Vancouver, BC: Banner Drop Calls for RCMP off Wet’suewet’en Territory

Action report on banner drop in so-called Vancouver, BC in solidarity with ongoing struggle on Wet’suwet’en territory.

Early yesterday morning a banner was attached to a pedestrian overpass on Trans-(so-called)-Canada highway in xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ilwətaɁɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) territory (“Vancouver”). The banner reads “RCMP GTFO OF WET’SUWET’EN TERRITORY.” The banner was securely anchored to the overpass with ropes for the safety of drivers below.

We took this action to express our solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en Nation who have been fighting against the Coastal Gaslink (CGL) pipeline. TC Energy and the canadian state intend to drill under the Wedzin Kwa, their sacred headwaters, to build a pipeline for “natural” gas that will depend on fracking. The pipeline has been called a “carbon bomb” and is part of LNG Canada’s first phase of many planned projects despite current climate collapse, and this first phase would emit four megatonnes of carbon emissions each year.  On November 18th and 19th the RCMP violently raided the homes of people in the Gidimt’en clan and violently removed them from their territory.

Our action was taken with shared and linked struggles in mind, as feminists against violence towards Indigenous women, girls, and two spirit folks, as people who need unpolluted air and water to live and don’t want to see mass ecocide!

This was a relatively easy action to take (other than some sleep deprivation) that any group of friends could replicate with a bit of scouting, some old bed sheets, ropes, fun nights painting, yummy oatmeal cookies, caffeine, and enough friends to stand as look out and to tie the banner itself.

We want to echo demands that have been shared elsewhere. The RCMP and the crown must drop all charges and conditions against anyone arrested on Wet’suwet’en territory. TC Energy must withdraw from the territory. And the RCMP must get the fuck off Wet’suwet’en yintah!

#AllOutforWedzinKwa