“We want to live free on our lands, without the constant threat of violence by C-IRG, who are illegally occupying Gidimt’en territory.” – Wet’suwet’en land defender Sleydo’. Video: Sleydo’ and Gitxsan land defender Shaylynn Sampson arrested at gunpoint by RCMP C-IRG officers on Wet’suwet’en territory on November 19, 2021.

Radio-Canada International reports (in French): “The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights will examine the treatment of Canada and British Columbia towards the Wet’suwet’en First Nation in a virtual hearing on Monday, July 10.”

“Representatives from the Wet’suwet’en First Nation will discuss the situations they faced during their opposition to the construction of the Coastal GasLink pipeline on their territory. In particular, they will highlight the interactions that took place with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Community and Industry Safety Response Group (CISAG).”

The CISAG in English is the C-IRG.

An Amnesty International media release further notes: “In their 20-minute oral testimony, representatives from the Nation will shine a light on the ongoing unjust criminalization and harassment of land defenders opposing the construction of the Coastal GasLink (CGL) pipeline through Wet’suwet’en territory. The Canadian government will respond to the testimony of the Wet’suwet’en delegation.”

The speakers are expected to be Chief Na’moks and Sleydo’ (Molly Wickham).

TO WATCH

The presentation will be on Monday, July 10, 2023, at 11 am in Vancouver /2 pm in Ottawa / 7 pm in London/ 8 pm in Brussels.

The presentation and response will be streamed on the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) Facebook and Twitter channels.

MORE TO COME

Canada’s human rights record will be reviewed by the United Nations Human Rights Council on Friday November 10, 2023, through the universal periodic review process.

This past May, Canada announced that it is seeking a seat on the UN Human Rights Council for the 2028 to 2030 term. The vote for this at the UN General Assembly is expected to take place in 2026.

In this bid, Canada has articulated six priorities, notably: “Seeking justice and accountability for those on the frontlines of defending human rights” and “Advancing the rights of Indigenous peoples and reconciliation”.

In April of last year, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) issued its third rebuke to Canada commenting on its “use of force, surveillance, and criminalization of land defenders”, particularly those opposed to the construction of the Coastal GasLink fracked gas pipeline on Wet’suwet’en territory.

That letter expresses concern about the RCMP Community-Industry Response Group and reminds Canada of a CERD decision issued in December 2019 that called for the removal of the RCMP from Wet’suwet’en territory.

We will be watching the Wet’suwet’en presentation to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights on July 10.

To hear more from Chief Na’moks, click on Dismantle the C-IRG, end violence against land defenders (PBI-Canada webinar, February 21, 2023).

Peace Brigades International mourns the passing of PBI co-founder Hans Sinn on June 29 in Perth, Ontario at 94 years of age.

Hans was born in Hamburg, Germany on February 16, 1929.

His childhood was shaped by World War II. In 1943, at the age of 14, Hans lived through a week-long bombing campaign in which Allied forces dropped 9,000 tons of bombs on his home city. More than 42,600 civilians were killed at that time.

By 1945, in the final months of the war, Hans, at the age of 16, was conscripted and sent to an SS training camp in Denmark. In April-May of that year, he managed to escape from the camp and over the course of a week walk 400 kilometres back to Hamburg. Given the level of wartime destruction he witnessed, Hans did not know if his home would still be there. When he arrived home, he saw an unexploded bomb on his front yard.

Several years later, in 1952, Hans emigrated to Canada.

At the age of 33, Hans took part in a walk for peace from Vancouver to Berlin to publicize the need for nuclear disarmament.

On August 22, 1962, the Prince George Citizen reported on its front-page, “Two B.C. men plan to walk from Vancouver to Berlin — in the cause of peace. Hans Sinn, 33, of White Rock, intends to start the jaunt October 1.”

