First, a short intro to what's going on -- a transcript from the news headlines from Thursday's broadcast of the Free Speech Radio News (audio archives at
http://www.fsrn.org/news_archives.html ) Following that, a forwarded email which is mostly a series of updates on the developing situation as reported by "Mohawk Nation News". (Read from the bottom up to get the correct chronology.) I believe the term OPP is a reference to the Ontario Provincial Police (one of our Canadian friends can correct me if that's wrong).
They are desparate for media attention to show the world what is happening. Please send this to anybody who can help with that.
Craig Gingold
(near Midpines CA)
Thursday, April 20, 2006
STANDOFF NEAR TORONTO
Tensions are high today in southwestern Ontario as police and Native people face off at a construction site. From Toronto, Kristin Schwartz has more.
Early this morning, police stormed a construction site occupied by native people from the nearby Six Nations reserve community, making a number of arrests. The occupation began seven weeks ago to prevent the expansion of a housing development. The Six Nations people say that the site is part of the large tract of land that was promised to them by the British Crown in 1784.
The traditional Six Nations Confederacy government backs the blockade and does not recognize the authority of the elected "Band Council", established by Canada early this century, to represent them in the negotiations. Janie Jamieson is a spokesperson for the blockade participants. (sound) "Since 1924, Canada has violated international law and they continue to ignore the existence of the Haudenosaunee confederacy. And that's what this is all about. It's got to end at some point."
Six Nations people rallied and regained control of the site after the arrests this morning. Hundreds of police have now been deployed in the area. From CKLN in Toronto, this is Kristin Schwartz for Free Speech Radio News.
------- Forwarded message follows -------
TO ALL INTERESTED PEOPLE - PLEASE ACT ON THIS QUICKLY! THIS SIEGE IS UNDERWAY AT THIS MOMENT AND THE COMMUNITY (MEN, WOMEN & CHILDREN) ARE STANDING FIRM - THEY NEED CONCRETE SUPPORT AND SOLIDARITY NOW! PLEASE DO WHAT YOU CAN AND FORWARD THIS WIDELY.
IN STRUGGLE,
sally o'brien
From: "Orakwa International Indigenous Ent." To: "ActionCanadaNetwork" Subject: 10:05 AM SIX NATIONS PEOPLE TAKE BACK LAND - 1000 OPP and ARMY COMING IN Date: Thu, 20 Apr 2006 10:21:59 -0400
FIRST ATTACK AT 4:20 AM LIGHT UP! HELP US. LAND TAKEN BACK BY SIX NATIONS PEOPLE. 1000 OPP and army on their way.
Call Dick Hill at 519-865-7722.
WE SMASHED THEIR CARS UP. THEY WERE POINT THEIR GUNS AT US. So that's what we did. About 1000 people there. Red Alert to come. We forced OPP and one road is open to get there. Do whatever you have to do. This is not right. We'll die here if we have to. Douglas Creek Estates. It is our. They stole it from us. We took it back. canada thinks its the ultimate power. Are there Indian mercenaries helping the OPP? Negotiations - "Yes, I punched one of them right in the head. WHERE IS MICHAEL COYLE WHEN YOU NEED HIM? DIDN'T HE GET SENT INTO SETTLE ALL THAT BUSINESS AT KANEHSATAKE WHICH IS STILL A BIG MESS. Send him in again!
9:45 UPDATE - ALERT! ALERT! OPP INVADES SIX NATIONS - CHASED OUT - GO AND WITNESS - Thursday, April 20th 2006.
WATCH FOR FURTHER UPDATES
9:45 AM
OPP saying that it is over [FOR THEM]. Go home then! Simple as that. Hundreds are there. More and more are coming. We moved police out of here. We have blocked off highways. Police are supposed to be moving in. 1000 cops and the army. Transport truck is blocking off road. They are going to try to come in again. Negligent media -- no coverage. There had been an actual meeting in Cornwall not to give coverage. Alternative media is there. Local only. One woman was roughed up.
Very tense difficult situation. We need all kinds of people here as witnesses with cameras and eyes and memories. It is about violation of our law, Canadian law and international law. They have no right to be here. Their guns are fully loaded. We are unarmed. Our spirits are high. We are asking people to make calls, emails, think about us. We are carrying out our responsibilities. We need international support. There were children on the site when the OPP came. We are standing strong, adhering to the law and we have no intention of leaving.
