Indigenous

RCMP officer says he was told not to take notes during enforcement at Wet'suwet'en blockade

Closing arguments in abuse of process application to be made in December

B.C. Supreme Court has finished hearing evidence in Smithers, B.C., in an abuse of process application for three people arrested for blocking work on the Coastal GasLink pipeline.

Justice Michael Tammen is hearing the abuse of process application brought by Sleydo' (Molly Wickham), a wing chief of Cas Yikh, a house group of the Gidimt'en Clan of the Wet'suwet'en Nation, Shaylynn Sampson, a Gitxsan woman with Wet'suwet'en family ties and Corey Jocko, who is Kanien'kehá:ka (Mohawk) from Akwesasne, which straddles the Quebec, Ontario and New York state borders. 

Tammen found the three guilty in January of criminal contempt of court for breaking an injunction against blocking work on the pipeline.

The abuse of process application alleges RCMP used excessive force while arresting the accused in November 2021 and the group was treated unfairly while in custody. It asks the judge to stay the criminal contempt of court charges or to reduce their sentences based on their treatment by police.

On Wednesday, Const. Kyle Pressenger testified he was instructed in a briefing before the injunction enforcement action on Nov. 19, 2021, not to take notes. Taking notes is a practice that is common for police officers when making arrests.

Pressenger's role in the enforcement action was to read the arrest script to the people he was transporting into custody. He said he made notes on the arrest script only about the identification of the people under arrest, what they were wearing and if they said anything when read the script.

Pressenger agreed when questioned by defence lawyer Quinn Candler that in a high profile situation such as this it was particularly important for officers to be taking "detailed, complete and accurate notes."

RCMP testify about prisoner transport 

Crown lawyer Kathryn Costain called two RCMP officers to testify about the transport of the accused from the Smithers RCMP detachment to Prince George on Nov. 20, 2021. 

The accused have described the drive as being like a "high-speed chase" and said a van hit a person in a group of supporters who came to cheer for the prisoners in the police vans as it travelled through Burns Lake, a community on Highway 16 between Smithers and Prince George. 

Sgt. Casey Toreohm was the driver and Cpl. Scott Johnston was a passenger in the first police van transporting male prisoners, including Jocko, to Prince George.

Both officers described a group of people approaching the van in Burns Lake and banging on the sides of it. One man hit the passenger side mirror of the van. 

Toreohm said as he drove away he could see the man lying down on the crosswalk, and informed the van behind him of the incident. The second van carried Sleydo' and Sampson. 

WATCH | RCMP footage of arrests:

 

CBC News obtains never-before-seen RCMP footage of Wet'suwet'en arrests

10 months ago

Duration1:37

CBC Indigenous has obtained new RCMP footage of 2021 arrests at Coyote Camp on Wet'suwet'en territory, a key location for the Coastal GasLink pipeline.

Toreohm said he informed their superiors of the incident, and other police vehicles escorted the van to the detachment once it arrived in Prince George. 

Both officers said nothing of note happened between Burns Lake and Prince George. 

The driver of the second van, Const. Mark Bezzina, said there was "no rush" when transporting the passengers to Prince George, and said he didn't have any complaints from the passengers in the back while driving. 

Closing arguments for the abuse of process application will be made in December.

Corrections

WARNING: this story contains details of cultural items being forcibly removed

An RCMP officer told court in Smithers, B.C., Tuesday it's common practice to remove cultural items from people when they're being processed into custody.

Justice Michael Tammen is hearing an abuse of process application brought by Sleydo' (Molly Wickham), Shaylynn Sampson, and Corey Jayohcee Jocko. Tammen found the three guilty in January of criminal contempt of court for breaking an injunction against blocking work on the pipeline.

The abuse of process application alleges RCMP used excessive force while arresting the accused in November 2021 and the group was treated unfairly while in custody. It asks the judge to stay the criminal contempt of court charges or to reduce their sentences based on their treatment by police.

Sleydo', a wing chief of Cas Yikh, a house group of the Gidimt'en Clan of the Wet'suwet'en Nation, and Sampson, a Gitxsan woman with Wet'suwet'en family ties, have previously testified to being physically restrained by RCMP officers and having cultural items forcibly removed while at the Prince George RCMP detachment.

Both Sleydo' and Sampson described the interactions as being among the most traumatic things that happened to them while in custody.

Cpl. Michael Flewelling, one of the officers involved in the interactions at the Prince George detachment, testified Tuesday.

Sleydo' was arrested with three cultural items: a medicine bag worn around her neck, a cedar bracelet and earrings that represent her clan — items she was allowed to keep while in custody in Houston and later in Smithers.

Flewelling, who was in charge of the intake of prisoners at the detachment, said all items are removed from prisoners when they are being booked into cells for their own physical safety, the safety of others and to ensure they can't escape.

Flewelling said he was concerned about the medicine bag because the long string posed a safety risk and he was concerned about what substances were contained in the pouch.

A video played in court shows Flewelling restraining Sleydo' while the medicine pouch was cut from her neck, after she refused to hand it over.

Flewelling said that is common practice when someone detained is not co-operating.

In an audio recording of the interaction played in court, Flewelling was heard asking Sleydo' to put the medicine bag in an envelope so officers didn't have to touch it. The item was then cut off her neck after she refused to remove it herself.

When escorted to cells, Sleydo' also had a cedar bracelet removed from her wrist, an item she previously testified was damaged during the removal.

Flewelling also said he saw the bracelet Sleydo' was wearing as a possible safety risk.

When Sampson was being processed into the cells, she was wearing a collar with white buttons and black fringe that went over her chest and shoulders, and a cedar headband.

Sampson previously testified she refused to remove them because they were for protection and to remind her about her connection to community and the land, and that her cedar headband was passed around and dropped on the ground.

Flewelling testified he felt these items also needed to be removed because they posed a safety risk.

Inspector said to return items

Flewelling agreed with defence lawyer Frances Mahon that the whole situation could have been avoided if he was given direction sooner to let Sleydo' and Sampson keep some of the items.

Shortly after Sleydo' and Sampson were placed in their cells, Flewelling said an inspector called to advise the medicine pouch and the headband could be returned to them as long as they were placed in cells alone.

Flewelling described the situation as "frustrating" and unusual. He said in his 15 years of experience lodging prisoners he never had an inspector give instructions to return items, nor has he been given an instruction like that since.

