[News] Gidimt’en Land Defenders Urge UN To Visit Wet’suwet’en Territories

Tue Feb 8 17:11:30 EST 2022

Gidimt’en Land Defenders Make Submission To United Nations On Feb 7  the 
Gidimt’en  made a submission to the United Nations on the 
“Militarization of Wet’suwet’en Lands and Canada’s Ongoing Violations.”

  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.” 
<https://facebook.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0103e92dff58215fc5fc7ac79&id=6949e91cbf&e=ca231ece03> 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 
<https://facebook.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0103e92dff58215fc5fc7ac79&id=f4452efedf&e=ca231ece03>
*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 
<https://facebook.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0103e92dff58215fc5fc7ac79&id=1de3a57b33&e=ca231ece03>

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_ 
<https://facebook.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0103e92dff58215fc5fc7ac79&id=51e6ae4f87&e=ca231ece03>*! 
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 
<https://facebook.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0103e92dff58215fc5fc7ac79&id=4cf45bc264&e=ca231ece03>

““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 at 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 
<https://facebook.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0103e92dff58215fc5fc7ac79&id=1edf450823&e=ca231ece03>

New Article for @ricochet_en 
<https://facebook.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0103e92dff58215fc5fc7ac79&id=473e249212&e=ca231ece03> by 
@bmorinstories 
<https://facebook.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0103e92dff58215fc5fc7ac79&id=1fdd8f12da&e=ca231ece03>, 
photos by @photobracken 
<https://facebook.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0103e92dff58215fc5fc7ac79&id=4b1478df51&e=ca231ece03> .

“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

Facebook 
<https://facebook.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0103e92dff58215fc5fc7ac79&id=92238126a9&e=ca231ece03> 

Twitter 
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Link 
<https://facebook.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0103e92dff58215fc5fc7ac79&id=40082f9748&e=ca231ece03> 

Website 
<https://facebook.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0103e92dff58215fc5fc7ac79&id=c9b4d39417&e=ca231ece03> 

*Our mailing address is:*
Non-profit Indigenous support group
301-4689 52A Street
Delta, BC V4K 2Y7
Canada
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