The constitutional jurisdiction is that of the Indians. Ontario and Canada are invading our jurisdiction. This is an international assault on another nation. The people are standing on the law. Canada is standing on "might makes right".
9:15 Tires burning at underpass. At the church near Douglas Estates near Tim Horton's the people have blocked off the highway.
4:20 am the OPP attacked to arrest them. Hauled first 9 off. Some protesters took the Caledonia bridge. Reserve people arrived and repelled the cops. At least 150 heavily armed cops. Vans, trucks, paddy wagons, ambulances (for the cops). They repelled them. The cops came back. They were repelled again. Now at 9:00 am the people have taken the land in question back. How to get there: From Niagara Falls and Toronto, take Highway 6 straight south from Hamilton to Caledonia. From buffalo take Highway 3 west to Higway 6 and north on Highway 6 to Caledonia. From Windsor take Higway 3 East to Higway 6 and go north. These are backways and cops are not likely to be looking at it too much.
8:30 OPP DISRUPTS PEACE IN QUIET CALEDONIA
The OPP has created an ongoing battle. They sit in their cars, give out false news reports, and wait for reinforcements to come in to squash the Six Nations people but they can't. Everyone is reporting to everyone.
All police have been chased off the perimeter of Douglas Estates for now. Cop were sneaking behind the unfinished houses. One woman went over. A women cop told her she was under arrest. "What do you mean I'm under arrest. You're violating the laws, both ours and international law". Other cops came out and wrestled her down on the ground. She fought all of them. They kneed her to handcuff her. She started booting the cops. Then other Indians arrived on the scene and chased the cops off. As they were leaving they shot her son in back with tasers. The big woman cop was carrying a big gun, something like an Ouzi. "It was a big one". Those cops were fully packed, she said. They failed to arrest her because she resisted. There are 9 arrested. They're supposed to only keep them for 2 hours. 'We haven't seen them back yet". The People are shutting Caledonia down. "We are not armed. We got our land back. Were in! We're at the fire!"
At the 6th Line where the Douglas Estates comes out on the road at the entrance, out to Highway 6 that goes onto the rez. The bypass that goes around Caledonia. At the 6th line overpass, the people there had been blocking that road, they were attacked by the cops, paddy wagons were there. They fought back. It was a brawl. People started coming from the rez and supported them. Immediately there were hydro poles around which they threw on the road and set on fire. They are cutting off Highway 6 the main supply line that goes to Nanticoke Hydro Electric plant down on Lake Erie. It is the main transport truck road to Hamilton. This is being blocked.
Some protesters are still holding Caledonia Bridge, the main artery of the city. It's total confusion.
If you have satellite TV, look for Hamilton CH which has a live feed. They have helicopters filming everything.
8:00 AM
It is an ongoing situation. 9 people arrested.
There is fighting going on at the No. 6 Line Bridge. It is blocked off. The traditional Longhouse people put a fire there and the OPP pepper sprayed them. But the people started fighting back. The people have moved onto the main bridge in Caledonia. The people moved the police off the land and are going back to the main door and are still there holding on. The cops are still on the road shutting down the bypass. The OPP were chased off by the people and told to get out. OPP got off the land and are in their cars watching and waiting for "orders".
Get the news on the radio stations, newspapers, television.
7:05 am.
Two snipers were chased off by the people. They have 50 cops trapped in, who can't get out. A media black out could work against them. More cops are going to come in. Indians don't have weapons but they do have tons of cameras.
In Ipperwash there was a media blackout. The only way the information got out was because some of the people told what they saw. That's why we need people in there. The police showed in that public inquiry there was a deliberate attempt to stop the press from finding out. There were attacks upon people with cameras, those who tried to get the story out. What the police learned is how to do this the right way next time. This is it.
They learned all the weaknesses We learned the invaders are psychologically twisted people who pretend to be supporting the law. These are megalomaniacs who think they can say what the law is because they have access to guns. This time they will do it "right". The CTV have made two major movies showing what happens when these twisted personalities are allowed free reign on Indians. We get killed.
There are back room deals in police headquarters to hide the information and protect the police officers that give orders. In the case of Ipperwash, three OPP police officers died suddenly just before they were going to give evidence at the enquiry. What a strange coincidence. It is unfortunate that the poor jerks that are just "following orders" do not realize that they are putting their lives on the line. They are not at risk from Indians, so why all these coincidences?