Shaylynn Sampson, a member of the Gitxsan Nation and Hagwilget Band of the Wet'suwet'en, is released from custody Nov. 23, 2021 in Prince George, B.C. (Andrew Kurjata/CBC)

In her cross-examination, Mahon read him the RCMP policy around handling religious or cultural items, which Flewelling said he follows. He said it was his discretion that the cultural items could be used to injure themselves or others and that was why he asked Sleydo' and Sampson to remove the items.

Flewelling said he was aware the accused were allowed to keep the same items while being housed at the Houston and Smithers detachments. In the audio recording, Flewelling can be heard saying "My house, my rules."

Mahon also suggested Flewelling did not treat the cultural items with respect, after hearing him refer to Sampson's collar as a "f--king clipped-on thing around her neck" when debating with another officer if it was safe for Sampson to keep it in cells, in the audio played in court.

Flewelling testified it was important to him to treat the items with respect.

Indigenous

Defence questions reliability of RCMP officer's report on Wet'suwet'en Coastal GasLink blockade

Abuse of process hearing resumes in Smithers, B.C., courtroom

Jackie McKay · CBC News · Posted: Nov 04, 2024 6:33 PM EST | Last Updated: November 4

A lawyer representing three people arrested for blocking work on the Coastal GasLink pipeline questioned whether an RCMP officer's report on an encounter with blockade members was reliable, on Monday in B.C. Supreme Court in Smithers.

Justice Michael Tammen is hearing an abuse of process application brought by Sleydo' (Molly Wickham), a wing chief of Cas Yikh, a house group of the Gidimt'en Clan of the Wet'suwet'en Nation, Shaylynn Sampson, a Gitxsan woman with Wet'suwet'en family ties and Corey Jocko, who is Kanien'kehá:ka (Mohawk) from Akwesasne, which straddles the Quebec, Ontario and New York state borders. 

Tammen found the three guilty in January of criminal contempt of court for breaking an injunction against blocking work on the pipeline.

The abuse of process application alleges RCMP used excessive force while arresting the accused in November 2021 and the group was treated unfairly while in custody. It asks the judge to stay the criminal contempt of court charges or to reduce their sentences based on their treatment by police.

Amnesty International has added the three to its "Write For Rights" campaign, in which members of the public can sign an online petition to "demand that the Canadian authorities stop criminalizing" Wet'suwet'en and their blockade supporters, according to a news release from the organization Monday.

On Monday, Crown lawyer Kathryn Costain called RCMP Sgt. Dennis Reddy as a witness to testify about the perceived threat when he and about five other officers encountered blockade members along the Marten forest service road Oct. 11, 2021. 

"I did not expect that and my risk assessment went through the roof," Reddy told the court, about the interaction. 

At the time, Reddy was working for the Community-Industry Response Group (C-IRG), now called the Critical Response Unit (CRU-BC).

Reddy was deployed in October 2021 to help with the clearing of blockades along the Martin and Morice forest service roads so Coastal GasLink could resume work on the pipeline. 

Reddy and five other officers went to inspect the area to get ready for the road to be cleared the next day. Video of an encounter between officers and blockade members was shown in court. 

"Personally, I was scared and nervous. I didn't know what was going to happen," said Reddy. 

The video shows a group of people yelling, saying, "You are on the land of Chief Woos," and, "You come as invaders," and telling the officers to leave. 

Reddy said he worried about the officers' safety and instructed them to go back to vehicles about a kilometre away.

The video shows the officers walking away as the blockade members walk toward them.

Reddy said after the interaction he reported to Supt. Ken Floyd the RCMP were not ready to deal with the number of people at the blockades, describing the group as highly organized and "ready for war." 

Reddy said the officers encountered between 40 and 50 people at a blockade along the road. 

Report inaccurate, says defence

During cross examination, defence lawyer Quinn Candler referred to a report Reddy made about the interaction as unreliable. 

Candler pointed out that photos in the report show about 15 blockade members walking toward officers.

Candler said that there was no way Reddy could see 50 people from his vantage point near the second blockade on the road. 

Reddy said it felt like 50 people, and that is how it looked at the time, and he believes more than 15 people were present. 

The report said the photo was a partial photo of the blockade members, suggesting that more people were there than could be seen in the picture. 

The report also said officers heard blockade members yelling, "The Mohawk are here, we will not be pushed around our lands, we are ready for war," as they approached.

Candler said Reddy got that part of the report wrong, along with the number of people. Those words were not heard in the video of the interaction played in court. 

YINTAH airs tonight on @cbcdocs

Opening the Passionate Eye program and is streaming on CBC Gem NOW!

Also available on YouTube! → https://youtube.com/watch?v=rRkph6XdzYc

The 88 minute version of YINTAH will be available to watch online for free on 

@cbcgem

 starting on Sept 17 and broadcast on The Passionate Eye 

@cbcdocs

 on Sept 18!

Netflix Buys and Oscar-Qualifies ‘Yintah’ Doc About Indigenous Nation’s Fight for Sovereignty (EXCLUSIVE)

By Addie Morfoot

Netflix has acquired feature documentary “Yintah” for U.S., U.K. and Canadian distribution. The acquisition comes just ahead of the film’s Camden Intl. Film Festival premiere on Sept. 14.

More than a decade in the making, “Yintah” tells the story of a Canadian-based Indigenous nation’s fight for sovereignty as it resists the construction of multiple oil and fracked-gas pipelines across its territory. Co-directed by Brenda Michell, Michael Toledano, and Jennifer Wickham, the docu captures the Wet’suwet’en nation’s right to stewardship and sovereignty over their territories.

The film follows Howilhkat Freda Huson and Sleydo’ Molly Wickham as they resist the construction of pipelines across their territory.

“Mirroring the scope and ambition of the Wet’suwet’en fight to protect unsurrendered lands from theft, “Yintah” offers the definitive account of a historic wave of Indigenous resistance to Canadian colonialism,” said the directors in a joint statement. “Drawing from more than a decade of verité footage, the film shadows two Wet’suwet’en leaders (Freda Huson and Molly Wickham) as they reoccupy and protect their homelands in the face of state violence.”

Toledano adds, “As filmmakers, we found that Canada protects its image through force. Throughout the years our camera operators were held at gunpoint, repeatedly arrested and detained, subject to illegal police exclusion zones, surveillance, harassment, and even incarceration. Despite this repression, “Yintah” is a film where every consequential moment was captured, providing a remarkably cohesive account of a story that police worked hard to suppress.”

