1 injured as police move to clear rail blockade on Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory

OPP officers make an arrest at a rail blockade in Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, near Belleville, Ont., on Feb. 24, 2020, as they protest in solidarity with Wet’suwet’en Nation hereditary chiefs attempting to halt construction of a natural gas pipeline on their traditional territories. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Ontario provincial police moved Monday morning to clear a rail blockade on Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory.

The blockade near Belleville, Ont., has crippled both freight and passenger rail traffic in most of eastern Canada for nearly three weeks.

Police and CN Rail had given protesters until midnight Sunday to clear the blockade or face an investigation and possible criminal charges.

Around 8:30 a.m. police arrested several men near the railway and took them away in a police vehicle. Several dozen other officers lined up in front of the remaining protesters at the encampment.

Officers moved in again around 9:15 a.m., grabbed several more men and arrested them.

One person was taken to hospital with minor injuries that occurred during an arrest, the OPP confirmed with CityNews.

The OPP said its liaison team has tried to negotiate peacefully over the past few weeks, but decided to take action to uphold a court injunction to clear the railway.

“We have remained respectful of the ongoing dialogue, including issues of sovereignty between our Indigenous communities and various federal ministers, and have hoped for productive communication leading to a peaceful resolution,” said spokesman Bill Dickson.

“The OPP notes the broader societal impacts of this extended protest have correspondingly increased risks to public safety closer to the protest sites. Unfortunately, all avenues to successfully negotiate a peaceful resolution have been exhausted and a valid court injunction remains in effect.”

The barricades were a response to a move by the RCMP to clear protesters who had been blocking access to a Coastal GasLink natural gas pipeline worksite on Wet’suwet’en territory in northern British Columbia.

OPP remain on Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory after clearing rail blockade

Hereditary chiefs of the Wet’suwet’en Nation oppose the work on their traditional territory, despite support from elected band councils along the pipeline route.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was to meet with the cabinet incident response group Monday morning to discuss the situation with the blockades.

On Friday, Trudeau said the barricades had to come down and injunctions ordering the tracks cleared needed to be enforced.

Trudeau spoke by phone Sunday with Ontario Premier Doug Ford, Quebec Premier Francois Legault, and B.C.’s John Horgan “to discuss the railway blockades and the impacts they are having across the country on Canadians and the economy.”

According to a statement from the PMO, Trudeau informed the premiers of measures being taken to ensure that critical needs are addressed, including propane, chemicals to treat drinking water, and essential agricultural products.

“We will remain in close contact with all provinces to address urgent needs as required, and we will continue to support coordinated efforts to find a resolution,” the statement said.

Trudeau and the premiers also reiterated their commitment to resolving the situation peacefully.

Wet’suwet’en Heredity Chief Na’moks, also known as John Ridsdale, said Sunday that Trudeau’s “antagonistic” speech had just the opposite effect.

“If the prime minister had not made that speech the Mohawks would have taken down everything,” he said. “They were ready. We were on the phone.”

Na’moks said all five hereditary chiefs were expected to meet in northern B.C. Monday to plan their next steps and talks with the RCMP could resume on Thursday at the earliest.

He said the chiefs will not budge from their demands for the Mounties to remove every component of a mobile unit from their territory before meeting with them.

Dawn Roberts, a spokeswoman for the RCMP, said the mobile unit had been temporarily closed and discussions were underway with the deputy commissioner about its future.

The chiefs visited supporters this week in Tyendinaga and Kahnawake south of Montreal, and repeated that their conditions for talks to begin had not been met.

By: The Canadian Press, Feb 23, 2020.

[SOURCE]

3 thoughts on “1 injured as police move to clear rail blockade on Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory

  1. Buck Marshall

    Funny cops lunged first. They are just enforcers for the criminal organizations called our government. Leaders are pathetic and so are OPP for this display and illegal abuse of power. what are they going to do now as this stupid move will definitely spark a bigger problem that is all because they want to steal more native land. Shame on you JUSTIN TRUDEAU you poor excuse for a man and useless P O S. Prime Minister. But then again you use government funds to take several unnecessary vacations and self serving expenses so you’re use to stealing. Do 🇨🇦 a favor and blow your brains out.

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