Land Defense

Early this morning during rush hour, a group of settlers blocked the westbound lanes of Notre-Dame Street with flaming piles of tires and picnic tables, in solidarity with the Gidimt’en and Likhts’amisyu Clans of the Wet’suwet’en people. Notre-Dame is easily choked with rush hour traffic on mornings like this, and even temporary blockades here can cause backups to traffic heading downtown, as well as slow down trucks entering and exiting the adjacent Port of Montreal. ...

Yesterday, we took our land back. With our Haudenosaunee allies, we enforced our ancient trespass laws and have permanently closed access to our territory. The Morice Forest Service Road has been destroyed and access to Coastal Gaslink is no longer possible. https://twitter.com/i/status/1460488812748886018 We are upholding our responsibility to defend our sacred headwaters and put an end to the destruction of the Yintah. We will never give up. Join the resistance and come to the yintah. ...

On wednesday morning an action was put into effect in response to the posturing of RCMP in Likhts’amisyu territory which is approx 40 km away from the Gidimt’en drill site occupation. The action was in solidarity with Chief Dtsa’hyl who, while acting as an enforcement officer for Likhts’amisyu clan disabled 10 heavy machines which were being used to destroy their unceded territory and build a new road, which CGL says they own. It was assumed by police presence and a variety of other factors that enforcement would occur, and it did. The main objective was to show force, solidarity, and defiance to the incursion of the Canadian state and industry on Wet’suwet’en Yintah. ...

RBC finances the Coastal GasLink pipeline. On the night of Tuesday October 26, anarchists in Montreal coordinated some actions in solidarity with Wet’suwet’en land defenders. We smashed the windows at 5 RBC branches across the city, and used a fire-extinguisher filled with paint to vandalize the facade of another. In the lead up to the Olympics on stolen Native land in 2010, rebels across so-called Canada attacked the sponsor RBC. Over a decade later, it is time to recreate this inspiring wave. ...

In a video statement posted late Wednesday, Gidimt’en Checkpoint spokesperson Sleydo’ reported that Chief Dtsa’Hyl of the Likhts’amisyu and Kolin Sutherland-Wilson of the Gitxsan fireweed clan were arrested by RCMP forces, following growing tensions at the presence of Canadian authorities on Wet’suwet’en territory. Over the last few days, blockades against RCMP and Coastal Gaslink (CGL) personnel have been erected and machinery has been “decommissioned” and shut down. ...

The Terrain Vague, which loosely translates into English as the “wasteland,” is a large de-industrialized and partially wooded area on the outskirts of Hochelega, a neighbourhood in Montreal’s east end, and close to the Port of Montreal. That space is under threat from several major development projects, and those who care about the Terrain Vague have been getting organized in the past years, connecting the developments to broader colonial-capitalist strategies at play by the Quebec government, making links with neighbourhood groups, and taking direct action to physically defend the space. ...

First published at Real People’s Media LIHT’SAMISYU TERRITORY – On October 17th, Lihkt’samisyu Chiefs Dsta’hyl and Tsebesa took action as Coastal Gaslink workers continued to trespass on Wet’suwet’en territory in violation of Wet’suwet’en laws and Canada’s own constitution. The Chiefs instructed Coastal Gaslink to remove all equipment from Lihkts’amisyu territory immediately, indicating that otherwise it would be decommissioned and seized by the Likht’samisyu Clan in accordance with its laws. ...

In response to the call for a week of solidarity actions to defend Wedzin Kwa , about 75 people gathered in Kingston, Ontario on Thursday October 13 for a Wet’suwet’en solidarity rally and march with banners, music and chants. We met up in Skeleton Park and listened to a few different speeches – one person spoke about how indigenous land defenders are leading the way in the fight against climate change and ecological destruction. Another shared an excerpt from a zine critiquing state-led reconciliation efforts . One person gave a powerful speech about the necessity of clean water for indigenous communities and for everyone, and reminded us all that showing up and participating in this struggle was meaningful and important. We marched down Princess St and handed out hundreds of flyers to a largely supportive crowd. ...

On October 9th 2021, as part of the Week of Action in solidarity with the Gidimt’en, some folks in Montreal shutdown trains and took the streets for a demo. This action forshadows that if Canada and the RCMP continue their aggression, they will likely be met once again with coordinated, nation-wide actions to #ShutDownCanada. #AllOutForWedzinKwa

More than 50 people blockaded five parallel rail lines outside a CN rail yard in Point Saint Charles, Montreal for more than an hour and a half this Saturday, October 9th. We were there to support the Wet’suwet’en fight to defend their territory against the Coastal GasLink pipeline. There were two banners, one saying “#AllOutForWedzinKwa 1312” and the other “All Out For Wet’suwet’en #ShutDownCanada”. Multiple trains were stopped and some rerouted, and some still seemed be sitting idle on the tracks for at least an hour after the blockade ended. Maybe because of a backlog, or an inspection of the tracks. ...

Cas Yikh of the Gidimt’en Clan are counting on supporters to go ALL OUT in a mobilization for the biggest battle yet to protect our sacred headwaters, Wedzin Kwa. We have remained steadfast in our fight for self-determination, and we are still unceded, undefeated, sovereign and victorious. In January 2019, when Gidimt’en Checkpoint was raided by the RCMP, enforcing an injunction for Coastal GasLink fracked gas pipeline, your communities rose up in solidarity! ...

In the early morning of September 30th, the first ever National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, we dropped a banner in solidarity with the Gidimt’en Camp. Our banner read “Shut Down Canada ‘21 #CGLOffTheYintah”. Wet’suwet’en and their supporters have been defending the Yintah from Coastal GasLink and RCMP incursion for many years. They continue to defend their land as Canada gestures emptily towards reconciliation. On September 25th, The Gidimt’en Access Point erected new blockades to stop CGL from drilling under the Wedzin Kwa, the river running through their territory. Since then, at least two arrests have occurred. ...