Student Coalition Against War
Encyclopedia
The Students Coalition Against War is a Canadian
organization with members in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Edmonton
, Alberta
, Victoria, British Columbia
, Ottawa
, Ontario
and Gatineau
, Quebec
. The Students Coalition Against War - SCAW - is a grassroots
social movement dedicated to creating and fostering progressive social change. SCAW focuses on public education, non-violent activism
, organizing, advocacy
and above all, reform. We aim to address and propose solutions – in a definitive and comprehensive manner – to the major social, economic and political issues, which induce, promote and sustain contemporary war
, in all its forms worldwide.
Such forms of modern warfare include, but are in no way limited to: both inter/intra state war, violations of fundamental human rights
as defined by the universal declaration of human rights
, the various forms of non-democratic economic reform which invariably undermine social well being, and the numerous systems of domination
, discrimination
, and oppression
such as racism
, individualism
, and imperialism
. The various types of activities and activism employed by SCAW include: research and public education, media activism, civil disobedience
, direct action
, and other traditional as well as new and innovative forms of activism, advocacy, campaigning and protest.
Although initiated as a student organization, SCAW is a free and open social movement; it is fully democratic, decentralized and non-hierarchical in its structure and decision-making. One of the central aspects of SCAW is to promote the unification of both goals and tactics, thereby using methods that reflect the values they seek to see applied on a global scale.
SCAW seeks to:
, Alberta
by a small group of socially conscious students at the University of Alberta
. When one of the founding members moved to Victoria, British Columbia
, SCAW was started in that city as well. SCAW Halifax began in late 2004 when a member of SCAW Edmonton moved to Halifax. SCAW Ottawa
was founded independently of the other SCAWs in January 2005, with the merging of several smaller campus anti-war groups. All four SCAWs are currently very active in their communities and work all a wide variety of projects surrounding issues of war worldwide, be that armed conflict or ideological.
's visit to Ottawa on November 30, 2004. SCAW was initially an alliance of Carleton University
and University of Ottawa
students. Groups that merged into SCAW included the smaller campus anti-war group Global Peace Coalition. Organizations that originally helped build SCAW included Opirg-Carleton, Opirg-Ottawa and the Carleton International Socialists
.
SCAW's first action was March 19, 2005 on the second anniversary of the Iraq War. SCAW rallied at the University of Ottawa and marched to the intersection of Rideau
and Sussex
and occupied the intersection with 130 students for thirty minutes before leaving to join the city-wide rally.
At Carleton University on September 22, 2005, SCAW organized an information picket of a speech by Chief of the Defence Staff, General Rick Hillier
for his aggressive promotion of Canada's role in the invasion of Afghanistan
. The picket caught the university's organizers off-guard when SCAW members flooded the microphones during question time. The moderator cut the question period short.
SCAW participated in the September 24, 2005 demonstration against the occupation of Iraq, gathering about 100 students in a feeder march to the main rally. SCAW organized a protest at the Prime Minister's residence on October 24, 2005 when Condoleezza Rice
visited Prime Minister Paul Martin
. 150 participated on short notice, at 6pm on a Monday. One member of SCAW was arrested during the protest.
On the third anniversary of the Iraq War, SCAW organized a street occupation of Rideau and Sussex for over an hour. It involved over 200 people, including a converted ambulance which hot food was served from in the below-zero temperatures. SCAW handed out an Afghanistan
pamphlet during the protest. This was its first publication. Most recently, on March 30, 2006, members of SCAW attended a speech by Michael Ignatieff
. In orange jumpsuits and black bags over their heads, four members of SCAW stood up, turned their backs to Ignatieff and stood during his entire speech holding anti-war, anti-torture placards.
In February 2008, a renewed SCAW at Carleton University began using a poster that read 'War Monger' accompanied with a picture of Stephen Harper. In a letter to the student newspaper, The Charlatan
, a first-year student criticized the action, for which SCAW responded with a summary of their position against the war in Afghanistan.
. SCAW-Halifax has provided Ottawa's SCAW with some resources, including a banner and webspace. In Halifax local allies include NSPIRG
, Halifax Peace Coalition, Haiti Action Halifax, No One Is Illegal Halifax, Palestinian Solidarity Society, Student's Taking Action in Chiapas, Uberculture, the Decolonization Collective and many more.