In May, “Yintah” screened at the 31st edition of Canada’s Hot Docs film festival where it won the Rogers Audience Award for best Canadian documentary. The award came with a cash prize of CAD $50,000 ($36,543).

“As colonial forces conspired to criminalize Wet’suwet’en jurisdiction, we as filmmakers worked to uphold it,” says Wickham. “The result is a film which was compiled under the traditional laws and collective authority of the Wet’suwet’en house groups at the center of this story – developed with intensive participation from Wet’suwet’en leaders and co-directed by the immediate family members of the film’s protagonists. Adopting a decision-making structure which mirrors the practices of Wet’suwet’en self-governance, the film relied on collaboration and consensus-building to share this vital history from an authentically Wet’suwet’en perspective.”

Points North co-founder and program director Sean Flynn says that he wanted to bring the docu to CIFF because he and the fest’s programming team were “deeply moved by the ways “Yintah” captures the Wetʼsuwetʼen Nation’s resistance to a centuries-old pattern of colonial violence. The (filmmaker’s) unique collaborative process connects this struggle for territorial sovereignty with the growing movement for narrative sovereignty in Indigenous communities.”

“Yintah” will open in select theaters in the U.S. and U.K. and will stream on Netflix starting Oct. 18.

“The world needs to know the truth of what took place on Wet’suwet’en territory – how a determined community stood at gunpoint to protect Wet’suwet’en lands from theft,” says Michell. “We’re thrilled that Netflix has decided to champion this story.”

link to variety article →https://variety.com/2024/film/news/netflix-buys-yintah-documentary-1236140634/

Abuse of process hearing for Wet'suwet'en leader, blockade members to resume in November

CBC News · Posted: Sep 11, 2024 6:07 PM EDT | Last Updated: September 11

A lawyer representing three people arrested for blocking construction of the Coastal GasLink pipeline on Wet'suwet'en territory told court Wednesday that police mocking them during the arrests was a violation of their charter rights.

B.C. Supreme Court in Smithers is hearing an abuse of process application brought forward by Shaylynn Sampson, Sleydo' (Molly Wickham), and Corey Jocko. Justice Michael Tammen found the three guilty in January of criminal contempt of court for breaking an injunction against blocking work on the Coastal GasLink (CGL) pipeline.

The abuse of process application alleges that RCMP used excessive force while arresting the accused in November 2021 and that the group was treated unfairly while in custody. It asks the judge to stay the criminal contempt of court charges or to reduce their sentences based on their treatment by police.

On Wednesday, defence lawyer Frances Mahon asked RCMP Supt. Ken Floyd about a PowerPoint given before the enforcement operation on how police should conduct the raids. Floyd was the bronze police of jurisdiction commander, and was present at the arrest of Sleydo' and Sampson.

Mahon read from the PowerPoint that police were directed to comply with the law and respect the Charter of Rights and Freedoms — such as section 15 of the charter, the right to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination.

Mahon played an audio recording from microphones belonging to a journalist that were left on during the arrests in which police officers can be heard referring to blockade members with face paint on as "orcs."

Sleydo' and Sampson both were wearing red dresses and had red handprints painted over their mouths when they were arrested. Red dresses and handprints are both symbols for missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.

Mahon said this was an example of a clear violation of the accused rights being breached during arrest.

Floyd said that though he was ashamed by the comments made by the officers and believes they are wrong, because the comments were not said to the accused, it did not interfere with their rights and how they were subsequently treated in custody.

Under questioning from Crown lawyer Paul Battin, Floyd said he had continuous dialogue with Chief Woos of the Cas Yikh, or Grizzly Bear House, of the Gidim'ten clan, leading up to the November 2021 raids, but failed to meet a resolution.

He said events such as a confrontation at the ​​Gidimt'en Checkpoint in October 2021 where blockade members told police they were not welcome, was seen as an escalation of aggression. Floyd said there was growing urgency for an enforcement action in order to get supplies to hundreds of workers stuck in camps along the Morice Forest Service Road that were running low on food and fuel.

Floyd also spoke about the arrest of several members of the media at the time, saying that he felt that it was hard to tell what their role was because they were embedded in the blockade camps.

The defence has finished calling its witnesses. The Crown will call further witnesses when the hearing resumes Nov. 4.

via → https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/coastal-gaslink-wetsuweten-abuse-process-hearing-1.7320080

Kanien'kehá:ka man on why he joined B.C. pipeline blockade 

Corey Jocko testifies in support of abuse-of-process application. A Coastal GasLink blockade participant told a B.C. Supreme Court hearing on Monday that going to Wet'suwt'en territory gave him closure after being arrested in Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, Ont., during the Shut Down Canada movement. 

CBC News · Posted: Sep 09, 2024 9:17 PM EDT | Last Updated: September 9

The movement was a series of protests and blockades that took place across Canada in early 2020 in support of the Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs' opposition to the Coastal GasLink pipeline.

Corey Jocko, who is Kanien'kehá:ka (Mohawk) from Akwesasne, which straddles the Quebec, Ontario and New York state borders, took the stand Monday and was questioned by defence lawyer Frances Mahon.

Jocko is the last of the blockaders to testify in support of the abuse-of-process application he has brought forward with Sleydo', also known as Molly Wickham, a wing chief of Cas Yikh, a house group of the Gidimt'en Clan of the Wet'suwet'en Nation, and Shaylynn Sampson, a Gitxsan woman with Wet'suwet'en family ties. 

The proceedings are a continuation of a hearing that started in January in B.C. Supreme Court in Smithers. 

Justice Michael Tammen found the three guilty in January of criminal contempt of court for breaking a 2019 injunction that impeded anyone from blocking work on the Coastal GasLink pipeline (CGL).  

The abuse of process application alleges that RCMP used excessive force while arresting the accused and that the group was treated unfairly while in custody.

It asks the judge to stay the criminal contempt of court charges or to reduce their sentences based on their treatment by police.

On coming to B.C.

Jocko told the court he was stopping by Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory in Ontario on his way home from working in Kanehsatà:ke, Que., something he said he often did. There was a camp in the community in support of the Wet'suwet'en hereditary chief to stop the construction of the CGL pipeline, which was blocking rail traffic in the area. 