That “jaunt” would take two years to complete.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) spied on this march. One of their memos on it stated: “The trio left Vancouver on September 30, 1962, driving an older model car painted with ‘Ban the Bomb’ slogans. During their tour of Canada, they stopped in numerous towns and cities and spoke at several meetings of ‘pacifist’ groups, handing out the usual ‘Peace and Disarmament’ leaflets.”

With an ideological lens, the RCMP memo added: “We have no information indicating their membership in any communist organization.”

It was during that peace walk, in January 1963, that Hans met Marian Bedoukian in Montreal. They would later marry in England and have two sons, Anthony and Nicholas. They would lose daughter Rachel to cancer when she was 15 years old. He would also raise Samantha.

Photo: Hans in 1965.

Photo: Hans and Samantha.

By 1970, Hans joined a land co-op and built his home in Brooke Valley, near Perth, Ontario (just outside Ottawa). It is the home that he would live in for over 50 years.

Then in late August 1981, Hans, now 52 years of age, travelled about 40 kilometres south of Perth to Grindstone Island for the founding meeting of Peace Brigades International.

That meeting began on the evening of Monday, August 31, with Hans chairing the session that started with a reading from Gandhi by Raymond Magee from the San Francisco-based Peaceworkers, an organization committed to nurturing peace and nonviolence.

The mission statement agreed upon at the conclusion of this meeting on September 4 stated: “We are forming an organization with the capability to mobilize and provide trained units of volunteers. These units may be assigned to areas of high tension to avert violent outbreaks. If hostile clashes occur, a brigade may establish and monitor a cease-fire, offer mediatory services, or carry on works of reconstruction and reconciliation.”

Photo: The lodge on Grindstone Island where Peace Brigades International was founded on September 4, 1981.

Less than a year later, on August 23-27, 1982, at the Second International Consultation on Peace Brigades held in Bergen, The Netherlands, the first meeting of the PBI International Council welcomed the news of the founding of PBI-Canada by Hans and Ottawa-based peace activist Murray Thomson as PBI’s first country group.

Hans would stay involved in PBI for many years. He eventually retired from the PBI International Council in 2005 at the age of 76.

Photo: In 2009, Hans received the Friends of Peace Award.

Photo: Hans in 2015.

Photo: Hans with Lyn Adamson on Parliament Hill, Ottawa.

Outside of PBI, Hans was involved in many activities related to peace.

Civilian Peace Service and Department of Peace

In 1959, Hans returned to Germany to speak about his vision for a Ziviler Friedensdienst, a civil peace service (CPS).

Peace Magazine notes: “In the early 1990s, he spoke in Berlin, at the Evangelical Academy in Berlin, which had developed its own proposal for a CPS. By 1999, Ziviler Friedensdienst had become the first fully operational Civilian Peace Service in the world.”

Since its formation, more than 1,200 experts have supported peacebuilding efforts in 60 countries around the world. It is also a significant funder of the human rights work done by Peace Brigades International.

In 2004, Hans became the Co-Chair of Civilian Peace Service Canada.

His friend Bill Bhaneja adds: “In 2003, Hans realized that to reach its full potential, a Civilian Peace Service would need a Department of Peace in the federal government. This led to the creation of a Canadian Department of Peace movement” that by 2010 had twelve chapters across the country.

Petra Kelly and the demilitarization of Germany

In 1989, Hans supported the work of Bundestag member Petra Kelly, who advocated demilitarization when Germany was reunified after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

In Nonviolent Social Defense, Petra wrote: “The ending of the cold war has brought little change in our militaristic outlook. As old weapons systems are dismantled, they are replaced by new, more sophisticated ones.”

She would further highlight: “We spend billions on weapons research and millions training our young people at military academies. Why not invest in peace studies and peace actions? We need training centers, public campaigns, and educational materials. We need to support groups like Peace Brigades International that intervene nonviolently in situations of conflict. We need to work concretely to realize peace and nonviolence in our time.”

Photo: Petra Kelly (1947-1992).

