So terrorists have shutdown via rail how is this not getting more attention?

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by CityTech

I don't agree that this constitutes terrorism (simply because it's not killing or injuring anyone), but I do think that this form of protest is unacceptable. Protestors should not have the right to cause economic damage and block infrastructure from functioning.

The protestors should be removed from the tracks by force, arrested and ideally made to serve prison sentences for trespass and sabotage, and if possible, should be sued by VIA and CN for damages (although they likely don't have the assets to pay up, so that last one is likely moot).

If it's not illegal to disrupt transportation infrastructure, it should be.

Peaceful protest is a right, but blocking transportation infrastructure, which disrupts the economy and normal functioning of society, is not peaceful.

Not saying I disagree with you but the protestors would ask what the point of protesting is if it doesn't inconvenience people/society/government? Without that aspect it's just background noise and the entity you want to put pressure on can easily ignore your concerns.

It's similar to the teachers' strikes that are periodically occurring in Ontario right now. Would there be much pressure on the government if teachers simply marched with signs and sang songs during their lunch breaks and on weekends? There is much more pressure due to parents having to find alternate arrangements for their kids on workdays, and those parents are voters...

[LakeLocker]

Originally Posted by MonkeyRonin

Attempting to intimidate opposing viewpoints into submission through violence & fear - that's terrorism.

So intimidating people into submission isn't terrorism as long as they don't act violently?

[LakeLocker]

Originally Posted by Spocket

I have no clue what you're referring to but I assume there's somebody conducting a protest somewhere? That's not terrorism unless they're threatening to kill somebody so as to scare them into submission. If that were the case there'd be military involved and people would probably end up dead either way.

And no, you're not technically allowed to do it but you're not allowed to jaywalk either. Pretty sure that hasn't made the definition of terrorism yet.

So if I stand in the middle of a street I won't get arrested?

[misher]

Originally Posted by LakeLocker

So intimidating people into submission isn't terrorism as long as they don't act violently?

Depends which side your on. I would say always but people protesting would say no they have a right to do economic damage and hold our economy ransom. Look at those pipeline protesters that set deadly traps and bombs in an effort to injure/kill pipeline workers. I'd say that's terrorism yet no one went to jail. In the end Canada has become a nation held hostage by protesters who get their way with little to no criminal consequences. Many of these protesters helped elect or worked with certain members of our government who also have criminal records due to participating in their blackmail protests. When you elect a government that is backed by pipeline protesters, don't be surprised that those protesters get to get away with anything up to and including attempted murder.

Potentially lethal guerrilla resistance tactics have triggered a criminal investigation into a native claims crusade to stop construction of TC Energy Corp.’s Coastal GasLink pipeline across northern British Columbia (BC).

Police patrols found three stacks of tires primed to burst into flames with Molotov cocktail-like ignition devices and trees sliced to become falling log traps at a touch in the contested area along a forest road 1,084 kilometers (650 miles) north of Vancouver.

[LakeLocker]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Not saying I disagree with you but the protestors would ask what the point of protesting is if it doesn't inconvenience people/society/government?

Because it is an act of exercising free speech?



[QUOTE=Acajack;8826918
Without that aspect it's just background noise and the entity you want to put pressure on can easily ignore your concerns.[/QUOTE]

Isn't this the entire point of a democracy?

People get what they want through voting.

Otherwise you're describing anarchy?

[QUOTE=Acajack;8826918
It's similar to the teachers' strikes that are periodically occurring in Ontario right now. Would there be much pressure on the government if teachers simply marched with signs and sang songs during their lunch breaks and on weekends? There is much more pressure due to parents having to find alternate arrangements for their kids on workdays, and those parents are voters...[/QUOTE]

So if I don't want to pay back my student loans I can obstruct the subway until I get my way?

[LakeLocker]

Originally Posted by misher

Depends which side your on. I would say always but people protesting would say no they have a right to do economic damage and hold our economy ransom. Look at those pipeline protesters that set deadly traps and bombs in an effort to injure/kill pipeline workers. I'd say that's terrorism yet no one went to jail. In the end Canada has become a nation held hostage by protesters who get their way with little to no criminal consequences.

I'm staunchly on the pro transit anti car side of things.

[Pavlov]

Originally Posted by LakeLocker

So why does it take 5 days to resolve the issue?

Because these are complex issues, with multiple competing rights at stake (some constitutional), and therefore they take time for courts and governments to sort out (even on an interim basis)? I thought that was obvious.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by LakeLocker

So if I don't want to pay back my student loans I can obstruct the subway until I get my way?

You can certainly try.

[Pavlov]

Originally Posted by misher

Depends which side your on. I would say always but people protesting would say no they have a right to do economic damage and hold our economy ransom. Look at those pipeline protesters that set deadly traps and bombs in an effort to injure/kill pipeline workers. I'd say that's terrorism yet no one went to jail. In the end Canada has become a nation held hostage by protesters who get their way with little to no criminal consequences. Many of these protesters helped elect or worked with certain members of our government who also have criminal records due to participating in their blackmail protests. When you elect a government that is backed by pipeline protesters, don't be surprised that those protesters get to get away with anything up to and including attempted murder.

Your quoted source contradicts the statement for which you cited it as support. RCMP investigated the incident. Now perhaps they weren't able to identify who committed the offence and so charges weren't laid (or they were laid and there was an acquittal). That in no way supports your assertion that Canada tolerates violence so long as it is in the name of "protest".

[Pavlov]

Originally Posted by LakeLocker

So if I stand in the middle of a street I won't get arrested?

I expect that depends on a very wide range of factors.