Jocko said he was arrested along with many other people at the time for what he said was just being on his territory. He said he spent the night in a tent at the camp and woke up to people saying the police were there.

Jocko did not say if he was participating in the blockade, just that he spent the night because he was tired from the long drive the day before. He said the matter has not yet gone to court. 

But he said the event is what led him to go to Wet'suwet'en territory in October 2021. 

"In my heart, there was a little closure for coming out here after what I've been through [at Tyendinaga]," he said.

He said he didn't know anyone at the blockade on Wet'suwet'en territory and flew from Toronto to Smithers, B.C., without a plan on how to get to the yintah (territory) but ended up catching a ride with a group of people he had met at the airport who took him to the Gidimt'en checkpoint.

He said the first person he met was Wet'suwet'en hereditary Chief Woos of the Cas Yikh, or Grizzly Bear House, of the Gidim'ten clan. 

Jocko said it was a great honour and made him feel welcomed immediately by other people at the camp. 

Video from Jocko's phone played in court

Video was played in court taken on Jocko's phone at the time he was arrested with three other people at the cabin. 

CBC did not view the video evidence because the court only provides phone access when not attending in person.

Jocko testified he addressed an officer who came to the cabin door to ask them to leave the cabin, saying they were on Wet'suwet'en territory and it was the police who were trespassing. 

Jocko said he was worried for his life and the lives of the people he was with at the time of the enforcement. 

He said he held a cot in front of him and the other people in the cabin while officers were breaking down the door to act as a barrier between the people in the cabin and the police entering. 

Crown says inconsistencies in testimony

Crown lawyer Paul Battin pointed to alleged inconsistencies in Jocko's testimony during his cross-examination. 

A video shown in court of an interaction between blockade members and police on Oct. 11, 2021, shows Jocko and a group of people yelling at police approaching the Gidimt'en checkpoint. 

A man in the video can be heard yelling to police that they were dealing with Mohawk people now and the police can't push around the Wet'suwet'en, while Jocko can be heard yelling at the police. 

Jocko said he did not know anyone when he arrived at the camp but, under cross-examination, said he had met the man in the video prior to arriving on the yintah. 

Battin said Jocko was not being honest with the court when he asked if he knew the name of this man. 

Jocko said he had met him previously in North Dakota "temporarily," and he has met thousands of people travelling as an artist and a musician and doesn't remember everyone. 

Battin asked Jocko why, in this interaction, he didn't address police in Kanien'kéha (Mohawk language) like he did when police came to the door of the cabin on Nov. 19, 2021, when he was arrested.

Jocko said he wouldn't speak over the person who is speaking, and in this instance, there was no personal interaction with the police. 

Battin then showed a video from when police came to the door of the cabin and Jocko could be heard speaking over the officer. 

Jocko said he felt obligated to speak up.

via → https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/kanien-keh%C3%A1-ka-man-on-why-he-joined-b-c-pipeline-blockade-1.7318081

Indigenous

Crown suggests RCMP acted fairly in Wet'suwet'en leader's arrest

CBC News · Posted: Sep 05, 2024 7:29 PM EDT | Last Updated: September 5

New video shown by Crown during hearing for Wet'suwet'en leader's abuse-of-process claim

A Crown lawyer suggested the RCMP behaved reasonably in the circumstances as she cross-examined a Wet'suwet'en leader arrested for blockading the Coastal GasLink pipeline in 2021.

Crown lawyer Kathryn Costain is questioning Sleydo', also known as Molly Wickham, a wing chief of Cas Yikh, a house group of the Gidimt'en Clan of the Wet'suwet'en Nation.

The proceedings are a continuation of an abuse of process application that started in January in B.C. Supreme Court in Smithers. 
 

Sleydo' has brought the application along with Shaylynn Sampson, a Gitxsan woman with Wet'suwet'en family ties and Corey Jocko, who is Kanien'kehá:ka (Mohawk) from Akwesasne, which straddles the Quebec, Ontario and New York state borders.

Justice Michael Tammen found them guilty in January of criminal contempt of court for breaking a 2019 injunction that impeded anyone from blocking work on the Coastal GasLink pipeline.

The abuse of process application alleges that RCMP used excessive force while arresting the accused and that the group was treated unfairly while in custody.

It asks the judge to stay the criminal contempt of court charges or to reduce their sentences based on their treatment by police.

Costain played several social media videos for the court in which Sleydo' speaks about interactions between the RCMP, CGL and the blockade members, and asks people to come and support their cause. 

CBC did not view the video evidence because the court only provides phone access when not attending in person. 

One of the videos, dated Nov. 14, 2021, showed Sleydo' issuing an eviction notice to CGL to leave Wet'suwet'en territory within eight hours. The video was made in the early morning when it was dark. 

Costain asked Sleydo' whether CGL workers might still be sleeping, and if it was reasonable to think the company could remove hundreds of people from the area in that time. 

Sleydo replied that she would often see workers moving along the forest service road early in the morning and believed people would have heard the eviction notice and had sufficient time to leave. 

When asked why that day was chosen to enforce the eviction, Sleydo' said CGL had not respected the lack of consent from the Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs to stop the project and wanted to stop CGL from drilling under the river. 

Sleydo' earlier testified that the river was of great cultural significance to her community. 

Speaking to police enforcement of the injunction, Costain questioned whether Sleydo' would have obeyed any police orders while at Coyote Camp — an area that contained blockade members. 

Sleydo' disagreed and said it would depend on the situation, but she did not leave the tiny house structure she occupied when police came to enforce the injunction on Nov. 19 because she said leaving the structure felt unsafe. 

"I don't believe that it's the RCMP jurisdiction, I have always and still do maintain that this is a political issue that needs to be resolved between governments, that this is not an issue that force and violence should be used by the RCMP," she said. 

Sleydo' testified about having cultural items forcibly removed from her after arriving at the Prince George RCMP detachment on Nov. 20 while she waited to be seen by a judge. 

Costain showed video of an officer cutting the medicine bag off Sleydo's neck when she refused to hand it over, pointing out that Sleydo' was holding the medicine bag in her hands, making the string taut so police officers couldn't remove it from her neck.

A female officer then cuts the strap of the medicine bag. 

New video footage of Prince George RCMP detachment 

Shortly after the interaction, Sleydo' also spoke about how three officers restrained her and removed her cedar bracelet and damaged it as she was being led to a cell.

