Monday, June 13, 2011

Julie Belmas online interview

Somewhere in Ann Hansen's book, Direct Action, she talks about her puzzlement at seeing Julie Belmas vacillating between being highly doubtful and unsure of her involvement in militancy and being "gung-ho" (see p. 401, for example - "the inconsistency of her commitment was dramatic.") I wonder if I'm experiencing a bit of Hansen's puzzlement now? A few years ago, when I met Julie Belmas to speak to her about a possible interview (which never, ultimately, happened), she seemed to have completely, unequivocally rejected direct action and radicalism. Reading a 2010 online interview with her (which I just blundered into online) - though she talks about many things that she mentioned when she spoke with me - nitrate poisoning, her anger at being labelled a "rat" - she seems to have reversed herself, saying that for her experiences, she now has an even "firmer belief that action speaks louder than words." It's really kind of strange - it's clearly HER in the interview, but her values seem very, very different from those of the person I met and spoke to. I don't know what to make of that...

Anyhow, the film about the Squamish Five is tonight at the Waldorf... see below for more.

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