Gitxsan Huwilp to rally in Smithers against the C-IRG and sentencing of Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Wing Chief Dsta’hyl, March 6

The Gitxsan Huwilp Government will be rallying against the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Community-Industry Response Group (C-IRG) and the sentencing of Hereditary Wing Chief in Smithers on Wednesday March 6.
They have posted on Facebook:
“RCMP C-IRG – as you are aware – is under investigation for corruption by their federal oversight agency – as they beef up their ranks as a funded military solution to perpetrate industry greed. For the RCMP C-IRG to extinguish Indigenous peoples’ fulsome rights on their lands, threaten our lives with military tactical weapons, terrorize our women and children, weaponize our land defense is indefensible.
On March 6th at 9am the BCSC [British Columbia Supreme Court] will make an example of this, sentencing a Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Wing Chief for criminal contempt for protecting his traditional territory against industry raiding. Hereditary Chiefs have a fiduciary responsibility to protect the lands for current and future generations.”
Two of the demands of this rally are to “stop industry-led injunctions that allow industry looting of Indigenous lands” and “dismantle the RCMP C-IRG (only militarized unit in Canada).”
On February 20, Amanda Follett Hosgood of The Tyee tweeted: “BC Supreme Court has found Wet’suwet’en Chief Dsta’hyl guilty of criminal contempt, rejecting a novel defence that rather than bringing the law into disrepute he was upholding Wet’suwet’en law on his traditional territory when interfered with pipeline construction.’”
She had previously reported: “Chief Dsta’hyl … was arrested Oct. 27, 2021, following an interaction with Coastal GasLink security on his clan’s traditional territory. Although he was originally taken into custody for mischief and theft over $5,000, Dsta’hyl now faces a charge of criminal contempt.”
WEBINAR TODAY AT 5:30 PM PT
This news release from the Likhts’amisyu, one of five clans within the Wet’suwet’en nation, stated: “On October 27, 2022, Likhts’amisyu Hereditary Chief Dsta’hyl was arrested and forcibly removed from unceded Likhts’amisyu territory, along with Kolin Sutherland-Wilson of the Gitxsan Git’luuhl’um’hetxwit wilp. In observance of Wet’suwet’en trespass laws, Dini ze’ Dsta’hyl decommissioned 10 pieces of heavy construction equipment.”
Kolin will be one of the speakers on a webinar today (Tuesday March 5) titled Gitxsan and Gitanyow Resistance to Colonial Mega Projects.
To register for that webinar, click here.
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