In Ottawa organized groups within SCAW include Opirg-Carleton, Opirg-Ottawa, Carleton International Socialists, Students With A Collective Conscious and some members of the Carleton University Muslim Students' Association. SCAW has members at Algonquin College
, Université du Québec en Outaouais
and two CEGEP
s, but no organized presence beyond Carleton University and the University of Ottawa. Its email list has 185 subscribers and its meetings range from 10 to 30 in attendance, and occasionally involve translation in French and English. Its recent pamphlet on Afghanistan was done with help from members of the Canadian Peace Alliance and University of Toronto
's Students for Peace in Iraq.
SCAW opposes the occupation of Iraq
, Afghanistan
and Haiti
, though Iraq and Afghanistan are generally more prominent in terms of activity. SCAW has also done work to help the War Resisters Support Campaign
, especially in Ottawa, where SCAW-Carleton was part of a group of dozens of people who marched down Bank Street to show their support for the Campaign on January 26, 2008. The political composition of SCAW includes NDP
members, International Socialists
, anarchists, left liberals and many others.
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...
organization with members in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
, Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
and Gatineau
Gatineau
Gatineau is a city in western Quebec, Canada. It is the fourth largest city in the province. It is located on the northern banks of the Ottawa River, immediately across from Ottawa, Ontario, and together they form Canada's National Capital Region. Ottawa and Gatineau comprise a single Census...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
. The Students Coalition Against War - SCAW - is a grassroots
Grassroots
A grassroots movement is one driven by the politics of a community. The term implies that the creation of the movement and the group supporting it are natural and spontaneous, highlighting the differences between this and a movement that is orchestrated by traditional power structures...
social movement dedicated to creating and fostering progressive social change. SCAW focuses on public education, non-violent activism
Activism
Activism consists of intentional efforts to bring about social, political, economic, or environmental change. Activism can take a wide range of forms from writing letters to newspapers or politicians, political campaigning, economic activism such as boycotts or preferentially patronizing...
, organizing, advocacy
Advocacy
Advocacy is a political process by an individual or a large group which normally aims to influence public-policy and resource allocation decisions within political, economic, and social systems and institutions; it may be motivated from moral, ethical or faith principles or simply to protect an...
and above all, reform. We aim to address and propose solutions – in a definitive and comprehensive manner – to the major social, economic and political issues, which induce, promote and sustain contemporary war
War
War is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political...
, in all its forms worldwide.
Such forms of modern warfare include, but are in no way limited to: both inter/intra state war, violations of fundamental human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
as defined by the universal declaration of human rights
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a declaration adopted by the United Nations General Assembly . The Declaration arose directly from the experience of the Second World War and represents the first global expression of rights to which all human beings are inherently entitled...
, the various forms of non-democratic economic reform which invariably undermine social well being, and the numerous systems of domination
Domination
-Books:* The Domination, an alternate history / science-fiction / alternate reality fictional, by S. M. Stirling.-Music:* Dominant , a diatonic scale step and diatonic function in tonal music theory...
, discrimination
Discrimination
Discrimination is the prejudicial treatment of an individual based on their membership in a certain group or category. It involves the actual behaviors towards groups such as excluding or restricting members of one group from opportunities that are available to another group. The term began to be...
, and oppression
Oppression
Oppression is the exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner. It can also be defined as an act or instance of oppressing, the state of being oppressed, and the feeling of being heavily burdened, mentally or physically, by troubles, adverse conditions, and...
such as racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
, individualism
Individualism
Individualism is the moral stance, political philosophy, ideology, or social outlook that stresses "the moral worth of the individual". Individualists promote the exercise of one's goals and desires and so value independence and self-reliance while opposing most external interference upon one's own...
, and imperialism
Imperialism
Imperialism, as defined by Dictionary of Human Geography, is "the creation and/or maintenance of an unequal economic, cultural, and territorial relationships, usually between states and often in the form of an empire, based on domination and subordination." The imperialism of the last 500 years,...
. The various types of activities and activism employed by SCAW include: research and public education, media activism, civil disobedience
Civil disobedience
Civil disobedience is the active, professed refusal to obey certain laws, demands, and commands of a government, or of an occupying international power. Civil disobedience is commonly, though not always, defined as being nonviolent resistance. It is one form of civil resistance...
, 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 traditional as well as new and innovative forms of activism, advocacy, campaigning and protest.
Although initiated as a student organization, SCAW is a free and open social movement; it is fully democratic, decentralized and non-hierarchical in its structure and decision-making. One of the central aspects of SCAW is to promote the unification of both goals and tactics, thereby using methods that reflect the values they seek to see applied on a global scale.
SCAW seeks to:
- Fund and publish research on contemporary issues surrounding war aimed at introducing students and members of the public to these issues, and encouraging them to find out more.
