Posted on 06/29/2007 4:12:49 AM PDT by fanfan
DESERONTO A small group of angry Mohawk protesters made good on their threats to disrupt transportation in Canadas busiest travel corridor on a national day of action to raise public awareness of native concerns such as poverty, health and land claims.
The protest by a group of about 40 Mohawks near Highway 2, west of Kingston, led to the closure of two major highways, as well as the main CN Rail line early Friday, the first day of one of the seasons busiest travel weekends.
Just before midnight Thursday night, Ontario Provincial Police closed a 12-km stretch of the busy Highway 401 between Shannonville and Marysville.
Sgt. Kristine Rae, a spokeswoman for the OPP in Ottawa, said the closure was made out of safety concerns.
Native demonstrators also blocked roads in and out of a reserve in Alderville, Northumberland County, halfway between Toronto and Kingston.
Const. George Silvestri said that both the north and south ends of Alderville, on County Road 45 just north of Cobourg, were blocked by the demonstrators Friday morning.
A county road near the popular Ontario Muskoka town of Bala was also blocked by demonstrators.
Earlier, the Mohawk protesters near Deseronto who threatened that they had arms and were ready to use them, parked an old school bus across secondary Highway 2, forcing a steady stream of traffic and heavy trucks to turn around.
Weve made no secret that we have guns within this camp, protest leader Shawn Brant told The Canadian Press in an interview. Its our intent to go out and ensure a safe day. Unfortunately, previous incidents have shown that aggressive tactics by the police need to be met with equal resistance by the people that theyre bringing those against."
Later, the protesters closed the nearby CN Rail main line, using jumper cables to activate crossing barriers before moving another old school bus onto the tracks.
In anticipation of the blockade, Via Rail suspended Fridays passenger train service on the heavily travelled Montreal-Toronto and Ottawa-Toronto corridors, affecting an estimated 5,000 passengers.
The OPP said motorists travelling on Highway 401 westbound to Toronto were being directed to exit at Highway 41 north to Highway 7, west to Highway 37 and then travel south.
Those travelling eastbound to Montreal or Ottawa were being directed to exit at Highway 37 north to Highway 7 and south on Highway 41.
Brant said earlier the barricades would remain until midnight Friday night.
The protest prompted the OPP to issue an arrest warrant for Brant on a charge of mischief, but police made no move to remove the blockades or arrest him.
Brant, a 43-year-old militant Mohawk, is out on bail on previous charges of mischief, disobeying a court order and breach of recognizance in connection with the 30-hour blockade of the nearby CN rail line April 20.
OPP Commissioner Julian Fantino said police were monitoring the situation closely and warned that criminal activity would not be tolerated.
The rail barricade prompted CN to cancel all traffic on the busy line, affecting almost 50 passenger or freight trains a repeat of the situation in April when CN obtained an injunction to end that blockade. However, police did not enforce the court order.
First Nations protesters are again blocking CNs rail corridor and the OPP continues to refuse to intervene, said a statement issued by the railway early Friday.
As the sun broke over the area, the Mohawks sat around bonfires on both sides the eerily quiet Highway 401. At one point just before dawn, a transport truck appeared on the highway and veered toward the protesters before speeding up the road. It was not clear how the truck got onto the highway.
In the Maritimes, members of the Mikmaq Nation threatened a blockade of the Nova Scotia-New Brunswick boundary on Highway 104.
The threats of blockades were in stark contrast to calls from aboriginal chiefs who called for peaceful protests and a day of reflection.
Canadas premiers and territorial leaders also issued a rare joint statement Thursday, acknowledging that aboriginals are understandably disappointed and frustrated with the past, but urged protesters to keep Fridays campaign peaceful and law-abiding.
Look for a Conservative sweep in fall provincial elections.
John Tory head of the PC party in Ontario is a what we call a red tory or if he were in the USA a RINO. He is famous for being the Kim Campbell campaign manager during the rout of that 1993 election. His theories and style managed to leave the tories with just 2 seats in parliament. What a disaster.
