Squamish Five
Encyclopedia
The Squamish Five were a group of self-styled "urban guerrillas" active in Canada
during the early 1980s. Their chosen name was Direct Action.
The five were Ann Hansen
, Brent Taylor
, Juliet Caroline Belmas
, Doug Stewart and Gerry Hannah
. Unlike other groups, they were not motivated by a political ideology, but, they were activists who had become disenchanted and frustrated with traditional methods of activism. They believed that by engaging in semi-symbolic propaganda by the deed, they could jolt people into action themselves.
. They vandalized the headquarters of Amax
, a mining
company which had been granted a special exemption from environmental laws, and offices of the British Columbia Ministry of Environment.
After these actions, the group dispersed. Belmas and Hannah retreated to the Rocky Mountains
, and Hansen, Taylor, and Stewart moved underground
together, becoming more militant. They began training with stolen weapons in a deserted area north of Vancouver, and stole a large cache of dynamite
used for construction work. They supported themselves through various forms of fraud
and theft
.
and set off a large bomb
at the Cheekye-Dunsmuir BC Hydro
substation causing $5 million in damages. Four transformers were damaged beyond repair, but no one was injured. The hydroelectric
project had been criticized by some as environmentally unsound and contributing to the destruction of wilderness on the Island. After the bombing, the group again recruited Hannah, a member of the punk rock
group Subhumans
, well known for his criticism of BC Hydro executives; and Belmas, an idealist from the suburb
s who had been radicalized in the process of opposing a retail pornography
outlet in her Port Coquitlam neighbourhood.
. Their target was Litton Industries
, a company producing guidance components for the controversial American cruise missile
s many feared would increase the risk of nuclear war. The bomb was detonated on October 14, 1982, and was intended to cause only property destruction. The van was parked in full view of corporate security, with an elaborate "warning box" duct tape
d to the hood, displaying a message, a digital clock counting down, and a single stick of dynamite to draw attention to the danger. Belmas called the security desk and warned them of the explosion, giving instructions on exactly what to do and where the danger area was. The security personnel, however, suspected a hoax, and did not respond quickly enough to evacuate the facility before the explosion. The evacuation was just getting started when the bomb detonated minutes ahead of schedule, injuring ten people. Meanwhile, at the back of the factory, where the guidance system was being produced, no damage was done. The only damage was to the Storage area where the parts were held before production, and the offices above and around the storage area.
and ceased their activities as they moved underground together. On November 22, 1982, they re-emerged as part of a larger group under the name "Wimmin's Fire Brigade". They subsequently firebombed
three franchises of Red Hot Video, a chain of video pornography stores which had attracted the attention of feminist activists and was accused of selling snuff films. The majority of stores ended up either closing down, or changing their names, and due to attention brought against the stores by the action, pressure was put on government to change laws so that that type of violent pornography could no longer be sold in Canada resulting in charges and fines against the Red Hot Videos store in Victoria BC, Canada.
was closing in. On the morning of January 20, 1983, all five were captured on the road to their training area by an RCMP tactical unit disguised as a road crew. The apprehension occurred on the Sea-to-Sky Highway, just south of Squamish
, giving rise to the name the media attached to the group. The five received sentences ranging from six years to life. Only Hannah and Belmas, the youngest member, pled guilty. Belmas renounced the use of violence as a means to an end and apologized to the victims. Upon hearing her sentence for life, Ann Hansen threw a tomato at the judge.
All are now out of prison. Anne Hansen alleges in her memoirs that the police had them under surveillance at the time of the Red Hot Video action, which would mean the police broke the law in order to get the evidence needed to proceed with the charges on the earlier bombings.
In 2002, Ann Hansen's Direct Action: Memoirs Of An Urban Guerrilla
was published. While she acknowledges tactical mistakes and misconceptions, Hansen maintains that her actions were justified, and that capitalism
should be challenged through direct action
and other forms of protest.
Juliet Belmas is also now currently working on her memoirs.
In 1989, CBC Television
released a docudrama
entitled "The Squamish Five".
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
during the early 1980s. Their chosen name was Direct Action.
The five were Ann Hansen
Ann Hansen
Ann Hansen is a Canadian anarchist and former member of Direct Action, a guerrilla organization famous for the 1982 bombing of a Litton Industries plant, which made components for American cruise missiles. She was sentenced to life in prison, but was released after eight years. Hansen wrote of her...
, Brent Taylor
Brent Taylor (activist)
Considered the "intellectual leader" of the Squamish Five, Brent Taylor was sentenced to 9 years in prison for his role in the group's 1982 bombing of the Litton Industries weapons plant, to be served concurrently with 22 years for conspiracy to rob an armoured bank truck, weapons offenses, break...