In the summer of 2005, Hans also spoke about the need for a negotiated peace settlement in Afghanistan (the U.S. invasion that began in October 2001 claimed the lives of 243,000 people over a 20-year period).

In his later years, he was particularly interested in the global issue of child soldiers (he himself having been forcibly conscripted at the age of 16), the removal U.S. nuclear missiles from Germany, and the continued to call for a demilitarized Germany (as he saw its military spending escalate to USD $56 billion in 2021).

Photo: Hans, December 2022. The title of the book Hans is holding is “At the last hour: Call for peace”. It is a collection of essays on the peace movement, NATO and nuclear weapons.

The legacy of Hans includes the continued work of Peace Brigades International that accompanies and supports human rights defenders in Colombia, Honduras, Mexico, Guatemala, Kenya, Nepal, Indonesia, Nicaragua/Costa Rica and beyond.

We are grateful for the lifelong work of Hans and honour his commitment to peace through our continuing work for a just and peaceful world.

Photo: Hans Sinn meeting with Brent Patterson of PBI-Canada at Hans’ home near Perth, Ontario on September 4, 2019, the 38^th anniversary of the founding of PBI.

The CANSEC arms show took place at the EY Centre in Ottawa this past May 31 to June 1. Rheinmetall AG, the German arms manufacturer founded in Düsseldorf in 1889, was one of the exhibitors at this annual event.

While the vehicles and equipment to be displayed at the arms show are brought in beforehand, one vehicle was brought in on May 31.

That item appears to be the Rheinmetall Mission Master XT.

Photo.

Rheinmetall describes it as “a rugged A-UGV designed to accompany troops in all kinds of missions, especially in challenging environments. With its total mobility in extreme terrain and advanced amphibious capabilities, the Mission Master XT reliably transports payloads of up to 1000 kg in even the most unforgiving conditions.”

It adds: “Robust enough to handle platoon or company sensors and weapon systems, the Mission Master XT lets units increase their range and firepower with heavier-calibre weapons and larger optics than they would otherwise be able to carry.”

Rheinmetall has also highlighted: “The new Mission Master XT – Fire Support is equipped with MBDA’s Brimstone missile launcher, a long-range, all-weather precision strike missile currently in service with the British armed forces.”

Photo.

It further explains: “Potential missions [with this payload] include ambush, attack by fire, support by fire, and suppression of enemy air defence systems.”

In an article on the slightly smaller Mission Master CXT version, National Defense notes it can be equipped with “Dillon Aero’s twin M134D minigun” and “a variety of payloads such as rocket launchers, loitering munitions and other configurations.”

Rheinmetall

In 2013, a case was brought forward by South African plaintiffs that sad Rheinmetall facilitated decades of race-based crimes, including torture and extrajudicial killings perpetrated by the country’s security forces during apartheid, by selling its products to the government.

In December 2013, Reuters reported: “A U.S. judge [dismissed the case and] said Daimler AG and Rheinmetall AG cannot be held liable for aiding and abetting South Africa’s former apartheid government in race-based attacks and injustices.”

In April 2021, Aljazeera also reported: “The United Nations Group of Eminent Experts on Yemen and Amnesty International have identified [weapons manufactured in South Africa] in Yemen [including] drones, surveillance equipment, armoured vehicles, and most notoriously, 120mm mortar bombs, whose remnants were discovered at the site of an attack on civilians in the Yemeni city of Hodeidah [that killed over 60 people and wounded 100 more].”

That article then highlights: “Two independent investigations, one of them by the UN experts group on Yemen, found it most likely that these mortars were manufactured by South African arms firm Rheinmetall Denel Munitions (RDM).”

It further notes: “RDM not only sells weapons to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, but has also established a munitions factory in Saudi Arabia in 2016. The factory specialises in, among other things, the production of 120mm mortar bombs.”

