Stand with Wet’suwet’en Land Defenders

Week of Actions in Solidarity with Wet’suwet’en

On December 31, 2019, BC Supreme Court Justice Marguerite Church granted an injunction against members of the Wet’suwet’en nation who have been stewarding and protecting their traditional territories from the destruction of multiple pipelines, including Coastal GasLink’s (CGL) liquified natural gas (LNG) pipeline. Hereditary Chiefs of all five Wet’suwet’en clans have rejected Church’s decision, which criminalizes Anuc ‘nu’at’en (Wet’suwet’en law), and have issued and enforced an eviction of CGL’s workers from their territory. The last CGL contractor was escorted out by Wet’suwet’en Chiefs on Saturday, January 4.

The Wet’suwet’en land defenders have called for a week of solidarity actions “All Eyes on Wet’suwet’en” from January 7-12 by Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities worldwide who uphold Indigenous sovereignty and recognize the urgency of stopping resource extraction projects that threaten the lives of future generations.

BC’s Energy Minister Michelle Mungall told CBC News on January 7 that the province hopes that “all parties involved can find a peaceful resolution soon” and that it continues to engage in separate government-to-government discussions with the hereditary chiefs, “that seek to meaningfully advance reconciliation.”

At a January 7 press conference, the hereditary chiefs stated that they are not interested in meeting with CGL, but want to meet with the provincial and federal governments, and the RCMP, and demanded that the province stop construction of the pipeline and that the RCMP withdraw from their lands.

The eviction of CGL comes a year after the Canadian state carried out a violent RCMP raid on the Gidumt’en Checkpoint. In December 2019, it came to light that the RCMP had argued for use of lethal force and instructed officers to “use as much violence toward the gate as you want” in that action.

Thursday, January 9

Halifax

5:30 pm
Downtown Halifax, location to be confirmed
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