Four items related to the Vancouver Five

Various cities: Various publishers, 1983-2001. Four items related to the Vancouver Five, a group of Canadian anarchists affiliated with Direct Action and the Wimmens' Fire Brigade who were arrested and jailed in 1983 for a series of bombings committed against the Cheekeye-Dunsmuir Hydro substation, the Litton Industries plant, and three locations Red Hot Video, a porn store. The group, which styled itself after urban guerrillas in the George Jackson Brigade, were also charged with conspiring to rob a Brinks van and to commit more bombings. Their sentences ranged from five years to life, although all five were out in under eight. A bad TV docudrama aired in 1988 called “The Squamish Five.” Included in this grouping are:

Free the Five Newsletter, Issue #5, July 15, 1983. Vancouver: Free the Vancouver Five Defense Group, 1983. Includes information on the case. A single sheet folded (7” x 8 ½”), [4] p., illus. Near Fine.

Statements of Resistance. [Toronto]: [Free the Five Defense Group], [1983?]. A broadsheet reprinting statements by Brent Taylor, Ann Hansen, and Doug Stewart during their trial. The rear page features photos of the group and their sentences. Tabloid format printed on newsprint, 4 p., illus. Toning to newsprint, else Near Fine.

Writings of the Vancouver Five / Statements of Resistance. Toronto: Toronto Anarchist Black Cross, [1988?]. Writings of the Vancouver Five includes “Feminist Resistance vs. Reform” by Ann Hansen, “Living in Reality” by Doug Stewart, “Patriarchal Conquest & Industrial Civilization” by Brent Taylor, and “The Work Ethic and the Western Dream” by Gerry Hannah. Also included are five poems by Hansen, Taylor, and Hannah. Statements by Brent Taylor, Doug Stewart, and Ann Hansen before the B. C. Supreme Court during their trial and Direct Action’s communique issued after the Litton bombing on Oct. 14, 1982. The rear cover includes pictures of the Vancouver Five. Tabloid format printed on newsprint, [8] p., illus. Soiling to the bottom of the front page with a small piece missing from the bottom edge.

CAMPBELL, Jim. The Vancouver Five: Armed Struggle in Canada. Montreal: Solidarity Publishing, 2001. A sympathetic account of the Vancouver Five by a fellow Canadian anarchist published after they’d all been released. Item #8732

Price: $125.00