Raymond Villeneuve

Raymond Villeneuve (born September 11, 1943) is a French-Canadian admitted racist, an advocate of Quebec independence from Canada, and a convicted murderer and terrorist.

Related Topics:
September 11 - 1943 - French-Canadian - Racist - Quebec independence - Canada - Murder - Terrorist

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A member of the radical Rassemblement pour l'indépendance nationale Quebec political party, Raymond Villeneuve was a founding member of the Front de libération du Québec (FLQ). Beginning in the early 1960s, his terrorist organization was responsible for a decade of bombings and armed robberies that led to the events in 1970 known as the October Crisis.

Related Topics:
Rassemblement pour l'indépendance nationale - Quebec - Front de libération du Québec - Terrorist organization - October Crisis

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On April 20, 1963, Raymond Villeneuve and his terrorist associates planted a bomb at a Canadian Army recruitment center that killed 65-year-old night watchman Wilfred O'Neill. Arrested, Villeneuve was tried, convicted, and sentenced to twelve years in prison but was released on September 14, 1967 after serving only four years. A year and a half after his release from prison, police began looking for him for questioning following the bombing of the Montreal Stock Exchange. Villeneuve fled to Cuba and then to Algeria and France, not returning to Quebec until 1984.

Related Topics:
Canadian Army - Montreal Stock Exchange - Cuba - Algeria - France

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After Jacques Parizeau was chosen leader of the Parti Québécois in 1988, Villeneuve spent the next seven years working for Quebec independence as a volunteer political organizer for the party and for its independence organization in the 1995 Quebec referendum. Following the vote against separation in the 1995 referendum, he became more militant. Promising there would be another referendum in the future, in September of 1996 Villeneuve denounced Montreal Jews for their long standing opposition to Quebec independence and warned: "If there is trouble after Quebec becomes independent, nationalists will remember who was against them." Villeneuve charged that "the major groups fighting separation like Alliance Quebec and the Equality Party were founded by Jews" and targeted the outspoken Jewish English-rights activist Howard Galganov.

Related Topics:
Jacques Parizeau - Parti Québécois - 1995 Quebec referendum - Jew - Alliance Quebec - Equality Party - Howard Galganov

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Villeneuve returned to his roots in violence and formed the Mouvement de libération nationale du Québec (MLNQ). Among his other public pronouncements have been that "Canadians should leave the province", that "Molotov cocktails are wonderful, extraordinary instruments," and in an interview on a local CTV affiliate, CFCF, he compared the plight of Quebec nationalists to that of the Palestinians and warned the violence could soon escalate.

Related Topics:
Mouvement de libération nationale du Québec - CTV - CFCF - Palestinian

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In January of 2000, Villeneuve wrote in his movement's newsletter La tempête and on his website that French Quebecers should get out their shotguns to take care of the enemies of Quebec, naming in particular civil rights lawyer Brent Tyler. Charged and found guilty in Court of criminal harassment of Tyler and for counselling others to commit criminal acts, Villeneuve was given only a minor sentence and without jail time. In late 2003, police arrested seven members of his MLNQ organization after they were caught with explosive devices while using a chainsaw to destroy a federalist symbol at the Baie-d'Urfé town hall, a West Island community with a majority of English-speaking citizens.

Related Topics:
Website - Shotgun - Civil rights - Lawyer - Brent Tyler - Explosive devices - Chainsaw - Baie-d'Urfé - West Island

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