[Indigsol] Fwd: [six_nations_info] Native leaders call for regular protests

[Ben Powless]

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From: Sean Reany <sreany at yahoo.ca>
Date: 10-Jul-2007 19:12
Subject: [six_nations_info] Native leaders call for regular protests
To: Six Nations <six_nations_info at masses.tao.ca>

Native leaders call for regular protests

http://www.thestar.com/News/article/234466

Jul 10, 2007 06:27 PM
Alison Auld
Canadian press

HALIFAX – Several Canadian aboriginal leaders called Tuesday for
a repeat of the national day of action, saying the event that
snarled traffic and disrupted rail service helped elevate their
concerns across the country.

In Halifax for the Assembly of First Nations annual general
meeting, native chiefs said the largely peaceful protests made
Canadians take notice of issues that have plagued their
communities for decades – outstanding land claims, rampant
poverty and the often abysmal living conditions on reserves.

"I think we should have this annually until we're satisfied,"
Chief Susan Levi-Peters of New Brunswick's Elsipogtog First
Nation told hundreds of delegates.

"If we stop talking now, then everything will stop. We need to
keep talking."

First Nations groups and their supporters, both militant and
moderate, marked the national day of action on June 29 with
marches, blockades, information sessions and newspaper ads.

A rogue group of Mohawk protesters, led by Shawn Brant, set up
barricades near the town of Deseronto in eastern Ontario,
prompting major rail and road disruptions, including one on
Highway 401, the country's busiest highway.

Some chiefs in Halifax suggested there could be regular protests
that could take on a more aggressive tone if the federal
government fails to resolve long-standing grievances that
leaders said are leaving their communities in desperation.

Chief Terrance Nelson of the Roseau River First Nation in
southern Manitoba said if little is done to restore hope to
aboriginal communities, the country could face a barrage of
protests.

"What Shawn Brant did is nothing compared to what is going to
happen in the future if we can't give our people hope for the
future," he told delegates.

Nelson said rates of unemployment that climb as high as 90 per
cent in some communities, and poverty levels that compare to
those in developing countries, could push natives to take more
drastic actions.

The key fight, he said, should be to settle land claims disputes
that have left bands tied up in courts or negotiations to
acquire territory they say is rightfully theirs.

"Land is the only thing that's important," he said.

Assembly Chief Phil Fontaine said leaders will discuss the
fallout from the national day of action throughout the three-day
meeting and decide whether they should hold more.

Fontaine insisted that more Canadians now support aboriginals in
their fights with government, citing a recent poll that
suggested 77 per cent of people are on side with First Nations
issues.

Fontaine also attributed Ottawa's recent decision to reform the
land claims process, which came just weeks before the day of
action, to pressure linked to the June 29 events.

But since then, he said, there has been no action on several
issues, including the UN declaration on indigenous peoples, the
Kelowna Accord or a funding cap.

"The situation is urgent. These are crisis situations," he said.

Chiefs also called for a declaration of support for Brant, who
was denied bail earlier this month after turning himself in to
Ontario Provincial Police.

Brant has been charged with mischief and breach of bail
conditions stemming from a 30-hour blockade of the CN Rail line
near Deseronto in April.

Chief Simon Fobister of the Grassy Narrows First Nation in
Ontario praised protesters and said Brant shouldn't be left to
fight his court battle on his own.

"Despite what we think of them, I think they have to be
commended for their courage, for standing up for our rights," he
said.

Levi-Peters said the leaders should insist that Brant be
released immediately and that if "CN is going to sue him, we
should counter sue."




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