Outrage at Canadian State Police Action Rallies International for Support Wet'suewt'en

RALLIES PLANNED INTERNATIONALLY IN SUPPORT OF WET’SUWET’EN AND DENOUNCE STATE VIOLENCE ON UNCEDED TERRITORY

by Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs

January 8, 2019

Yesterday militarized RCMP descended onto unceded Wet’suwet’en to enforce a colonial court injunction. Fourteen people were arrested including Gitdumden spokesperson Molly Wickham. One elder was released and 13 land defenders and supporters will be appearing in court in Prince George today.

Rallies in 55 cities across Canada and internationally will be taking place today Tuesday January 8, 2019 to express solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en defending their unceded lands from unwanted fracked gas development.

Rallies across Canada are being held in Bella Bella, Calgary, Chilliwack, Campbell River, Cortes Island, Courtenay, Duncan, Edmonton, Galiano Island, Guelph, Haida Gwaii, Halifax, Hamilton, Hazelton, Lillooet, Kitchener Waterloo, London, Mayne Island, Mi'kma'ki, Montreal, Nanaimo, Nelson, North Bay, North Okanagan, Old Massett, Ottawa, Peterborough, Powell River, Prince George, Regina, Rexton, Saskatoon, Sechelt, Sherbrooke, Six Nations, Smithers, Splatsin, Sudbury, Terrace, Thunder Bay, Toronto, Vancouver, Victoria, Winnipeg, White Horse, and Yellowknife. Rallies will take place internationally in Atlanta, Bellingham, Flagstaff, Milan, Minnesota, New York City, O'Odham Territory, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington.

Details for the rallies can be found at: https://www.facebook.com/events/2225649537692362/ and on Tuesday January 8, 2019 photos and video will be available through #wetsuwetenstrong #notrespass #thetimeisnow.

According to the Wet'suwet'en Access Point on Gitdumden territory, who issued the call for international solidarity,

“All Wet'suwet'en Clans have rejected the Coastal GasLink fracked gas pipeline because this is our home. Our medicines, our berries, our food, the animals, our water, our culture are all here since time immemorial. We are obligated to protect our ways of life for our babies unborn.”

“Canada knows that its own actions are illegal,” further states the Wet'suwet'en Access Point on Gitdumden territory.

“The Wet’suwet’en chiefs have maintained their use and occupancy of their lands and hereditary governance system to this date despite generations of legislative policies that aim to remove us from this land, assimilate our people, and ban our governing system.

“The hereditary chiefs of the Wet’suwet’en and the land defenders holding the front lines will never allow Wet’suwet’en sovereignty to be violated.”

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs
312 Main St, Suite 401, Vancouver, BC
V6A-2T2, Canada

Clayton Thomas-Muller - 350.org

Subject: An urgent request to support Indigenous land defenders

Date: January 7, 2019 at 4:01:53 PM PST


Friends,

As I write this, armed RCMP are instigating a confrontation with Indigenous land defenders on the unceded territory of the Wet’suwet’en Nation in Central B.C. to try to forcibly clear a path for a fracked gas pipeline. That means they plan to forcibly remove Indigenous land defenders at the Unist'ot'en Camp and Gidimt'en checkpoint.

All five clans of the Wet’suwet’en have unanimously opposed all pipeline proposals and have not provided free, prior, and informed consent for this project. Now, they’re asking all of us to stand in solidarity. There’s a support rally tomorrow, January 8th, near your city. Can you join in? Click here to see all the details. (Just click the link, scroll down, and click "see more" to find a listing of all events.)

In December, the B.C. Supreme Court issued a court injunction that authorizes the RCMP to trample over Indigenous rights to clear a path through the Wet'suwet'en Access Point on Gidimt'en territory and the Unist’ot’en homestead on Unist’ot’en territory -- and militarized RCMP forces are now mobilizing to enforce this colonial injunction.

This injunction allows TransCanada Corporation, the same company that’s behind Keystone XL, to forcefully expel land defenders standing in the way of construction for its Coastal GasLink project -- a 670-kilometer long pipeline that will carry fracked gas to the BC coast.

A fossil fuel company once again has the greenlight to bulldoze over Indigenous rights under Justin Trudeau’s watch despite his promises of reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. Let’s stand up and demonstrate our opposition to this injustice. Click here to find details about tomorrow’s rally in your area.

According to the Wet'suwet'en Access Point on Gitdumden territory, who issued the call for international solidarity, “All Wet'suwet'en Clans have rejected the Coastal GasLink fracked gas pipeline because this is our home. Our medicines, our berries, our food, the animals, our water, our culture are all here since time immemorial. We are obligated to protect our ways of life for our babies unborn.”

The Unist’ot’en Camp is a permanent Indigenous re-occupation of Wet’suwet’en land that has stood on Gilsteyu Dark House Territory for a decade. The Wet'suwet'en Access Point on Gitdumden territory was announced in the Wet’suwet’en feast hall in December 2018 with the support of all chiefs present to affirm that the Unist’ot’en Clan are not alone.

The expulsion of Indigenous peoples from their sovereign lands is an abhorrent violation of article ten of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples which Canada, under Trudeau, has pledged to uphold.

It is time to stand up and show your unwavering solidarity with Indigenous land defenders. Click here to join tomorrow’s solidarity rally in your area.

In respect and peace,

Clayton

PS - If you can, please consider making a donation to support Indigenous land defenders. For more background, click here.