Costain showed video footage of what appeared to be the interaction in court, but Sleydo' couldn't confirm whether it was the incident in question.

Sleydo' said she was asked to remove all of her cultural items repeatedly by officers but refused because of her Indigenous right to have them with her. 

Costain showed footage of Sleydo' in the detachment after the medicine bag was returned to her under the condition that she be in a cell by herself. 

Sleydo' spoke about the hardship she has experienced since her arrest and how it has affected her life. She said her family lives a traditional lifestyle, and their home does not have running water or electricity, and she relies on the land to survive.

Sleydo's ex-husband was also arrested on Nov. 19 and had bail conditions that restricted him from moving freely on the territory.  She said this put great stress on her family. Sleydo's bail conditions did not allow her to be within 75 metres of the pipeline and work sites and restricted access to her territory to cultural activities only. 

Costain asked if they had ever applied for a variance in their bail conditions. Sleydo' said they did apply for a variance on her ex-husband's conditions, but his restrictions no longer applied before the variance could be dealt with. 

Costain also asked Sleydo' who had diagnosed her with PTSD, after Sleydo' testified she suffered from the condition after the arrest. 

Sleydo' said she diagnosed herself and was familiar with the symptoms as a therapist after completing a course with the B.C. Justice Institute on Indigenous Focusing-Oriented Therapy and Complex Trauma.

via cbc → https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/crown-suggests-rcmp-acted-fairly-in-wet-suwet-en-leader-s-arrest-1.7314755

Land defenders continue their abuse of process claim against the RCMP C-IRG, September 3-11

Published by Brent Patterson on August 28, 2024

Photo: Corey Jocko, Shaylynn Sampson and Sleydo’ Molly Wickham. Photo for The Tyee by Amanda Follett Hosgood; January 2024.

The first part of the abuse of process application was heard in a courtroom in Smithers, British Columbia on January 12-19 this year.

The second part was to take place from June 17-21 but needed to be postponed until this coming week.

The application alleges the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Community-Industry Response Group (C-IRG) used excessive force and violated the Charter Rights of Indigenous land defenders resisting the construction of the Coastal GasLink fracked gas pipeline on Wet’suwet’en territory.

Journalist Brandi Morin also reports:

“In June and July 2022, the B.C. Prosecution Service charged 20 land defenders with criminal contempt for breaching the injunction order. Among the group, seven land defenders pleaded guilty, while charges against five others were dropped.

Three additional Indigenous land defenders, who were convicted of criminal contempt for defying the injunction terms, are currently contesting the legal process in an abuse of process application with their trial set to resume in September.”

Amnesty International delegates head to B.C. to witness trial for land defenders

By Kerry Slack

The second phase of the abuse of power claim by Wet’suwet’en begins next week

An RCMP tactical group, (C-IRG) converged on Wet'suwet'en-led resistance camps for the third straight year on Nov. 18, 2021. The operation continued on Nov. 19. Photo: Dan Loan/Twitter

---

Delegates from Amnesty International are set to attend the second part of the trials of the “criminalized land defenders” from Wet’suwet’en Nation in British Columbia starting on June 17.

The first part of the abuse of process application was heard in court in Smithers, B.C. on Jan. 12.

According to Amnesty, delegates from France, Germany, the United States and Canada will follow the trial of Sley’do Molly Wickham, (Wet’suwet’en), Shaylynn Sampson, (Gitxsan) and Corey Jayoheee Jocko, (Mohawk), who were arrested on Nov. 19, 2021 by officers with the Community-Incident Response Group – a faction of the RCMP that deals with protesters who oppose natural resource project. 

“Amnesty observers have traveled from Europe and the Americas for these trial proceedings, and their presence reflects our alarm at flagrant human rights violations in Wet’suwet’en territory,” said Ketty Nivyabandi, secretary general of Amnesty International in a statement released Thursday.

“The world will witness the courage of Indigenous land defenders who put themselves at risk, not only to protect their territory and rights, but to ensure a healthy environment for all of us.

“We continue to urge Canada to prioritize the rights of Indigenous Nations and their struggle to mitigate climate change.”

A number of Wet’suwet’en land defenders were arrested in June 2022 and eventually found guilty of criminal contempt for disobeying an injunction order to stay away from pipeline construction sites.

However, after their conviction in January 2024, they launched an abuse of process claim against the RCMP alleging that police used excessive force during their arrest and they weren’t treated well while in custody.

In December 2023, Amnesty International published the report ‘Removed from our land for defending it’: Criminalization, Intimidation and Harassment of Wet’suwet’en Land Defenders.

The report examines the human rights violations on members of the Wet’suwet’en Nation and their supporters by the authorities of Canada, British Columbia; CGL Pipeline Ltd. and TC Energy, the corporations building a liquefied natural gas (LNG) pipeline through Wet’suwet’en territory; and Forsythe Security, a private security firm contracted by CGL Pipeline Ltd.

In addition, the report found that Wet’suwet’en land defenders and their supporters were detained for peacefully defending their land against the construction of the pipeline and exercising their Indigenous rights and their right of peaceful assembly.

According to the Gidimt’en Checkpoint spokesperson Sleydo’ (Molly Wickham), “All Wet’suwet’en Clans have rejected the Coastal GasLink fracked gas pipeline because this is our home. Our medicines, our berries, our food, the animals, our water, our culture are all here since time immemorial. We are obligated to protect our ways of life for our babies unborn,” said Sleydo’ in a statement on Yintah Access’s website. 

Tags: B.C. Supreme Court, British Columbia, Gitxsan First Nation, land defenders, Mohawk, National, Pipeline, Wet'sewet'en, Wet'suwet'en territory, Akwesasne Mohawk

Pipeline abuse of process hearing postponed until September

Marisca Bakker
Jun 25, 2024 7:49 AM

The continuation of a Supreme Court trial in Smithers scheduled for June 17 - 21 had all the hallmarks of one for the history books.

On the one hand, there was the black and white letter of B.C. law that saw the three defendants, Sleydo' (Molly Wickham), Shaylynn Sampson and Corey Jayochee Jocko convicted of criminal contempt for defying a B.C. Supreme Court injunction allowing Coastal GasLink access to its pipeline route near Houston.

On the other hand, there was the rejection of the law as colonial and the pursuit of defending lands and waters and asserting Indigenous rights and title.

