“Ecoterrorist” slurs won’t scare Sierra Club Canada, executive director says
Getting branded an “ecoterrorist” is the least of John Bennett’s concerns.
“We already have been. That’s the point!” the executive director of Sierra Club Canada told the Straight.
In a recent phone interview, Bennett discussed his organization’s deliberations on whether or not to use civil disobedience in its efforts defend the environment.
The Straight asked him how he would view being potentially labelled as an “ecoterrorist” if Sierra Club Canada decides to go the path of nonviolent civil disobedience.
“Without having done anything, we’ve been attacked as though were some kind of evil force in the society,” the Ottawa-based environmental leader said.
Bennett was referencing a January 2012 statement by federal environment minister Joe Oliver asserting that groups with a “radical ideological agenda” are out to derail Canada’s bid to “diversify” its “energy markets”.
“And that’s another kind of thing that makes people wonder what they should do next,” Bennett said. “If basically asking to be part of a public hearing into anything results in the government of the day calling you radicals and terrorists and pawns of foreign interests, what’s the worst thing that could happen? What could we do to our reputation that they already haven’t attempted to do?”
Comments
5 Comments
PJ
Mar 28, 2013 at 6:07pm
Maybe spurring on other kids to vandalism and saying they are doing it for our world
Setting an example would be a good thing rather than destroying privat and public property.
I shure dont hear mutch about the USA sierra club,as there is more work there then here.
We have Susuki we dont need your US club here.
You stop the oilsands you stop Canada,we need to sell our product to sustain our country.
Martin Dunphy
Mar 28, 2013 at 6:25pm
PJ:
Do you have a twin brother named Ken Lawson?
Lee L.
Mar 29, 2013 at 7:31am
Of course they aren't scared. You can't scare zealots.
Peter
Mar 29, 2013 at 9:57am
Your club says it isnt beond civil disobediance ,so now these mobs think its ok to trash bank windiws and other big buiness they dispise .
Now if they blame big busiess for their problems,they could easily hurt their bottom line by not buying ANYTHING ,food,clothing,electrcity,etc. as all this is internally owned by BB .Even the sierra club is paied for by big USA subsituarie cos. like Al Gore and other wealthy Big Business.
Look around you the world is run by big business,and thankfully so as no one else can build million dollar companies to employ hundreds of workers, and banks to suopply loans for small business to open.
Maybe when they grow up and get a job they might get a better perspective on life.
KDW
Jun 4, 2013 at 8:35am
Civil disobedience means peaceful demonstrations without permits, Peter, not smashing windows -- that's vandalism. That anyone would call the Sierra Club ecoterrorists is as laughable as calling Kraft dinner "fine dining." Anyone who calls them this hopes to drain members from the organization and intends to restrain free speech. Joe Oliver is more dangerous than Sierra Club.