[Shadow_Group] Fw: [Left Hook] Mohawks being slandered...

[shadowgroup-l at lists.resist.ca]

This article is so full of disinformation it's hard to describew where to
start...
"Mohawks" are the ones who chased out that no good government Indian
Gabriel. They have also banned drugs and other things, but this appears to
be the media getting ready to send in the army. Lest the indians get
uppity and this sovereignty gets addictive.

Macdonald

Mohawks demand end to Kanesatake 'hell'

Security minister criticized over handling of crisis at Quebec reserve

By RHÉAL SÉGUIN
Wednesday, October 27, 2004 - Page A17


QUEBEC -- The Mohawks of Kanesatake urged the Quebec government yesterday
to break "the reign of terror" that has gripped their community, demanding
that federal and provincial police forces intervene immediately to help
native peacekeepers restore order.

"I've never been to hell, but it's not far from that," said 43-year-old
Kanesatake resident Michèle Lamouche. "It is very frightening, it is
scary, it's intimidation every day."

Grand Chief James Gabriel, whose home was burned by dissidents in January,
said the community was under a state of siege and controlled by
"criminals." Residents contend that Quebec Public Security Minister
Jacques Chagnon was lying when he said that law and order had been
restored in Kanesatake.

"The common statement that we are hearing from the Quebec government and
the Sûreté du Québec is: 'We did a good job; nobody has died yet.' My
question is: How many people are going to have to die [before
intervening]? Are they waiting for someone to die -- and who is it going
to be?" Mr. Gabriel asked.

Residents complain that they regularly hear gunshots and even explosions.
Ms. Lamouche said children are traumatized and that the elderly are being
harassed. Anyone daring to oppose members of the dissident clan are met
with insults, she and others added.

Mohawk peacekeepers say they have witnessed a number of incidents where
the SQ, the provincial police force, refuse to intervene for fear of
triggering another bloody confrontation similar to the one that caused the
death of an officer in 1990.

"There is nowhere in Canada nor in Quebec where this would ever happen.
Why is it happening in Kanesatake?" Robert Patton, the Mohawk deputy
police chief, said. "My officers are being harassed every day. They are
being chased out of the community."

Six Kanesatake residents were present in the National Assembly yesterday
to witness Parti Québécois public-security critic Jean-Pierre Charbonneau
grill Mr. Chagnon over his failure to ensure adequate policing in the
community.

"There is a climate of disorder, intimidation and harassment where laws
aren't being obeyed," Mr. Charbonneau said. "The community is sending an
alarm signal. They are calling for help."

Mr. Chagnon repeatedly listed the number of infractions, charges and
arrests made in the community by the SQ as a clear indication the presence
of the provincial police was effective. However, his arguments were
disputed by Mr. Gabriel and Mohawk peacekeepers who said provincial
officers were rarely seen and that adequate policing was totally absent.

"What Mr. Chagnon is telling you is completely false. There is no policing
on the territory," Mr. Patton said.

Residents said that without proper policing, it will be impossible to hold
democratic elections for a new band council. The previous council's
mandate expired last summer and elections have been delayed until next
year. The mediation process between council chiefs and the dissident
leaders to settle the election issue broke off three weeks ago.

The community has been divided ever since Mr. Gabriel called in members of
other native police forces in Quebec for a major crackdown on criminal
activities in the small Mohawk territory outside Montreal. The operation
was aborted when a small group of community members blocked police efforts
and then torched Mr. Gabriel's home. Since then, the Grand Chief and his
band council have been governing in exile, unable to re-establish their
authority in the community.

"We live in a community where democracy does not exist," said Kanesatake
resident Myra Cree. "It's indecent."




--
Macdonald Stainsby
http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/rad-green<http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/rad-green>
In the contradiction lies the hope.
--Brecht.
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