Mik’maq Territory: Hard Blockade to Entrance of Gaspé Established

On August 7th, militant ecologists established a hard blockade at the entrance to the Galt Site on Mik’maq territory near Gaspé [a city at the tip of the Gaspé Peninsula in the Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine region of eastern Quebec, Canada]. This is a highly strategic action, timed several weeks before Junex is slated to begin unconventional horizontal drilling, and just after it was announced that their government cronies will be hooking their pals at Junex up with a cool 8.4 million taxpayer dollars. Because of widespread opposition to fracking in so-called Quebec and the Maritimes, and the fact that Junex is a junior company propped up by government hand-outs, we believe that this is a highly winnable fight.

This is a hard blockade which the militants are prepared to forcibly defend and, as such, represents a stark escalation in ecological resistance in our bioregion. What happens in the next two weeks is critical. It is imperative that we stop the industry from getting a hold in Gaspesie, and now is the time to do it.

The following article was published in the Earth First! Journal in the Litha/Summer, 2016 issue, and is reposted here to provide context to anglophones about the years-long struggle against the fledgling oil and gas industry in Northern Mikmaki, a struggle that has garnered little attention outside of so-called Quebec.

Stayed tuned for more information, and if it makes sense for you, start making plans to get yer asses to the front-lines!

For background on the struggle, check out this interview on IGD, Preparing the Soil: An Interview with Maude from Tache d’Huile.