News posted mostly by Ernie Yacoub. Archives were posted in illegible form by Settlers in Support of Indigenous Sovereignty; unedited except for removal of many "Urgent action -- call these people now!" -- notices. Accuracy of facts, quotes, etc. not verified.
From: Ernie Yacub
September 6, 1995, 6:00 pm pst
The Governments of Canada Wage War on Indians
One man is dead, another was badly beaten, and a 13 year old boy is in
surgery to remove a bullet from his back. The Ontario Provincial Police
killed 34 year old Anthony George, a member of the Kettle and Stoney
Point Indian Band in northern Ontario. He was unarmed. Bernard George,
a member of the band council, was severely beaten when he tried to help
negotiate at a road block at Canadian Armed Forces base Ipperwash. Nick
George, who is only 13 or 14 years old was shot in the back. None of the
victims were armed.
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, CBC, has had several different
versions of the shootings throughout the day on their radio news. The
first said that the police were fired upon first. Then they reported
that a 16 year old boy was shot in the back when he drove a bus through
the barricades and hit a dumpster, one man was killed, and a third badly
injured. There was no mention of the police being fired upon. The next
report said that the police had moved in to protect some local people in
a car that was attacked by the indians with baseball bats. No mention of
guns. The latest news at 5pm returned to the "police returning fire" story.
The Mohawk Nation News Service report is very different. The Ontario
Provincial Police (OPP) tried to remove the road block A fistfight
ensued, successfully driving the OPP away. The police returned at 9:30
pm with 40 to 60 men in riot gear. They stormed the gate and the people
resisted. The OPP then opened fire on the indians in the camp. After
the attack aboriginal people stayed. They are not leaving and they are
unarmed. Call 1-800-793-2193 for more info.
In an interview on CBC radio show Almanac, Globe and Mail reporter Peter
Moon said that here has been a two year occupation of Camp Ipperwash by
some members of the Kettle and Stony Point settlement. The Canadian
Government took 2000 acres of land in 1942 under the War Measures act to
build the army base. This was supposed to be a temporary occupation
which has now lasted for 50 years. 22 families were moved in 1942 to the
nearby village which is now overcrowded. The Canadian government
and the military have ignored the
first nations claim to the land until the people got fed up and occupied
the camp, driving the military out. The natives cannot take the matter to
court because the land was taken away under the War Measures Act.
The latest confrontation with police is over another part of the same
land where first nations burial sites have been desecrated by army
cadets. They were using them for target practice.
Assembly of First Nations chief Ovide Mercredi is on his way to the
blockade with other native leaders. The premier of Ontario has refused
to meet with them. 200 to 300 people have marched into the camp through
the police lines without any further altercations.
Meanwhile, at the siege of the Sundancers' camp at Gustafsen Lake, the
RCMP donned their flak jackets and camouflage and roared down the road in
armoured tanks early today. They claimed that one of their helicopters
was fired upon. The CBC did not bother to ask what the helicopter was
doing flying close enough to be shot at. Supporters of the Sundance
defenders had to wait most of the day to find out that the assault of the
camp did not happen.
The latest news is that the RCMP are going to try to establish
communications with the defenders so that local first nations leaders can
talk to them.
- 30 -
URGENT ACTION NEEDED!
-.-.-.-. Your urgent protests:
**PLEASE NOTE: We have been advised that the Prime Minister
and Governor General are stopping all fax receipt on this issue
after receiving the cover sheet. So if possible do not include a
cover sheet with your fax, or if necessary write all comments
on a cover sheet only.**
Prime Minister Jean Chretien
Parliament Buildings
Ottawa, Canada
Phone: (613) 992-4211
Fax: (613) 941-6900
The Honorable Allan Rock, Minister of Justice
Parliament Buildings
Ottawa, Canada
Phone: (613) 947-5000
Parliament Office Fax: (613) 990-7225
Main Office Fax: (613) 947-4276
Riding Fax: (416) 231-2082
Governor General of Canada
His Excellency the Right Honorable Romeo Le Blanc
Rideau Hall
1 Sussex Drive
**********
For information:
Bruce Clark, LL.B., M.A., Ph. D. (Law)
Barrister & Solicitor
92 Stanley Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1M 1P4
Telephone (613) 741-7065 and Fax 741-7077
S.I.S.I.S. Settlers In Support of Indigenous Sovereignty
PO Box 8673
Victoria, BC
Canada V8X 3S2
Solidarity with the Mohawk, Shuswap, and all indigenous sovereign nations!
