Birth of our Power:
The British Columbia General Strike of 1983 and what it means for us today
by Kevin Annett, a participant, on its fortieth anniversary
It wasn’t a protest; it was a revolution. We had everything shut down. A lot of us wanted to go all the way even though we didn’t know how. The power was in our hands and we couldn’t let go of it. But we did. – Glen McCauley, General Strike picket captain
Those who make revolutions halfway merely dig their own graves. – Louis St. Just, 1793
The rippling crowd of humanity stretched as far as I could see, adorned with hundreds of banners and the sound of a vast multitude united in one voice. Our numbers were so huge that none of us could move, just stand and shout and laugh in our triumph as we held on to strangers’ arms so we wouldn’t fall. There wasn’t a single vehicle or cop in sight.
The streets of downtown Vancouver were ours. It was October 15, 1983.
So, it’s true, I remember thinking: those immortal words of the poet Shelley,
Rise like lions after slumber, in unvanquishable number;
Shake your chains to earth like dew, which in sleep had fallen on you;
You are many, they are few.
The old man who stood next to me clutching my arm must have caught my thought, for he turned and gave me a toothless grin and shouted,
“We’ve won, by God! We’ve won!”
How could it have seemed otherwise to those of us who were there that day, as we learned firsthand what it means to reclaim our world?
And how could we have known that even such a massive mobilization was insufficient if it did not seize power?
Read more in the attached article:
1. The Stage Setting
2. The General Strike: November 1-11, 1983
3. The Lessons of November: Aftermath and Prospects
a) On the nature of the system and the limits of reformism
b) Building a conscious revolutionary leadership and forming cadres
c) On Mobilizing versus Organizing
d) On Strategy and Tactics: Applying the Art of War
e) How do the Few rule the Many? Understanding and Applying Mass Psychology
4. Carrying it on
5. Footnotes
Here We Stand
Here We Stand is the official voice of The Republic of Kanata and the Republican Party of Kanata. The weekly program is a platform to unite and mobilize the revolutionary remnant who are forming the basis of a new society based on equality, Common Law and liberty.
The Vision and Program of the Republic and the Party can be found here: Establishing Liberty: The Case for the Republic of Kanata - https://www.amazon.com/dp/1721282033
The Republic and the Party can be contacted at republicofkanata@gmail.com. Kevin's email is thecommonland@gmail.com.
See also http://murderbydecree.com/
See also https://republicofkanata.org/
Donations to Here We Stand can be made by writing to the emails above.
Kevin's recent books, available through Amazon, are listed below:
Murder by Decree - The Crime of Genocide in Canada: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1530145619
Unrelenting: Between Sodom and Zion: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1523905778
Establishing the Reign of Natural Liberty: A Common Law Training Manual: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1544239610
At the Mouth of a Cannon: Conquest and Cupidity on Canada's West Coast: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1983790842 , https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07JZKNDJK
Truth Teller's Shield: A Manual for Whistle Blowers & Hell Raisers: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1537363948
Establishing Liberty: The Case for the Republic of Kanata: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1721282033
Here We Stand: The Call of the New Protestant Reformation: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1974273474
Fallen - The Story of the Vancouver Four: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1548152684
The Sacrifice - Of Family and Empire: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1727005961
1497 and so on: A History of White People in Canada or, The Caucasian Healing Fund:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1541034961
The Border: A Post-Canadian Anthology - https://www.amazon.com/dp/1092763910
Kevin's award winning documentary film Unrepentant can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swGEK8duSiU . See also an insightful personal interview "Who is Kevin Annett?" (2013) at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AY4h3hDjOYM
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Listen to Kevin live every Sunday at 6 pm eastern at https://bbsradio.com/herewestand . See the evidence of genocide in Canada and globally at http://murderbydecree.com/