Raging Grannies

A Raging Granny in Toronto.

The Raging Grannies (or just "Raging Grannies") are activist organizations in many cities and towns in Canada, the United States, and in other countries. They are social justice activists, all women old enough to be grandmothers, who dress up in clothes that mock stereotypes of older women, and sing songs at protests. They typically write the lyrics themselves, putting their political messages to the tunes of well known songs. Their activism includes peace and environmental causes.

History

The first group started in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada over the winter of 1986/87. They originally called themselves "NERT—Nuclear Emergency Response Team". The members believed the presence of US Navy nuclear-powered ships' presence in Victoria Harbour posed potential health and environmental risks to the city.

Notable Events

In May 2005, a California chapter of the Raging Grannies was allegedly spied upon by a unit of the California National Guard after it organized a Mother's Day anti-war rally. California State Senator Joe Dunn launched an investigation and the intelligence unit was subsequently shut down.

In July 2005, five members of the group were charged with trespassing after they attempted to enlist at a US Army recruiting center in Tucson, Arizona. A spokesperson for the group said they wanted to enlist and be sent to Iraq so that their children and grandchildren could come home. A group also went to New York, where they were arrested for allegedly blocking access to a recruitment center in Times Square; on April 28, 2006, they were acquitted of all charges.

The Action League of the San Francisco Bay Area Peninsula, as the group is known in the Bay Area, was the subject of the 2009 video documentary Raging Grannies.

The Calgary Raging Grannies performing in 2002

See also

• Radical cheerleading
• Gray Panthers
• Granny Peace Brigade - NYC
• Code Pink
• Betty Krawczyk
• Harriet Nahanee

Raging Grannies: The Action League is the full name of this 30-minute award-winning DVD. You can watch a 20-minute version on KQED's Truly CA Shorts and find out more about it at pamwaltonproductions.com.

Further reading

• Anemona Hartocollis: New York Judge Tells 'Grannies' To Go in Peace. In: The New York Times - Abstract, April 28, 2006
• Marc Pitzke: Omas gegen den Krieg. Die Rache der alten Damen. In: Spiegel online June 11, 2006. (German Newspaper, German)
• Armin Ulm: Omas müssen nicht nur nett sein. Erboste amerik. Grossmütter demonstrieren vor dem Nato-Hauptquartier für den Frieden und gegen die Politik George W. Bushs. RNZ-Heidelberg July 17, 2006, P. 3 - 20 Demonstrants of the Granny Peace Brigade before G W B coming to Germany (with big Image, (a German Newspaper, germ. lang.).
• Acker, Alison, and Betty Brightwell. Off Our Rockers and into Trouble: The Raging Grannies, Horsdal & Schubart Publishers, (September 30, 2004). ISBN 1-894898-10-9; ISBN 978-1-894898-10-2.

External links

• The Raging Grannies' International Website
• Raging Grannies' Songs Website
• Raging Grannies of B.C.
• Ottawa Raging Grannies
• The Raging Grannies of San Francisco Bay Area
• Tucson Raging Grannies
• South Florida Raging Grannies
• Rochester Raging Grannies
• Seattle Raging Grannies
• The Raging Grannies of Denver
• Metro Detroit Raging Grannies
• Raging Grannies of Madison
• Raging Grannies WOWW
• NYC Metro Raging Grannies and Their Daughters
• Grandmothers for Peace International (not a Raging Grannies gaggle)