Posted by Ernie Yacub
Date: Thu, 7 Sep 1995 18:44:33 -0700 (PDT)
From:
Subject: Re: Between you, me and the natives
Jim is quite accurate in his assessment that the gov't is presenting a one
sided case Many of the Cointellpro tactics used against Aim are
resurfacing in Canada. The press is cooperating fully with the gov't to bias
the public (Surprize). A while back a book titled In the Sipirit of Crazy
Horse detailed through FOIA documents the Wounded Knee Occupation in the
70's I was shocked to watch the events of the last few weeks unfold
everything from the Occupation described by Maathiessen has been replayed
down to the Arrormed Personel Carriers only the names and the place have
changed. SCAREY!
For the EARTH
and All Her CREATURES !
-Joe
From: MATT WILSON
To:
, John Seed
Subject: Shuswap Aboriginal Nation (please advise if you got this letter)
Brisbane Indigenous Media Assn
PO Box 6229
FAIRFIELD GARDENS
4103 QLD Australia
6 September 1995
Prime Minister JEAN CHRETIEN
Parliament Buildings
OTTAWA CANADA
Dear Mr Prime Minister
land and the response from the Canadian Authorities has come to the
attention of the indigenous population of this country and it has raised
serious concerns.
Indigenous Australians are well aware of what occurred in sovereignty
clashes at Oka between the Quebec Police and the Mohawk people in 1990. We
fear for the safety of the indigenous peoples of Canada when their
legitimate attempts to assert their land rights are met with a violent
response.
The Shuswap Nation, having never sold nor entered into any treaty over their
land, have an international entitlement to exercise their sovereign rights
over this land. We're extremely concerned the Government reply to this
assertion of their legitimate rights has been to send in a heavily armed
24-member emergency response team, dogs and helicopters to surround the
camp. The indigenous people of Australia are asking why such force is
necessary. We ask whether the situation can be resolved without resort to
this type of intimidatory tactics.
The Shuswap people have repeatedly stated they seek a peaceful resolution to
the 139 year crisis, yet they've also publicly expressed their determination
to end the colonial domination.
So far, it would appear negotiations with a people frustrated with the
bureaucratic channels of a foreign power, are extended to the Royal Canadian
Mounted Police labelling the traditional landholders "thugs". Indigenous
media groups in this country are wondering why the RCMP are negotiating with
indigenous people about land rights when it is surely the role of senior
Government officials. They ask if this is the
common practice for negotiations in your country.
As an Aboriginal media organisation with over two million Australians living
in our listening area, we watch with interest the land aspirations of our
indigenous cousins on the international stage. Meeting these aspirations
with force is not the act of a compassionate government with a fiduciary
duty to all of its citizens. The RCMP in Gustafson Lake must cease its
tactical operations in the area and stop the harassment and intimidation of
the Shuswap people.
Your Government, as a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights, must ensure the rights of the Shuswap aren't infringed in
a discriminatory manner. The cutting of communication lines will be seen as
a breach of this convenant. These lines must be reinstalled.
Australia's indigenous population is concerned at the contravention of the
Shuswap people's fundamental human rights to legal representation. They are
entitled to and must be given access to the legal representation of their
choice. Further to this, Canada, having retained legal connection with
Westminster, must refer the sovereignty claims of Canada's Aboriginal
peoples to the Privy Council
for determination. It's unacceptable for a party to a claim to also
adjudicate on the matter.
We write on behalf of the Staff, Management and listeners of Brisbane
Indigenous Media Association, to let the Canadian people know, Australia's
National Indigenous Media Industry is watching the developments in your
country in respect to the indigenous aspirations for land. We request the
Shuswap
concerns be treated in a manner which is civilised, truthful and in good
faith.
Yours faithfully,
Bob Anderson
CHAIRPERSON
Ross Watson Tiga Bayles
MANAGER ASST MANAGER
Thursday, September 07 at 01:30 AM: Jim Wight from
wrote:
"I wonder if the RCMP have the intelligence to visualize any other
opperational strategy than surrender, starvation or termination?
"
Friday, September 08 at 11:59 AM: Jim Wight response to Trent Hreno from
wrote:
I agree that negotiaitions are not going well, but I think that the
>technique of threatening people's lives and shooting people in the
>back with high powered weapons, while falsley claiming to represent the
>interests of a particular First Nations community, is also dangerous for
>us all. And that's my opinion ...
Hi Trent,
You should realize that the media is only reporting one side. RCMP have
a history of over simplification and treat all standoff situations as if
they were hostage taking. The object is to demonize the other side so that
their men can use maximum force. Do we want to see another Randy Weaver
episode in Gustafsen Lake?
