Onkwehonwe Lead Spirited Opening March of World Social Forum in Montreal

Onkwehonwe (Indigenous people) led thousands in the opening march of the World Social Forum in Montreal on August 9. The people on whose territory the Forum is taking place, the kanion’ke:haka (Mohawk) stood at the head of the march with flags of the rotino’shonni (Iroquois) confederacy. They were followed by a contingent calling for Canada to be a zone for peace that gets out of NATO and NORAD and opposes imperialist war preparations; the World Social Forum organizers; the National Trade Union Federation in Quebec (CSN) and other unions; and vigorous contingents representing different collectives of the people from Quebec, Canada and around the world and their just causes.

Many distributed literature and information. One newspaper informed about the fight of the kanion’ke:haka and students to end military research at McGill University and how McGill was build on unceded onkwehonwe land and how money was taken from the Six Nations Trust Funds to bail McGill out of crisis and never repaid. It also explains the longstanding fight of the peoples of the region against niobium mining on their territory, and gives the call to Make Canada a Zone for Peace. For information and to sign the petition in support of the Mohawk reclamation of McGill University and demands to end military research, click here.

The march was followed by an opening concert at Place des Festivals. Hundreds of workshops and exchanges will be held during the World Social Forum from August 10 to 14.