At its core, the case before the court is a constitutional challenge based on an alleged abuse of process in how the RCMP handled the defendants' arrest and detention in November 2021.

Underscoring the profile of the outcome of the trial was the presence of a delegation from Amnesty International and Frontline Defenders, two prominent global human rights organizations.

At stake, the futures of three individuals, the reputations of B.C. and Canada and a potentially precedent-setting decision for generations to come.

It was not to be, however, as the continuation was postponed until September. 

Sleydo' said she was disappointed it didn't happen this week. 

"It takes time out of everybody's life," she said. "Everybody had to take the whole week off. Everybody had to travel here. We had a group of 12 delegates from all over the world from Amnesty International and Frontline Defenders that were here to witness the trial this week.

"And so myself, Shay and Corey, were supposed to give our evidence in the abusive process this week. So it took a lot to prepare for this week. And we want this to be over. It's been going on since 2021. So now it's just one more setback in the process."

The trio was found in contempt of court for violating an order prohibiting them from blocking construction of the Coastal GasLink pipeline, a 670-kilometre natural gas pipeline that will transport natural gas across northern British Columbia to an LNG Canada terminal in Kitimat. Construction was completed in December 2023.

Lawyers for the defendants filed motions of abuse of process after they were found guilty on Jan. 12, 2024, arguing their fundamental rights were violated.

Despite the lack of court proceedings, a rally meant to mark the end of the week-long trial went ahead on June 21 at Bovill Square. The event was called Celebrate Anti-Colonial Resistance & Wet'suwet'en Traditional Governance.

"The purpose is to celebrate Indigenous governance, Wet’suwet’en governance specifically, and the resistance to protect our territories," Sleydo' explained.

"We were supposed to be in court today on trial when people are celebrating Indigenous people, and yet Indigenous people are standing trial and facing jail for upholding our own laws.

"So, we thought that it was a bit ironic that that was happening on Indigenous People's Day, and that we would take the opportunity to celebrate our resistance and our laws and upholding them. It's putting us in this system that is outside of our law and in conflict with our law.

"But on top of that, to go on trial and have to deal with this Indigenous People's Day when there is supposed reconciliation happening, I think that it just shows the true colours of what's actually happening in so-called British Columbia in Canada."

via → https://www.interior-news.com/local-news/pipeline-abuse-of-process-hearing-postponed-until-september-7408162

Download the Urgent Appeal

Sleydo’, also known as Molly Wickham, is land and water protector and a Wing Chief of Cas Yikh, a house group of the Gidimt’en Clan of the Wet’suwet’en Nation. She has been the public face of a high-profile indigenous land rights movement, currently working as the spokesperson for Gidimt’en Access Checkpoint, a reoccupation site of the Wet'suwet'en nation that controls access to the territory of the Cas Yikh house, as a way to defend their land, water and its ecosystem from the negative effects of the construction of a gas pipeline, demanding the free, prior and informed consent of the Wet’suwet’en Nation in the framework of extractive projects that aim to be activated in their land. 

Shaylynn Sampson is a land and water protector from the Lax Gibuu, Wilp Spookw of the Gitxsan Nation. They continue to fight against colonial occupation of Gitxsan Lax'yip (territory) as well as further destruction from industrial projects on the Yintah. 

Corey Jayo hcee Jocko is a Mohawk from Akwesasne of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, a multidisciplinary creator and defender of Indigenous and environmental rights. He has been a crucial supporter in movements to protect land, water and the rights of all living beings. Arrested at Standing Rock and during the #ShutDownCanada movement and most recently in Wet’suwet’en territory, Corey is currently facing trials in both Ontario and BC. His latest single, "Dreams," written during his ongoing trials, speaks to resilience and the power of perseverance, urging listeners to keep dreaming despite obstacles.

 On 12 January 2024, the British Columbia Supreme Court found the human rights defenders guilty of criminal contempt for breaking a court order forbidding them from blocking construction sites of the Coastal GasLink pipeline, a 670-kilometre pipeline planned to carry natural gas across northern British Columbia to a terminal in Kitimat. The three human rights defenders filed for abuse of process applications, arguing that their human rights were violated by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) during their arrests and detention in November 2021

The human rights defenders are being prosecuted for their rights as indigenous peoples, as well as their freedom of assembly in peacefully protesting the human rights impacts of the construction of TC Energy’s Coastal GasLink pipeline, which does not have the free, prior and informed consent of the Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs. In 2019, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination issued a decision to the Canadian State, urging them to halt the construction and to suspend all permits and approvals for the construction of the Coastal Gas Link pipeline in the ancestral land of the Wet’suwet’en Nation, as well as to cease any forced evictions against them.

Although the letter was sent to Canadian authorities, and the construction of a pipeline blatantly disregards the Wet’suwet’en laws and traditions, the project continued and the injunction remained in force during the following years, which caused indigenous human rights defenders to peacefully block access to their territory. The three human rights defenders were arrested on 19 November 2021 in the cabin structures along the Morice Forest Service Road, where a camp was peacefully occupying a key work site of the gas pipeline project.

According to the testimonies of the human rights defenders and the report of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous Peoples on his visit to Canada last year, in November 2021 “the federal police (under contract with the government of British Columbia) conducted a series of raids using tactical officers, helicopters, assault rifles and police dogs to arrest 74 Wet'suwet'en land rights defenders”, including Sleydo’, Shaylynn Sampson and Corey Jayohcee Jocko, despite the previous letter of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination above-mentioned. The defenders also stated that the RCMP used derogatory and mocking terms against them during their detention period. It is expected that these actions will be subject to observation during the abuse of process hearing to take place next week.

Aside from the criminalization case of these three land defenders, there have been similar trials for other indigenous human rights defenders resulting in their sentencing. Five Wet’suwet’en land rights defenders were detained in March 2023 and charged with criminal contempt for allegedly violating the terms of an injunction and are waiting for their trial dates to be set. In February 2024, human rights defenders and Likhts’amisyu Clan Wing Chief Dtsa’hyl was found guilty of criminal contempt for violating the terms of an injunction order and will be sentenced in July 2024. The B.C. Prosecution Service is requesting jail time.

In this context, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation released a statement expressing his concern over the harsh living conditions of Indigenous Peoples and the inadequate access to safe drinking water and sanitation. Such concerns are derived from the impact of extractive activities and discharges under the control of the Canadian provincial authorities, jeopardising their right to water and sanitation, and the situation of criminalization of water rights defenders of these lands.