Perhaps it's more important to hold judgement for now and press for the
government to send in a negotiating team. This is not a bank robbery, it's a
land claim. You should note that the natives have a video they claim refutes
the shoot in the back senario. The media are just beginning to yeild to alternate
source info pressure. The following may be of interest to you.
"Neighbouring natives gave the protesters a boost Wednesday when they said the
point of the protest is valid.
'A lot of our people feel as those people at Gustafsen Lake do.' said Ray Hanbce, a
spokesman for six Chilcotin Indian bands. I know a lot of people have those very
same concerns, but most of us are not prepared to take it to that level.'"(Times Colonist A6-Sept 7/95)
Cheers,
Jim Wight ">
Date: Sun, 10 Sep 1995 00:41:30 -0700 (PDT)
posted by Ernie Yacub
604-336-8155/604-336-2646
The following declaration was received early this morning, September 9.
The 15 year old boy, Nick George, was shot by the Ontario Provincial
Police, but is alive. The police are making it very difficult to get
accurate information. The media throughout the day have hardly said
anything at all about the shooting of unarmed first nations people except
that one man is dead.
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/
HAUDENOSAUNEE
MOHAWK - ONEIDA - ONONDAGA - CAYUGA - SENECA -
TUSCARORA
Mohawk Nation Kahnawake Branch
Kanien'kehaka A'onakerahsera
via Box 645
Kahnawake, PQ
Canada J0L 1B0
To: Jean Chretien, Prime Minister of Canada
Premier Mike Harcourt, British Columbia
Premier Mike Harris, Ontario
Be advised this date, September 7, 1995, that:
- Any further violence committed against our sovereign
Turtle Island Brothers and Sisters of the Shuswap
Nation, at Gustafsen Lake, British Columbia, or Stoney
Nation at Ipperwash Park, Ontario, will be answered in
kind.
- Those directly and indirectly responsible for the
murders of our brothers (one a fifteen year old boy) at
Ipperwash, Ontario, will be identified and held
accountable for their actions.
- Those directly and indirectly responsible for the
beatings of our women and children at Ipperwash,
Ontario, will be identified and held accountable for
their actions.
We have remained silent for some time now in the hope
that your governments could finally come to terms
honorably with our rights to sovereign control of our
lands and destiny. You have always said that all you
needed was just a little more time - as if 500 years is
not enough. And what have you given to our people with
that little more time? You have given to us more guns,
more bullets, more violence, more threats, more empty
fascist rhetoric about your law and order, all at the
expense of justice for our people.
Even your self-government packages and policing
agreements drip with the venomous intentions you have
towards our people and their sovereignty. They are not
silent on our rights. They scream out your intention to
extinguish us. They are Dr. Kevorkian's tools for assisted
suicide, that will kill us as surely as your guns and
bullets.
And so, we remain silent no more. And so, we advise
you that we will not stand idly by while you continue to
brutalize our people.
For the civilized record: First comes truth. Then comes
justice. Then comes the mutually nourishing strength
that leads to a living law and order. Only in a brutally
repressive fascist state does law and order stand alone -
like police state tanks and bullets.
The latest victims of your fascist state are:
Dudley George, shot in the back;
Nicholas Cottrell, 15, unarmed, executed with a
bullet to the head.
Rotiskenakateh
Mohawk Nation
Six Nation Confederacy
Kahnawake Territory
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/
posted by S.I.S.I.S. Settlers In Support of Indigenous Sovereignty
all typos/spelling errors are the responsibility of S.I.S.I.S., not the original author(s).
Date: Mon, 11 Sep 1995 13:46:01 -0700 (PDT)
From: Ernie Yacub
Eye witness Roger Abraham George
What follows is a statement by an eyewitness to the assault by the
Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) on a group of first nations people at
Ipperwash Provincial Park. Anthony (Dudley) Brian George, 34, was
fatally shot by the OPP. He was unarmed. Nicholas Cottrelle (14 or 15)
was shot in the back. Bernard George (late 30's) was savagely beaten.
Mr. George's statement contradicts the OPP reports which the media have
been using to justify the beatings and murder. The propaganda that the
police at Ipperwash and Gustafsen Lake have been disseminating tries
consistently to portray the use of deadly force by the police as a
necessary response to indian provocation. Their lies will eventually
come back to haunt them.
