[OPIRG-EVENTS] INDIGENOUS FREEDOM! Wednesday, April 30, 2003

[cal240@riseup.net]

DELEGATION TO DEPT. OF JUSTICE IN SUPPORT 
INDIGENOUS FREEDOM MOVEMENTS 

The Canadian government is seeking to destroy Indigenous 
freedom movements.  Now is the time for all those opposed to 
the Canadian colonial system and corporate globalization to support, 
through concrete solidarity actions, the rights of the Secwepemc people 
fighting state and corporate interests in British Columbia. 

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1:00pm 
Wednesday, April 30, 2003 
Gather on Parliament Hill 
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On Wednesday, April 30th, a delegation of activists from Montreal, 
Kahnewake, Kanehsatake and Ottawa will visit the Department 
of Justice in Ottawa to protest the continued harassment and 
criminalization of the Native Youth Movement - Westcoast Warrior 
Society, and the Secwepemc Peoples involved in defending their 
Aboriginal Title and Rights in Skwelkwek'welt territories. 

On April 8th, 2003, RCMP - Emergency Response Teams raided four 
homes and two workplaces of Native Youth Movement, Westcoast 
Warrior Society members involved in defending Aboriginal Title and 
Rights in Skwelkwek'welt territories (aka British Columbia's interior). 

In an obvious attempt to dirupt and dismantle the Warrior Society by 
targeting Native Youth Movement communications, the RCMP conducted 
heavily armed, simultaneous raids in Nuxalk Territory (Bella Coola, BC) 
and Secwepemc Territory (Chase, BC).  Computers, computer  discs, 
camcorder cassettes, phone books, emails lists, paper work and files 
being confiscated.  One warrant also included the right to decode passwords 
and email. 

Not including the latest RCMP attacks, there have been 54 arrests of 
Secwepemc peoples and supporters. Charges range from criminal contempt, 
mischief, intimidation and obstruction of a police officer, to intimidation 
by blocking a road, resisting arrest, and breach of bail conditions. While 
forced to pay exorbitant legal defense fees, and/or be incarcerated, the BC 
government, RCMP, Sun Peaks employees, local residents and tourists 
have all committed crimes against Secwepemc people with total impunity. 

The mounting of a public pressure campaign to stop the criminalization of 
Indigenous People protecting their Title and Rights is very important at 
this 
time.  Like the COINTELPRO operations of the 1970's, the Canadian 
government is now seeking to destroy Indigenous freedom movements 
through disruption and crass arrests and charges against all those 
involved. 

It is time for all those opposed to the Canadian colonial system and 
corporate 
globalization to support, through concrete solidarity actions, the rights 
of the 
Secwepemc people fighting state & corporate interests in British Columbia. 

Join the Delegation to the Department of Justice, Wednesday, April 30th! 

For more information, please email nonooneisillegal@tao.ca or call (514) 
409 
2049. 


*************************************************** 
Letter or Protest to be delivered to Solicitor-General Wayne Easter 
*************************************************** 
Wednesday April 30, 2003 

Attention: Wayne Easter, Solicitor General of Canada 

We are delivering this letter to protest the Canadian government's 
continued harassment and criminalization of the Native Youth Movement - 
Westcoast Warrior Society, and the Secwepemc Peoples involved in 
defending their Aboriginal Title and Rights in Skwelkwek'welt 
territories. They have been targeted for their use of their own land and 
for speaking out against Sun Peaks Resort Corporation and the British 
Columbia government who continue to expropriate and destroy what was 
once a vibrant and abundant ecosystem. We stand opposed to the Canadian 
colonial system and support the Secwepemc people fighting state and 
corporate interests in British Columbia. 

Sun Peaks Resort is built in Secwepemc territories, land which has never 
been ceded, sold, released nor surrendered. The BC government therefore 
has no authority over  Secwepemc Peoples, Skwelkwek'welt territories, or 
the resources within them. That power is maintained through the 
criminalization of the exercise of Aboriginal Title and Rights, and 
forcible removal of Indigenous Peoples from their traditional 
territories, constitutes genocide under International Laws to which 
Canada is a signatory. 

As you are well aware, the development of Sun Peaks resorts has 
continued without participation of those with Title to the land. In 
1997, the BC government approved a $70 million development plan, 
allowing Sun Peaks to continue to expand their resort to 20,000 beds and 
put ski runs on the previously undisturbed Mt. Morrisey. The Secwepemc 
attended stakeholder meetings and clearly said "no" to more 
development. 

Land and Water BC, however, disregarded their voices and granted new 
leases to Sun Peaks to facilitate expansion, and in June 2001, obtained 
a court injunction to forcibly remove  Secwepemc from their lands. 

Despite recognition of inherent land rights of Aboriginal People as 
Aboriginal Title in Delgamuukw, and despite the Haida decision that 
requires provincial and private interests to consult, obtain consent, 
and accommodate Aboriginal interests prior to pursuing development on 
Aboriginal territories, First Nations communities are being forced 
one-by-one to prove their Title and Rights within the courts, when 
Canada and the provinces could simply abide by the principal of Title 
itself. We find this forcing of Indigenous communities into the courts, 
draining huge portions of their time and budgets, a vexatious action on 
the part of Canadian authorities. 

This is true as well when Canada forces those protecting Aboriginal 
Title and Rights to defend themselves criminally. There is ample 
jurisprudence showing lack of "criminal intent" in cases of Canadian 
laws being broken in order to stop infractions of Aboriginal Title and 
Rights. At this point, it is clear that police targeting of Indigenous 
freedom fighters is nothing more than blatant retaliation for failure to 
sever and/or extinguish Indigenous ties to the land. We view the recent 
RCMP raids on the Native Youth Movement's communications infrastructure 
as part of a coordinated effort to silence and harass those willing to 
challenge Canada & BC's illegal expropriation of their territories. 
Canada should be ashamed. Each court battle takes food directly out of 
the mouths of children, diminishes housing, health care and education 
for future generations. 

We stand in support of the Secwepemc people's struggle, and make the 
following demands in solidarity with their courageous and tireless 
determination: 

1)  We demand all charges be dropped against Secwepemc Peoples and their 

supporters, and that political prisoners be released. Canada has no 
jurisdiction in Skwelkwekwelt territories. 

2)  We demand all acts of racial hatred perpetuated against Indigenous 
Peoples in Skwelkwek'welt - by police, state officials and public at 
large - be thoroughly investigated, and tried criminally. 

3)  We demand Canada and the provinces rescind, amend, or nullify 
racially discriminatory policies in order to comply with Section 35 of 
the Constitution that enshrines Aboriginal land, treaty, and inherent 
rights, and to comply with high court decisions in favor of Aboriginal 
Title and Rights. 

4)  We demand your intervention into the illegal RCMP harassment and 
abuse of Secwepemc people, who are only  asserting their Aboriginal 
Rights and Title to the Skwelkwekwelt territories. 

 Sincerely, 

No One is Illegal, Vancouver 
No One is Illegal, Montreal 
Students Taking Action in Chiapas 
Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights, Montreal 
Native Youth Movement, Kahnawake 
Collective Opposed to Police Brutality, Montreal 
Indigenous Peoples Solidarity Movement, Montreal 
Quebec Public Interest Research Group 
Aboriginal Students Network, McGill 
Ontario Coalition Against Poverty 
Student Workers Solidarity, McGill 
The Dragonroot Center for Gender Advocacy, Montreal 
Friends of the Lubicon, Montreal & Toronto 
Netherlands Center for Indigenous People 
Support Center for Indigenous People, Belgium 
Direct Action Casework Ottawa 




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