Gidimt’en land defender Sleydo’: “C-IRG and the RCMP need to be abolished”

On Tuesday November 23, Gidimt’en Checkpoint posted this video of Gidimt’en land defender Sleydo’ speaking after four days in police custody.

In it Sleydo’ says: “C-IRG and the RCMP need to be abolished. Anybody who is not into prison abolition should be after this experience that we’ve had.”

For more on the so-called Community-Industry Response Group (C-IRG), please see What do we know about the RCMP’s resource extraction protection unit?

That article highlights Sleydo’s comment: “We want to live free on our lands, without the constant threat of violence by C-IRG, who are illegally occupying Gidimt’en territory.”

Sleydo’ was arrested on Friday November 19, the second day of militarized RCMP raids against the Wet’suwet’en to enable the Coastal GasLink pipeline that is being built on their territory without free, prior and informed consent.

The video of her arrest at gunpoint can be seen here.

More than 30 people were arrested by the RCMP over the two-day period of Thursday November 18 and Friday November 19.

All have now been released, but with conditions.

CBC reports: “Sleydo’, also known as Molly Wickham, is free to return to her home territory and engage in fishing, hunting, trapping and cultural practices, so long as she stays 75 meters away from Coastal GasLink worksites and equipment.”

“It is a stronger condition than that given to other Wet’suwet’en members who were released on the condition they stay at least 10 meters away from worksites and equipment. “

The article adds: “Everyone released is expected back in court the week of Feb. 14 for the next portion of their hearings.”

For updates, please see Gidimt’en Checkpoint on Twitter.

We also encourage you to read Canada should declassify, deconstruct and defund the RCMP by Mi’kmaq lawyer Pam Palmater. In that article, Palmater writes: “The only way we are ever going to stop RCMP racism and brutality against Indigenous peoples is to declassify, deconstruct and defund the institution itself.”

CBC photo of Sleydo’ embracing supporters after being released from Prince George Regional Correctional Centre on November 23.