RCMP are at their door -- again
- Details
- Published on Friday, 17 January 2020 03:10
- Written by editor
The RCMP has everything it needs to enforce an injunction against the Wet’suwet’en people standing against a massive fracked gas pipeline -- and they are moving in to strike again.
Call Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Bennett to respect the rights of Indigenous people, and Wet’suwet’en law.
A,
Last week, Coastal Gaslink, a massive pipeline company, was granted an injunction to start construction on its fracked gas pipeline -- without the permission of the Wet'suwet'en people.
Yesterday, the RCMP set up an exclusion zone -- much like they did last year before they violently stormed Wet’suwet’en territory, breaking Wet’suwet’en law.
Unist'ot'en camp and Gidimt’en checkpoint are a testament to Indigenous strength, reclaiming their land and traditions to undo the horrendous damage of colonization and stand against extraction on their lands and waterways.
Now, the BC courts are siding with a massive gas corporation, in stark opposition to Canada’s commitment to honour the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), and ignoring... Wet’suwet’en law.
This injunction, and the RCMP’s exclusion zone, is an attack on Indigenous rights and on the environment. The 670 km pipeline would tap into the largest fracking project in Canadian history. Now, while the world is watching, is the time for Minister Bennett to do her job and respect the rights of Indigenous people. We have set up an easy to use page so you can call the offices of relevant Ministers for free.
The Wet'suwet'en peoples and hereditary chiefs have opposed pipeline expansion through their territory for almost a decade. They have never ceded their territory to the Canadian government, through treaty, war or otherwise and are recognized as having title to the land by the Supreme Court of Canada.
Dini’ze Na’moks writes “Ultimately, we are our own government, and we decide who comes on our territory. We are the hereditary chiefs. British Columbia and Canada only have assumed and presumed authority on our lands.”
Now, the BC courts are trying to force the Wet'suwet'en to allow fracked gas pipelines to be constructed through their territory. The injunction could be enforced today. That's why calling today is so important.
Oil and gas giants like TC Energy, the parent company of Coastal GasLink, are only focused on one thing -- bolstering their profits. But we know that the people have the power to stop major pipeline projects. This same community fought the Enbridge Northern Gateway project, on the land, in the courts, and on the streets - and that project was defeated.
This time last year, the RCMP had permission to use lethal force against unarmed people on their land for trying to stop this pipeline. Thousands of SumOfUs members emailed Canadian ministers to demand they stand down.
Today, we need you to ensure that Wet’suwet’en law is respected and that the company and the government knows that they will be held accountable for their actions.
SumOfUs has been working with Indigenous land defenders to stop pipelines, and we know our support counts. Because of thousands of generous members like you, we supported land and water defenders on Lelu Island in their fight to get Petronas to pull out of its LNG project.
Thanks for all that you do,
Amelia, Angus and the team at SumOfUs
More information:
RCMP establish exclusion zone on Wet’suwet’en territory: Chief Na’moks APTN, 13 January 2020
Exclusive: Canada police prepared to shoot Indigenous activists, documents show The Guardian, 19 December 2020
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