TYENDINAGA MOHAWK TERRITORY – The Royal Canadian Mounted Police invaded Wet’suwet’en territory in British Columbia on February 5th, 2020 to enforce a court injunction to remove the Wet’suwet’en from their own land. The injunction was obtained by the Coastal GasLink corporation (CGL) in order to force their 670-kilometer long natural gas pipeline project through traditional unceded Wet’suwet’en territory. This development poses deep and significant threats to human and non-human life in a culturally and environmentally important region, and goes against the Canadian government’s supposed process of “Peace and Reconciliation” with First Nations peoples.
In response to this colonial aggression against the Wet’suwet’en, Tyendinaga Mohawks have set-up an encampment alongside the CN railway and issued their demand: no trains should pass the tracks until the RCMP has left Wet’suwet’en territory. As a result, all train traffic along the Toronto-Montreal corridor passing through Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, has come to a halt with the economic toll to Canada steadily rising. Within a few days of the beginning of the railway stoppage, CN rail succeeded in getting a court-ordered injunction, and the Ontario Provincial Police delivered the injunction demanding the Tyendinaga land defenders to leave and allow rail traffic to resume. The response from the people of Tyendinaga is unwavering:
“In regards to the “Injunction” served on the people of Tyendinaga, We the people refuse to have the laws of the Canadian nation-state imposed upon us. We have, and have always had our own laws and customs, prior to, during and after Canada’s attempts at genocide and assimilation. A paper ordering us to vacate our own land, and or allow passage of foreign goods through our territory is meaningless. We will stand our ground, and as stated, not leave until the RCMP pull out of Wet’suwet’en traditional territories.”