[LakeLocker]

Originally Posted by Pavlov

Because these are complex issues, with multiple competing rights at stake (some constitutional), and therefore they take time for courts and governments to sort out (even on an interim basis)? I thought that was obvious.

So blocking trains isn't illegal or anything? They have to pass a new law?

[FrankieFlowerpot]

"terrorists"

LOL

Give your head a shake man

[misher]

Originally Posted by LakeLocker

So if I don't want to pay back my student loans I can obstruct the subway until I get my way?

These people blocked a street, seemed to work.

About 350 people with rallying cries like “Christy Clark, you’re a loan shark” took part in a protest against student debt at the legislature Wednesday.

The protesters walked down Government Street from Centennial Square to get to the legislature grounds, where Brontë Renwick-Shields recounted how she had accumulated $30,000 in debt during her time so far at the University of Victoria.

https://www.timescolonist.com/news/l...fees-1.2165212

In the end the way it works is if you sign a contract but don't want to pay at the end you protest, make a mess, and pretend its the government's fault. Why do you think we no longer charge interest on student debt, can't raise rent faster than inflation, and can't get rid of tenants to develop a property without a massive endeavor.

[Chadillaccc]

This is ridiculous. Terrorism causes terror. Are you actually terrified by this? Are hundreds or thousands of others terrified by this protest? Totally absurd.

[Pavlov]

Originally Posted by LakeLocker

So blocking trains isn't illegal or anything? They have to pass a new law?

It obviously depends. For example, why is the person blocking a train? Is it intentional? Or accidental? Are they exercising a constitutional right at the time? Does the exercise of that constitutional right unreasonably interfere with the operation of the rail line? All important questions.

In any event, people do "illegal" things all the time. There is no magical force to stop them from doing so. Even if police have the authority to arrest someone who has done something illegal, in most cases that person will be released following such arrest (and, if determined enough, that person may do more illegal things following such release until arrested again).

We have an entire justice system designed to determine when someone has done something "illegal" and to deal with the consequences of that. It frequently deals with very complex issues. Dealing with these issues takes time (and a lot of money).

[TorontoDrew]

Originally Posted by LakeLocker

How is this a thing?

Can I block the subway in Toronto if I feel strongly about something?

How are Indigenous Canadians causing terror by blocking a reail line? This thread should be locked and deleted. Do you even know what the word Terror means?

terror
noun
UK /ˈter.ər/ US /ˈter.ɚ/

extreme fear:
They fled from the city in terror.
There was sheer/abject terror in her eyes when he came back into the room.
What he said struck terror in my heart (= made me very frightened).
Heights have/hold no terrors for me (= do not frighten me).

violent action or threats designed to cause fear among ordinary people, in order to achieve political aims:
The separatists started a campaign of terror to get independence.
We need to form global partnerships to fight terror.
a terror suspect/attack/plot
Synonym
terrorism

[TorontoDrew]

Originally Posted by FrankieFlowerpot

"terrorists"

LOL

Give your head a shake man

He should give his head a shake and also apologies to anybody he may have offended with this ridiculous and very insulting thread.


These people who are standing up in support of native brothers and sisters in B.C hardly look like terrorists to me.

source: https://nationalpostcom.files.wordpr...trip=all&w=780[

[Pavlov]

Originally Posted by LakeLocker

So intimidating people into submission isn't terrorism as long as they don't act violently?

Who is being "intimidated into submission" here (by a handful of protestors)? CN? The BC government? The federal government? I'm pretty confident those parties are very capable of standing up for themselves.

[Aylmer]

Originally Posted by TorontoDrew

How are Indigenous Canadians causing terror by blocking a reail line?

By forcing me to take a Greyhound tomorrow for six hours

It's super inconvenient. And a bit part of me really wishes they'd blocked gas-guzzling cars as opposed to carbon-light rail infrastructure. But they're certainly not terrorists. Language like this just drives everyone else off-side.

[CityTech]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Not saying I disagree with you but the protestors would ask what the point of protesting is if it doesn't inconvenience people/society/government? Without that aspect it's just background noise and the entity you want to put pressure on can easily ignore your concerns.

There's plenty of ways to make your cause known without resorting to economic disruption - which will only make people hate you.

This protest has caused me, and probably anyone who was caught up in this disruption, to lose sympathy for indigenous activism in general. One week ago, I was sympathetic to their cause; now, I want them thrown in jail. You don't convince people to support you by making their lives hell.

Originally Posted by Acajack

It's similar to the teachers' strikes that are periodically occurring in Ontario right now. Would there be much pressure on the government if teachers simply marched with signs and sang songs during their lunch breaks and on weekends? There is much more pressure due to parents having to find alternate arrangements for their kids on workdays, and those parents are voters...

But likewise, many of those parents will blame the teachers unions for the dispute and support the government. I don't like Ford very much but I'm anti-union in this one. The government is making recommendations and proposals that are perfectly reasonable in the context of a government trying to be fiscally prudent.

Basically, I'm against protestors/activists/special interest groups/etc. causing disruption to our society and economy. We make decisions collectively through the democratic process. People shouldn't be allowed to throw hissy fits and block things from working when they disagree with the outcome of these processes.

We've done everything reasonable with the Coastal Gaslink pipeline and have acted in accordance with the rule of law under our democratic constitution which contains clauses on indigenous rights. The protestors have no valid complaint. We can't just keep accomodating every protestor to the end. We've done everything realistically possible to accomodate their concerns, so if they don't just shut up already, I say we screw accommodation and just do what we want whenever we want. (See? Protest just makes people hate you and want to take away what you have).