2021 RAID Part 2
Militarized RCMP Enforcement, Violent Arrests Continue on Gidimt’en Land Defenders
November 19
Sleydo’ Molly Wickham, Chief Woos’ daughter, and other Indigenous land defenders were among 11 people arrested at Coyote Camp. This was the second day in an ongoing siege. A convoy of dozens of RCMP officers, escorting Coastal GasLink workers and heavy equipment, violently raided Coyote Camp removing Wet’suwet’en people from their own lands.
Police were deployed in military garb, armed with assault weapons, snipers and dog teams, and enforced a media and communications blackout at the site. Around 12:30 pm, RCMP breached a cabin with an axe and K9 unit, violently arresting Gidimt’en Checkpoint spokesperson Sleydo’. Moments later, a separate cabin (built on the proposed CGL drillpad site) was breached with a chainsaw and snipers aimed at the door, arresting Dinϊ Ze' Woos’ daughter. RCMP did not have warrants required to enter either residence.
After raiding Coyote Camp, the police swept through Gidimt’en Checkpoint, at the 44 km mark and made at least 4 more arrests, including Sleydo’s partner, Cody Merriman (Haida nation) and an accredited journalist who were both witnessing the activities but not violating the injunction.
Prior to her arrest, Sleydo’ stated: “The Wet’suwet’en people, under the governance of their hereditary Chiefs, are standing in the way of the largest fracking project in Canadian history. Our medicines, our berries, our food, the animals, our water, our culture, our homes are all here since time immemorial. We will never abandon our children to live in a world with no clean water. We uphold our ancestral responsibilities. There will be no pipelines on Wet'suwet'en territory.”
November 18
The RCMP carried out a similar heavily militarized raid on the Gidimt'en Checkpoint at 44km, arresting 17 people including legal observers, an accredited journalist, two Haudenosaunee allies, and two Wet'suwet'en elders. There have been 32 arrests total over the two days of the siege. A number of arrestees will be appearing in court in Prince George on Monday November 22.
In the middle of unprecedented climate-induced floods, storms, and a provincial state of emergency, Gidim’ten strongly condemns the repeated violations of Wet’suwet’en jurisdiction, Wet’suwet’en law, Canadian law, and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The RCMP has no jurisdiction to enter cabins on Wet'suwet'en yintah without consent, or without warrants under their own colonial law.
All Wet'suwet'en Clans have rejected the Coastal GasLink fracked gas pipeline, which has no authority to operate on Wet’suwet’en yintah. Wet’suwet’en House Chiefs have continuous and full jurisdiction over Wet’suwet’en territory since time immemorial, and must provide free, prior, and informed consent for industry to do work on Wet’suwet’en lands. The 1997 Supreme Court of Canada Delgamuukw-Gisdaywa ruling affirmed that Aboriginal title - the right to exclusively use and occupy land - has never been extinguished across 55,000 km2 of Wet’suwet’en and Gitxsan territories.
According to Dinϊ Ze’ Woos: “I do not see any reconciliation in this. For our brothers and sisters of all Indigenous organizations, let this be a sign that reconciliation in their eyes is really the White Paper in disguise.”
November 14
Members of the Gidimt’en Clan issued a Mandatory Evacuation Order to workers of Coastal GasLink, upholding ancient Wet’suwet’en trespass laws and an eviction notice that was first served in 2020 to Coastal GasLink by the Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs. Employees were granted 10 hours to peacefully evacuate the area. Contrary to CGL and RCMP PR spin about an “operation to rescue workers,” media reports have now emerged that Coastal GasLink did not actually inform their workers of the opportunity to evacuate, and barricaded their own employees with heavy machinery blocking exit to and from the 9A man camp.
Solidarity actions have taken place across these lands to demand that the RCMP withdraw from Wet'suwet'en yintah, and that the Federal and Provincial government respect Wet’suwet’en laws and jurisdiction. A rail blockade in New Hazelton by our Gitxan neighbours and ancient allies was faced with a similarly violent and militarized RCMP operation. Actions also took place in Burnaby, Toronto, Winnipeg, Vancouver, Montreal, and Victoria today, and more cities are hosting marches and rallies over the weekend.
Support has also poured in from Indigenous leadership and major human rights organizations.
Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, President of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) states, “We are absolutely outraged that the Province of BC authorized a military-style raid on peaceful land defenders in order to allow Coastal GasLink (CGL) to build their Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) pipeline, while much of the Province is suffering from life-threatening, catastrophic flooding related events.”
In an open letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, BC Premier John Horgan, and RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki, Amnesty International notes, “This escalation is in contradiction with recommendations issued by the UN Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in December 2019, which call on Canada to withdraw police and security forces from the area.”
Take Action:
🔥 Issue a solidarity statement from your organization or group.
🔥 Host a solidarity rally or action in your area.
🔥 Pressure the government, banks, and investors. http://yintahaccess.com/take-action-1
🔥 Donate. http://go.rallyup.com/wetsuwetenstrong
🔥 Spread the word.
#WetsuwetenStrong #AllOutForWedzinKwa #ShutDownCanada #FreeSleydo #Wetsuweten
More information and developing stories:
Website: Yintahaccess.com
IG: @yintah_access
Twitter: @Gidimten
Facebook: @wetsuwetenstrong
Youtube: Gidimten Access Point
TikTok: GidimtenCheckpoint