[IPSM] !Ex-Minister Chagnon rips "illegal" Mohawk raid (Gazette)

[lcarle at po-box.mcgill.ca]

hello IPSM list, and thakns to Jaggi and Shelley for passing this on.  If can get to the
Westmount library within an hour or so, there's a debate between the local Ville-Marie
candidates at Victoria Hall (4626 Sherbrooke Street West, near Lansdowne).  I'm going to
raise hell if nobody else does.

see also this, from the heat of the moment.

Chagnon apologizes for comments
Last updated May 26 2004 07:26 AM EDT
CBC News
http://www.cbc.ca/montreal/story/qc_chagnon20040526.html

Loren

 Not sure if this is already widely known by folks, but according to an
 article in today's Montreal Gazette by Jeff Heinrich (January 13, 2006;
 bottom of page A7), the Quebec Public Security Minister during the
 Kanehsatake raid on January 12, 2004, Jacques Chagnon, calls the raid
 "illegal".

 I can't access the article online to send, but here are some excerpts:

 HEADLINE: "Ex-minister Chagnon rips "illegal" Mohawk raid"

 SUBHEAD: "Lays blame for debacle on Ottawa; Former grand chief Gabriel
 made power play with "mercenaries" hired with federal funds"

 Heinrich writes that Chagnon says the raid was "illegal, Duplessis like
 mercenary, and the fault of Ottawa".

 Heinrich writes: "Chagnon told journalist Alain Picard he thinks Gabriel
 was trying to establish "absolute power" by the operation, whose goal as
 to replace then-chief of police Tracy Cross with one of Gabriel's allies,
 former police chief Terry Isaac."

 "Though the media made Gabriel into a "martyr saint" after his house was
 burned down, the Mohawk leader's actions were something else, Chagnon
 said."

 This is a direct quote from Chagnon in the article: "He [Gabriel] pulled
 off a tour de force, getting himself armed by the federal government,
 using totally illegal methods to bring in an army of mercernaries ... into
 the territory to replace his chief of police."

 What the fuck?! This guy should have been a witness at the trial. Am I
 missing something, or is this pretty explosive (Chagnon, back in 2004, was
 responsible for the bloody SQ as Public Security Minister)?

 The article today is based on an hour-long interview he did on Wednesday
 night with Radio-Canada (TV) journalist Alain Picard. Some bits were aired
 yesterday, and Radio-Canada intends to air further excerpts today.

 Does it make sense, for non-members of the community (ie. non-native
 allies), to demand a full public inquiry into this whole thing, leveraging
 Chagnon's comments? Based on this comments (and let's not forget, he's a
 Liberal MNA from Westmount, and the former Public Security Minister) NO
 ONE at Kanehsatake should have ever been charged (let alone convicted) for
 defending their community against mercenaries. This is the point that
 Mohawk community members have always been makings, but now it's backed up
 by Chagnon, and that should be leveraged in a BIG WAY.

 Heinrich's story should have been front-page news, but it's buried at the
 bottom of page A7.

 Anyways, just passing on the info. Others are more in the loop, about what
 to do.

 -- Jaggi.
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