François Schirm

Called " The général" , François Schirm is a former militant of the Front of release of Quebec.

Born with Budapest (Hungary), taken refuge political in France after the Second world war, it engaged in the Foreign legion at the 18 years age. It initially fought in Indo-China against the Vietnamese soldier-minh, with the French Army, then in Algérie against FLN. Disgusted these colonial wars, it left the Legion in 1956 and emigrated with Montreal. he worked as workman of the building, followed a diesel course of mechanic, became security agent then night watchman. Conscious of being exploited as French-speaking worker, it started to militate with RIN and tied contacts with militants of FLQ.

Within the revolutionary Armed with Quebec (which replaced the Armée with release of Quebec like military wing of the FLQ), Schirm takes the head of an impatient group to pass to the action. In July 1964, it opens a camp of drive in forest close to the village of Saint-Boniface-with-Shawinigan in Mauricie, to 150 km of Montreal, with the intention to establish a first hearth of Guérilla in Quebec. This initiative is criticized and taxed with adventurism by those which want to prepare with realism the direct action.

August 29th, 1964 in Quebec, a commando of the ARQ organizes a flight of weapons in an arms manufacture of Montreal. Two police officers patrols some in the sector arrive on the spot and a shooting bursts. One of the police officers accidentally cuts down one of the employees of arms manufacture while the manager is killed by a member of the ARQ.

Four of the authors of the flight are quickly captured, of which François Schirm, wounded of one ball to the thigh at the time of the shooting. The fifth, Edmond Guénette, manages to flee but will be stopped three days later.

At the conclusion of the lawsuit, Schirm and Guénette will be condemned to death, a single case in annals of the FLQ. They will spend three years in the cells of condemned to died and, after a new lawsuit, will be condemned to the life imprisonment.

François Schirm will pass nearly 14 years behind the bars, more the long life for a militant of the FLQ. Having refused to be off-set in Europe in 1974, it was not released under conditions (of day) only in 1978. During all these years, it continued to repeat what it had declared at the conclusion of its lawsuit: " As revolutionist, I was ready to give my life and I am still ready to give it for the release of the people of Quebec. "

See Francis Simard

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