified. The October Crisis was a series of events in October 1970, these events began with the kidnappings of James Cross and later Pierre Laporte by the group known as the FLQ (Front de libération du Québec) the group’s main goals were to create an independent Quebec.2 The group resorted to terrorist acts in order to achieve those goals, this later led to Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau invoking the War Measures Act. The War Measures Act was a federal statute adopted by parliament during WWI and has been used 3 times; during WWI, WWII and during the October Crisis. The act gives major power to the Canadian government to uphold security during times of great distress.3 Pierre Trudeau was justified in enacting the War Measures Act during the October Crisis. One reason that Pierre Trudeau was justified in invoking the War Measures Act is that the FLQ was essentially a terrorist organization responsible for the deaths and injuries of countless people. Since the group was formed in the early 1960’s, the terrorist group’s acts had only worsened from mailbox bombings to

“Maîtres chez nous” or in English “Masters of our own house”. These words spoken by Premier Jean Lesage caused an uproar in Quebec by giving the citizens a sense of confidence they had never felt before. Jean Lesage played a crucial role in the modernization of Quebec in a short period of time after recuperating the province from the “Great Darkness”. While the rest of Canada was undergoing innovation, Quebec fell behind due to Maurice Duplessis. After the death of Duplessis, Lesage ran for Premier and was elected in 1960. He promised to improve Quebec through social, economic and cultural changes and proved so by creating programs and replacing others. One of Lesage’s accomplishments to modernize Quebec was being able to subside the Catholic Church’s role and replace it with a more commanding provincial government role. Another achievement of Lesage’s to rejuvenate Quebec was nationalizing private electricity companies which allowed workers to speak French entirely, guaranteed the Quebec economy benefits, and adjusted wages. Finally, the Quiet Revolution allowed the rest of Canada to hear the nationalist views of Quebecers after the FLQ terrorist group terrorized several mailboxes, kidnapped James Cross and killed Pierre Laporte.

For some time, many Quebecois had faith in the FLQ, believing the group would speed the process of separation from Canada; however the FLQ’s loyalty to these beliefs is questionable. Ultimately, it was perceived that the FLQ’s only goal was to give Quebec its justice; they wanted to see them united in a free society. On the other hand, during the October Crisis, they had not been able to prove that. When the FLQ kidnapped British diplomat James Cross, it publicized 7 demands, of which only one concerned French-Canadians, pertaining to fairer working conditions which was later dropped (Tetley, 2007). The rest concerned the FLQ themselves: publication of the Manifesto (a public declaration of policy and aims), the name of an informer, $500,000 in gold, the release of 23 jailed terrorists, and to transport them to either Algeria or Cuba (Knowlton, 1990). A goal of Quebec’s at the time, the protection of the French language, was a cause that preoccupied much of the nation, but was not a particular concern for the FLQ. In fact, the 1970 Manifesto was written in and proclaimed in informal French and “Fringlish” (Knowlton, 1990). The FLQ’s dedication to their cause is doubtful. FLQ believed that they weren’t going to get caught, hence their slogan “Independence or death” (Brown, 2011). However, when justice prevailed, the members chose exile rather than martyrdom. This made it clear that the FLQ’s dedication

In October 1970, Canada faced a pressing terrorist attack in Montreal, Quebec by a group known as the Front de Liberation du Quebec, or the FLQ for short. The group committed multiple attacks starting in 1963 that slowly escalated until the October Crisis, where they kidnapped two government officials and proceeded to murder one of them. The Canadian government responded harshly and rapidly. The prime minister of Canada, Pierre Trudeau, issued the War Measures Act which along with various things allowed the police and military full reign to arrest people and hold them with no explanation. The Canadian population was highly supportive of the government’s action believing that this extreme state repression would bring a finish to the October

In the midst of the October Crisis Pierre Trudeau handled the time of terrorism well. In this essay one will see how Trudeau handled the crisis excellently by examining the first domestic use of the War Measures Act which led to improvements on the Act, ensuring that Quebec did not become its own independent country, and how Canada stood behind and supported Quebec and Pierre Trudeau through the acts of violence led by the FLQ.

The FLQ manifesto is a political manifesto that sought to promote Quebecoi independence and the rejection of Liberal party policy, which focused primarily on big business and private investment. Released in what was one of Canada’s most politically turbulent period, the document provides key insights into the FLQ organization demands and to the broader discussion taking place in Quebec society. The document was produced by the front de liberation du Quebec, a left wing organization that advocated for separatist policies beginning in the early 1960’s. Politically energized in the inner city college campuses, the organization resorted to public bombings designed not to hurt but to instill fear into society. They pushed a narrative of Francophile

The lack of documentation of members as well as the continued silence of those with information ensures that the world will continue to be in the dark when it comes to the details behind the FLQ. The lack of support from the workers damaged the FLQ’s hopes of a workers’ uprising and resulting workers’ state and students who were involved were more motivated to complain about general student issues and social grievances than to act in a violent reform. Use of criminal tactics were not widely embraced by many of the supporters, rather, supporters agreed with the hopes of separatism and general elevation of the Quebec status. The members’ “lack of dedication” mean that “the FLQ could not count on them when the going got tough” – when the army came in – and so the FLQ became no