Additionally: “Remnants of bombs used in an air attack by the Saudi-UAE coalition on Deir al-Hajari in northwest Yemen in 2016 were identified as being manufactured by RWM Italia – a Rheinmetall subsidiary in Italy. That attack killed a family of six, including a pregnant woman and her four young children.”

Rheinmetall has direct or indirect holdings in 156 companies and offices or production facilities in 129 locations across 32 countries, including South Africa, Italy and Canada.

Historically, Rheinmetall was the second largest arms manufacturer for Nazi Germany and has been implicated in the use of Jewish slave labour during the war.

Rheinmetall’s Mission Master XT unmanned ground vehicle was first introduced at the Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) arms show in London, UK in 2021. The DSEI arms show will take place this coming September 12-15.

Join us next year at the community-organized intersectional mobilization against CANSEC now scheduled for May 29-30, 2024.

Peace Brigades International is committed to a concept of security linked to protecting human rights and respecting life, ecosystems and common goods. We contend that the billions spent every year on weapons do not make the world a safer place. Weapons and technology are used both in illegal wars and in the repression of human rights defenders.

Amnesty International has published an Open Letter to the Heads of State of American States on the Occasion of the 53rd Regular Session of the General Assembly of the OAS.

The 53^rd General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) is taking place June 21 to 23 in Washington, DC.

Canada’s Foreign Minister Melanie Joly participated in the OAS meetings on June 21 to 22. Hugh Adsett is the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Canada to the OAS.

Amnesty International notes:

“In several countries – such as Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru and Venezuela – states have proceeded with or have granted concessions to national and multinational companies to carry out extractive, agricultural and infrastructure projects without the free, prior and informed consent of the affected Indigenous peoples. The criminal law has also been misused against Indigenous peoples. In Canada, the five Wet’suwet’en Clans that have opposed the construction of a pipeline on their ancestral territory have been subjected to continuous surveillance and criminalization through court orders, and have been harassed, forcibly expelled and imprisoned.

Amnesty International urges the authorities of states in the region to respect the right of Indigenous peoples to self[1]determination and to obtain their free, prior and informed consent for projects in their territories. The killings of Indigenous people should be investigated immediately, impartially and effectively and the misuse of criminal law against them should be stopped and reparation ensured.”

Earlier this year, Amnesty International Canada also highlighted:

“Wet’suwet’en land defenders, Hereditary Chiefs and matriarchs are frequently harassed, intimidated, forcibly removed and criminalized by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and CGL’s private security guards for peacefully defending their unceded, ancestral and traditional lands.

In three large-scale police actions in the territory in January 2019, February 2020 and November 2021, a total of 74 Wet’suwet’en and other land defenders, legal observers and members of the media were arrested and detained. During these raids, the RCMP were equipped with military assault weapons, helicopters and dog units, and operated alongside private security guards to burn down buildings and desecrate Indigenous ceremonial spaces.”

This criminalization and harassment is being carried out by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Community-Industry Response Group (C-IRG).

Peace Brigades International-Canada is part of the Abolish C-IRG coalition that is calling for the abolition of this controversial police unit that has also repressed land defenders opposed to the Government of Canada-owned Trans Mountain tar sands oil pipeline on Secwepemc territory and logging on Pacheedaht territory in British Columbia.

The full letter from Amnesty International can also be read in Spanish at Carta abierta a los jefes y las jefas de Estado de Estados Americanos en ocasión de la LIII sesión ordinaria de Asamblea General de la OEA (June 21, 2023).

Further reading: The RCMP C-IRG is inconsistent with Canada’s stated priorities in its bid for a seat at the UN Human Rights Council (June 18, 2023)

Video: Sleydo’ and Gitxsan land defender Shaylynn Sampson arrested at gunpoint by RCMP C-IRG officers on Wet’suwet’en territory on November 19, 2021.