Front Line Defenders expresses its concern with the misuse of criminal law against these human rights defenders, as it believes they are being targeted as a reprisal for their legitimate human rights work in defence of their environment and their ancestral land, in an attempt to refrain them in their work. Indigenous rights defenders, especially those working against the negative effects of the implementation of extractive and infrastructure projects on their lands, have been living in a high risk situation, with many of them being threatened, attacked and criminalized,. Indigenous Peoples in Canada have also faced restrictions on their lands, with the use of injunctions against them by corporations.

Front Line Defenders urges the authorities in Canada to:

1. Immediately drop all charges against human rights defenders Sleydo’, Shaylynn Sampson, Corey Jayohcee Jocko and other land defenders subject to criminalization, as it is believed that they are solely motivated by their legitimate and peaceful human rights work;
2. Review the use of judicial tools against Indigenous Peoples under a human rights and indigenous rights’ approach and with a view to lifting undue restrictions on freedom of assembly;
3. Ensure that all human rights defenders in Canada are able to conduct their peaceful and legitimate activities without undue restrictions and without fear of harassment, threats or retaliation, including judicial harassment against them

Download and read here → https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/sites/default/files/ua_wetsuweten_draft_140624_final_2.pdf

A delegation of Amnesty International representatives from France, Germany, the United States and Canada will attend the trials of Wet’suwet’en land defenders in Smithers, British Columbia, during the week of June 17, 2024. The delegates will be there to watch the criminal court proceedings and be in solidarity with the criminalized defenders, Sleydo’ Molly Wickham (Wet’suwet’en), Shaylynn Sampson (Gitxsan) and Corey Jayohcee Jocko (Mohawk).

In December 2023, Amnesty International published the report ‘Removed from our land for defending it’: Criminalization, Intimidation and Harassment of Wet’suwet’en Land Defenders. The publication examines the human rights violations inflicted upon members of the Wet’suwet’en Nation and their supporters by the authorities of Canada and British Columbia; CGL Pipeline Ltd. and TC Energy, the corporations building a liquefied natural gas (LNG) pipeline through Wet’suwet’en territory; and Forsythe Security, a private security firm contracted by CGL Pipeline Ltd.

Based in part on witness testimony of four large-scale Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) raids on Wet’suwet’en territory marked by the unlawful use of force, the report finds that Wet’suwet’en land defenders and their supporters were arbitrarily detained for peacefully defending their land against the construction of the pipeline and exercising their Indigenous rights and their right of peaceful assembly. 

The Canadian government should pay close attention to the fact that there is a delegation from Amnesty International coming to British Columbia to attend these trials. The trials are prosecuting Indigenous people simply for protecting clean air, clean land and our right to be free.

Hereditary Chief Na’Moks of the Wet’suwet’en Nation.

“The eyes of the world are on these trials,” Chief Na’Moks added. “If UNDRIP (the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples) is to be respected, all the charges should be dropped immediately. It is not illegal to protect what is best for everyone.”

Trials of Wet’suwet’en Land Defenders ‘Appalling’

Ana Piquer, Americas director at Amnesty International, issued the following statement: “It should speak volumes that the world’s largest human rights organization has a global campaign to stop the criminalization of Indigenous land and water defenders from the Wet’suwet’en Nation. It is appalling that, instead of protecting the rights of these defenders, the authorities of British Columbia have decided to prosecute them. Some of these defenders even face possible jail time. Canada is on the sadly long list of countries in the Americas where land defenders remain at risk for their essential work.”

It is appalling that, instead of protecting the rights of these defenders, the authorities of British Columbia have decided to prosecute them. Some of these defenders even face possible jail time. Canada is on the sadly long list of countries in the Americas where land defenders remain at risk for their essential work.

Ana Piquer, Americas director at Amnesty International.

Ketty Nivyabandi, Secretary General of Amnesty International Canada’s English-speaking section, said: “Amnesty observers have travelled from Europe and the Americas for these trial proceedings, and their presence reflects our alarm at flagrant human rights violations in Wet’suwet’en territory. The world will witness the courage of Indigenous land defenders who put themselves at risk not only to protect their territory and rights but to ensure a healthy environment for all of us. We continue to urge Canada to prioritize the rights of Indigenous Nations and their struggle to mitigate climate change.”

The world will witness the courage of Indigenous land defenders who put themselves at risk, not only to protect their territory and rights, but to ensure a healthy environment for all of us. We continue to urge Canada to prioritize the rights of Indigenous Nations and their struggle to mitigate climate change.

Ketty Nivyabandi, Secretary General of Amnesty International Canada

France-Isabelle Langlois, Director General of Amnistie Internationale Canada francophone, added: “The concern caused at the international level by the criminal proceedings brought against the Wet’suwet’en and other land defenders should raise a flag for the governments of Canada and British Columbia. We call on both governments to immediately stop the criminalization of those land defenders who were arrested in the context of intrusive and aggressive surveillance, harassment and intimidation by the RCMP and private security firm Forsythe Security.”

We call on both governments to immediately stop the criminalization of those land defenders who were arrested in the context of intrusive and aggressive surveillance, harassment and intimidation by the RCMP and private security firm Forsythe Security.

France-Isabelle Langlois, Director General of Amnistie Internationale Canada

Additional Background

In June and July 2022, the B.C. Prosecution Service (BCPS) charged 20 land defenders with criminal contempt for allegedly disobeying an injunction order to stay away from pipeline construction sites. Seven of the 20 land defenders pleaded guilty because of restrictive bail conditions, as well as the familial, psychological and financial impacts that the criminal trial process was having on them. Five others had the charges against them dropped.

Several land defenders went on trial in 2023 and 2024. In November 2023, land defender Sabina Dennis was found not guilty of criminal contempt. In January 2024, land defenders Sleydo (Molly Wickham), Shaylynn Sampson, and Corey (Jayochee) Jocko were found guilty of criminal contempt. However, the three land defenders filed abuse of process applications, arguing that the RCMP violated their human rights during their arrests and detention. The B.C. Supreme Court will continue to hear their applications starting on 17 June 2024.

In February, Likhts’amisyu Clan Wing Chief Dtsa’hyl was found guilty of criminal contempt for violating the terms of the injunction order and will be sentenced in July 2024. The BCPS is requesting jail time.  

