Weekend in Caledonia
White Mob and OPP Attack Six Nations people: Emergency Solidarity Needed
Submitted by Gary on May 22, 2006 - 9:57pm. A&S News Wire | Caledonia / 6 Nations Breaking News | Indigenous
Monday, May 22, 2006: Barricade removed, then put back up after mob attacks Six Nations people; OPP attack Six Nations again; emergency solidarity actions announced
Six Nations people and supporters remove the blockade on Argyle Street (the main road through Caledonia) at 6 AM. Tekarihoken (Kanyen'kehaka Royaner Allan McNaughton) issues a statement to the press that the barricades have come down as a goodwill gesture now that progress is being made in negotiations, and that "As the world has seen, our protest has been firm but peaceful. Our people are responding without weapons, using only their bodies to assert that we are a sovereign people with a long history and that we cannot be intimidated." The non-indigenous Caledonia residents who set up a counter-blockade on Friday continue blocking the road, not letting Six Nations people through. "What they don't realize is if they continuously threaten our safety, that barricade can go right back up again, so it's entirely their decision," says Janie Jamieson.
The blockades are put back up in the early afternoon after the non-indigenous blockaders surround a car with a reporter and Six Nations women, smash the car windows, and then attack Six Nations people coming to the aid of those in the car. People at the reclamation site dig up pavement, creating a trench across Argyle Road to stop the mob from swarming the camp. Mohawk Nation News reports that one of the Chiefs who went out to offer cedar was hit in the head, that the OPP has been pepper-spraying Six Nations people. As of 2:25 PST CBC reports that Ontario Provincial Police officers have established two lines between the mob and Six Nations people on Highway 6, and that local officials are holding an emergency meeting to discuss the situation. The Caledonia transformer station (the main source of power for the surrounding Norfolk and Haldimand counties) is out of service, leaving thousands of area residents without electricity. It is not known whether the outage is related to the standoff.
Mohawk Nation news reports that people from Tyendinaga have blocked rail lines in solidarity. First Nations people near North Battleford have blocked the Yellowhead Highway near two bridges crossing the North Saskatchewan River "in solidarity with Caledonia, and all lands that have been taken over by people that are non-Indian".
http://auto_sol.tao.ca/node/view/2092
Here is a good quote I found in a Globe and Mail article from a 46 year old non-native protester who aided in blocking Six Nations people access to the town of Caledonia: "Go to the Internet, punch up 'terrorists' and see what it says: people who use force or intimidation to influence the government position." It's good to see such a thoughtful response backed up by such a bullet-proof source as the Internet.
Submitted by Gary on May 22, 2006 - 9:57pm. A&S News Wire | Caledonia / 6 Nations Breaking News | Indigenous
Monday, May 22, 2006: Barricade removed, then put back up after mob attacks Six Nations people; OPP attack Six Nations again; emergency solidarity actions announced
Six Nations people and supporters remove the blockade on Argyle Street (the main road through Caledonia) at 6 AM. Tekarihoken (Kanyen'kehaka Royaner Allan McNaughton) issues a statement to the press that the barricades have come down as a goodwill gesture now that progress is being made in negotiations, and that "As the world has seen, our protest has been firm but peaceful. Our people are responding without weapons, using only their bodies to assert that we are a sovereign people with a long history and that we cannot be intimidated." The non-indigenous Caledonia residents who set up a counter-blockade on Friday continue blocking the road, not letting Six Nations people through. "What they don't realize is if they continuously threaten our safety, that barricade can go right back up again, so it's entirely their decision," says Janie Jamieson.
The blockades are put back up in the early afternoon after the non-indigenous blockaders surround a car with a reporter and Six Nations women, smash the car windows, and then attack Six Nations people coming to the aid of those in the car. People at the reclamation site dig up pavement, creating a trench across Argyle Road to stop the mob from swarming the camp. Mohawk Nation News reports that one of the Chiefs who went out to offer cedar was hit in the head, that the OPP has been pepper-spraying Six Nations people. As of 2:25 PST CBC reports that Ontario Provincial Police officers have established two lines between the mob and Six Nations people on Highway 6, and that local officials are holding an emergency meeting to discuss the situation. The Caledonia transformer station (the main source of power for the surrounding Norfolk and Haldimand counties) is out of service, leaving thousands of area residents without electricity. It is not known whether the outage is related to the standoff.
Mohawk Nation news reports that people from Tyendinaga have blocked rail lines in solidarity. First Nations people near North Battleford have blocked the Yellowhead Highway near two bridges crossing the North Saskatchewan River "in solidarity with Caledonia, and all lands that have been taken over by people that are non-Indian".
http://auto_sol.tao.ca/node/view/2092
Here is a good quote I found in a Globe and Mail article from a 46 year old non-native protester who aided in blocking Six Nations people access to the town of Caledonia: "Go to the Internet, punch up 'terrorists' and see what it says: people who use force or intimidation to influence the government position." It's good to see such a thoughtful response backed up by such a bullet-proof source as the Internet.