- Host information events to the same end.
- Attract new people to getting involved in advocacy and activism in their communities.
- Broaden and strengthen connections between civil societyCivil societyCivil society is composed of the totality of many voluntary social relationships, civic and social organizations, and institutions that form the basis of a functioning society, as distinct from the force-backed structures of a state , the commercial institutions of the market, and private criminal...
groups operating in our communities with a mind to promote co-operation and mutual support. - Promote inclusion and visibility of women and minorities at peace events in our communities.
- Effect real change in the policy of governments complicit in war around the world.
History
SCAW was first formed in 1999 in EdmontonEdmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
by a small group of socially conscious students at the University of Alberta
University of Alberta
The University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta and Henry Marshall Tory, its first president, it is widely recognized as one of the best universities in Canada...
. When one of the founding members moved to Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
, SCAW was started in that city as well. SCAW Halifax began in late 2004 when a member of SCAW Edmonton moved to Halifax. SCAW Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
was founded independently of the other SCAWs in January 2005, with the merging of several smaller campus anti-war groups. All four SCAWs are currently very active in their communities and work all a wide variety of projects surrounding issues of war worldwide, be that armed conflict or ideological.
SCAW Ottawa
SCAW Ottawa was formed in early 2005 out of the demonstrations against George W. BushGeorge W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
's visit to Ottawa on November 30, 2004. SCAW was initially an alliance of Carleton University
Carleton University
Carleton University is a comprehensive university located in the capital of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario. The enabling legislation is The Carleton University Act, 1952, S.O. 1952. Founded as a small college in 1942, Carleton now offers over 65 programs in a diverse range of disciplines. Carleton has...
and University of Ottawa
University of Ottawa
The University of Ottawa is a bilingual, research-intensive, non-denominational, international university in Ottawa, Ontario. It is one of the oldest universities in Canada. It was originally established as the College of Bytown in 1848 by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate...
students. Groups that merged into SCAW included the smaller campus anti-war group Global Peace Coalition. Organizations that originally helped build SCAW included Opirg-Carleton, Opirg-Ottawa and the Carleton International Socialists
International Socialists
International Socialists is the name of a number of Trotskyist organizations.Most organisations using this name are in the International Socialist Tendency...
.
SCAW's first action was March 19, 2005 on the second anniversary of the Iraq War. SCAW rallied at the University of Ottawa and marched to the intersection of Rideau
Rideau Street
Rideau Street is a major street in downtown Ottawa, Ontario, Canada and one of Ottawa's oldest and most famous streets running from Wellington Street in the west to Montreal Road in the east where it connects to the Vanier district...
and Sussex
Sussex Drive
Sussex Drive is a major street in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and one of the city's major ceremonial and institutional routes....
and occupied the intersection with 130 students for thirty minutes before leaving to join the city-wide rally.
At Carleton University on September 22, 2005, SCAW organized an information picket of a speech by Chief of the Defence Staff, General Rick Hillier
Rick Hillier
General Rick Hillier, CMM, MSC, CD , is the former Chief of the Defence Staff of the Canadian Forces. He held this appointment from February 4, 2005 to July 1, 2008. He retired on July 1, 2008, and was replaced by former Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff Walter Natynczyk...
for his aggressive promotion of Canada's role in the invasion of Afghanistan
Canada's role in the invasion of Afghanistan
Canada did not have a significant role in the first few months of the invasion of Afghanistan that began on October 7, 2001, and the first contingents of regular Canadian troops arrived in Afghanistan only in January–February 2002. Canada took on a larger role starting in 2006 after the Canadian...
. The picket caught the university's organizers off-guard when SCAW members flooded the microphones during question time. The moderator cut the question period short.
SCAW participated in the September 24, 2005 demonstration against the occupation of Iraq, gathering about 100 students in a feeder march to the main rally. SCAW organized a protest at the Prime Minister's residence on October 24, 2005 when Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice is an American political scientist and diplomat. She served as the 66th United States Secretary of State, and was the second person to hold that office in the administration of President George W. Bush...
visited Prime Minister Paul Martin
Paul Martin
Paul Edgar Philippe Martin, PC , also known as Paul Martin, Jr. is a Canadian politician who was the 21st Prime Minister of Canada, as well as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada....
. 150 participated on short notice, at 6pm on a Monday. One member of SCAW was arrested during the protest.