*******
This and other reports of the standoff at Ipperwash and Gustafsen Lake
are archived at: http://www.islandnet.com/~jwight/enviro/Sundancefrm.html
We are going to discontinue broadcasting these email reports soon. If
you want to continue receiving them by email, please reply with the
following in your subject line: put me on your list. We will still
broadcast urgent action posts.
*** Media alert! ***
The Stoney Point/Ipperwash land was one of the 11 cases put forward by
first nations traditionals on appeal to the supreme court of canada - and
was rejected on July 6, 1995 as NOT IMPORTANT. Bruce Clark was the
counsel for the traditionals. Another afidavit is being filed.
september 11, 1995, cumberland, b.c.
ernie yacub
yacinfo@mars.ark.com
604-336-8155/604-336-2646
*******
Ipperwash Provincial Park Occupation
by Pottawatimi and Ojibway men, women and children
September 9, 1995
Witness who was there from beginning Roger Abraham George
On Tuesday, September 5, 1995, a group of Stoney Point people including
myself and a few supporters were at the Parkview drive entrance to
Ipperwash Provincial Park (Ontario Canada). We had it blocked with a
garbage dumpster. Police activity was heavy and they left. We figured
something was up. They returned around 11:10 pm. Bernard George and
others went down to the entrance. A few came back and reported phone
wire running along. They cut it. Bernard by himself went to the front
gate and others came back. He had a 2 way radio and another had a radio
at another entrance.
I had a police scanner and heard the cops say, "There is one along the
road. I think he has a weapon." "Yes, he has a weapon." "No, it is
only a stick." This is what he heard. All he had was a 2 way radio.
A car was coming down the entrance. Lots of cops in riot gear, black in
colour plastic shields line up from side to side in 2 rows. There was 10
feet between us and them. We waited for them to ask us to leave but
nothing was said. They did not even try to serve any kind of papers on us.
We told them to leave and get off our land. We started to get
on the trunk of the car making noises on a garbage container trying to
get them to leave.
I heard the cop yell "retreat as far as road." They went on outside of
fence. I got 10 feet away from them. The cops started hitting shields
and metal riot sticks. We heard, "ATTACK". They attacked us. We fought
for a few minutes but were outnumbered. They retreated. They yell, "He
slipped" (Bernard George). They were dragging him toward a vehicle and
started beating and kicking him. He was on the ground and being kicked
by a bunch of cops surrounding him.
I heard somebody say, "Get in the bus and run the bastards over." My son
Nicholas Cottrelle got in the bus and hit the garbage container pushing
it towards the cops. The cops were on each side of the road. The buses
backed up when gun shots fired by the cops. I assumed they were warning
shots. I looked back at the flash from the guns pointed at our
direction. "They're shooting at us. Run." Anthony (Dudley)
Brian George was between me and cops. Next thing I heard was that Dudley
George had been hit.
They carried Dudley back to the park. I directed the bus through. Put
him in a car and wait for an ambulance. I was going to the store in the
park to call ambulance. Somebody was already there. My son said he was
Ok and I saw the blood spot on his back.
"Come here," and lifted up his shirt and saw a hole on the right side of
his shoulder blade. "Does it hurt?" I pointed to left, and saw a wound
2 inches long, jumped into a car to call another ambulance.
We arrived at the gatehouse. Dudley's brothers and sisters were already
rushing him to hospital. My wife told someone to call ambulance. We
drove to the Hiway 21 roadblock. The cops refused to let us through and
we almost got arrested. We had to take him through the road block. The
cops stopped us and made the boy get out of the car and put his hands on
the car.
They finally took him to hospital.
Statement of Roger Abraham George of Stoney Point received by fax from
Mohawk Nation News Service (MNNS).
*****
STOP THE SLAUGHTER * GENOCIDE * KILLINGS OF NATIVE PEOPLE
Solicitor General of Ontario - 416-326-5000
Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) - 519-786-5445
Ipperwash OPP, Sgt Babbitt - 519-243-3491 (John Carson commander at
checkpoing)
For Ipperwash information call: 519-243-8565
CASNP - 416--972-1573; fax 416-972-6232
Write, fax, phone:
Prime Minister Jean Chretien
Parliament Buildings
Ottawa, Canada
Phone: (613) 992-4211
Fax: (613) 941-6900
The Honorable Allan Rock, Minister of Justice
Parliament Buildings
Ottawa, Canada
Phone: (613) 947-5000
Parliament Office Fax: (613) 990-7225
Main Office Fax: (613) 947-4276
Riding Fax: (416) 231-2082
Governor General of Canada
His Excellency the Right Honorable Romeo Le Blanc
Rideau Hall
1 Sussex Drive
**********
For information:
Bruce Clark, LL.B., M.A., Ph. D. (Law)
Barrister & Solicitor
92 Stanley Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1M 1P4
Telephone (613) 741-7065 and Fax 741-7077
S.I.S.I.S. Settlers In Support of Indigenous Sovereignty
Solidarity with the Mohawk, Shuswap, and all indigenous sovereign nations!
