No Pipelines: Solidarity with Wet’suwet’en nation

On January 31, the BC supreme court granted an injunction against the people of Wet’suwet’en nation. The injunction bans the land defenders from blocking the Coastal Gaslink Liquified natural gas pipeline (CGL) that is planned to run through their territory. Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs representing all five clans of the Wet’suwet’en Nation reject the BC Supreme Court decision.

Dini’ze Na’moks (John Ridsdale) explained,  "In this time of reconciliation, with BC being the first province to legislate UNDRIP, this ruling by a court in BC against Indigenous rights and recognition truly proves that industry, not the people, can control the Province and its laws. Ultimately, we are our own government, and we decide who comes on our territory. We are the hereditary chiefs. British Columbia and Canada only have assumed and presumed authority on our lands.”

The CGL pipeline will run through pristine forests and over many waterways and will destroy traditional hunting grounds. The Wet’suwet’en people have been defending their land from various pipeline projects for years. They have vowed to keep the barriers in place.

Just a few days after the injunction was granted, the hereditary chiefs of the nation issued an eviction notice to call for CGL to leave their land.

RCMP violence

All of this comes just a month after it was reported that the RCMP were preparing to use lethal force to dismantle a blockade in January of last year. RCMP officers in full military gear with automatic weapons and armoured personnel carriers raided the checkpoint an arrested 17  people in that raid. Land defenders are, rightfully worried that they may face a violent police action again if the injunction is enforced. The reports proves what many indigenous peoples have known for decades - that the Canadian state is being hired out as a security force for the oil and gas corporations.

The Trudeau government, despite all its talk of reconciliation, is continuing a tradition of colonial violence against indigenous peoples for the benefit of fossil fuel corporations.

At a time when we need to be weaning off of fossil fuels, Trudeau is intent on using the armed force of the RCMP to expand pipelines.

People across the country are mobilizing in solidarity with the We’Suwet’en people and demanding that the government respect the sovereignty of indigenous lands.

Go to the https://unistoten.camp/ website to find solidarity actions and click on this link to call BC Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth and insist the RCMP stand down!