- Bishop Hill blog

Via GWPF, we learn that Canadian police are worried about violent extremists in the environmental movement:

The RCMP has labelled the “anti-petroleum” movement as a growing and violent threat to Canada’s security, raising fears among environmentalists that they face increased surveillance, and possibly worse, under the Harper government’s new terrorism legislation.

In highly charged language that reflects the government’s hostility toward environmental activists, an RCMP intelligence assessment warns that foreign-funded groups are bent on blocking oil sands expansion and pipeline construction, and that the extremists in the movement are willing to resort to violence.

There are clearly valid concerns over blanket surveillance the article is interesting, firstly because it represents more evidence that people in a position to know seem convinced about the links between environmentalists and foreign powers - presumably Russia - and secondly because nobody seems to be disputing that there are violent people operating within the environmental movement. The fact of ecoterrorism seems accepted by everyone (except the BBC perhaps).

Update on Feb 18, 2015 by

Bishop Hill

Also via GWPF, the Indian Government is also worried about environmentalists and their "foreign" funding sources:

The [Ministry for Home Affairs] on the basis of intelligence inputs has suggested that Greenpeace UK office has keen interest in promoting the growth of Greenpeace India’s ground level protests. Home Ministry has also raised suspicion over the funding pattern of Greenpeace International.

According to the MHA, it had been noted the Netherland-headquartered Greenpeace International was focussing on India’s energy plants in the couple of years.This was believd to be at the behest of foreign interests inimical to the overall national interests of India.

This is interesting, because Greenpeace always said they never took money from foreign governments. I wonder what the Indians have caught wind of.