Christopher Curtis said, "In Kahnawake, the blockade of a commuter rail to Montreal is about solidarity with the #Wetsuweten but also pride in Turtle Island, in sovereignty, in securing a future for Indigenous youth across the country."
Kahnawake blockade in solidarity with Wet'suwet'en: 'We're fighting for life'
The pipeline protest is blocking the CP rail line in the Mohawk community of Kahnawake, meaning the cancellation of some Exo and Via Rail trains.
CHRISTOPHER CURTIS, MONTREAL GAZETTE Updated: February 11, 2020
James Nolan stood watch at the blockade in Kahnawake early Tuesday. When he arrived to relieve the night shift, there was a local police officer warming his hands by the fire that protesters keep burning near the tracks.
“There are issues that divide us between factions; the longhouse, the band council, the police. This isn’t one of them,” said Nolan, a security guard. “We’re in this together, we’re standing with our brothers and sisters out west, we’re standing with the land defenders.
“I understand this is frustrating for commuters but we’re fighting for their rights, too. We’re fighting so they can live in a country with free people and clean water. We’re fighting for life.”
Nolan, who took his son James Jr. to the blockade, said the structure will stand until the RCMP leaves Wet’suwet’en territory.
People arrive at a blockade in Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory near Belleville, Ont., on Tuesday in support of Wet'suwet'en's blockade of a natural gas pipeline in northern B.C. The blockade has prompted Via Rail to cancel all train service on the Montreal-Toronto and Toronto-Ottawa routes until the end of Thursday. (Lars Hagberg/Canadian Press)
Mohawk protest continues to halt rail traffic on the Toronto-to-Montreal corridor Via Rail cancels another 33 trips departing Toronto on TuesdaCBC News · Posted: Feb 11 CBC reports:
So far, the protesters haven't blocked the tracks near Belleville, Ont., but the proximity of their encampment has nonetheless shut down rail traffic along the CN corridor. (CBC)Via Rail has cancelled another 33 train trips departing Toronto for points east Tuesday due to an ongoing demonstration in support of Wet'suwet'en pipeline opponents.
Tyendinaga Mohawk members say they won't end their demonstration near Belleville, Ont., until the RCMP leaves the territory of the Wet'suwet'en in northwestern B.C., where there have been numerous arrests of protesters who have been blocking an access road.
The CN-owned tracks near Belleville run just outside the reserve boundaries of Tyendinaga, but are within a land claim that stretches to Highway 2, just north of the crossing.
CN RAIL TRAINS UNABLE TO MOVE CN Rail says nearly 200 trains affected by Wet’suwet’en protests
Feb 10, 2020
NEW HAZELTON, BC–CN Rail is stagnant in two areas across the country with Wet’suwet’en protesters blocking access to railways.
In an update from CN Rail today (Feb.10) CN Rail says they are experiencing disruptions in New Hazelton, BC, west of Smithers and in Tyendinaga, ON, near Belleville, ON.24hours of #cnrail being blocked in solidarity with Wet’suwet’en by gitxsan allies. Each day is a million dollars lost by industry. #Wetsuweten#WetsuwetenStrong#alleyesonwetsuweten#gitxsan
Currently, there are no movements of any trains at either of these locations and CN says nearly 200 trains have now been directly impacted by the blockades.
Prince Rupert port if northern B.C. pipeline blockade continues
Railway company has obtained court injunctions to remove both blockades and are working with RCMP
Canadian National Railway Co. says it will be forced to close a “significant” part of its rail network due to ongoing blockades by anti-pipeline protesters, including in New Hazelton. Protesters have been blocking the tracks in opposition to the Coastal GasLink natural energy project since Sunday. The demonstration is one of many happening across the country in solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en First Nation and its hereditary chiefs.
Ottawa 'very concerned' about blockades as CN Rail says it will close 'significant' parts of its network Anti-pipeline protests crippling transport network will undoubtedly damage economy, minister says
Canadian National Railway Co. says it will have to temporarily shutter much of its national network because of protests affecting its rail lines. (Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press)
Transport Minister Marc Garneau says the federal Liberal government is "very concerned" about growing anti-pipeline protests that are crippling parts of the country's transport network, including one of the main rail arteries in southern Ontario.
9:52 am - RCMP helicopter flying over Unist'ot'en Healing Centre
9:28 am - Convoy of 15 unmarked pickup trucks and 17 industry vehicles just came over the bridge. Tactical team present. Snowmobiles in tow.
List of vehicles entered: 11 RCMP dark pickup (tactical) 11 RCMP white SUV 1 dark SUV 6 white industry 1 white van 1 dark pickup w trailer carrying 2 snowmobiles 1 industry medic 1 ambulance 1 excavator 2 bulldozers
Unist'ot'en Camp Monday Unist'ot'en Camp Armed RCMP invaded sovereign Unist’ot’en Territory today to enforce CGL injunction. Seven arrests incl Unist'ot'en Matriarchs Freda Huson (Chief Howihkat), Brenda Michell (Chief Geltiy), Dr. Karla Taiit. Spirit fire outside Healing Centre still burning. Occupants can't leave the building, unsure how long it will last. Excavator on the bridge.
ASSAULT RIFLES, DOGS, SOUND CANNONS
Unist'ot'en Camp 9:38 am - 11 tactical at end of driveway of Healing Centre, 7 on hill. 2 canine units. DLTs hovering around ceremonial bell structure filming. 9:32 am - Several assault rifles spotted pointed at Healing Centre. K9 units. Sounds cannons. Handguns.