Trudeau also invoked the War Measures Act, which was the first time to be done during peace time. This allowed police to search and arrest anyone who might have been seen as a suspect with out warrant. The kidnappers of Cross then murdered Cross after realizing that the government would not negotiate to their demands, police later found Laporte alive, was released. For the sake of Laportes safety the FLQ was given a safe passage to cube where his kidnappers were later arrested and put in jail and the crisis was over. This left an effect on Quebec and Canada's economy and pride till this day. Many supported and many hated Trudeau for invoking the war time act although man arrested were them released. Quebec had strong pride for their wants of being noticed as part of Canada's government and to have more say in things happening politically. Terrorism in Canada is still occurring but the impact of the FLQ and October Crisis was one unlike any

Terrorism, a word most people fear, but so often misinterpret. The textbook definition of terrorism is “the unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims”. But how does that compare to domestic terrorism? Domestic terrorism or “homegrown terrorism” can be defined as “the committing of terrorist acts in the perpetrator’s own country against their fellow citizens”. Throughout the years, America as a nation has experienced quite a few occurrences of both types. An early example of homegrown terrorism would be the Haymarket Affair which occurred May 4, 1886 where in Chicago’s Haymarket Square, labor protesters detonated a bomb during a rally. Chicago police then responded by firing

Terror arose in Quebec, 1970, when the kidnapping of James Cross by the Front de libération du Québec caused the October Crisis. It further strained the relationship between Quebec and the rest of Canada. The majority of those outside of Quebec disregarded the crisis despite the panic that arose in Quebec. Even when Quebec's Minister of Labour was assassinated, justice was not achieved. Isolating Québec was the Front de libération du Québec's main goal causing half of Quebec's population to want to be separate from Canada. However, he first hints of strain caused by the October crisis appeared when those who were not Québécois ignored the crisis' importance.

On October 5th 1970, the British trade commissioner James Cross was kidnapped by the Liberation cell of Front de Libération du Québec (FLQ) in the morning. The FLQ demanded the Canadian government to release 23 of its members in prison, $500,000 of ransom, the publication of its manifesto, revealing the identity of police informants, a save passage to travel to Cuba or Algeria, and the rehiring of the Lapalme postal truck drivers and stop all police suppression.[ Chronology of the October Crisis, 1970, and its Aftermath, Claude Bélanger, Department of History, Marianopolis College] The government had considered these demands and decided that they were unreasonable. But some media had published the FLQ’s manifesto and it caused concerns that the government should make concession to secure Cross’s released. Following this incident, on October 10th 1970, Pierre Laporte, the provincial Minster of Labor, was abducted by another FLQ cell named Chénier cell. To fully understand the situation, we need to take a deeper look into the conflicts and hostile atmosphere between Anglo Canadian and Francophone Canadian in Quebec. Even before Canadian Confederation, the was tension between the two party. Quebec and Montreal Area are mainly consist of Francophone Canadians and they have strong will to preserve French culture, language, religions, and their well being in Canada. Since 1960s, social change had played a huge role in people’s lives here in Canada and the slow pace of change in

The October Crisis was a crisis that involved the kidnapping and murder of Pierre Laporte, and kidnapping and later release of James Cross. James Cross was a British Trade Commissioner, while Pierre Laporte was the Deputy Premier and Minister of Labour for Québec. James Cross kidnapping occurred on October 5th 1970, after 60 days as a result of negotiations with kidnappers who requested exile in Cuba and not facing trial in Québec he had been released. On the other hand Laporte kidnappers had murdered him, this resulted in arrests to whoever was associated with his death and jailed for kidnapping and first-degree murder. This was the first time Pierre Trudeau used peacetime the use of “War Measures Act” in Canada’s history, he made this decision

Great post Marcia, the ground transportation system does have many vulnerable opportunities that terrorist can target. It is interesting to see that they choose to go after aviation targets time and time again, when they could disrupt the economy much easier with soft targets. April 19, 1995, the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City was bombed killing 168 people. “There seems little question that Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, the Oklahoma City bombers, picked April 19 purposefully, in part as an act of revenge for the events in Waco.” (Linenthal, 2016, p.6). On April 19, 1993, the FBI raided the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas, resulting in eighty deaths. On April 19, 1992, federal agents took control of Ruby Ridge, Idaho, resulting in the death of white supremacist Randy Weaver. McVeigh’s attack caught Americans by surprise, that another American could be capable of such devastation.

Acts of terror and political violence are inevitably one in the same. Terrorism requires violence towards non-combatants with a goal derived from a social or political view differing from the target of interest. It also pertains to violence or acts of terror committed to achieve a political goal. Political violence is described as violence perpetrated by either persons or governments to achieve political goals. These definitions are one in the same. However, what they don’t include is the use of symbolism behind their malevolent acts. Symbolism introduces itself when the use of propaganda campaigns and statements is utilized to critically convey the righteousness and benevolence of the terrorist. The symbolic value of targets also distinguishes terrorism from other simple acts of extreme violence. Another seldom-thought component behind terrorism is that these acts seek to inflict psychological damage rather than demolish its material or ability to fight (Matusitz). Terrorism exploits symbolism by using it to push an extremist agenda, commit graves acts of terror and strategically target items or people of interest.