Five Wet’suwet’en land defenders were detained in March 2023 and charged with criminal contempt for allegedly violating the terms of the injunction. They are waiting for their trial dates to be set.

Resources

• “Removed from our land for defending it”: Criminalization, Intimidation and Harassment of Wet’suwet’en Land Defenders” [Amnesty Report, 2023]
• The Supreme Court of Canada’s decision in Delgamuukw v British Columbia, a ruling which reaffirmed Wet’suwet’en customary law.
• “No future without courage: Human rights defenders in the Americas speaking up on climate crisis” [Amnesty Report, 2023]
• “The Americas is the World’s Deadliest Region for Land and Environmental Defenders” [Global Witness Report, 2023]

Topics

• Human Rights News
• Press Releases

via → https://amnesty.ca/human-rights-news/delegation-attend-trials-wetsuweten-land-defenders/

New Song called Dreams by Jayohcee (OUT NOW)

🚨 New Song Alert 🚨

'Dreams' - Jayohcee (prod by Cash) "OUT NOW" Everywhere

Niawen/Thank you for riding with me❣️

SHARE / LISTEN / LIKE

Jayohcee.com

Jayohcee to Perform at 'United Realities NYC Takeover' April 5th

After my panel at NFTNYC on we will then head over the next day to G-Gallery in Manhattan on April 5th for another panel and performance alongside United Realities & New York Culture Club

Support Wet'suwet'en Court Challenge! Stop the Criminalization of Land Defenders!

Land defenders (left to right) Shay lynn Sampson, Corey Jocko "Jayohcee" and Sleydo' Molly Wickham outside Smithers courthouse during the first week of the trial, January 8-12, 2024.

An important hearing on Indigenous land defenders' application for a stay of criminal contempt charges due to RCMP violation of their rights during raids on two camps on Wet'suwet'en territory in November of 2021 began January 15 in a Smithers, BC courtroom.[1]

The hearing of the application for stay follows the conviction of three land defenders -- Sleydo' Molly Wickham, Shay lynn Sampson and Corey Jocko "Jayohcee" -- of criminal contempt on January 12. Following the guilty verdict, on January 15, the trial moved into hearing the defendants' application for a judicial stay of proceedings based on their claim that the RCMP used excessive force and other Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms violations, a process that was expected to take a week.

On January 22, Gidimt'en Checkpoint reported on Facebook the court proceedings from January 15 to 19:

"Last week's proceeding of Sleydo' Molly Wickham, Shay lynn Sampson, and Corey Jocko 'Jayohcee''s trial addressed the defendants' abuse of process applications. The application is based on the defendants' experience of widespread Charter violations stemming from the RCMP's disproportionate and excessive use of force.

"The court heard audio recordings taken after the RCMP's raid on Coyote Camp and Gidimt'en Checkpoint on November 18-19, 2021. The recordings caught officers referencing 'gassing' people in the tiny home, referring to a man as an 'ogre' and laughing about how multiple officers 'beat the shit out of him,' and referring to Indigenous women as 'orcs' for wearing red paint symbolizing Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. Another audio recording revealed an officer saying 'Here's Johnny,' comparing the scene from The Shining to the officers' use of axes to break into the cabins. RCMP Superintendent Elliott agreed that the recordings were not in accordance with his mission to comply with the Charter and called the officers' behaviour 'unprofessional and unacceptable.'

"Testimony confirmed that Emergency Response Team (ERT) members armed with rifles and canine units -- but without warrants or negotiators -- barged into tiny homes where land defenders stood, with their arms up."

The judge determined that more time was needed to hear the case, at least one and possibly two more weeks. The hearing has been scheduled to continue June 17-21 with additional dates to be determined, and will hear testimony from Sleydo', Sampson and Jocko as well as more RCMP officers.

The current case arises from a November 2021 RCMP raid of two camps established on Wet'suwet'en territory to block access by Coastal GasLink (CGL), which is building a pipeline without the consent of the Wet'suwet'en Hereditary chiefs and in violation of Wet'suwet'en rights and title. Twenty-seven people were arrested at Gidimt'en Checkpoint and Coyote Camp and charged with civil contempt for violating an injunction issued to CGL by BC Supreme Court Justice Marguerite Church in 2019. Subsequent to the civil contempt charges the BC Prosecution Service, at the invitation of Justice Church, charged 19 of those arrested with the more serious offence of criminal contempt. Justice Church said: "It is clear from the evidence before me that there is an important public interest in fostering a respect for the rule of law. The conduct alleged is defiant of the rule of law, and such conduct depreciates the authority of the court."

The land defenders' application to the BC Supreme Court for a stay of the criminal contempt charges was filed in February 2023. A press release issued at the time highlights the RCMP's "disproportionate and excessive use of force" against peaceful land defenders and quotes Sleydo': "Society is rightly concerned with how a special unit of RCMP (C-IRG) acts with impunity, using racist language and violence against unarmed Indigenous women. Now it's in the court's hands to decide if this is acceptable in 2023."

The applications allege that arrestees were denied their right to security of person, subjected to unreasonable search and seizure, arbitrarily detained and imprisoned, and denied reasonable bail without just cause. Court documents say: "The RCMP/C-IRG's enforcement tactics impaired the Applicant's individual Charter rights, but the police misconduct also displays a systemic disregard for Indigenous rights and sovereignty and the Charter more generally."

A lawsuit for damages, wrongful arrest, wrongful detention and violation of Charter rights has also been launched by The Narwhal over the arrest of their journalist, Amber Bracken. Bracken was arrested with another journalist, Michael Toledano, in the November 2021 raids.

Since its establishment in 2017 by the RCMP in BC as a special force to protect the interests of industry against protests by Indigenous Peoples and others, the C-IRG has faced lawsuits and hundreds of individual complaints to the RCMP's Civilian Review and Complaints Commission (CRCC), alleging excessive force, illegal tactics, unprofessional behaviour, racism, discrimination and various Charter violations.

TML condemns the ongoing state attacks on the Wet'suwet'en and Indigenous land defenders across Canada and wholeheartedly supports the court challenge to the criminal contempt charges. The courage and persistence of Wet'suwet'en land defenders and the justness of their cause deserves the broadest possible support. To contribute to the Wet'suwet'en Yintah Defence Fund click here. 

via → https://cpcml.ca/Tmlm2024/Articles/M5400120.HTM