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Feb 10, 20

Offices Occupied & Ports, Freeways, and Railroads Shut Down Across Canada As RCMP Reaches Unist’ot’en Camp

On Thursday, February 6th, the RCMP began a highly militarized raid on unceded Wet’suwet’en territory. By nightfall on Thursday, demonstrations, protests, acts of targeted sabotage and vandalism, and blockades of ports, freeways, and railroads had broken out. Over the next three days the calls to “Shut Down Canada” were answered across the country as people in groups both large and small demonstrated solidarity – but more importantly, moved to physically blockade and shut down industrial capitalist infrastructure.

Over the last few days, supporters maintained a large blockade at the Deltaport outside of so-called Vancouver, one of the largest ports in the country, gaining support from ILWU workers as well as the surrounding community who supplied the blockade with food and reinforcements. While the blockade outside of Vancouver was evicted today by police, on Mohawk territory another blockade of train tracks is also growing and on Vancouver Island, a highway blockade was launched on Monday. These multiple blockades are having a big impact. As one report wrote:

CN Rail is stagnant in two areas across the country with Wet’suwet’en protesters blocking access to railways. In an update from CN Rail today (Feb.10) CN Rail says they are experiencing disruptions in New Hazelton, BC, west of Smithers and in Tyendinaga, ON, near Belleville, ON. Currently, there are no movements of any trains at either of these locations and CN says nearly 200 trains have now been directly impacted by the blockades.

Beyond the blockades, other forms of creative resistance have also broken out. As we speak, the offices of several Liberal Party MPs and politicians have been occupied by Wet’suwet’en supporters, students, Native youth, environmental groups. In so-called Victoria in British Columbia, young Indigenous demonstrators have also maintained a growing sit-in occupation in front of the BC legislature.

Already the solidarity actions with the Wet’suwet’en have demonstrated what the AstroTurf and reformist climate change ‘movement’ never could: that instead of going through the motions of mass symbolic protest aimed at getting the attention of the same politicians managing this disaster, we should instead busy ourselves with shutting down the ability of capitalist civilization to function.

As the struggle intensifies against the Canadian State, who’s mask of neoliberal “wokeness” and “reconciliation” with First Nations has been completely ripped away, and the police have now stormed the Unist’ot’en bridge on Wet’suwet’en territory, things are now at a critical point. Will the resistance be able to not only grow and continue forward now that the State has been successful in invading the territory and raiding the camps? Will people be able to constitute a path ahead now that the State is on-hand to facilitate the construction of Coastal GasLink’s pipeline? It’s up to us to answer these questions.

Friday, February 7th

Vancouver, BC:  People again marched to the Port of Vancouver and launched a blockade in solidarity with Wet’suwet’en.

Kamloops, BC – News reports that a “group of protesters briefly blocked the busy Summit Drive and McGill Road intersection at about 12:30 p.m. on Friday.”

Victoria, BC: Group of Indigenous youth and Wet’suwet’en supporters continue to sit-in and occupy the space in front of the so-called BC legislature. Mass marches continue to converge on the space. A Royal Bank of Canada is also occupied.

 

Balcarres, SK: Highway 10 shut down. Several arrests made by RCMP.

Mohawk Territory: Mohawks shut down traffic to Canada-US border crossing for about an hour. CBC journalist on Twitter reports:

ST. Regis Mohawk Tribal police said the Canada-US border crossing was closed to traffic for about an hour this afternoon, from about 3:30 to 430 p.m. as a result of a protest by a group from Akwesasne in support of the Wet’suwet’en.

A truck sits by the tracks on the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory. Photo courtesy: Annette Francis

Cornwall, ON: Seaway International Bridge was shut down in solidarity with Wet’suwet’en. From one report:

The flow of traffic across the Seaway International Bridge was halted Friday afternoon after an Akwesasne protest. A small group of protesters walked across the north channel bridge around 4 p.m. carrying large placards and accompanied by about a half dozen vehicles.

 

Winnipeg, ON: Street blockades in solidarity with Wet’suwet’en. Protests in front of RCMP.

