Civil disobedience: Difference between revisions

From Le Hub/The Climate Justice Organizing HUB
Jump to navigation Jump to search
No edit summary
 
(11 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
'''Civil disobedience '''is a''n active and often public nonviolent violation of particular laws, decrees, regulations, ordinances, military or police commands and other orders. This is usually done in protest of laws or orders which are regarded as immoral, unjust, or tyrannical and with the expectation and acceptance by the perpetrator(s) of the legal consequences of this disobedience. Sometimes an individual or group may disobey a particular law as a symbol of opposition to wider policies of the government, or the government’s rule itself.'' -Gene Sharp  <ref>https://www.nonviolent-conflict.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Glossary-of-Civil-Resistance.pdf</ref>  
'''Civil disobedience '''is a''n active and often public nonviolent violation of particular laws, decrees, regulations, ordinances, military or police commands and other orders. This is usually done in protest of laws or orders which are regarded as immoral, unjust, or tyrannical and with the expectation and acceptance by the perpetrator(s) of the legal consequences of this disobedience. Sometimes an individual or group may disobey a particular law as a symbol of opposition to wider policies of the government, or the government’s rule itself.'' -Gene Sharp  <ref>https://www.nonviolent-conflict.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Glossary-of-Civil-Resistance.pdf</ref>
<br>
<br>
Civil disobedience involves'' "breaking a law in public in order to challenge the moral legitimacy of that specific law (e.g. racial segregation) or a greater injustice committed by the state (e.g. corruption)." -Beautiful Trouble  <ref>https://beautifultrouble.org/toolbox/tool/civil-disobedience</ref>  ''


Civil disobedience may (but does not always) involve a degree of intentional law-breaking (peaceful or not) where persons place themselves in arrestable situations to make a political statement.  <ref>activisthandbook.org</ref>  
<br>


<br>
The power of civil disobedience lies in respecting moral law, which is more powerful than the state’s laws.
== Examples of [[Direct action]]s that Used Civil Disobedience in so-called Canada ==
== Examples of [[Direct action]]s that used civil disobedience in so-called Canada ==




Line 11: Line 14:
|- style="height: 23px;"
|- style="height: 23px;"
| style="width: 19.6976%; height: 23px; background-color: #99e1d9;" |
| style="width: 19.6976%; height: 23px; background-color: #99e1d9;" |
Blockades
'''Blockades'''
| style="width: 80.3024%; height: 23px;" |
| style="width: 80.3024%; height: 23px;" |
*The [https://laststandforforests.com/ Fairy Creek blockades] to protect the old growth trees in so-called British Columbia, on Pacheedaht Nation territory (also employed 'tree-sits' in their direct action)
*The [https://laststandforforests.com/ Fairy Creek blockades] to protect the old growth trees in so-called British Columbia, on Pacheedaht Nation territory (also employed 'tree-sits' in their direct action)
Line 18: Line 21:
|- style="height: 23px;"
|- style="height: 23px;"
| style="width: 19.6976%; height: 23px; background-color: #99e1d9;" |
| style="width: 19.6976%; height: 23px; background-color: #99e1d9;" |
Sit-ins
'''Sit-ins'''
| style="width: 80.3024%; height: 23px;" |
| style="width: 80.3024%; height: 23px;" |
*[https://www.macleans.ca/society/environment/inside-the-student-led-movements-urging-canadian-universities-to-divest-from-fossil-fuels/ University student sit-ins], whether in university centres, board member's offices, meeting spaces etc., to pressure their universities to divest from fossil fuels.
*[https://www.macleans.ca/society/environment/inside-the-student-led-movements-urging-canadian-universities-to-divest-from-fossil-fuels/ University student sit-ins], whether in university centres, board member's offices, meeting spaces etc., to pressure their universities to divest from fossil fuels.
|- style="height: 28px;"
| style="width: 19.6976%; background-color: rgb(153, 225, 217); height: 28px;" | Strikes/Marches
| style="width: 80.3024%; height: 28px;" |
*[https://www.climatestrikecanada.org/ Student strikes] which often target municipal, provincial and/or the federal government, are raising the alarm for climate action.
*[https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/occupy-protesters-camp-out-in-canadian-cities-1.989275 Occupy marches ] were held across so-called Canada to protest corporate greed and financial inequality
*[https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/student-strike-and-protest-marks-10-year-anniversary-of-quebec-s-maple-spring-1.5829445 2012 Quebec student strikes] to protest increasing tuition fees
|}
|}