Bottom of Page file
September 6, 1995, 6:00 pm pst
The Governments of Canada Wage War on Indians
One man is dead, another was badly beaten, and a 13 year old boy is in
surgery to remove a bullet from his back. The Ontario Provincial Police
killed 34 year old Anthony George, a member of the Kettle and Stoney
Point Indian Band in northern Ontario. He was unarmed. Bernard George,
a member of the band council, was severely beaten when he tried to help
negotiate at a road block at Canadian Armed Forces base Ipperwash. Nick
George, who is only 13 or 14 years old was shot in the back. None of the
victims were armed.
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, CBC, has had several different
versions of the shootings throughout the day on their radio news. The
first said that the police were fired upon first. Then they reported
that a 16 year old boy was shot in the back when he drove a bus through
the barricades and hit a dumpster, one man was killed, and a third badly
injured. There was no mention of the police being fired upon. The next
report said that the police had moved in to protect some local people in
a car that was attacked by the indians with baseball bats. No mention of
guns. The latest news at 5pm returned to the "police returning fire" story.
The Mohawk Nation News Service report is very different. The Ontario
Provincial Police (OPP) tried to remove the road block A fistfight
ensued, successfully driving the OPP away. The police returned at 9:30
pm with 40 to 60 men in riot gear. They stormed the gate and the people
resisted. The OPP then opened fire on the indians in the camp. After
the attack aboriginal people stayed. They are not leaving and they are
unarmed. Call 1-800-793-2193 for more info.
In an interview on CBC radio show Almanac, Globe and Mail reporter Peter
Moon said that here has been a two year occupation of Camp Ipperwash by
some members of the Kettle and Stony Point settlement. The Canadian
Government took 2000 acres of land in 1942 under the War Measures act to
build the army base. This was supposed to be a temporary occupation
which has now lasted for 50 years. 22 families were moved in 1942 to the
nearby village which is now overcrowded. The Canadian government
and the military have ignored the
first nations claim to the land until the people got fed up and occupied
the camp, driving the military out. The natives cannot take the matter to
court because the land was taken away under the War Measures Act.
The latest confrontation with police is over another part of the same
land where first nations burial sites have been desecrated by army
cadets. They were using them for target practice.
Assembly of First Nations chief Ovide Mercredi is on his way to the
blockade with other native leaders. The premier of Ontario has refused
to meet with them. 200 to 300 people have marched into the camp through
the police lines without any further altercations.
Meanwhile, at the siege of the Sundancers' camp at Gustafsen Lake, the
RCMP donned their flak jackets and camouflage and roared down the road in
armoured tanks early today. They claimed that one of their helicopters
was fired upon. The CBC did not bother to ask what the helicopter was
doing flying close enough to be shot at. Supporters of the Sundance
defenders had to wait most of the day to find out that the assault of the
camp did not happen.
The latest news is that the RCMP are going to try to establish
communications with the defenders so that local first nations leaders can
talk to them.
- 30 -
URGENT ACTION NEEDED!
-.-.-.-. Your urgent protests:
**PLEASE NOTE: We have been advised that the Prime Minister
and Governor General are stopping all fax receipt on this issue
after receiving the cover sheet. So if possible do not include a
cover sheet with your fax, or if necessary write all comments
on a cover sheet only.**
Prime Minister Jean Chretien
Parliament Buildings
Ottawa, Canada
Phone: (613) 992-4211
Fax: (613) 941-6900
The Honorable Allan Rock, Minister of Justice
Parliament Buildings
Ottawa, Canada
Phone: (613) 947-5000
Parliament Office Fax: (613) 990-7225
Main Office Fax: (613) 947-4276
Riding Fax: (416) 231-2082
Governor General of Canada
His Excellency the Right Honorable Romeo Le Blanc
Rideau Hall
1 Sussex Drive
**********
For information:
Bruce Clark, LL.B., M.A., Ph. D. (Law)
Barrister & Solicitor
92 Stanley Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1M 1P4
Telephone (613) 741-7065 and Fax 741-7077
S.I.S.I.S. Settlers In Support of Indigenous Sovereignty
PO Box 8673
Victoria, BC
Canada V8X 3S2