Peaceful Direct Action Coalition Joint Statement
Comox Valley, British Columbia, Canada

Comox Valley coalition to focus on education for peaceful direct action as a democratic responsibility. We perceive our Comox Valley community, the communities of British Columbia and the communities of the nation of Canada to be in grave danger.

The danger threatens our long term economic, social and environmental health, the three pillars of sustainability: The danger comes in the form of eroding economic equality, devastated social programs, attacks on working peoples' rights and unfettered environmental damage. It comes in the form of privatization of public resources, diminished civil rights, a lack of accountability to the citizenry and an ever-deepening corporate /government partnership that is moving our elected officials farther and farther away from serving community interests.

In the environmental movement, the arrest and detention of 64 brave souls in Strathcona Park in 1988 led to the creation statute parks in the province. The arrest and detention of more than 800 people in the "Clayoquot Summer" of 1993 ultimately brought a measure of environmental sanity and some "peace in the woods" for a prolonged period of time.

Three coal mines in our beautiful community make no sense. A new gas station in the heart of our estuary makes no sense. The gutting of social programs for our most vulnerable citizens makes no sense. Turning our provincial park system over to private corporations makes no sense. Yet, despite every effort by our community to work within "the system" to prevent these things, they are all proceeding anyway.

We will work as a coalition to provide education on peaceful direct action in our Comox Valley community. We hope to mobilize hundreds of citizens to relearn that peaceful direct action is a fundamental democratic right, to remember that when governments are ignoring the will of the people, it is our responsibility to react strongly, collectively and peacefully.

We know that we are far from alone. We are well aware that many others in our community and across British Columbia are also at the end of their patience. We invite other Comox Valley groups, organizations and individual citizens to join us and encourage other communities across the province to organize similar coalitions of their own.

It is time for us to stand up, and stand up together.

Current signatories:
Friends of Strathcona Park
GE Free Comox Valley
Comox Valley WaterWatch
Comox Valley Kairos
Sierra Club Comox Valley
Comox Valley Unitarian Fellowship
Council of Canadians
Denman Opposes Coal
nocoalmine.net
Comox Valley Coal Watch Society
World Community Development Education Society
Comox Valley Peace Group
Cumberland Forest Society

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