[Indigsol] Colonial Law Ain't the Law of the Land! Legal Updates for March 31 Court Date

[Indigenous Peoples' Solidarity Movement -Ottawa]

Colonial Law Ain't the Law of the Land!
Legal Updates for March 31 Court Date

March 2010 saw 4 IPSM Ottawa activists in court due to criminal charges
stemming from their participation in two separate blockades by the
Algonquin of Barriere Lake.

On March 31 Mark Markson, Chris St-Amour and Goose appeared in court in
order to be sentenced for charges to which they had already plead guilty.
St-Amour and Goose had pled guilty to one count each of Mischief to
Property under $5000 and Obstruction of Justice.  Markson had these same
charges, as well as a charge of Breach of Probation.

The judge gave St-Amour and Goose a conditional discharges with 1
year of probation, while Stevens was sentenced to 60 days of house arrest,
as well as probation.

While we are happy with the results of the sentencing on March 31, we feel
that it is essential that we note that all of the indigenous people who
have been arrested in relation to the same blockades at which we were
arrested have received much harsher sentences, and have often received
jail sentences, or spent time in jail prior to sentencing.  We want to
underline the racist treatment that our indigenous allies have experienced
from the Canadian and colonial criminal “justice” system.  We consider it
equally necessary that the Sûreté du Québec police chose to strip search
all of the female activists who were arrested at the second blockade of
highway 117.  This is clearly an example of sexist harassment.  Finally,
we are angered, although not at all surprised that the Sûreté du Québec
which fired a tear gas canister at a female protester, which resulted in
her hospitalization, and that they used “pain compliance”, aka torture, in
 their attempts to remove activists locked to barrels at the October 6th
2008 blockade.

While the criminal (in)justice system may see these actions as just and
reasonable, we know that they are not.  As the colonial history of this
country continues to be exposed and confronted, we see that in the
fullness of time, the persecution of those willing to stand against
injustice, especially of those who are indigenous, will be understood as
part of the neo-colonial, capitalist machine.  But for now, the struggle
continues....




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