Civil Strife, Protest and Nationalism

• There can be no peace without justice. (A&P 1991, pp. 299-331, 56-57)
• The church abhors political repression wherever it is found. (A&P 1989, p. 377)
• We who belong to the family of protestant churches believe in the right and duty to protest for truth and against evil [and] we believe in the rights of all people to protest and dissent (A&P 1969, pp. 60)
• Physical violence is neither a proper expression of protest nor a proper response to protest (A&P 1969, pp. 60)
• Justice is not a gracious gift which we may bestow on another; it is a demand, a minimum. (A&P 1974 pp. 393-5, 405, 50)
• Economic advocacy is a non-violent action that may contribute to peaceful change. (A&P 2003, pp. 298-309, 15)
• Ethnic or cultural distinctions must enrich the church, not divide it. The church must condemn idolatrous nationalism in its many forms and be an effective witness of God’s kingdom of shalom. (A&P 1993, pp. 248-251, 38)

2025: General Assembly adopted a report containing a section on Guiding Principles for Exercising Power for the Common Good. (A&P 2025, pp. 192-3, 29)

2022: General Assembly adopted a report containing a section addressing protest, hate and money and adopted a recommendation that members of congregations be encouraged to resist, as far as possible, from donating on platforms that continue to host crowdfunding for groups with known white supremacist ties. (A&P 2022, pp. 191-3, 24)

(Background information: the 2022 report was written following an increase in the number of hate symbols and racism displayed by some people at protests, including at “Freedom Convoys” or “Freedom rallies” such as the one that took place in Ottawa in February 2022 where American Confederate banners and the Nazi swastika were found to be present. The report which the General Assembly adopted condemned these flag and symbols as signs of tyranny, hate and genocide premised on a belief in white supremacy and noted that neither of these flags has any place in any demonstration that is concerned with justice. See also, the statement from the Canadian Council of Churches, of which the PCC is a member, “unequivocally denounc[ing] the symbols, words, and actions of white nationalism being expressed in Ottawa and across the country at “freedom” rallies.”)

2021: In the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests in the United States and Canada, the General Assembly adopted a report including a section on violent encounters between police services and Black and Indigenous people which discussed systemic racism, targeted violence toward Black and Indigenous people, and the disproportionate numbers of Black and Indigenous people in the justice system. Following the report, the General Assembly adopted a recommendation that the Moderator write a letter encouraging the Government of Canada to create a nationally run centralized data collection system that records and analyzes race-based data within policing, including on use of force. (A&P 2021, pp. 427-432, 38)

2020: The 2020 General Assembly was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic but, in the wake of the murder of George Floyd and the protests it sparked, the Moderator issued a pastoral letter in June of 2020 to the church about anti-Black racism and those protests. The letter in its entirety is available here.

Following that, in July of 2020, the church issued a statement titled “Statement Regarding Violence and Encounters Between Indigenous People and Policing Agencies” which the following General Assembly (2021) encouraged presbyteries, sessions and individuals to study (A&P 2021, p. 432, 38)

2019: General Assembly adopted a recommendation that the moderator write to the Government of Canada expressing dismay over the human rights abuses related to language in Cameroon and that Canada express concern for the situation to the Cameroonian Government, urging it to bring all parties together to engage in meaningful dialogue to seek a peaceful solution. Congregations were encouraged to support people in the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon with prayer for a peaceful way forward so that all may live and learn and work in their language of choice. (A&P 2019, pp. 282, 29, 30)

2017: General Assembly, through a letter from the moderator, wrote to the Prime Minister of Israel encouraging the Government of Israel to meet its obligations under international conventions and Israel’s laws to protect the civil, political, social, economic and cultural rights of its Palestinian citizens and to address racial discrimination. (A&P 2017, pp. 20, 298-301)

2016: The General Assembly adopted a recommendation that the Moderator write to the Minister of Foreign Affairs requesting information on how the Government of Canada will ensure that military equipment sold to Saudi Arabia will not be used against civilians engaged in peaceful protest activities in Saudi Arabia or in other countries. (A&P 2016, 313-314, 23)

1998: The General Assembly adopted a report by the International Affairs on the 50^th anniversary of the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights. The report included a reflection on the Declaration and stated, “In today’s world, where power is exercised not so much by individuals as by enormous institutions, whether governments or corporations, limitations on the liberty of the powerful are more important than ever.” (A&P 1998, 285; 283-300; 34.)

