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Jan 11, 19
Filed under: Action, Development, Editorials, Environment, Solidarity, Southeast
Statement of solidarity from the Yellow Finch tree sit with the ongoing Wet’suwet’en resistance to resource extraction in so-called British Columbia.
The Yellow Finch tree sits outside of Elliston, VA have been blocking the Mountain Valley Pipeline for 128 days!
There has still been no decision regarding the request for injunction against the tree sitters. Due to a recent order by the judge, it will be at least another week before there’s any ruling (and we suspect it could take longer).
As we sit in this legal limbo, anxiously awaiting updates from federal court here in Appalachia, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) are enforcing an illegal injunction that grants Coastal GasLink access to Wet’suwet’en land for pipeline construction. Militarized police have forced their way through fortified checkpoints into indigenous resistance camps, ordering those on the land to leave, and arresting over a dozen people. The courts are engaged in continuous colonial violence, systematically ignoring indigenous rights and removing native peoples from their land.
From so-called “Virginia” to Wet’suwet’en territory and beyond, the legal system consistently prioritizes corporate greed and profit over the interests of communities and supposed rights of the people.
The legal system has long been used to uproot resistance. Fines, imprisonment, and capital punishment are just a few of the myriad tools used against those who dare to fight against it and the status quo. The US criminal “justice” system alone holds over two million people in jails and prisons, particularly targeting communities of color.
As the injunction against the Yellow Finch tree sits is challenged and drawn out through complex legal bureaucracy, we cannot forget the many ways in which the courts are an oppressive force. Fighting this pipeline also means fighting for indigenous sovereignty, and fighting to abolish prisons and the “justice” system.
We are still here! We are grateful for court delays that continue to stall MVP, but we will continue to fight this pipeline no matter what the next weeks hold.
Donate to support resistance to pipelines in Appalachia: bit.ly/supportmvpresistance
Learn more about the Wet’suwet’en fight against extraction and the Canadian government: https://unistoten.camp/ or Unist’ot’en Camp and Wet’suwet’en Access Point on Gidumt’en Territory
Image taken from the white pine a few days ago.
