The criminalization of Indigenous land defenders opposed to mega-projects a global concern
Published by Brent Patterson on January 15, 2020 (PBI)
The Globe and Mail headline reads RCMP viewed B.C. Coastal GasLink protesters as ‘radicalized,’ court documents show.
That article reports that on January 8, 2019, the day after the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) raided the Gidimt’en checkpoint on Wet’suwet’en territory in British Columbia, RCMP Sergeant John Uzelac stated in an affidavit, “I am aware that critical infrastructure can be targeted by persons with radicalized ideology.”………
A key aspect to the peaceful resolution of this situation is the state refraining from the criminalization of Indigenous peoples on their own territories and the recognition of constitutional and human rights obligations rather than the presumed supremacy of a corporate fossil fuel mega-project.
Given their experiences to date, Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs have already “submitted a formal request to the United Nations to monitor RCMP, government and Coastal GasLink actions on our traditional, unceded territory.”......
...My question, why such a timid demand? First a formal action before the Human Rights Committee, possibly ILO, before preparing a Resolution before the General Assembly against Canada!