Wet’suwet’en Territories - Land Defenders Arrested

HOUSTON BC - The protests against the Coastal Mountain Pipeline or Trans Mountain Pipeline on Wet’suwet’en unceded territory are continuing Sunday. Over the past several days, as members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police have first prepared for what the Wet’suwet’en land protectors as they are calling themselves, to invade their territory, there have been protests across Canada. Backgrounder from Wet’suwet’en Nation The Wet’suwet’en nation have lived on and governed their territories for thousands of years. They have never signed treaties or sold their land to Canada. In 1997, Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs joined with Gitxsan Hereditary Chiefs, and won the landmark Delgamuukw-Gidsaywa Supreme Court of Canada case. The court recognized that the Wet’suwet’en people have never given up title to 22,000 km2 (8500mi2) of land in northern British Columbia - an area the size of New Jersey. The court decision also recognized Wet’suwet’en Hereditary chiefs as the rightful representatives of the Wet’suwet’en title holding collective. Wet’suwet’en hereditary decision-making processes were recognized and described in the 2011 Canfor V. Sam ruling of BC’s Supreme Court, which stated: “Each Wet'suwet'en chief has rights and responsibilities specific to the particular territory over which that chief is given a duty to protect. The rights and responsibilities are confirmed, coordinated, and directed to the common good, in other words, governed, through the feast.” Despite these rulings, the governments of Canada and British Columbia continue to assert jurisdiction over this territory and have issued permits for resource projects without the consent of the Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs. Wet’suwet’en people upholding decisions made in accordance with Wet’suwet’en law have been criminalized by the Canadian state, and face the risk of arrest for occupying and controlling access to their house territories. On Wet’suwet’en territory, the RCMP have made their way into several of the camps in the area and advised those in the encampments that they can not stay there. The Canadian Association of Journalists has expressed their concern over this evolving situation as there are numerous reports of journalists being detained and prevented from covering this story. "All week the RCMP have been unnecessarily threatening reporters who are simply trying to perform their democratic duties," said CAJ president Karyn Pugliese. "Yesterday the RCMP promised to respect media rights, but today they continue to abuse their powers and blatantly disregard the law in a way that is previously unheard of in Canada and unthinkable in a democratic country."