<br>
== Examples of [[Direct action]]s that used civil disobedience around the world ==
{| class="wikitable" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; height: 46px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"
|- style="height: 23px;"
| style="width: 19.6976%; height: 23px; background-color: #99e1d9;" |
'''Graffiti'''
| style="width: 80.3024%; height: 23px;" |
*In Kenya, protestors sprayed political messages across the capital of Nairobi to spark public discourse.
*See [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ehuIXueZvs  this video] for more on the use of graffiti to spread political messages.
|- style="height: 23px;"
| style="width: 19.6976%; height: 23px; background-color: #99e1d9;" |
'''Marches'''
| style="width: 80.3024%; height: 23px;" |
*In Myanmar, students marched for education reform (i.e. student unions, ethnic language curricula etc).
*Check out [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue4XmisFK-E the following video] to learn more about the marches.
|}
<br>
<br>
<br>
If you have any suggested revisions or additional resources to share related to the above content, please email them to kenzie@lehub.ca.
If you have any suggested revisions or additional resources to share related to the above content, please email them to kenzie@lehub.ca.

Latest revision as of 17:40, 11 November 2022

Civil disobedience is an active and often public nonviolent violation of particular laws, decrees, regulations, ordinances, military or police commands and other orders. This is usually done in protest of laws or orders which are regarded as immoral, unjust, or tyrannical and with the expectation and acceptance by the perpetrator(s) of the legal consequences of this disobedience. Sometimes an individual or group may disobey a particular law as a symbol of opposition to wider policies of the government, or the government’s rule itself. -Gene Sharp [1]

Civil disobedience involves "breaking a law in public in order to challenge the moral legitimacy of that specific law (e.g. racial segregation) or a greater injustice committed by the state (e.g. corruption)." -Beautiful Trouble [2]


The power of civil disobedience lies in respecting moral law, which is more powerful than the state’s laws.

Examples of Direct actions that used civil disobedience in so-called Canada

Blockades

  • The Fairy Creek blockades to protect the old growth trees in so-called British Columbia, on Pacheedaht Nation territory (also employed 'tree-sits' in their direct action)
  • Human or structural blockades between police and houseless people in encampments, to protest the encampment eviction, lack of shelter space and housing for all.
  • Kanien’kéhaka (Mohawk) lands defense blockades in so-called Quebec, to protect a sacred burial ground and a sacred area.  

Sit-ins

  • University student sit-ins, whether in university centres, board member's offices, meeting spaces etc., to pressure their universities to divest from fossil fuels.


Examples of Direct actions that used civil disobedience around the world

Graffiti

  • In Kenya, protestors sprayed political messages across the capital of Nairobi to spark public discourse.
  • See this video for more on the use of graffiti to spread political messages.

Marches

  • In Myanmar, students marched for education reform (i.e. student unions, ethnic language curricula etc).
  • Check out the following video to learn more about the marches.



If you have any suggested revisions or additional resources to share related to the above content, please email them to kenzie@lehub.ca.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.


Back to Homepage

  1. ↑ https://www.nonviolent-conflict.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Glossary-of-Civil-Resistance.pdf
  2. ↑ https://beautifultrouble.org/toolbox/tool/civil-disobedience
Retrieved from "https://en.wiki.lehub.ca/index.php?title=Civil_disobedience&oldid=3867"