Freedomites

Freedomites, also called Svobodniki or the Sons of Freedom, first appeared in 1902 in Saskatchewan, Canada, and later in the Kootenay and Boundary districts of British Columbia, as a Doukhobor group. Of the about 20,000 Doukhobor living in Canada today, about 2,500 are Freedomites.[1]

Doctrine

The ideals of the Freedomites emphasize communal living and action, ecstatic religious doctrine, and anarchic attitudes towards external regulation. The objective of the Doukhobors in moving to Canada had been to escape religious persecution in Russia, but the community fractured soon after they arrived. The Sons of Freedom were the most radical of the resulting groups.[1]

Public protest

Although Canada at first provided a more tolerant religious environment than the Russian Empire, conflict soon developed, most importantly over the schooling of children and registration. The Svobodniki generally refused to send their children to school; the governments of Saskatchewan and later British Columbia would soon charge many of the parents for not sending the children to school.[1]

Nude protest, 1900s photograph, 20+ years before naming their group "Sons of Freedom"

The Svobodniki became famous for various public protests—sometimes publicly burning their own money and possessions, and mostly parading in public nude. There was a doctrinal justification for nudity (that human skin, as God's creation, was more perfect than clothes, the imperfect work of human hands), but the public nudity has generally been interpreted as a form of protest against the materialist tendencies of society.[1]

A very small minority of the Freedomites were noted for their arson campaigns, as a sign of their protest against materialistic life. They targeted belongings and other material possessions. The attacks occurred throughout the 20th century, but the periods of greatest activity were during the 1920s and 1960s. Both arson and bombing were used. The first use of explosives occurred in 1923,[2] and 2 were killed by their own bombs in 1958 and 1962.[3] Targets included their own property and that of other Doukhobors to further exhibit their dislike of materialism, attacks on schools to resist government pressure to school Svobodnik children, and attacks on transportation and communications. One such incident was the bombing of a railway bridge in Nelson, British Columbia in 1961.[4] Most of these acts were committed in the nude.[1]

Among the reactions of the British Columbia and Canadian government was taking away Freedomite children and placing them in an internment center in New Denver.[5] Abuse of these children was later alleged, and a formal apology demanded. The BC government made an official Statement of Regret that satisfied some, but not others. The Government of Canada has not apologized for its role in the removal, saying that it is not responsible for actions taken by the government in place 50 years ago.[1]

Operation Snatch: timeline of actions taken

Between 1953 and 1959, roughly 200 Doukhobor children, aged 7–15 year old were seized by the B.C. Government, the RCMP and the Federal Government. These children were confined in New Denver, B.C. in a prison-like setting. These Sons of Freedom children experienced a loss of their human rights throughout their improper imprisonment by the B.C. Government, this is what is known as "Operation Snatch".[6] The following is a timelines of the actions that were taken leading up to, during and after the confinement of these children.

Meanwhile, a report led by the University of British Columbia is released, discouraging the seizure of the Sons of Freedom children.[8]
A new law, the Compulsory Education Act makes state-run education for all children mandatory. Shortly thereafter, the government begins shipping student off to residential schools.[8]
104 children are taken by bus to a residential school in New Denver.[7]
Operation Krestova is declared a success as 70 policemen went in and removed 40 children from their homes. The number of children in the New Denver school is increased to 72.[7]
The Department of Health would only approve a maximum of 45-50 children.[7]
Hundreds of Freedomites are arrested and jailed during this time.[9]
B.C. Civil Liberties Association is launched, based on the human rights concern about their treatment by the government.[9]
a replica of the Doukhobor Community Home near Castlegar, B.C. has been completed by The Kootenay Doukhobor Historical Society.[9]
The Freedomites were suspected of setting fire to the USCC Community Centre.[9]
Bringing together representatives of various Doukhobor groups, government departments and police.[9]
The Law Commission of Canada recommended that the Provincial and Federal Governments correct the historical wrongs, would be in the best interests of Canadian society.[6]
Instead, Geoff Plant delivers a "statement of regret" on behalf of the Government of B.C.[8]

Operation Snatch: additional information

When the government made a decision to seize the Sons of Freedom children, it was in an attempt to respond to the widespread civil disorder happening in the Kootenays. The Federal Department of Justice faced two problems with the apprehension and conviction of the Doukhobors: where should the adult convicts be confined and what should be done with their children?[12]

In the years leading up to the creation of the residential school's, the Sons of Freedom had become a concern for the province of British Columbia as a whole; they seemed to have a problem with any sort of government, in addition to the laws and policies that were being enforced. Public and Authorities were unhappy because the Sons Of Freedom did not register their births, deaths or marriages that occurred within their communities; in addition to the fact that they weren't sending their children to public schools. Public alarm was increasing, based on the fears that the unruly incidents of nude protests, burning of homes and buildings and bombings of bridges and railways, were not being attended to by the RCMP.[12]

"It was between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. and Elsie Ericson's mother had just begun lighting the stove when four RCMP officers barged into their tiny wooden home in the village of Krestova, B.C. The child jumped out of bed and hid under it, only to be dragged out by their feet. Elsie and her brother spent the next four years in what she said felt like a jail. They were housed with nearly 200 other in a residential school in New Denver, B.C."[12]

Further reading

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 F.M. Mealing (1976), Sons-Of-Freedom Songs in English Canadian Journal for Traditional Music.
  2. ↑ Hawthorn, ed., Harry B. (1955). The Doukhobors of British Columbia. Vancouver: University of British Columbia and J. M. Dent and Sons Ltd.
  3. ↑ Torrance, Judy (May 1, 1988). Public Violence in Canada, 1867-1982. McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP. p. 244.
  4. ↑ "Bomb Blasts Rail Bridge in Kootenay". The Spokesman-Review. 11 December 1961. Retrieved 4 October 2010.
  5. ↑ "Russia Handed Propaganda Gift By Persecuted Sect In Canada". Miami News. 21 January 1958. Retrieved 19 November 2010.
  6. 1 2 3 "Doukhobor children in New Denver suffered the loss of their human rights during the unlawful confinement by the B.C. government in what is known as "Operation Snatch".". Stolen Children of the Doukhobors. The New Denver Survivors.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "Righting the Wrong: The Confinement of the Sons of Freedom Doukhobor Children" (PDF). Public Report No. 38 to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. Ombudsman: Province Of British Columbia.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Makortoff, Kalyeena (May 21, 2012). "Doukhobors want apology from B.C. government". Vancouver: The Globe & Mail. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "Explosion on the :Kettle Valley Line: Timeline". Great Unsolved Mysteries in Canadian History. Great Unsolved Mysteries in Canadian History.
  10. ↑ Torrance, Judy (May 1, 1988). Public Violence in Canada, 1867-1982. McGill-Queen's Press. p. 244. ISBN 0773505903.
  11. ↑ Torrance, Judy (May 1, 1988). Public Violence in Canada, 1867-1982. McGill-Queen's Press. p. 244. ISBN 0773505903.
  12. 1 2 3 Makortoff, Kalyeena. "B.C. Doukhobors forced into residential schools want apology akin to natives’". The National Post.
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