The Vancouver Five (aka Direct Action)

One of my more vivid childhood memories was a car trip somewhere or another when the news came on the radio that a Litton Industries factory where a component for the U.S.'s new Cruise missile was being made had been blown up by a group calling itself "Direct Action". We all cheered.

In 1981 and 1982 several other attacks (against a hydro sub-station and three pornographic video stores) were carried out in Canada under the banner of Direct Action and the Wimmin’s Fire Brigade.

In early 1983 five members of the Vancouver anarchist scene were arrested for these attacks. Ann Hansen, Doug Stewart, Julie Belmas, Gerry Hannah and Brent  Taylor quickly became known as the Vancouver Five.
 Bloody Hand
The actions of these five individuals had a lasting impact on the Canadian anarchist movement, showing a new generation that one did not need to be confined to the terrain of non-violent action and symbolic protest. There was something more radical than civil disobedience, and although there were no subsequent similar guerilla groups to emerge, this knowledge alone injected militancy and pushed activists to take their politics more seriously.

This page intends to serve as a central place for documents and links regarding the Five. If you have any materials to add please email me .

To read an interview with Ann Hansen about Direct Action, click here .
To read the text The Vancouver Five: armed struggle in Canada , by Jim Campbell, click here .

Jim Campbell's text is also available in pamphlet form, and Ann Hansen has written and spoken about her experiences in Direct Action. The following are available from Kersplebedeb Distribution:
 
Direct Action
Direct Action CD, by Ann Hansen. Recorded in October 2002, Ann Hansen reflects on the successes and failures of the bombings she participated in in the 1980s, and dispels some of the common myths surrounding not only her actions, but armed struggle in general. She also explores the differences between direct action and terrorism as means of affecting social change; laying the groundwork for defining what direct action means, what its guiding principles are, and how it can be applied successfully and meaningfully in today's political climate. 55 min. $10 US
Direct Action
Direct Action, by Ann Hansen. This is an autobiographical account of Direct Action, or the Vancouver Five: five members of the West Coast Canadian anarchist scene who went underground in the 1980s to carry out armed actions against an arms manufacturer, a sex shop that specialized in hardcore pornography, and a hydro substation. Hansen spent seven years in prison after her capture by the State. 493 pages. $12.50 US
Armed Struggle in Canada
The Vancouver five; armed struggle in Canada . By Jim Campbell, who was involved ion the Free the Five campaign in Toronto. This is an account of the politics and practice, successes and errors of the Five and their supporters. 20 pages $1.75

To order the above, please email me at info@kersplebedeb.com



The Real Criminals Are Litton Inc.
There was a connection between the political edge of punkrock and Direct Action - amongst other things Direct Action member Gerry Hannah was the bassist of the West Coast band the Subhumans - and following their arrests in 1983 various punks felt a need to stake out positions on their actions. Dementlieu has set up a page on her website devoted to preserving the punk aspect to the Five - http://www.dementlieu.com/~obik/arc/vc5/index.html



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