Friday, February 14, 2025
February 14 Memorial Marches
All Out to Support the Families of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls!
All Out to Oppose State-Organized Violence and Genocide Against Indigenous Peoples!
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
• All Out to Support the Families of
Missing and Murdered
Indigenous
Women and Girls!
• Wet'suwet'en Land Defenders Court Support Date, February 18
February 14 Memorial Marches
All Out to Support the Families of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls!
All Out to Oppose State-Organized Violence and Genocide Against Indigenous Peoples!
Women's Memorial March, Vancouver, February 14, 2024
On February 14, marches are being held across Canada by the friends and families of the thousands of Indigenous women and girls who have gone missing or been murdered, and all those who stand with the Indigenous Peoples and their affirmation of their right to be. They demand justice for these crimes and an end to state-organized violence against the Indigenous Peoples.
The injuries, killings and disappearances have taken place under the conditions of state-organized racist violence and genocide. These conditions have been part of official colonial policy toward the Indigenous Peoples since Canada came into being, and under them Indigenous women in particular are considered fair game.
This is the 34th year that such marches have been held. Organizers in Vancouver explain;
"The first women's memorial march was held in 1992 in response to the murder of a woman on Powell Street in Vancouver. Out of this sense of hopelessness and anger came an annual march on Valentine's Day to express compassion, community, and caring for all women in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside [DTES] on unceded Coast Salish territories.
"The
memorial march continues to honour the lives of missing and
murdered
women, and all women's and gender-diverse people's lives lost in
the
DTES. Increasing deaths of many women and gender-diverse people
from
the DTES still leave family, friends, loved ones, and community
members
with an
overwhelming sense of grief and loss.
"Indigenous women, girls, two-spirit and trans people disproportionately continue to go missing or be murdered with minimal to no action to address these tragedies or the systemic nature of gendered violence, poverty, racism, or colonialism."
These conditions must be brought to an end and Canada must make restitution for its crimes and establish just relations with the Indigenous Peoples on a principled nation-to-nation basis.
The Trudeau Liberal government came to power in 2015 with the promise it would undertake a "renewed, nation-to-nation relationship with First Nations peoples," saying that it would respect the constitutionally guaranteed rights of First Nations as "a sacred obligation." Canada's colonial relations and state violence that underlies the crimes against Indigenous women, girls, and LGBTQ2S+ people continue. This has been particularly clear in the case of land defenders on the west coast, many of whom are women. They have been repeatedly brutalized and criminalized by the RCMP, acting on behalf of the government to impose pipelines for private interests without Indigenous consent. Such a state of affairs will only become worse as governments in Canada continue to offer up "critical minerals" and other resources on Indigenous lands to feed the U.S. war machine.
To the extent that the situation is being addressed that is entirely due to the Indigenous Peoples fighting to affirm their rights in the face of state-organized repression and violence, and the fight of those in Canada and Quebec who seek to put the political arrangements in Canada on a modern basis, including redress for the historical crimes against Indigenous Peoples and the realization of genuine nation-to-nation relations.
CPC(M-L) calls on everyone to go all out to participate in this year's events and to step up the work to modernize and renew the political arrangements in Canada, which necessarily includes putting an end to Canada's colonial relations with Indigenous Peoples.
Wet'suwet'en Land Defenders Court Support Date, February 18
The Wet'suwet'en
Hereditary
Chiefs have repeatedly affirmed in our balhats (feast
hall) that there are to be no pipelines cross our yintah
(land). In 2018 Justice Church granted Coastal GasLink, a
fracked gas
pipeline company, an injunction to trespass and complete their
work
without resistance. The Wet'suwet'en fought back. After a series
of
militarized raids and catch and release, charges were laid in
2021 that
saw several Wet'suwet'en and Indigenous allies face off with the
colonial court system.
Last year Sleydo' Molly Wickham (Gidimt'en), Shaylynn Sampson (Gitxsan) and Corey Jocko (Haudenosaunee) filed an Abuse of Process Application against the RCMP (Canadian police) for the violence they experienced during the enforcement of the injunction obtained by Coastal GasLink. In the last year we have heard testimony of their Charter Rights being breached and the atrocious experiences of their arrests and violations of their human rights while in custody. We presented evidence on the flawed enforcement plan and lack of planning to protect our rights by leadership within C-IRG [the RCMP's Community Industry Response Group, renamed the Critical Response Unit — TML Ed. Note] and the RCMP. One officer testified that he was instructed to not take any notes during enforcement, a directive given by his commander during a briefing the night before.
The time for Justice
Tammen's decision is coming on
February 18, 2025 at 10:00 am PST in Cas Yikh yintah (Smithers, BC).
If Justice Tammen rules in favour of our application we are asking him to stay the charges. In January 2024 he found all three guilty of criminal contempt for violating the injunction on Wet'suwet'en yintah obtained by Coastal GasLink.
Alternatively, if he decides against our application and proceeds to sentencing we are asking that he determine all three have served their time while in custody in November of 2021.
His decision in this case will be precedent setting.
Justice Tammen also saw the cases of Sabina Dennis and Diní 'ze' [hereditary chief] Dtsa'hyl in 2024 who were also charged with criminal contempt of the injunction. At the end of those proceedings he found Sabina not guilty and found Diní 'ze' Dtsa'hyl guilty and sentenced him to 60 days of house arrest. Each of the cases had very different circumstances and outcomes. There is not a case yet that follows the facts of the case before him now.
These proceedings have taken over a year to date. This has meant time away from family, undue stress and hardships and the criminalization of Indigenous people upholding Wet'suwet'en law. Through 'anuk niwh'iten all five clans of the Wet'suwet'en nation have passed laws within our balhats to ban all pipelines from our yintah. We have very strong trespass laws as well that have been violated by industry and the state. We continue to stand firm in our knowing and ways of our ancestors who have protected these lands since time immemorial. We have done this work with our ancestors, Diní 'ze' and Tsakë ze', allies, comrades and supporters.
We are asking everyone to pay attention to this. If you can come support in person please do so. Watch our social media pages for updates. Check our website for ways to support. Light your sacred fires and send prayers for everyone involved in upholding our sacred responsibilities.
"In the very
violent
and unjustifiable manner in which they conducted themselves,
against
our Charter Rights and against UNDRIP, the RCMP
and the courts have proven that we are living under a Police
State
guided by a Petroleum State."
— Diní 'ze' Na'Moks —
(To access articles individually click on the black headline.)
Website: www.cpcml.ca • Email: editor@cpcml.ca