#Wet'suwet'en strong

[allthecanadianpolitics]

The RCMP’s Community-Industry Response Group (C-IRG), a special unit that polices Indigenous resistance against resource extraction in British Columbia, has adopted the playbook from former CIA director David Petraeus, according to a presentation at a summit held on Wet’suwet’en territory this week.

Kai Nagata, communications director at Dogwood BC, spoke at the third annual Peace and Unity Summit for Wet’suwet’en and Gitxsan hereditary chiefs, elders and allies from human rights organizations from around the world.

Looking around the room, those in attendance sat in shock at what they were hearing and seeing. Nagata’s presentation highlighted the darker truths behind the campaign of violence and intimidation many Indigenous community members have experienced on their territory for years in their fight against the Coastal GasLink pipeline.

The images of the RCMP’s militarized tactical team raids on Wet’suwet’en territory in the winter of 2021 made headlines across Canada and around the world. [...]

Continue Reading.

Tagging: @politicsofcanada, @vague-humanoid

[nururu]

URGENT Call For Mutual Aid - HOUSE zaagaasige NOW

A friend of mine is in urgent need of housing. She is the coolest person I know. such a huge inspiration, guide, and well of knowledge for me, and life for her has been difficult and more than anything I want to see that remedied. I deeply admire them and would love to see them be able to acquire safe housing once and for all. Please please please consider donating. If you can't donate please reblog and share the link.

https://gofund.me/01f5aaef

GoFundMe description:

Artist, activist, land-defender and water-protector needs stable housing immediately! Salvation Army shelters have proved to be unsafe for Trans and Indigenous folks, and tenting in Thunder Bay is not a survivable option.

Among her notable actions, zaagaasige had stood strong for the water and land on Wet'suwet'en territory. They faced police brutality while fighting against the expansion of the TMX project.

They're an acclaimed artist in what can be described as an anarcho-woodland style. They're a de-colonizing philosopher, educator and pundit. They are a parent needing to reconnect with family. They're a hilarious, outspoken sh!t disturber in the best ways. They are heartbroken, wounded, and they need care.

Earlier last spring, promises of housing and work lured her out west. Those promises never materialized, and she began living rough in the downtown east side of Vancouver. Her experiences on the DTES left zaagaasige traumatized, and forced her to return to Thunder Bay. She needs assistance regaining her ID, finding safe, permanent housing, peace of mind, medicines, paint and canvas, clothing, and a hundred other material and clerical things you and I take for granted every day.

zaagaasige can make a decent living creating, but they first must receive help building a solid foundation after losing almost everything. This is an easily attainable goal, and she deserves so much more for her work.

[beguines]

Due to the current long economic crisis, as aforementioned, we can admit the labour aristocracy is also in crisis.

Now that more and more workers in the capitalist nations are beginning to experience the reality of their counterparts in other parts of the world—and the social securities established because of expansionist profit recuperation are under assault—the contradictions of capitalism are becoming less muted in the imperialist nations than they were before. But as I pointed out, the strong economistic consciousness valorized by the labour aristocracy is still in place. Once again, we need to isolate economism from the labour aristocracy; the latter might be the reason for the current variant of the former, but the former might survive well after the latter has vanished—we know from historical experience, after all, that particular forms of bourgeois consciousness linger well into the period of socialism and contribute to the reinstitution of capitalism.

Moreover, the crisis experienced at the centres of capitalism is not isolated from the rest of the world. The standard of living in the periphery is also dropping: globally speaking, the crisis has not resulted in a situation where every worker is being exploited equally. There are the unending wars and massacres launched by the imperialist nations and cheered on by reactionary workers who wish to recover from their crisis: the labour aristocracy wants to remain the labour aristocracy. These imperialist ventures mean jobs and the maintenance of a certain standard of living for various sectors of the global working class, as well as wholesale environmental devastation that large sections of imperialist workers are willing to accept as long as they have stable jobs and a certain standard of living. Internally, within settler-capitalist nation-states (such as the US and Canada) large sectors of the working class are told that their right to have stable jobs is being adversely affected by Indigenous resistance—such as the blockades in solidarity with Wet'suwet'en's resistance to the TransCanada pipeline that severely hampered Canadian capital in 2020—and large sections of settler workers blame the colonized for their disenfranchisement.

This is the labour aristocracy.