Ottawa, ON: Solidarity march and demonstration.

Montreal, QC: Trudeau’s office occupied by Wet’suwet’en supporters.

Toronto, ON: Protest in front of Deputy Prime Minister‘s office. Short occupation of Liberal Party offices.

Peterborough, ON: Solidarity demonstration organized.

Tyendinaga Territory: Blockades of train tracks continue. An injunction is issued in the hopes of ending the blockades; it is later burned.

Halifax, NS: People began occupying office of member of Parliament in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Saturday, February 8th

Vancouver, BC: Blockade of Deltaport continues in solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en.

Duncan, BC: TransCanada Highway shutdown in solidarity with Wet’suwet’en.

Hazelton, BC: Gitxsan launch a blockade of CN Rail in solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en.

Victoria, BC:  Protests continue to shutdown roads. Sit-in occupation continues in front of BC legislature.

Nanaimo, BC: Mass march in solidarity leads to brief street blockades.

Regina, SK: Protesters blockaded downtown streets for almost half and hour. Car drives through crowd. From one report:

Two drivers, frustrated with the wait, attempted to drive through the crowd of people. The first vehicle, though pounded on by dozens of people, pushed on and broke through the line. As the second vehicle tried to make its way through, one protester threw themselves on the hood of the car and another covered the windshield with a poster before the crowd pushed the vehicle back.

Only one vehicle was willingly allowed through the line by protesters: an ambulance. The crowd quickly parted to make way for the ambulance that came down Albert with its lights flashing, before just as quickly filling up the road again after it had passed.

Toronto, ON: Over 400 people blockade tracks in Toronto in solidarity with Wet’suwet’en.

 

Sunday, February 9th

Vancouver, BC: Blockade of Deltaport continues. Food and reinforcements arrive. Rally outside of City Hall. ILWU workers stand in solidarity with the blockade.

Victoria, BC: Sit-in occupation outside of BC Legislature continues.

Hazelton, BC: Gitxsan continues to blockade CN Rail in solidarity with Wet’suwet’en.

Guelph, ON: Railroad sabotage in solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en. From the communique:

Tonight we sabotaged CN Rail at 3 different locations in Guelph, Ontario. As settlers, we took this action in solidarity with Wet’suwet’en people who are currently facing violent attacks by the RCMP and are holding down the front line to protect the health of their territory. CN rail is a culprit in supporting this colonial and destructive project as partners in transporting the infrastructure that will build this pipeline and the man camps, which create an increase in violence against indigenous women on the territory.

Kingston, ON: Railroad shut down in solidarity with Wet’suwet’en by demonstration. From report back:

We marched from the train station to a rail crossing and occupied both the tracks and the road for about 90 minutes. Some safety precautions that we prepared included bringing air horns to use as a warning signal to leave the tracks, and calling the CN emergency line from an anonymous prepaid cellphone to notify them that people were on the tracks. There were drums, speeches, a barrel fire and some kids had a snowball fight on the train tracks. Some people chanted things like “when justice fails, block the rails,” “Wet’suwet’en, we got your back! Close the roads and block the tracks!” and “No more pipelines.” Others led songs and drummed. Folks with banners surrounded us on both sides to control the road. We had wanted to flyer the oncoming cars, but the police chose to close the road entirely and redirect traffic away from us. A few people flyered cars behind the police lines while the rest of us rallied on the tracks.

Olympia, WA: Rally and street march in solidarity with Wet’suwet’en struggle.

Seattle, WA: Solidarity march and rally outside of Canadian consulate.

Monday, February 10th

Vancouver Island, BC: The Inland Island Highway 19 is shut down in solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en.

Vancouver, BC: Blockade of Deltaport evicted by police. Railroad also disrupted by larger solidarity demonstration. From one report:

Nearly 50 people were arrested in Vancouver and nearby Delta on Monday after police executed a court injunction against demonstrators blocking busy ports in both cities, while protests also took place in Victoria and Montreal. Officers arrived at around 5 a.m. local time after the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority obtained the injunction following protests that affected port operations through the weekend.

