Matthew Behrens

'Rule of law' racism, C-51 and the coming resistance wave

rabble staff — Thu, 19 Jan 2017 15:27:08 +0000

Thursday, January 19, 2017

It's a sign of how utterly frightened they are of democracy when politicians and pundits start lecturing us about the "real" definition of civil disobedience. This usually happens during the sanitizing rituals of the January Martin Luther King Day holiday, when King's revolutionary calls to justice are erased in favour of saccharine, self-congratulatory events wholly unconnected to the civil rights movement's multiple, powerful legacies.

But public cautions around "acceptable" forms of dissent began hatching in late 2016 when the Trudeau government announced support for a slew of harmful pipelines that, along with other environmentally destructive projects like B.C.'s Site C and Muskrat Falls, will inspire increasing levels of direct action.

Those who wish to honour and preserve life on the planet are up against government and private sector players who view actions to protect the land, air and water as terrorist acts.

The terror at home that Canada will not name

rabble staff — Tue, 20 Dec 2016 23:39:45 +0000

Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Section 83.01 of the Criminal Code defines terrorism as an act committed "in whole or in part for a political, religious or ideological purpose, objective or cause" with the intention of intimidating the public "[w]ith regard to its security, including its economic security, or compelling a person, a government or a domestic or an international organization to do or to refrain from doing any act."

Despite the daily barrage of patriarchal terrorism in our own neighbourhoods, the self-styled feminist government of Justin Trudeau acts in a manner inconsistent with the extent of the crisis.

Trudeau's Trumpishness bulldozes Indigenous rights

rabble staff — Wed, 23 Nov 2016 13:06:22 +0000

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Considering the sick political calculus that rules Ottawa's backrooms, it is not inconceivable that the bubbly was pouring in Liberal circles with the stateside election of Donald Trump. Indeed, after having enjoyed a year-long honeymoon as the anti-Harper, Trudeau and his aides likely saw this new development as a gift that extends the honeymoon under the guise of being the anti-Donald.

Under the deceptive banner of "Canada is back," the Trudeau Liberals are intent on the delivery of a Trump-like policy platform that runs roughshod over Indigenous rights.

Canada's torture consumers and the faux national security consultation

rabble staff — Fri, 21 Oct 2016 01:36:35 +0000

Friday, October 21, 2016

Anyone following discussions on the ultimate disposition of the Harper regime's C-51 "anti-terror" legislation -- which received crucial Liberal support during a 2015 Parliamentary vote -- will soon be hearing a lot about "SIRC." The acronym will be bandied about as various professors, lawyers and terrorism industry "experts" bloviate on what they think will "improve" a law that is so fundamentally flawed and dangerous that taking anything short of an abolitionist position is to be complicit in the human rights abuses C-51 authorizes.

Anyone following discussions on the ultimate disposition of the Harper regime's C-51 "anti-terror" legislation will soon be hearing a lot about "SIRC" -- the Security Intelligence Review Committee.

Bombs away! How Canada is here to help

rabble staff — Thu, 22 Sep 2016 22:48:55 +0000

Friday, September 23, 2016

When Justin Trudeau spoke to a bored, half-empty United Nations last week, he repeated the nauseatingly saccharine slogan, "We're Canadian, and we're here to help," sounding exactly like the disingenuous insurance salesman whose empty promises come with that sickly smile.

Trudeau's cheery offer at the UN to bring peace to the world fell flat in light of his government's "principled" commitment to sell billions in weapons and blanket militarism.

B.C. Court finds RCMP organized terrorist plot

rabble staff — Wed, 31 Aug 2016 14:53:17 +0000

Wednesday, August 31, 2016