Gidimt’en Land Defenders Make Submission To United Nations About Ongoing Rights Violations By BC And Canada; Urge U.N. To Visit Wet’suwet’en Territories

FEBRUARY 7, 2022, WET’SUWET’EN TERRITORY, SMITHERS, BC: Today, Gidimt’en land defenders made a submission to the United Nations Human Rights Council’s Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous People on the “Militarization of Wet’suwet’en Lands and Canada’s Ongoing Violations.” The submission was co-authored by leading legal, academic, and human rights experts in Canada, and is supported by over two dozen organisations such as the Union of BC Indian Chiefs and Amnesty International-Canada.

The submission to the U.N. by Hereditary Chief Dinï ze’ Woos (Frank Alec), Gidimt’en Checkpoint Spokesperson Sleydo’ (Molly Wickham), and Gidimt’en Checkpoint Media Coordinator Jen Wickham details how forced industrialization by Coastal GasLink and police militarization on Wet’suwet’en land is a violation of Canada’s international obligations as outlined in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).

In their submission, they write: “Ongoing human rights violations, militarization of Wet’suwet’en lands, forcible removal and criminalization of peaceful land defenders, and irreparable harm due to industrial destruction of Wet’suwet’en lands and cultural sites are occurring despite declarations by federal and provincial governments for reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. By deploying legal, political, and economic tactics to violate our rights, Canada and BC are contravening the spirit of reconciliation, as well as their binding

obligations to Indigenous law, Canadian constitutional law, UNDRIP and international law.”

The full Gidimt’en Land Defenders submission “Militarization of Wet’suwet’en Lands and Canada’s Ongoing Violations” is available here: SUBMISSION BY GIDIMT’EN LAND DEFENDERS, WET’SUWET’EN NATION

Says Gidimt’en Checkpoint spokesperson Sleydo’: “We urge the United Nations to conduct a field visit to Wet’suwet’en territory because Canada and BC have not withdrawn RCMP from our territory and have not suspended Coastal GasLink’s permits, despite the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination calling on them to do so. Wet’suwet’en is an international frontline to protect the rights of Indigenous peoples and to prevent climate change. Yet we are intimidated and surveilled by armed RCMP, smeared as terrorists, and dragged through colonial courts. This is the reality of Canada.”

Over thirty water protectors are appearing in BC Supreme Court in Prince George on February 14 after the RCMP invasion on Wet’suwet’en territory in November 2021. In the three large-scale police actions that have happened on Wet’suwet’en territory since January 2019, a total of 74 people have been arrested and detained, including legal observers and journalists.

Artists Against Pipelines – Online Auction

This event is being organized by folks living in many territories including those of the Lekwungen, x m θk m (Musqueam) ʷ ə ʷəy̓ə , S w wú7mesh & Tsleil-Waututh ḵ x̱ , Tsawout, Quw’utsun, Penelakut & Hwlitsum, Stz’uminus, Snuneymuxw, and Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation.

THE AUCTION IS NOW OPEN AND ITEMS AN BE VIEWED HERE! Put your bid in the comments below the item you would like.

Resources are needed for expenses as the Wet’suwet’en continue their fight on the ground and in the courts. All funds from this fundraiser will go directly to Wet’suwet’en resistance – both Unist’ot’en and Gidimt’en (50/50 split)

We Are The Power: Canada’s Indigenous Land Defenders Fight On

““Everybody sang songs and would take turns, even though it was hard to hear people talking – you had to lay down on the disgusting blood-covered floors to put your face right to the floor to talk underneath your cell doors to each other. Mostly it was the singing – we could hear it all down throughout the halls – that really lifted my spirits.”

Molly was released after five days but has to return to court in February, charged with violating a civil injunction. The fight is far from over, she says, and she is not giving up.

“This is my responsibility as a mother so that my kids can still drink out of that river [the Wedzin Kwa]. We live out here and they drink that water every day. So, it’s literally their health and wellbeing that I have to protect.”

Take Action:
🔥 Host a solidarity rally or action in your area.
🔥 Issue a solidarity statement from your organization or group. Email to: yintahaccess@gmail.com
🔥 Pressure the government, banks, and investors. http://yintahaccess.com/take-action-1
🔥 Donate. http://go.rallyup.com/wetsuwetenstrong
🔥 Come to Camp. yintahaccess.com/
🔥 Spread the word.

The Last of The Untamed: Wedzin Kwa and the Wet’suwet’en Fight to Save Her

New Article for @ricochet_en by @bmorinstories, photos by @photobracken .

“W Winding through mountainous wilderness in the heart of Wet’suwet’en territories is a glistening, sacred river. The Wet’suwet’en call it Wedzin Kwa — “the blue and green river” — and cherish it for its purity and healing powers.

This river system has been revered by the Wet’suwet’en since time immemorial. Ancient village sites around and along the Wedzin Kwa attest to the rich history and long connections the Wet’suwet’en have to this waterway. For millennia the clans of the Wet’suwet’en have depended on the river and the sustenance it provides — in particular, the different species of salmon that traverse this inland channel and its tributaries to spawn through most of the year.

“There’s one area you’ll walk through and you can feel the spirit from the water. You can feel it for probably just a second and then it’s gone. It’s just letting you know that it’s sacred.”

The Struggle Continues!
-Unist’ot’en Solidarity Brigade

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301-4689 52A Street

Delta, BC V4K 2Y7

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