By Unist'ot'en Camp
Unist’ot’en Territory, Feb 10, 2020 – A convoy of armed RCMP tactical units has invaded sovereign and unceded Unist’ot’en Territory to enforce Coastal GasLink’s injunction. Our Unist’ot’en Matriarchs and lands defenders have been forcibly removed off their lands.
Unist’ot’en Matriarchs Freda Huson (Chief Howihkat), Brenda Michell (Chief Geltiy), and Dr. Karla Tait have been forcibly removed off our territories and arrested. Our matriarchs were arrested while holding a ceremony to call on our ancestors and to honour missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. We, the Unist’ot’en, know that violence on our lands and violence on our women are connected. During ceremony, we hung red dresses to remember the spirits of the murdered women, girls and two spirit people taken from us. We were holding a cremation for the Canadian Indigenous Reconciliation industry as the RCMP battered through the gates. Land defenders, including Victoria Redsun (Denesuline), Autumn Walken (Nlaka’pamux), and Pocholo Alen Conception have also been arrested.
Unist’ot’en condemns these violent, colonial arrests and stark violations of Wet’suwet’en law, Canadian law, and of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). This is also a clear violation of the recent directive from the UN Committee on Racial Discrimination (CERD) requiring Canada to halt the Coastal GasLink pipeline project and withdraw RCMP from our territory in order to avoid further violations of Wet’suwet’en, constitutional, and international law.
We, as Wet’suwet’en, have never ceded our sovereign title and rights over the 22,000 square kilometers of our land, waters, and resources within our Yintah. Our ‘Anuc niwh’it’ën (Wet’suwet’en law) and feast governance systems remain intact and continue to govern our people and our lands. We recognize the authority of these systems. The Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs are the Title Holders, and maintain the authority and jurisdiction to make decisions on unceded lands.
Our Wet’suwet’en Territory is divided into 5 clans and 13 house groups. Each clan within the Wet’suwet’en Nation has full jurisdiction under our law to control access to their respective territories. We have governed ourselves sustainably since time immemorial. The Unist’ot’en (Dark House) is occupying and using our traditional territory as we have for centuries. Our homestead is a peaceful expression of our connection to our territory and demonstrates the continuous use and occupation of our territories in accordance with our governance structure. Our Unist’ot’en Yin’tah is a place of healing. It is home to Wet’suwet’en people seeking refuge from colonial trauma. People recovering from addiction. People reconnecting with the land.
We have the strength of our ancestors within us. We have the solidarity of our Indigenous relatives and allies with us. We have the power of people shutting down railways, highways, ports, and government offices all around this country. Thank you to people all around this planet making our struggle your struggle. The flames of resistance and the resurgence of Indigenous land reclamation give us strength. We know our neighbours and relatives are with us. We know the two-leggeds and the four-leggeds are watching over us. These arrests don’t intimidate us. Police enforcement doesn’t intimidate us. Colonial court orders don’t intimidate us. Men in suits and their money don’t intimidate us. We are still here. We will always be there. This is not over.
Ofelia Rivas, Tohono O'odham, at the staging area on the Tohono O'odham Nation, for the construction of the Integrated Fixed Towers, spy towers. U.S. Homeland Security gave the contract to the Israeli defense contractor Elbit Systems. The Tohono O'odham elected government approved the construction of the Israeli US spy towers in remote Tohono O'odham communities.
Israeli spy tower construction is now destroying land on the Tohono O'odham Nation Article and photos copyright Ofelia Rivas Censored News Feb. 9, 2020
O'odham VOICE Against the WALL with allies traveled on the eastern reservation lands to document the devastating destruction of O'odham lands.
The construction of the Integrated Fixed Towers has begun.
The U.S. Homeland Security gave the Israeli defense contractor Elbit Systems -- responsible for Apartheid security in Palestine -- the contract to build spy towers here in O'odham communities on the Tohono O'odham Nation.
The Tohono O'odham government passed a resolution allowing this.
First, the Staging Site is where the contractors, Meridian Engineering of Tucson, Arizona occupies a large fenced up area to pile their supplies of various fencing material, heavy equipment, employees transport vans and water trucks.
The heavy equipment has scraped a road from a community road to the site. The wash area roads were reinforced with a concrete mix. Trees and cacti and all vegetation are piled near the staging site.
At the site near the O'odham holy lands of the Baboquvari mountain range another noticeable site is a portable tower site on the hills. The terrain of our homeland is forever altered. The continuous attack on indigenous peoples in the United States, first with outright killing us, and now it is this forced occupation with their military called the border patrols, ICE agents and Special Ops units and unchecked militia groups.
International borders are now the testing grounds for new high tech surveillance equipment and new military vehicles. Sovereignty is just a word conveniently used by politicians.
Tohono O'odham Nation politicians are decades out of connection with the people they supposedly serve, and out of connection with the powerful cultural knowledge of the O'odham and the lands now begin destroyed by their neglect.
This will be forever their legacy throughout O'odham history. The policymaking, legislative making and authority lay at their idle hands.
They have given their authority away for a few dollars. Where are the dollars to restore the mountains and hills that are destroyed, to restore the waterways, devastated communities by flooding, to restore the wildlife of javelina, deer, bighorn sheep and mountain lions and all plants and animals already relocated or outright wiped out by the destruction. Read more about the spy towers targeting O'odham communities: https://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2017/05/a-nation-of-bullies-us-israeli-spy.html
Meridian Engineering: Posted in a public place as this staging destroys Tohono O'odham land, in preparation for Israeli spy towers.