On the third anniversary of the Iraq War, SCAW organized a street occupation of Rideau and Sussex for over an hour. It involved over 200 people, including a converted ambulance which hot food was served from in the below-zero temperatures. SCAW handed out an Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
pamphlet during the protest. This was its first publication. Most recently, on March 30, 2006, members of SCAW attended a speech by Michael Ignatieff
Michael Ignatieff
Michael Grant Ignatieff is a Canadian author, academic and former politician. He was the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and Leader of the Official Opposition from 2008 until 2011...
. In orange jumpsuits and black bags over their heads, four members of SCAW stood up, turned their backs to Ignatieff and stood during his entire speech holding anti-war, anti-torture placards.
In February 2008, a renewed SCAW at Carleton University began using a poster that read 'War Monger' accompanied with a picture of Stephen Harper. In a letter to the student newspaper, The Charlatan
The Charlatan
The Charlatan is a student newspaper at Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario.It is published by a not-for-profit corporation, Charlatan Publications Inc., and is independent of student governments and university administration. Papers are free, and are available in news-stands both on and off...
, a first-year student criticized the action, for which SCAW responded with a summary of their position against the war in Afghanistan.
Relationship with other peace groups
SCAW has friendly relations with the local peace groups. In Ottawa this includes NOWAR-Paix and Rassemblement Outaouais Contre la Guerre (ROCG). SCAW in Ottawa is a member organization of the Canadian Peace AllianceCanadian Peace Alliance
The Canadian Peace Alliance / L'Alliance canadienne pour la paix is a Canadian umbrella peace organization claiming more than 140 member groups...
. SCAW-Halifax has provided Ottawa's SCAW with some resources, including a banner and webspace. In Halifax local allies include NSPIRG
NSPIRG
NSPIRG is a student activist organization with a focus on environmental and social justice issues. It is funded by students at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and functions as a referendum-mandated society of the Dalhousie Student Union...
, Halifax Peace Coalition, Haiti Action Halifax, No One Is Illegal Halifax, Palestinian Solidarity Society, Student's Taking Action in Chiapas, Uberculture, the Decolonization Collective and many more.
Membership and Politics
SCAW's membership is varied.In Ottawa organized groups within SCAW include Opirg-Carleton, Opirg-Ottawa, Carleton International Socialists, Students With A Collective Conscious and some members of the Carleton University Muslim Students' Association. SCAW has members at Algonquin College
Algonquin College
Algonquin College of Applied Arts and Technology is a publicly funded English-language college and member of Polytechnics Canada located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The college serves the National Capital Region and the outlying areas of Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec...
, Université du Québec en Outaouais
Université du Québec en Outaouais
The Université du Québec en Outaouais is a branch of the Université du Québec located in Gatineau, Québec, Canada. As of September 2010, combined enrolment at UQO's Gatineau and Saint-Jérôme campuses was 6,017, of which 4,738 were undergraduates and 1,279 postgraduate students...
and two CEGEP
Cégep
CEGEP is an acronym for , which is literally translated as "College of General and Vocational Education" but commonly called "General and Vocational College" in circles not influenced by Quebec English. It refers to the public post-secondary education collegiate institutions exclusive to the...
s, but no organized presence beyond Carleton University and the University of Ottawa. Its email list has 185 subscribers and its meetings range from 10 to 30 in attendance, and occasionally involve translation in French and English. Its recent pamphlet on Afghanistan was done with help from members of the Canadian Peace Alliance and University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
's Students for Peace in Iraq.
SCAW opposes the occupation of Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
and Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
, though Iraq and Afghanistan are generally more prominent in terms of activity. SCAW has also done work to help the War Resisters Support Campaign
War Resisters Support Campaign
The War Resisters Support Campaign is a Canadian non-profit community organization, founded in April 2004 in Toronto, Ontario to mobilize support among Canadians and worldwide to convince the Canadian government to offer sanctuary to all U.S...
, especially in Ottawa, where SCAW-Carleton was part of a group of dozens of people who marched down Bank Street to show their support for the Campaign on January 26, 2008. The political composition of SCAW includes NDP
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
members, International Socialists
International Socialists
International Socialists is the name of a number of Trotskyist organizations.Most organisations using this name are in the International Socialist Tendency...
, anarchists, left liberals and many others.
External links
News Coverage of SCAW actions
- 2nd Anniversary of Iraq War, March 19, 2005: The Charlatan
- Rick Hillier info picket, September 22, 2005 The Charlatan, The Fulcrum
- Condoleezza Rice protest, October 24, 2005 The Charlatan
- 3rd Anniversary of Iraq War, March 18, 2006 Canadian Press
- Michael Ignatieff protest, March 30, 2006 The Fulcrum, National Post, Canadian Press, Reuters