“We want to live free on our lands, without the constant threat of violence by C-IRG, who are illegally occupying Gidimt’en territory.” – Wet’suwet’en land defender Sleydo’. Video: Sleydo’ and Gitxsan land defender Shaylynn Sampson arrested at gunpoint by RCMP C-IRG officers on Wet’suwet’en territory on November 19, 2021.

Canada has announced that it is seeking a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council for the 2028 to 2030 term.

Canada last sat on the UN Human Rights Council from 2006 to 2009

In this bid, Canada has articulated six priorities, notably: “Seeking justice and accountability for those on the frontlines of defending human rights” and “Advancing the rights of Indigenous peoples and reconciliation”.

The vote for this at the UN General Assembly is expected to take place in 2026.

The Canadian Press reports: “So far, Greece has [also] announced a run for one of the three spots that will be available to a group of 28 countries includes Canada, Western Europe, Australia and New Zealand.”

The bid for a seat on the UN Human Rights Council follows the defeat of Canada’s bid in June 2020 for a seat on the UN Security Council.

At the War Resisters’ International conference held in London, United Kingdom, last week, Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chief Na’moks said he opposed that Security Council candidacy because “where is our security in the so-called country of Canada?”. He stated the Wet’suwet’en will oppose this new bid too.

Organizations are already commenting on this latest bid.

Climate Action Network Canada notes: “Across the land currently known as Canada, fossil fuel companies continue to push through infrastructure projects against the sovereign will of Indigenous peoples, abetted by law enforcement agencies. Canadian resource extraction companies continue to directly violate human rights in other countries, including the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment.”

Justice for All Canada, a Toronto-based organization dedicated to preventing genocide, says: “Canada’s silence on human-rights violations by India, Israel, Egypt and Tunisia, among others, has drawn particular criticism, with even its positioning on Saudi Arabia being called hypocritical owing to its arms sales to the kingdom.”

And MiningWatch Canada highlights: “Canada is home to nearly half of the world’s publicly traded mining companies and for decades, allegations of human rights abuses and environmental harm tied to many of these companies have been well-documented. Canada has had ample opportunity to prove it is serious about reining in corporate abuse but has repeatedly failed to act — even in the face of serious crimes like forced labour, sexual violence, militarized evictions and targeted killings.”

Photo: The Canadian Embassy in Mexico is being challenged at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) for its alleged role in the death of human right defender Mariano Abarca. The complaint alleges that Canada failed to uphold its international human rights obligations when it pressured Mexican authorities to advance a Canadian mining project despite having knowledge about related threats to Mariano’s life.

Canada’s human rights record will be reviewed on Friday November 10, 2023, through the “universal periodic review” process at the Human Rights Council.

In advance of this, the Justice and Corporate Accountability Project (JCAP) with support from MiningWatch Canada, sent a 30-page submission to the UN Human Rights Council denouncing Canada for its continued diplomatic support of mining companies over the safety of human rights and environment defenders.

When Canada’s human rights record was last reviewed by the Human Rights Council, numerous recommendations were made.

For instance, Spain called on Canada to “comply with its commitment to guarantee the human right to drinking water and sanitation”, the Holy See said Canada should “ensure that indigenous communities can express their free and informed consent prior to any measure that may affect their land”, Ireland said Canada should “prohibit the environmentally detrimental development of resources on the territories of indigenous peoples without the free, prior and informed consent of those communities”, Bolivia said Canada should “consider ratifying the ILO Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989 (No. 169)” and Switzerland said Canada should “develop a national action plan for business and human rights.”

Most recently, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) issued its third rebuke to Canada in April 2022 commenting on its “use of force, surveillance, and criminalization of land defenders”, particularly those opposed to the construction of the Coastal GasLink fracked gas pipeline on Wet’suwet’en territory.

That letter expresses concern about the RCMP Community-Industry Response Group (C-IRG) and reminds Canada of a CERD decision issued in December 2019 that called for the removal of the RCMP from Wet’suwet’en territory.

