[IPSM] Solidarity with Kanehsatake

Thu Jul 22 11:33:34 PDT 2004

The struggle for self-determination in Kanehsatake is far from over and the 
Mohawk community is asking for your support.

In solidarity with the 284-year struggle against colonialism by the Mohawk 
Peoples of Kanehsatake, a newly formed coalition has come together to, in 
part, facilitate the transportation of outside supporters into the Pines 
area of Kanehsatake where community members have been maintaining nightly 
guard against police incursion into their territory.

For the past 6 months, since January 12th, 2004, the peoples of Kanehsatake 
have successfully resisted a federally sponsored, politically motivated, 
militarized invasion of their community. They have put their lives and 
freedom on the line in order to stop the formation of a police state headed 
by Grand Chief James Gabriel, whose leadership itself was imposed through a 
federal court injunction. Twenty-four Kanehsatake community members face 
charges of participation in a riot and forcible confinement of police 
officers.

Resistance on the part of community members has meant, in part, camping out, 
night after night over the past three months, in the Pines of Kanehsatake. 
Community and outsider presence in this pivotal geographic area is necessary 
if bloodshed in the community is to be prevented and federal and provincial 
sponsored aggression is to be stopped. The task of maintaining guard is 
exhausting, and community members continue to request and appreciate the 
physical presence of people from outside of the area in the Pines alongside 
them.

Support is especially necessary now, given that the community of Kanehsatake 
faces great uncertainty as the Band Council mandate has ended and elections 
for the new council are still two months away. James Gabriel has proclaimed 
that he and his council allies will continue to rule, with Quebec Native 
Affairs backing. Gabriel "needs" law-and-order - his criminal police force - 
to be implemented in the community before he start election campaigning he 
says. Due to these circumstances, and the uncertainty of the situation, the 
community of Kanehsatake is asking for supporters to come and stand with 
them through this transition period. Bring your tents, some food, and any 
recording devices such as video cameras, cameras, mini-discs, etc.

Solidarity with Kanehsatake means standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the 
community and sharing in the burden of their struggle. If you can't make it 
to Kanehsatake, call all Canadian & Quebec officials involved in this ploy. 
Demand they respect the Mohawk peoples' right to determine an end to this 
crisis, and their political, economic and policing future.

To connect with other people and groups planning to go to Kanehsatake or 
helping organize transportation for supporters, e-mail 
soutien-k-org at lists.taktic.org

Getting to Kanehsatake:

Hudson route
There is a ferry from Hudson to Oka that runs everyday from 7h00-22h00 
except Sunday when it starts at 8h00.  The  ride is 10 minutes it takes you 
to Oka, from where you continue straight to Highway 344, take a left and up 
"the hill" into Kanehsatake. Cost: 7.00$ / car or truck, 2.00$ / bike, 1.50$ 
/ walk-on
To get to Hudson
- By Train (AMT <http://www.amt.qc.ca/>www.amt.qc.ca): Cost: 6$ each way or 
24$ for 6 tickets Mon-Friday only. The train leaves leaves Lucien L'Allier: 
17h20, Vendome: 17h26 and arrives in Hudson at 18h30. Return to Montreal 
from Hudson 6h58 (useless for return from Kanasehtake if the ferry doesn't 
start until 7h00)
- Driving: Take the 40 west and you'll see signs for Hudson and the ferry to 
Oka, exit 26.

Train to Deux-Montagnes route:
- The Train for Deux-Montagnes leaves from Gare Central mon-fri 6h45 - 
00h30, Sat 9h00 - 00h30, and Sun 10h00 - 00h30. *If you have a bike you have 
to leave from the Canora station (7300, chemin Canora; cross with Jean-Talon 
West). Cost: 6$ each way or 24$ for 6 tickets.
Driving: From the autoroute 40, take the 13 north (exit 60) OR 15 north to 
the 640 west until the end and then the 344 which goes straight through Oka 
and into Kanehsatake.

BACKGROUNDER

Grand Chief James Gabriel of the Kanesatake Band Council is a politician 
dazzled by powers given by Quebec & Canada no matter the cost to his 
community. People in Kanehsatake are fed up with Canada & Quebec's attempts 
to use Gabriel to undermine Mohawk sovereignty, culture, land rights and 
economies. Learning about Gabriel's deals with government only through press 
releases, the community's been excluded from decision-making - a cornerstone 
of the consensus-based Mohawk culture. With Gabriel's help, Canada has 
nearly accomplished its goal of subordinating Kanehsatake's sovereign 
national status to that of a municipality through Bill S-24, the "Kanesatake 
Land Based Governance Act". Canada's January 12th attempt at imposing 
totalitarian rule over Kanehsatake - by funding Gabriel's 
privately-controlled, 60-person police force - left community members no 
place in the affairs of their own community. Or so Gabriel hoped. Since 
January 12th, Kanehsatake residents have demonstrated their opinions through 
militant resistance, and successfully stopped attempts at outside invasion 
and political interference.

In 1994, leaked documents proved Canada was planning a 6,000-troop military 
invasion of Mohawk communities producing and selling their own cigarettes. 
One report stated the need to "target the Indian's claim to the inherent 
right of inter-tribal trade with sister Mohawk communities and the native 
run tobacco manufacturing industry as a whole". With all other funds tightly 
controlled by Department of Indian Affairs & Band Council, the Mohawk 
tobacco trade is the one autonomous source of income enabling Mohawk 
families and social services to sustain themselves. It enables Mohawks to 
organize and fight Canada's attempts to assimilate and control them. The 
growing economic strength of Mohawk Nations threatens the implementation of 
Canada's colonial agenda, it's not just about lost tax revenues. Canada's 
January 12th "extraordinary" police operation, and April 1st Tripartite 
Policing Agreement (which transfers control of policing in Kanehsatake to 
Canada, Quebec & Gabriel) both aim to crack down on this Mohawk economy not, 
as they claim, "organized crime". Chief Gabriel stated he wants his police 
to "cut the head off his opposition". Gabriel's opposition is Quebec & 
Canada's too. This is why our governments are so invested in Gabriel's 
leadership they've been making deals excluding half the Chiefs on Council 
and the whole of the community. This is why Quebec & Canada maintain Gabriel 
is "the sole legitimate authority for Kanehsatake". In the context of 21st 
century colonialism, Canada rewards native "leaders" willing to place their 
communities under Canadian and provincial jurisdiction. Last year's First 
Nations Governance Act was defeated by the unified efforts of Indigenous 
communities across Canada. Now the strategy is to implement the legislation 
quietly, community-by-community, in order to avoid collective resistance. 
Once again Kanehsatake is drawing national attention to Canada's colonial 
agenda by standing up to all the government can throw at them. They are 
determined to not allow Gabriel's collusion with the state to undermine 
their rights, nor set a precedent for the assimilation of other Indigenous 
Nations.

___________
john at tao.ca
pgp public key: http://www.tao.ca/~john/

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