On Jan. 14, Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs were forced to make a deal with the RCMP in allowing Coastal GasLink workers into their traditional territory for pre-construction work on a federally-sanctioned natural gas pipeline.
According to various news outlets, Wet’suwet’en Chief Na’Moks, said this temporary agreement was made to protect members of the Wet’suwet’en nation who were traumatized after arrests were made and brutal force was used to exercise a court-ordered injunction. Fourteen members of the Wet’suwet’en First Nation in British Columbia were arrested for protecting their unceded territory from the Trans Mountain pipeline.
But, not only were the Wet’suwet’en members forced to allow people to enter their territory, they were also not given a chance to defend their claims in court when this injunction was being ordered. All across Canada, Indigenous groups and allies have been gathering in protest of action taken by the RCMP against the Wet’suwet’en, including right here in Ottawa this past week.
While the police have a responsibility to implement the law, they also have a responsibility to protect the peoples the law governs. The complete opposite of this responsibility is forcibly taking people off their ancestral land to jumpstart a project those people never originally agreed to take part in.
The Charlatan stands in solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en First Nation and condemns the brutal force used by the RCMP to enter their unceded traditional land.
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Image from files