The RCMP C-IRG has launched at least two more militarized raids on Wet’suwet’en territory since that December 2019 decision by the CERD.

On September 28, 2022, Kim-Mai Vu of Peace Brigades International presented to the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva during the Interactive Dialogue with the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

She stated: “The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has called on Canada to stop construction of the Coastal GasLink pipeline on Wet’suwet’en territory. Canada ratified this International Convention in 1970 and said in 2016 that it supported the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, however, the construction of this gas pipeline without consent continues as does the criminalization of land defenders.”

In March of this year, the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission (CRCC), a federal watchdog agency, announced that it was conducting a “systemic review” of the C-IRG to “examine whether relevant policies, procedures, guidelines and training … are consistent with applicable jurisprudence/case law and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.”

The CRCC report is not expected for 12-18 months.

In the meantime, the Abolish C-IRG coalition has stated that all deployments of the C-IRG should be suspended pending the “investigation and resolution” of all complaints now before the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission.  

We continue to follow this situation.

For more:

C-IRG violence against the frontlines (PBI-Canada webinar, April 16, 2023)

Dismantle the C-IRG, end violence against land defenders (PBI-Canada webinar, February 21, 2023)

PBI-Canada Board member volunteers as Legal Observer on Wet’suwet’en Territory (May 15, 2022)

Wet’suwet’en land defenders seek support against the Coastal GasLink Pipeline (PBI-Canada interview with Sleydo’ on Rabble radio, April 29, 2022)

Listen to Wet’suwet’en land defenders Eve Saint and Jocey Alec on Rabble Radio (PBI-Canada interview, December 13, 2021)

Photo-journal of PBI-Canada’s 4-day visit to Wet’suwet’en and Gitxsan territories (November 24, 2021)

On Friday June 16, Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chief Na’moks spoke in London, United Kingdom at the “Antimilitarist Roots: Nonviolent resistance for a world in crisis” conference organized by War Resisters’ International.

Among the comments he made there during his speech:

“We’re fighting a multi-billion-dollar project. Coastal GasLink pipeline which is owned by TC Energy and funded by the Royal Bank of Canada.

It’s rather difficult to say Royal Bank of Canada when it is the Royal Canadian Mounted Police who come at us by the hundreds militarized. They created an arm of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to deal with us, it’s called C-IRG. The Community-Industry Response Group is strictly to protect industry.

I’m here in London. I want to challenge the word royal. Is it royal to annihilate people. Is it royal to arrest people? Is it royal to come to our doors with axes and chainsaws? 

Video of RCMP C-IRG militarized raid.

Is it royal to burn down our homes? Is it royal to arrest us, remove us from our land, incarcerate us and lay charges on us?

They put labels on us. Extremists. Violent protesters. We’re none of that. We’re simply Wet’suwet’en. When they arrest us. Remove us from the land. Put us in jail. Charge us. Put restrictions on us. They are trying to intimidate, and it doesn’t work, it really doesn’t.

When they come us at us with armed force. They get armed personnel carriers, helicopters, attack dogs, snipers, that means they are afraid. They are afraid of you for using your voice and telling your truth.

They are doing it again, [Canada] wants that seat on the United Nations Security Council. Again, we’ll fight it because where is our security in the so-called country of Canada?

They pay special units. $50 million into the [C-IRG] budget, they just put another $36 million. And they think that’s going to scare us off.

Free, prior and informed consent is needed [for this pipeline] through the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People. They have not done that yet. Their idea of free, prior and informed consent is simply sending in militarized with weapons.

Here we are in 2023 facing militarized police. 

How could a country [like Canada] be called democratic when the people themselves who are supposed to lead the country are silenced and faced with violence and militarized forces?

This country that everybody looks to as a free, open and democratic and welcoming country, that should be challenged. It should be challenged by everybody.”

For updates on the Wet’suwet’en struggle against the Coastal GasLink fracked gas pipeline, please see Gidimt’en Checkpoint on Twitter.