Toronto, ON: Office occupation continues of Liberal MP.

Six Nations: More railroads shut down in solidarity with Wet’suwet’en struggle.

Haíɫzaqv Territory: Lockdown on RCMP cruiser in solidarity with Wet’suwet’en struggle.

Calgary, AB: Bridge shut down in solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en. Protest also in front of TransCanada building. From one report:

A rally led to the closure of Calgary’s Reconciliation Bridge on Monday afternoon.

Lethbridge, AB: Protest against the RCMP organized.

Winnipeg, MB: Rally shuts down intersections. Marchers later take the streets in solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en.

Waterloo, ON: Wet’suwet’en solidarity rally occupies MP office.

Edmonton, ON: Large rally held demanding divestment from Coast GasLink. From one report:

At least 200 protestors raised fists, signs and voices in the lobby outside the Bank of Montreal at Enbridge Centre in downtown Edmonton Monday afternoon. About 50 young Indigenous people read aloud a joint statement attributed to the group Indigenous Youth for Wet’suwet’en, saying they will continue protesting and occupying financial institutions until Coastal Gaslink, being built to move natural gas from northeast B.C. to the west coast, and the RCMP leave Wet’suwet’en territory. It said the group is responsible for shutting down traffic, railways, legislative buildings and offices of other companies that support the project across the country.

Kahnawake – Mohawk Territory: Blockades of Canada Pacific railroad continue. According to one report:

People in Kahnawake say they will continue to block a section of a Canadian Pacific railway that runs through the Mohawk community on Montreal’s South Shore to show solidarity with those preventing access to a pipeline construction site on traditional Wet’suwet’en land in northern British Columbia.

All train service on the railway, including commuter trains on Exo’s Candiac line, is closed for an indefinite period.

A large mound of snow has been plowed onto the CP tracks at Adirondack Junction. Atop it, someone has placed a lawn chair and the flag of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy — representing the 300-year-old alliance of the Mohawk, Seneca, Onondaga, Oneida, Cayuga and Tuscarora nations.

The blockade is also growing. As one report wrote:

The rail blockade at the Wyman crossing in Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory has grown in size and scope since it began Thursday afternoon. A camper trailer, porta-potty and tent have all arrived on site. And the number of people present is growing.

The reason for the blockade is simple, according to Dalton McKay. “I’m here for the support and solidarity of the Wet’suwet’en people to help support them against the destruction of their life and their homes for a pipeline,” he told Real People’s Media.

Over 50 Mohawks and supporters were gathered today where the CN rail line crosses Wyman Rd. just North of Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory. The Mohawk Warrior flag flew high from the crossing signal, and a large plow truck was parked just south of the tracks.

There was much stronger police and media presence at the tracks than there was in previous days. An injunction had been served the day before against “John Doe, Jane Doe and Persons Unknown.”

A large contingent of OPP and CN Rail personnel arrived with the understanding that they had more papers to serve, however the injunction was burned on the tracks in full view of media and police. After the injunction was burned in front of them the OPP and CN Rail got back in their vehicles and left quickly without serving additional papers.

The mood at the site was upbeat throughout the day, and a steady stream of supporters continued to arrive with food, wood, and other needed supplies. McKay said “Support from the community has been a huge help, every day we are receiving food, water, blankets… the biggest thing we still need right now is prayers and support and firewood.” When asked about morale at the blockade, on person gestured to the coyotes who had begun howling in the distance.

Montreal, QC: Protesters disrupt commuter train. From one report:

In Montreal, protests disrupted commuter train service on the Exo’s Candiac line, forcing the regional transit authority to sub in buses to supplement service. The protest in Montreal is blocking the Canadian Pacific rail line, impacting commuters at a number of stations. Officials are keeping an eye on the situation, but said service could be disrupted for an indefinite period.

Quebec: Liberal Party offices occupied in solidarity with Wet’suwet’en struggle.

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