, Juliet Caroline Belmas
Juliet Caroline Belmas
Juliet Caroline Belmas was a Canadian anarchist activist, and the youngest of those involved in acts of eco-terrorism and militant direct action with the urban guerrilla group Direct Action whom the media dubbed the Squamish Five in the 1980s....
, Doug Stewart and Gerry Hannah
Gerry Hannah
Gerald Richard Hannah is the bass player for the punk rock group The Subhumans and was also a member of the militant environmental group Direct Action, also known as the Squamish Five and the Vancouver Five .Squamish Five carried out a political campaign of "direct actions", including the Litton...
. Unlike other groups, they were not motivated by a political ideology, but, they were activists who had become disenchanted and frustrated with traditional methods of activism. They believed that by engaging in semi-symbolic propaganda by the deed, they could jolt people into action themselves.
Early actions
The first actions associated with the group were not particularly militantMilitant
The word militant, which is both an adjective and a noun, usually is used to mean vigorously active, combative and aggressive, especially in support of a cause, as in 'militant reformers'. It comes from the 15th century Latin "militare" meaning "to serve as a soldier"...
. They vandalized the headquarters of Amax
AMAX
AMAX is a United States certification program developed by the Electronic Industries Association and the National Association of Broadcasters in 1993. This quality control program addressed both consumer receiver developments and air chains of broadcast AM transmission stations...
, a mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
company which had been granted a special exemption from environmental laws, and offices of the British Columbia Ministry of Environment.
After these actions, the group dispersed. Belmas and Hannah retreated to the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
, and Hansen, Taylor, and Stewart moved underground
Underground resistance
Underground resistance may refer to*Underground Resistance , a musical collective from Detroit, Michigan*Underground resistance during World War II, the inhabitants of various locales resisting the rule of the Nazis, the Empire of Japan, and Mussolini...
together, becoming more militant. They began training with stolen weapons in a deserted area north of Vancouver, and stole a large cache of dynamite
Dynamite
Dynamite is an explosive material based on nitroglycerin, initially using diatomaceous earth , or another absorbent substance such as powdered shells, clay, sawdust, or wood pulp. Dynamites using organic materials such as sawdust are less stable and such use has been generally discontinued...
used for construction work. They supported themselves through various forms of fraud
Fraud
In criminal law, a fraud is an intentional deception made for personal gain or to damage another individual; the related adjective is fraudulent. The specific legal definition varies by legal jurisdiction. Fraud is a crime, and also a civil law violation...
and theft
Theft
In common usage, theft is the illegal taking of another person's property without that person's permission or consent. The word is also used as an informal shorthand term for some crimes against property, such as burglary, embezzlement, larceny, looting, robbery, shoplifting and fraud...
.
Cheekye-Dunsmuir bombing
On 30 May 1982, Hansen, Taylor, and Stewart traveled to Vancouver IslandVancouver Island
Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of several North American locations named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific Northwest coast of North America between 1791 and 1794...
and set off a large bomb
Bomb
A bomb is any of a range of explosive weapons that only rely on the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy...
at the Cheekye-Dunsmuir BC Hydro
BC Hydro
The BC Hydro and Power Authority is a Canadian electric utility in the province of British Columbia generally known simply as BC Hydro. It is the main electric distributor, serving 1.8 million customers in most areas, with the exception of the Kootenay region, where FortisBC, a subsidiary of Fortis...
substation causing $5 million in damages. Four transformers were damaged beyond repair, but no one was injured. The hydroelectric
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
project had been criticized by some as environmentally unsound and contributing to the destruction of wilderness on the Island. After the bombing, the group again recruited Hannah, a member of the punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
group Subhumans
Subhumans (Canadian band)
The Subhumans are a punk band from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada that formed in 1978.Known by pejorative, punk rock nicknames, original members were known simply as "Useless" , "Dimwit" , "Wimpy" and "Normal" .-History:Dimwit quit the band shortly after their first 7" was released to join...
, well known for his criticism of BC Hydro executives; and Belmas, an idealist from the suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
s who had been radicalized in the process of opposing a retail pornography
Pornography
Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
outlet in her Port Coquitlam neighbourhood.
Litton Industries bombing
In October, 1982, the five filled a stolen pick-up truck with 550 kg of dynamite and drove from Vancouver to TorontoToronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
. Their target was Litton Industries
Litton Industries
Named after inventor Charles Litton, Sr., Litton Industries was a large defense contractor in the United States, bought by the Northrop Grumman Corporation in 2001.-History:...