Nor is the theory disproved by the fact that there are indeed groups of workers living in the centres of capitalism who experience a similar standard of living to their peripheral counterparts. Reality is complex but the existence of complexity does not mean we should never establish scientific categories. And, in any case, it is these workers whose day-today experience flies in the face of the labour aristocracy's preponderance who are more likely to see beyond an economistic consciousness. The long-standing organizational maxim to go further and deeper into the masses, to reach the "hard core" of the proletariat remains a truism. The labour aristocracy exists, it copper-fastens economism, but beneath those who are still inured to its persistence are other strata of workers—the most marginalized and disenfranchised—who still understand there is nothing left to lose but their chains.

J. Moufawad-Paul, Politics in Command: A Taxonomy of Economism

[antifainternational]

MUSIC TIME!

[newsfromstolenland]

How might Canada atone for its deeply colonialist impact, should the government ever be willing? Specifically, how could "Vancouver" be returned to its rightful Indigenous owners? Sorry for asking you so many questions but I've only seen Canada once and it was only the flat part of Ontario and I'm just beginning to realize the deep-seated issues that have been affecting Canada since the start of colonialism. Also, I really love your blog and deeply respect your opinion.

thank you for the support!!

first of all, I want to make it clear that what follows are my personal suggestion. I am not Indigenous, and I believe that the future of this land should be directed by First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people. however, I'm not suggesting that you hop on over to an Indigenous person's blog and ask them to put in the emotional labour of explaining their views to you

I believe that an essential part of decolonization is supporting and uplifting the voices of Indigenous people. If settlers and colonists dictate the terms of decolonization, then it is not true decolonization

The base, the bare minimum that must first be accomplished, is upholding our treaty responsibilities. You can find which Indigenous territories you live on, what Indigenous languages are spoken, and what treaties you are subject to at the link below

From there, research the treaties that apply to the land you occupy and figure out how to uphold them.

Support movements like 1492 Landback Lane, Wet'suwet'wen, and more!

Read up on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission at the link below

Other movements that are not specifically Indigenous focused can be related. The Black Lives Matter movement has many similar goals to Indigenous movements (ending police brutality, ending racial profiling, addressing systemic and societal racism, etc.)

Support abolishing colonial police!

These are just first steps that you can take now. From there, it's all about supporting Indigenous voices and movements.

[pnwpol]

AVAILABLE NOW @ https://www.solidarityartspace.com/

[fixomnia-scribble]

I know some fine Aboriginal RCMP officers. Dedicated and inspired by being part of the national conversation on Indigenous and non-Indigenous cultures and cultural lifeways co-existing. I cannot imagine what this week - this past month - has been like for them.

I note the RCMP hasn't been placing their Division Liaison Teams and Aboriginal Special Constables in every media shot this time.

#Wet'suwet'en Strong

[hexenmeisterer]

Snap solidarity actions in support of Indigenous land defenders on Wet'suwet'en Territories are taking place today (2/6) and tomorrow (2/7).

look for an event in your area here (twitter thread) or here on facebook, which includes information you’ll need to take part in the “phone zap” from anywhere.

Donate to the Unist'ot'en 2020 Legal Fund to support land defenders that have been arrested

[milkboydotnet]

(via When All Else Fails, Wet'suwet'en Supporters Block the Rails)

[allthecanadianpolitics]

Twelve Wet’suwet’en land defenders have applied to the Supreme Court of British Columbia to have criminal contempt charges stayed following RCMP raids in 2021.

“Society is rightly concerned with how a special unit of RCMP (C-IRG) acts with impunity, using racist language and violence against unarmed Indigenous women. Now it’s in the court’s hands to decide if this is still acceptable in 2023,” said Sleydo’ (Molly Wickham), spokesperson for the Gidimt’en Checkpoint and one of the 12.

They cite widespread Charter violations stemming from police misconduct as the reasoning.

The court applications allege an “abuse of process” and highlight the RCMP’s use of “disproportionate and excessive force” in November 2021. [...]

Continue Reading.

Tagging: @politicsofcanada

[flamefxg]

Solidarity Action with Wet’suwet’en land defenders, Ottawa, Ontario 02/17/2020

[discolemonaaade]

The fight is not over for the Wet'suwet'en! Please reblog, check out this link, do whatever you can to help!

Indigenous genocide is not a thing of the past. It's happening right now.

[doesthendnlive]

Jesse Wente on CBC Listen about the arrest of protesters in Tyendinaga