IDLE NO MORE IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE GITDUMT’EN AND UNIST’OT’EN: CALL TO ACTION! – Idle No More

Since time immemorial, the Unist’ot’en house of the Wet’suwet’en have lived by Wedzin Kwah (Morice River). The Wet’suwet’en people have governed themselves for centuries, and under their governance, each house is responsible for its own lands. In order to protect their ability to continue living on the land and from the land, for the last five years, the Unist’ot’en have maintained a camp by Wedzin Kwah that is blocking seven pipelines that have not been consented to by the Unist’ot’en. In this effort the Unist’ot’en are joined by many supporters and allies whom they have invited to their land.

Recently, the Gitdumt’en have joined them in defending their unceded territory. Hereditary leaders from both clans and supporters have re-occupied their unceded territory on the path of the proposed Coastal GasLink (CGL) pipeline road.

In response, Canada’s colonial courts have granted an injunction allowing the RCMP to evict these land defenders from their lands to facilitate construction of a fracked gas pipeline. Members of the RCMP met with Hereditary Chiefs and indicated that specially trained tactical forces will soon be deployed to forcibly remove the camps, checkpoints and people from their land.

Today the Unist’ot’en face the possibility that the full violence of the Canadian state will be brought to bear against them. In response, people across Turtle Island are holding rallies in solidarity with the Gitdumt’en and Unist’ot’en, and to protest Canada’s illegal encroachment on Wet’suwet’en land.

The message of the rally organizers is clear: “Indigenous law is the law of the land on unceded territories, and traditional title-holders have the right to refuse access to their lands. Disregarding this ancient law in order to further expand fossil fuel production during a time of extreme climate crisis is totally unacceptable. Agents of the corporate state will face resistance if they continue to pursue resource colonialism during this climate emergency” International Day of Action for Gitdumt’en and Unist’ot’en.

Idle No More organizers call on all Indigenous Peoples and Canadians of conscience to provide political, financial and material support to the Gitdumt’en and the Unist’ot’en, and to raise awareness in their communities. Further, we commit to an organized response in the event of police violence against the Gitdumt’en and the Unist’ot’en.

Solidarity actions and more information: https://www.facebook.com/events/2225649537692362/?active_tab=about

 

Media Contacts:

Idle No More Organizer Sylvia McAdam 1-306-281-8158

Idle No More Organizer Sheelah McLean 1-306-280-3245