[IPSM] [Grassy Narrows] Six Nations Warriors Arrested in Grassy Narrows

[nora butler burke]

For immediate release. July 15, 2006

Six Nations Warriors Arrested in Grassy Narrows
OPP violate native jursidiction over reserve lands in a aggressive action

OPP officers raided Grassy Narrows blockade site yesteday arresting Six
Nations people who had come to participate in a gathering as guests of the
Grassy Narrows community. 5 six nations people were detained, 4 were
charged. The OPP are targeting Six Nations people and people of colour.

Police cruisers also entered the Grassy Narrows reserve without
permission, violating the community's sovereignty and legal jurisdiction
over their reserve lands. Grassy Narrows Band councilors seized an OPP
police cruiser over jurisdictional issues and later released it. The Six
Nations delegation had come to meet with the communikty of Grassy Narrows
and participate in the Earth Justice Gathering-an opportunity for First
Nations and supporters to meet, and strategize about protecting the Boreal
Forest and Indigenous sovereignty.

"It is hoped that the safety and security of all First Nations people is
first and foremost in the mind of the Canadian Government and their
agencies..." said Brian Skye a citizen of the Cayuga Nation Wolf Clan of
the Six Nations Confederacy, and a member of the delegation that was
invited to Grassy Narrows Earth Justice.." For if anyone is put under
further duress, injured, or if a fatality is caused, they must take
responsibility for their acts of racism, colonialism and genocide."

"The act of war perpetrated by the OPP in taking members of our delegation
hostage and holding them ransom (bail) is an act of terrorism on the First
Nations peoples of North America. The ramifications of this aggressive,
violent instigation will be reciprocated swiftly and justly, as it is the
obligation of all First Nations to do so.

"Traditionally the Six Nations have an historical agreement that we stand
with our arms linked together with the Anishinabe Nations, as they are our
neighbors, understanding that they are linked with their neighbors.
Because of the attacks perpetrated upon our people this unity across North
America which has held for centuries is being reaffirmed."

"This is a clear act of police intimidation -an attempt to suppress
legitimate dissent and stifle the growing movement for indigenous rights
through force without addressing the serious grievances at the root of
this issue, nor their political implications, " said David Sone, an
organizer for the Rainforest Action Network. "Arresting Native people as
they assert their rights is a clear act of racism. The government must
deal with the root issue of fundamental human rights in a honorable way,
on a Nation to Nation basis, not with force. Police should not be used to
suppress the inherent rights First Nations or to interfere in legitimate
political disputes.

Contacts: Judy da Silva (jsilva at kmts.ca) 807-925-9941, Messages can be
left at: 647-883-5983

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Environmentalists block highway near Kenora to protest logging
CBC News

About 80 protesters, upset about logging in the boreal forest near Grassy
Narrows, blocked a stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway near Kenora, Ont.,
on Thursday.

Ontario Provincial Police are at the blockade, but are not commenting on
the situation. Drivers trying to cross from Manitoba to Ontario are being
rerouted by police through the city.

Shelagh Pizey-Allen, a Winnipeg resident participating in the blockade,
said the road is impassable because protesters have set up a formation
called a "tripod."

"So what it looks like is three poles that meet at the top, kind of like a
camera tripod, and an environmental activist is hanging from the middle.
And she's got a banner underneath her that says: 'Save Grassy Narrows
boreal forest.' "

The protest was jointly mounted by aboriginals from Grassy Narrows First
Nation and an international group called the Rainforest Action Network
that has their support. They're upset about logging on the First Nations
land and maintain the area is protected by a treaty.

"They've filed every kind of legal proceeding and every kind of official
complaint possible, and there's been absolutely no response from the
(Ontario Premier Dalton) McGuinty government or from Weyerhaeuser or
Abitibi," protester David Sone said from the blockade.

Weyerhaeuser and Abitibi Consolidation are the two main companies with
provincial licences to log in Grassy Narrows.
David Ramsay, Ontario's aboriginal affairs minister, told a reporter that
the province has been in talks with the First Nation band since 2004.

"Unfortunately our talks have not progressed the way we would hope but
we're certainly committed to deal with the issues that Grassy Narrows is
bringing up," Ramsay said.

"We want to work these (issues) out and we think through negotiation is
the way to do that."

One protester said the blockade will stay up until dusk.

The protest comes during a week-long gathering of activists from Canada
and the U.S. who are concerned about indigenous rights and the protection
of the boreal forest.

For almost four years, Grassy Narrows First Nations have had a blockade
near Slant Lake, Ont., in an attempt to protect their land from logging by
Abitibi and Weyhaeuser. Protesters say logging has persisted through
alternate access points.

Susanne McCrea, communications director for the Winnipeg-based Boreal
Forest Network, said protesters are upset there has been little government
intervention to settle Grassy's territorial dispute.