1996: General Assembly affirmed the efforts of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) to promote human rights and democratic development and encouraged the Government of Canada to emphasize human rights in Canada’s trade policy. (A&P 1996, pp. 278-294, 48-49)

1991: Following the conclusion of the Kanehsatà:ke Resistance/ Oka Crisis in the summer and early fall of the previous year, the Board of Congregational Life presented a report to the General Assembly on some of the roots of the conflict, along with seven recommendations (adopted) aimed at supporting Indigenous rights and land claims, which had been at the heart of the conflict, as well as at increasing Indigenous representation in decision making bodies, including in governmental talks for the development of Canada’s constitution. (A&P 1991, pp. 289-292) See also the Indigenous Justice page for more details.

1990: General Assembly condemned the use of violence and any justification for it in Northern Ireland, welcomed all efforts to find a just political settlement, which would recognize the rights of both the Protestant and Catholic communities and the equality of all citizens under the law. Also welcomed were the efforts of peacemakers in Northern Ireland and attempts to break down personal barriers and foster reconciliation. (A&P 1990, pp. 407-410, 62)

1989: General Assembly asked the Canadian government to protest the repressive policies of the Romanian government, to urge the Romanian government to reconstitute an autonomous Hungarian province, and to discuss with signatories of the Paris Peace Treaty the human rights of minorities in Romania. (A&P 1989, pp. 376-378, 63-64)

1989: General Assembly approved a letter to the Government of China, condemning the massacre of unarmed civilians by government forces at Tiananmen Square. (A&P 1989, p. 36)

1986: The General Assembly adopted a recommendation calling on its members “to pray earnestly for those who in response to their faith in God risk criticism, arrest and other penalties in order to be faithful; to seek ways to give refuge, hospitality and support to those who are fleeing oppression in their homelands; to become more aware of the situations that provoke so many to flee, and to be faithful to the demands of the Lord for
compassion, justice and peace.” (A&P 1986, pp. 370-373, 56)

An additional motion was also adopted expressing concern to President Jose Napoleon Duarte of El Salvador over recent political detentions, and urging individual commissioners to do likewise. (A&P 1986, p. 56)

1981: A play called “On the Eve of Revolution,” together with discussion questions and the 1980 statement referenced below was circulated to the church for study and reflection. Responses from presbyteries reflected “the continuing division of opinion within the church.” (A&P 1981, p. 370)

1980: General Assembly adopted a report and recommendations permitting the church to respond to appeals for humanitarian assistance from revolutionary movements provided that the church is prepared “to defend both the justice of the cause and the means by which it is being pursued.” The report included a statement on the church and violence associated with revolution. (A&P 1981, pp. 339-341, 54, 63)

1974: General Assembly adopted a statement from the Committee on Church Doctrine titled “A Comment on ‘The Theology of Violence’” and commended it to presbyteries and sessions for study.

The statement dealt with the question of violence in the context of civil unrest and revolution and noted that it considered its task to be offering “a Christian comment on involvement in revolutionary violence.” It stated that love must always be the starting point and the measure of morality for Christians, but outlined “if this love is real it will express itself in goodwill for others and that goodwill demands, at the very least, justice.” Among other things, the statement offered the following: “It is untenable that we should condemn the counter-violence of freedom fighters if we are not far more adamant in our abhorrence of the systematic and sustained violence which they may be resisting. We need also to be honestly aware if we look differently upon violence depending upon the political or racial identity of the perpetrators.” (A&P 1974 pp. 393-5, 405; 50)

1972: General Assembly noted that the Government of Canada ratified the International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination and asked the government to sign and ratify: The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; and the Optional Protocol on Civil and Political Rights. (A&P 1972, pp. 302-303, 70)

The General Assembly also approved support for the Program to Combat Racism, established by the World Council of Churches in 1969, through which anti-racism grants were made “to the victims of oppressive regimes…for social, medical, educational and general relief activity” and mandated that a financial contribution be made to the program through the Committee on Inter-Church Aid and Refugee Relief. The General Assembly also requested that the Committee on Church Doctrine do a study on the theology of revolution. (This was produced in 1974, see above). (A&P 1972, pp. 269-270, 59, 62)

1969: General Assembly adopted the statement “The Right and Duty of Protest,” and encouraged presbyteries and congregations to give serious study to the complex questions of protest and dissent, non-violent protest and the nature of violence. (A&P 1969, p. 60)