My point is if the PCs manage to win in October they will be just as wimpy
The OPP and the government are of bunch of pussies, unwilling to do anything about blatant provocations by the natives. Personally, I think they should go in with bulldozers, firehoses, tear gas, and, if necessary, sharpshooters to clear the bastards out. I have some sympathy for the conditions of many native peoples in this country, but zero tolerance for this kind of BS.
Unfortunately John Tory is a Tory in name only.
I still laugh whenever I think of a story an old Albertan rancher told me some years ago. He was being critical of race relations in the U.S. because of an incident that had occurred on a vacation trip to the U.S. back in the 1960s -- in which he and a black friend of his apparently made the mistake of trying to eat in a segregated restaurant and were asked to leave.
"That man was an Army veteran and one of the most decent human beings I've ever known. Now why would you folks down there treat him like that just because of the color of his skin? . . . It wudn't like he was an Injun, ya know!"
LOL!
Highway 401 (The MacDonald-Cartier Freway) runs from Windsor (near Detroit) all the way the the Quebec border near Montreal. Quebec Autoroute 20 continues the route into Montreal. This is equivalent to American Indians closing Interstate 95 and is an outrage.
If it continues the Canadian government should treat it as an insurrection and act accordingly.
CFRA’s Lowell Green is just getting warmed up. And he’s burning!
LOL!
Thanks GLC.
You’re welcome! I knew being a Road Geek would occasionally come in handy.
Now if Ontario could just find a way to get rid of the Liberals and John Tory-in-name-only at the same time...
Are these the registered guns of Canada?
Too funny! My parents had an English Canadian friend named Stewie they used to visit on our way to a fishing camp on Upper Bark Lake, Ontario every year.
One night, deep in their cups, the adults were grousing about the state of the world and Stewie offered (in his stutter) that: “the only reason y-y-you got the b-b-b-blacks and w-w-w-we got the F-f-french, is y-y-you got first choice!
I know, I know, I’m only quoting, it was a long time ago. But it illustrates something an anthropology prof told me once, no matter where you go, insularity reigns supreme. The prof’s story:
A field worker about to move on to the next village is warned by the village elders at the farewell feast to beware of the folks in the next valley over because “those people” talk funny, the women are of easy virtue, the men are lazy and thieves too, etc....
When you live off the government, this is how you get a raise.
” Here, hold my fire water”
CFRA radio has just reported the 401 has reopened.
Wonder if he’s related to Joseph Brant, killer of women and children and Mohawk war leader on the British side in fighting in the Mohawk Valley, NY, during the War of Independence.
The Mohawks should be glad they weren’t exterminated during those days, they were firm allies of the British, mortal enemies of the French and later, of the Americans. The Mohawks oppressed all their neighbors and destroyed the Huron Confederacy, helped defeat Metacomet or King Phillip in his war against the British colonists by attacking the Delaware Confederacy in the rear while the settlers took the offensive from the east.
Some redeeming characteristics of the culture are a premium on personal courage and fierce independence. Downsides included the enjoyment of ritual torture: the slow roasting and skinning alive of captives, to include children and a taste for human flesh.
I can’t see the point of letting aboriginal peoples style themselves as “nations” any loger. The only reason for treaties in the first place was to assert a legal claim for use in intra-European power politics of the time. Those times are long past, all treaties and special rights and statuses should be extinguished.
Vae victis, I believe is the tagline.
Many of these people have a direct line of descent on the one side to Britain, Ireland and Europe. Civil servants should pursue genealogy and really put things in perspective.
Tim Hortons was chock ablock this morning on Bay Street, Sault Ste Marie. I could not wait. Then I saw a certain group of presumably natives marching down to Clergue Park. One was carrying a tattered white flag. Hmm.....
I am going to quietly observe that scene later. We were promised "Information only" by local chiefs. Certainly I respect that. Hope it keeps that way.
Lowell Green has clarified......the 401 will be opened soon...Debris needs to be cleaned from the highway first.
I wonder if the Mohawks brought their brooms with them. /sarc
I called it. I said, we gave them land, and the main chief organizing it may have backed off, but they’ll be back next year at latest. Turns out I was being optimistic.
Interesting, thanks.
Not so fast, John Tory is running a lot on his promise to enforce the rule of law, and take real action against the natives who break the law protesting.
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