, a company producing guidance components for the controversial American cruise missile
Cruise missile
A cruise missile is a guided missile that carries an explosive payload and is propelled, usually by a jet engine, towards a land-based or sea-based target. Cruise missiles are designed to deliver a large warhead over long distances with high accuracy...
s many feared would increase the risk of nuclear war. The bomb was detonated on October 14, 1982, and was intended to cause only property destruction. The van was parked in full view of corporate security, with an elaborate "warning box" duct tape
Duct tape
Duct tape, or duck tape, is cloth- or scrim-backed pressure sensitive tape often sealed with polyethylene. It is very similar to gaffer tape but differs in that gaffer tape was designed to be cleanly removed, while duct tape was not. It has a standard width of and is generally silver or black...
d to the hood, displaying a message, a digital clock counting down, and a single stick of dynamite to draw attention to the danger. Belmas called the security desk and warned them of the explosion, giving instructions on exactly what to do and where the danger area was. The security personnel, however, suspected a hoax, and did not respond quickly enough to evacuate the facility before the explosion. The evacuation was just getting started when the bomb detonated minutes ahead of schedule, injuring ten people. Meanwhile, at the back of the factory, where the guidance system was being produced, no damage was done. The only damage was to the Storage area where the parts were held before production, and the offices above and around the storage area.
Red Hot Video firebombing
The bombers fled Toronto for VancouverVancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
and ceased their activities as they moved underground together. On November 22, 1982, they re-emerged as part of a larger group under the name "Wimmin's Fire Brigade". They subsequently firebombed
Molotov cocktail
The Molotov cocktail, also known as the petrol bomb, gasoline bomb, Molotov bomb, fire bottle, fire bomb, or simply Molotov, is a generic name used for a variety of improvised incendiary weapons...
three franchises of Red Hot Video, a chain of video pornography stores which had attracted the attention of feminist activists and was accused of selling snuff films. The majority of stores ended up either closing down, or changing their names, and due to attention brought against the stores by the action, pressure was put on government to change laws so that that type of violent pornography could no longer be sold in Canada resulting in charges and fines against the Red Hot Videos store in Victoria BC, Canada.
Arrest
The high-profile crimes had also attracted major police attention and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
was closing in. On the morning of January 20, 1983, all five were captured on the road to their training area by an RCMP tactical unit disguised as a road crew. The apprehension occurred on the Sea-to-Sky Highway, just south of Squamish
Squamish, British Columbia
Squamish is a community and a district municipality in the Canadian province of British Columbia, located at the north end of Howe Sound on the Sea to Sky Highway...
, giving rise to the name the media attached to the group. The five received sentences ranging from six years to life. Only Hannah and Belmas, the youngest member, pled guilty. Belmas renounced the use of violence as a means to an end and apologized to the victims. Upon hearing her sentence for life, Ann Hansen threw a tomato at the judge.
All are now out of prison. Anne Hansen alleges in her memoirs that the police had them under surveillance at the time of the Red Hot Video action, which would mean the police broke the law in order to get the evidence needed to proceed with the charges on the earlier bombings.
In 2002, Ann Hansen's Direct Action: Memoirs Of An Urban Guerrilla
Direct Action: Memoirs Of An Urban Guerrilla
Direct Action: Memoirs of an Urban Guerrilla is a book written by the Canadian anarchist Ann Hansen after she had been incarcerated for eight years for the bombing of the Litton Industries about the urban guerrilla Direct Action...
was published. While she acknowledges tactical mistakes and misconceptions, Hansen maintains that her actions were justified, and that capitalism
Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
should be challenged through direct action
Direct action
Direct action is activity undertaken by individuals, groups, or governments to achieve political, economic, or social goals outside of normal social/political channels. This can include nonviolent and violent activities which target persons, groups, or property deemed offensive to the direct action...
and other forms of protest.
Juliet Belmas is also now currently working on her memoirs.
In 1989, CBC Television
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
released a docudrama
Docudrama
In film, television programming and staged theatre, docudrama is a documentary-style genre that features dramatized re-enactments of actual historical events. As a neologism, the term is often confused with docufiction....
entitled "The Squamish Five".
External links
- Militant Feminism: An Explosive Interview with and Urban Guerilla Interview with Juliet Belmas in May/June 2010 issue of Earth First! Journal
- The Vancouver Five (aka Direct Action). Includes an interview with Ann Hansen and an essay by a supporter of the Five in Toronto.
- Direct Action: Reflections on Armed Resistance and the Squamish Five, an audio CD recorded by Ann Hansen, presenting information from her book.
- Belmas court records, court sentencing documents relating to Belmas' court trials.