Submitted by GidimtenSolidarity in lobby (edited )

My connection online is spotty rn, but I can probably fill in some details for the curious. I can answer a few questions, but obviously as there are legal concerns I am not willing to answer everything.

Here's a megathread I found on reddit.

The police have blocked media from entering Unist'ot'en territory yesterday so I'm putting something online. The rcmp are letting people through, but IDing anyone trying to enter the camp. The cops took over the whole camp and won't give it back. They burned all the wood and a bunch of supplies.

https://sub.media has some neat videos about it.

I'll be on and off checking this thread tonight and tomorrow. Things are really busy for us rn.


Unist'ot'en Legal Fund Link

25

Comments

You must log in or register to comment.

An_Old_Big_Tree wrote

How are you doing? What have you had to deal with personally?

9

GidimtenSolidarity OP wrote

Many of us are tired but relieved to be out of jail. The women in the holding cell and jail were treated terribly and weren't allowed to sleep, weren't given much food, and no blankets or matresses, locked in cold rooms for a long period and dragged into court with a complete disorientation process.

Personally I'm exhausted and court was really odd and disorienting. They woke us up at 7 AM in a holding cell and rushed us to the court house, but we didn't even know it was a court house until we were escorted in a room with a judge on a tv from vancouver, and packed court room. We were forced to wait because they had to have a room that had a red carpet.

Transcanada got reamed by the judge apparently just before we appeared and he stormed out. I hear it was a complete mess, but don't really know the details of the case.

Since then I heard that Trans Canada is now changing their name to "TC Energy", so that's interesting timing.

10

An_Old_Big_Tree wrote (edited )

Thanks! Is there much outside support?

5

theblackcat wrote

What's the atmosphere like there? Are you all bracing for the worst?

8

GidimtenSolidarity OP wrote

People are feeling displaced, violated, and pushed aside. The police continue to blockade Wetsuwet'en from living on their own territory and control access to Unist'ot'en.

There are multiple funerals happening at this time, and this is a time of immense grieving. It is a bad omen for the Wetsuwet'en to not stop and grieve, so they have struck a temporary standing down because they cannot fight during this time. This is how the canadian government has always been, they strike during funerals.

7

foggymorn wrote

How biased is the media coverage? Is there a lot of settler propaganda being fed out?

8

GidimtenSolidarity OP wrote

The coverage focuses on this idea that the hereditary chiefs are divided, and then use 3 year old footage of a Haisla elected band council member talking about how the pipeline is good for jobs. The Haisla have nothing to do with this territory. They couldn't find a chief of the Wet'suwet'en territory that was divided to say anything on the news because they aren't divided in this territory. Both Unist'ot'en and Gidimt'en people do not want a pipeline to destroy the land they depend on, and are using to heal their people.

More propaganda might include the idea that it's just "natural gas" but I have spoken to people working on the pipeline, and they even say that it is being built to a standard for moving oil. So even if it is used for "natural gas" at first, it should be expected to switch at one point.

The RCMP claim that they are not blockading any longer, but they continue to blockade and prevent people from returning to their home there in Gidimt'en territory.

For news directly from the source, check this website.

6

ziq wrote

You rock!

What tactics are you using to face / evade the police?

6

Brick wrote

What are the demographics like? Are indigenous people leading the effort?

6

GidimtenSolidarity OP wrote

It is indigenous led, and there are also settler Anarchists and general environmentalist/socialists visiting.

8

An_Old_Big_Tree wrote

What kind of violence is possible in resistance, if any?

5

GidimtenSolidarity OP wrote

The hereditary chiefs of the territories are in grieving, and during the time of the funeral, the camp was raided by murderous police. The violence the rcmp was showing was a willingness to hurt and gore through any human blockade. They showed no slowing down.

9

smolcat wrote

You're really asking this about this situation?

−2

An_Old_Big_Tree wrote

Yeah, I want to understand what forms resistance can take. OP can choose to answer insofar as they like.

5

conseil wrote

Since I'm not as familiar as I should be- what now? As in, what comes now?

5

Pop wrote

Any fun little stories you can tell from along the way?

5

GidimtenSolidarity OP wrote

Someone burning off zip-tie cuffs because they were waay too tight, and smoking a joint in the police van is rumored to have happened.

6

smolcat wrote

Hey thanks for your work. No questions really I have been following as close as I can, but thanks.

4

Nebu wrote

Nothing to ask, but good luck to you and keep us updated!

4

Fossidarity wrote

How did experiencing these things firsthand influence your view of the world or your politics?

4

GidimtenSolidarity OP wrote

Nothing really changed. I already knew that klanada is a white supremacist colonizing force tugged on a leash by mega corporations invested in "the energy corridor". But I'm glad to see so much support pour in from around the world.

3

ziq wrote

From a reddit user:

Hello, Gitxsan here, Lax see'l. Frog clan. I just want to sent my support, and ask how everyone is holding up? I am in fact moving back to my hometown so that i can teach my son his birthrights and history. Please let everyone there that my family appreciates the risk you are taking. And that its also for all nations and future generations. And that you are continuously on our minds.

3