The Six Nations people have been burning tobacco during this entire occupation for their protection. This is the only weapon that we have. We know the truth is on our side. We are calling upon the natural forces to give us wisdom and guidance through this whole siege. There are repercussions to those involved when you go against people who are innocent and justified in what they are doing. The megalomaniacs who do these kinds of things are only looking out for themselves. They are a danger to all of society.
We Indigenous people are within our rights. We want Canada to obey their own laws, and to respect international norms. We want an open and fair hearing. If the colonizers think they own our land, they need to prove it. With this attack they have trashed any pretension to right and decency, democracy and the rule of law. Canada is beginning to slide quickly down the slippery slope of despotism. How can Canada decolonize. The test lies in how they feel toward people who challenge their assumptions. Are they going to use batons, guns and pepper spray? Or are they going to get out their documents and take a serious look at the evidence.
The answer is obvious. Just look at what is happening today. This is a colonial government's hard core. Canada does not believe in reasoned researched and documented solutions. We are seeing how colonial government is going to deal with any kind of questioning of their "might makes right" authority. These are the signs of how a tyrannical government is going to suppress the people from expressing legitimate dissent against a takeover by the powerful elitist interests that are involved. It appears that individual rights are being eliminated systematically all over Turtle Island.
This destruction of dissent at Six Nations is done under the cover of media darkness. This is the way it will be done in the future against all people across Turtle Island. This is an experiment in police state tactics against unarmed people who are exercising our rights.
These are the lessons they learned at Gustafsen Lake in 1995 where 77,000 rounds of ammunition were shot at the Indians. In Saskatoon, where Six Indian boys were found frozen to death outside the city put there by police officers. In Winnipeg where J.J. Harper was murdered by the Winnipeg police. At Ipperwash where Dudley George was murdered in cold blood by the OPP. There are over 500 Indigenous women who have "disappeared" and the police have done nothing about it. In the 1960's there was a complaint made in British Columbia because men were looking for Indian children to have sex with them in the streets. The police did nothing about it. Child prostitution is an on-going problem in Vancouver. We don't want the blood lust of Canada's police force to be whetted by spilling the blood of Indians. This vampire regime is moving in on Indians like sharks who smell blood in the water.
6:45 am
Go to Six nations. Take part in the Canadian "democratic" process. Get pepper sprayed. Get beat up. Get arrested. Get killed. No one will know what is going on. Seriously, the media black out is giving the lawless their power. They can do anything they want and who knows where it will stop. Take photos and tell your friends. We don't want another Chile. The state has been involved in murders before like Anna May Aquash. These attackers find a place where they can live out their bizarre fantasies and manias. These people have a twisted view of society and a gun is put in their hands. No psychological testing is done on these guys in police, armies, and bureaucracies. The only test for surviving is a willingness to "follow orders", not the law. These people have no concept of what the law or true democratic rule is.
6:20 AM
Cops all over the place. People are there. More people coming. Pepper sprayed. So far they let everybody go. Some might have been seized. Don't know. Canada using Gestapo tactics instead of making things right. Canada following big brother george bush mentality - invasion, containment, imprisonment and torture of Indigenous people and their families. Next Canada will start hunting down those who continue to protect and try to maintain the sov and jurisdiction of our people. lets not be surprised if Canada puts a deck of 52 for its most wanted Indigenous people and their friends and allies. Free land is our land that is free of Indians.
At 5:55 am this morning, Thursday, April 20th, over 150 heavily armed Ontario Provincial Police with Native mercenaries as body shields, invaded Six Nations land. Some carrying M-16's, in riot gear. 6th line is still open. The Rotinoshon'no are not fighting because they are unarmed. Tear gas has been thrown at them. Some were pepper sprayed. The traitors are the same kind of people who stabbed Crazy Horse, Geronimo, and those who fought for our sovereignty and our lives.
One bridge to the property has been closed.
Witnesses required. This will not be on the national news. Go there and see what is going on. This is a scary precedent. Take pictures. Make reports. Let the world know. report. REPORT. REPORT. Help the people so no one gets hurt. we never wanted violence. Canada has opened to the door to covert state violence on a scale that is unprecedented in Canada. This si the end of any pretense of negotiation with Indigenous people. they're just going to take the land. Canada came in with armaments, guns, paddy wagons (we dont know what's in there).
Don't let Canada become another Chile. Tell the world. The Rotino'sho: we are on our own land.
MNN Mohawk Nation News
kahentinetha2@yahoo.com
