October crisis

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The October crisis in 1970 was the largest political crisis in the history of the Canadian province of Québec . It was triggered by the kidnapping of the British diplomat James Richard Cross and the politician Pierre Laporte by the terrorist organization Front de liberation du Québec (FLQ). This led to the brief imposition of a state of emergency by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeauand to send the army to Québec. Civil liberties have been suspended and hundreds of FLQ supporters have been detained without a formal warrant. While the police found Laporte strangled in the trunk of a car, Cross was freed after two months. Subsequent covert operations led to the breakup of the FLQ.

background

From 1963 to 1970, the left-wing extremist nationalist terrorist organization Front de liberation du Québec committed more than 200 acts of violence. Mailboxes were traditionally blown up, notably in Westmount , a wealthy English-speaking enclave in Montreal . The biggest attack was on February 13, 1969, on the Montreal Stock Exchange , which caused considerable property damage and injured 27 people. Other targets included City Hall, recruitment centers for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police , railroad tracks and army facilities. The FLQ, which financed its activities with bank robberies, issued a public notice warning of further attacks. In 1970, 23 FLQ members were in jail, four of whom were charged with murder.

chronology

  • October 5, 1970: The FLQ Liberation Cell kidnaps diplomat James Richard Cross , British Trade Commissioner in Montreal. The FLQ then published a notice detailing the hijackers' demands, including the release of convicted or arrested terrorists and the public announcement of the FLQ manifesto in the media. The demands are the same as for the foiled kidnapping of an American diplomat in June.
  • October 8, 1970: The FLQ Manifesto is published in all French and English language Québec media. The FLQ specifies its demands in this. It demands the release of 23 "political prisoners" and the safe conduct of their family members across the border, $ 500,000 in gold, the publication of the name of an informant, the reinstatement of 450 dismissed postal workers, the cessation of all police searches and an airplane to carry the Bring kidnappers and their lawyers to Cuba or Algeria . In addition, the FLQ warns that Provincial Prime Minister Robert Bourassa will have to face “reality: 100,000 revolutionary workers, armed and organized” over the next year.
  • October 10, 1970: At 6 p.m. Jérôme Choquette , the provincial justice minister, announced in a press conference that the government was ruling out negotiations with the FLQ. Less than 20 minutes later, the Chénier cell kidnaps Pierre Laporte , the labor minister and deputy prime minister, who had just returned home.
  • October 11, 1970: The CBC publishes a letter from Laporte to Robert Bourassa.
  • October 15, 1970: The provincial government, responsible for law and order, formally asks the Canadian Army to intervene to "assist the civilian forces." All three opposition parties in the National Assembly support this decision. In the evening, around 3,000 students gather in Montreal to show their support for the FLQ. Many Canadians see this demonstration as a possible trigger for an armed uprising.
  • October 16, 1970: Robert Bourassa asks the federal government to declare a state of emergency so that suspects can be arrested and taken into custody. The Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau complies with this request, the measure comes into force at 4:00 a.m. Among other things, it enables the suspension of habeas corpus and thus the arrest of suspects without a formal arrest warrant. Hundreds of members and sympathizers of the FLQ were arrested in the following days. The army guards important places and people, which allows the police to concentrate fully on the investigation.
  • October 17, 1970: A member of the Chénier cell called a radio station and announced that the hostage Pierre Laporte had been executed. The police receive written information as to where the body has been deposited. On the same day, Laporte was found strangled in the trunk of a car parked near Saint-Hubert airport . In another communication, the Liberation cell warns that it will not execute James Richard Cross for the time being, but will do so if the police discover the hiding place and intervene.
  • November 6, 1970: The police storm the hiding place of the Chénier cell. Three terrorists were able to flee, but one was arrested and charged with kidnapping and murdering Pierre Laporte.
  • December 3, 1970: After negotiations with the police, the Liberation cell releases James Richard Cross after 60 days of imprisonment. The Canadian government granted five members of this cell safe conduct to Cuba after Fidel Castro gave his approval. You will be flown out on a Canadian Air Force aircraft.
  • December 28, 1970: The three fugitive members of the Chénier cell are arrested in their hiding place and later charged with kidnapping and murder.
  • February 3, 1971: Federal Justice Secretary John Turner announces that 497 people have been arrested in a state of emergency. Of these, 435 have been released, while 62 are formally charged (32 of them without bail).
  • April 30, 1971: The state of emergency is officially declared over as the set deadline has passed.

literature

  • William Tetley: The October Crisis, 1970: An Insider's View. McGill-Queen's University Press, Montreal 2006. ISBN 0-7735-3118-1 .

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