Hundreds show solidarity with B.C. pipeline protesters

Chanting and waving homemade signs,hundreds of Londoners joined an Indigenous-led demonstration in solidarity withWet'suwet'en territory in itsfight against a $6-billion natural gas pipeline project in B.C. and their discontent with the RCMP's treatment of protestors.

Over the past few weeks, arrests by the RCMPin the northern B.C. territory have sparked pushback from people across the country in the form of protests and railway blockades.

"I think what [the RCMP] is doing is illegal," said Janessa Lewis, who was marching with Londoners on Tuesday.

"Indigenous people have rights to their lands and them [officers] forcibly taking them off is going backhundreds of millennia. It's not right."

The670-kilometre Coastal GasLink pipeline, which has been approved by the province, received support from 20 First Nations band councils, including five of the six councils inWet'suwet'en nation.

However, the hereditary chiefs from Wet'suwet'ensay those councils are only responsible for the territory within their individual reservesbecause their authority comes only from the Indian Act.

"We are siding with the protests that are happening because of the nature of the actions by the RCMP," said Joel Abrams, the grand chief from the Association of Iroquois and Allied Indians in an interview on theCBC'sAfternoon Drive.

"We have the United Nations Declaration on Rights of Indigenous people and Article 10 speaks to forcibly removing Indigenous peoples from their lands and that's exactly what's happened in British Columbia."

Abrams saida conversation between the federal government and the hereditary chiefs needs to happen in order to move forward.

For many London demonstrators, the pipeline represents a threat to the environment that should concern everyone from coast to coast.

"I don't believe this is something people should be brushing off," Janessa Lewis said. "We all live on one planet and we need to make it better for the next generation."

The sentiment was shared by others, including demonstrator Anna Antone.

"I fear that the water is going to get contaminated, there's going to be an oil leak and then what?" she said.

'It's time for us to stand with Indigenous people and look after this land," said Gary Brown as he participated in the march.

London march in support of Wet'suwet'sen

5 years ago

Duration 1:27

Hundreds gathered in downtown London, Ont. in solidarity with Wet'suwet'en territory's fight against a natural gas line in B.C. on Feb. 11, 2020.