RALLIES PLANNED INTERNATIONALLY TO DENOUNCE STATE AND COASTAL GASLINK VIOLENCE ON UNCEDED WET’SUWET’EN TERRITORY

January 8, 2019 – Yesterday militarized RCMP descended onto unceded Wet’suwet’en to enforce a colonial court injunction. Fourteen people were arrested including Gitdumden spokesperson Molly Wickham. One elder was released and 13 land defenders and supporters will be appearing in court in Prince George today.

Rallies in 55 cities across Canada and internationally will be taking place today Tuesday January 8, 2019 to express solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en defending their unceded lands from unwanted fracked gas development.

Rallies across Canada are being held in Bella Bella, Calgary, Chilliwack, Campbell River, Cortes Island, Courtenay, Duncan, Edmonton, Galiano Island, Guelph, Haida Gwaii, Halifax, Hamilton, Hazelton, Lillooet, Kitchener Waterloo, London, Mayne Island, Mi’kma’ki, Montreal, Nanaimo, Nelson, North Bay, North Okanagan, Old Massett, Ottawa, Peterborough, Powell River, Prince George, Regina, Rexton, Saskatoon, Sechelt, Sherbrooke, Six Nations, Smithers, Splatsin, Sudbury, Terrace, Thunder Bay, Toronto, Vancouver, Victoria, Winnipeg, White Horse, and Yellowknife.

Rallies will take place internationally in Atlanta, Bellingham, Flagstaff, Milan, Minnesota, New York City, O’Odham Territory, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington.

Details for the rallies can be found at: https://www.facebook.com/events/2225649537692362/ and on Tuesday January 8, 2019 photos and video will be available through #wetsuwetenstrong #notrespass #thetimeisnow.

According to the Wet’suwet’en Access Point on Gitdumden territory, who issued the call for international solidarity, “All Wet’suwet’en Clans have rejected the Coastal GasLink fracked gas pipeline because this is our home. Our medicines, our berries, our food, the animals, our water, our culture are all here since time immemorial. We are obligated to protect our ways of life for our babies unborn.”

“Canada knows that its own actions are illegal,” further states the Wet’suwet’en Access Point on Gitdumden territory. “The Wet’suwet’en chiefs have maintained their use and occupancy of their lands and hereditary governance system to this date despite generations of legislative policies that aim to remove us from this land, assimilate our people, and ban our governing system. The hereditary chiefs of the Wet’suwet’en and the land defenders holding the front lines will never allow Wet’suwet’en sovereignty to be violated.”