Thanks for forwarding this Laura. "Laura Savinkoff" [EMAIL PROTECTED]
This article is of interest to both the anti-war/peace/anti-globalization movements, and the Free Palestine movement as the occupation of Palestine is integral to the American, corporate and Zionist drive for economic and political globalization. Susan.
----- Original Message -----
Well, CSIS is back at it, nearly 2 decades after the government promised that it had disbanded the "peace desk" in its intelligence services. And it is no accident that CSIS feels free to engage in political slander of the peace movement in the media. The peace movement seems to have touched a nerve in Government Circles. This was posted on the News 940 website, a Montreal station. - DR
Spy service sees anti-globalization forces evolving into peace brigade
at 18:35 on March 23, 2005, EST.
OTTAWA (CP) - Canada's spy agency believes the anti-globalization movement might be trading balaclavas for peace signs as it morphs into an anti-war alliance to rival that of the Vietnam era.
There is a definite overlap between the two protest camps, who voice similar criticisms of U.S. foreign policy and often co-ordinate efforts, says a Canadian Security Intelligence Service report obtained by The Canadian Press. While the 9/11 terrorist attacks "dampened the fervour" of groups demonstrating against corporate globalization, huge crowds protested the war in Afghanistan and the invasion of Iraq, notes CSIS.
The intelligence service cites the development as an indication the groups that spent the early part of the decade denouncing the capitalist agenda might be "evolving into a peace movement."
In Canada, groups such as NOWAR/PAIX and Collectif Echec a la Guerre have emerged in recent years, the spy agency notes.
"It is not uncommon to see anti-globalization groups demonstrating during anti-war protests since, in the eyes of many activists, the invasion of Iraq is an imperialist war."
The January CSIS report, The Creation of a New Peace Movement?, was obtained by The Canadian Press under the Access to Information Act.
Portions of the secret document were considered too sensitive to release.
Steven Staples of the Polaris Institute, an Ottawa think-tank, said he wasn't surprised at CSIS's interest in anti-war activism, noting it has been a longstanding preoccupation of the security establishment.
"Traditionally these agencies have been concerned about the peace movement," he said Wednesday. "And as we've seen in the past, they thought that groups like the Raging Grannies posed some kind of threat that warrant monitoring."
The RCMP Security Service, the forerunner of CSIS, spied on a wide range of peace groups before being disbanded in 1984.
CSIS spokeswoman Barbara Campion said while the intelligence service has shown interest in the violent fringe of the anti-globalization movement, it does not consider the peace movement a security threat.
She characterized the paper as an "environmental scanning" exercise on an interesting phenomenon.
"We do look at threats, obviously, but we also look at the evolution of those threats."
Roch Tasse of the Ottawa-based International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group rejected that argument, saying the report shows CSIS has entered the realm of "political surveillance."
"They're obviously trying to monitor the whole movement."
The CSIS report says "social opposition movements" go through cycles.
"It is still too early to predict whether the current anti-war collective movements will maintain their momentum and transform the anti-globalization movement into a true peace movement," the report says.
"The trend towards non-violence seems, however, well-entrenched in North America, and particularly in Canada."
The report points out that a peace organization has launched the War Resisters Support Campaign to assist American soldiers who refuse to fight in Iraq and want to attain refugee status in Canada.
"Canadian peace activists also hope to take advantage of the current collective mobilization against the war in Iraq to organize major demonstrations against the American missile defence project."
A second CSIS report on the anti-globalization movement notes that the overwhelming majority of activists now consider themselves "alter-globalist," as they are not against globalization itself but want to promote an alternate, or better, world.
"These mainstream activists engage in peaceful and non-violent forms of protests and no longer want to be associated with radical elements who act violently."
From: Darrell Rankin
To: Peacetalk
Sent: Friday, March 25, 2005 11:32 AM
Subject: [peacetalk-l] Spy service sees anti-globalization forces evolving into peace brigade
Spy service sees anti-globalization forces evolving into peace brigade
at 18:35 on March 23, 2005, EST.
OTTAWA (CP) - Canada's spy agency believes the anti-globalization movement might be trading balaclavas for peace signs as it morphs into an anti-war alliance to rival that of the Vietnam era.
There is a definite overlap between the two protest camps, who voice similar criticisms of U.S. foreign policy and often co-ordinate efforts, says a Canadian Security Intelligence Service report obtained by The Canadian Press. While the 9/11 terrorist attacks "dampened the fervour" of groups demonstrating against corporate globalization, huge crowds protested the war in Afghanistan and the invasion of Iraq, notes CSIS.
The intelligence service cites the development as an indication the groups that spent the early part of the decade denouncing the capitalist agenda might be "evolving into a peace movement."
In Canada, groups such as NOWAR/PAIX and Collectif Echec a la Guerre have emerged in recent years, the spy agency notes.
"It is not uncommon to see anti-globalization groups demonstrating during anti-war protests since, in the eyes of many activists, the invasion of Iraq is an imperialist war."
The January CSIS report, The Creation of a New Peace Movement?, was obtained by The Canadian Press under the Access to Information Act.
Portions of the secret document were considered too sensitive to release.
Steven Staples of the Polaris Institute, an Ottawa think-tank, said he wasn't surprised at CSIS's interest in anti-war activism, noting it has been a longstanding preoccupation of the security establishment.
"Traditionally these agencies have been concerned about the peace movement," he said Wednesday. "And as we've seen in the past, they thought that groups like the Raging Grannies posed some kind of threat that warrant monitoring."
The RCMP Security Service, the forerunner of CSIS, spied on a wide range of peace groups before being disbanded in 1984.
CSIS spokeswoman Barbara Campion said while the intelligence service has shown interest in the violent fringe of the anti-globalization movement, it does not consider the peace movement a security threat.
She characterized the paper as an "environmental scanning" exercise on an interesting phenomenon.
"We do look at threats, obviously, but we also look at the evolution of those threats."
Roch Tasse of the Ottawa-based International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group rejected that argument, saying the report shows CSIS has entered the realm of "political surveillance."
"They're obviously trying to monitor the whole movement."
The CSIS report says "social opposition movements" go through cycles.
"It is still too early to predict whether the current anti-war collective movements will maintain their momentum and transform the anti-globalization movement into a true peace movement," the report says.
"The trend towards non-violence seems, however, well-entrenched in North America, and particularly in Canada."
The report points out that a peace organization has launched the War Resisters Support Campaign to assist American soldiers who refuse to fight in Iraq and want to attain refugee status in Canada.
"Canadian peace activists also hope to take advantage of the current collective mobilization against the war in Iraq to organize major demonstrations against the American missile defence project."
A second CSIS report on the anti-globalization movement notes that the overwhelming majority of activists now consider themselves "alter-globalist," as they are not against globalization itself but want to promote an alternate, or better, world.
"These mainstream activists engage in peaceful and non-violent forms of protests and no longer want to be associated with radical elements who act violently."
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Howard-Azzeh Lawsuit http://www.montrealmuslimnews.net/susan.htm http://www.caf.ca/caf.htm
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Niagara Coalition for Peace http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NC4P/ . To subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Howard-Azzeh Lawsuit http://www.montrealmuslimnews.net/susan.htm http://www.caf.ca/caf.htm
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