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November
9, 2003
THE RAID ON THE LONGHOUSE
On
Thursday morning (November 6) beginning at 10:30 am, the
City of Hamilton sent its police and security guards to
end the 13-week aboriginal occupation of Red Hill Valley.
The raid was conducted by over 60 police and security personnel.
Fourteen people were arrested, four of whom were held overnight.
They were released Friday between 10 am and 4 pm, and were
greeted by dozens of supporters who had spent most of the
day waiting in court for their appearance. Their trial is
scheduled for November 21. They face fines up to $2000 each.
The
police banned all media from the site while they conducted
the raid. They even arrested one Indymedia reporter for
videotaping their activities from outside the restricted
area. Other Hamilton media kowtowed to the media ban. The
official reason given by police for banning media was that
their presence might “encourage the protestors to act
up”. However, people arrested in the Longhouse report
that they were treated in a brutal fashion. For example,
two women report that police pulled at their clothing to
expose parts of their bodies and painfully twisted their
arms. They were carted out by seven male and one female
officer and were taken out through the bush and across the
valley, apparently to avoid media scrutiny. Two separate
sources have reported that one police participant in the
raid was the mysterious “protestor” that screamed
obscenities and abuse at police last week in an attempt
to discredit valley defenders. On the other hand, several
police officers told protestors that they were not happy
about attacking the Longhouse and were forced to do so by
the City.
The
police raid was immediately followed by construction crews
and heavy equipment of Dufferin Construction, the company
whose general manager is the brother of City Councillor
Murray Ferguson. Dufferin proceeded to rip out trees and
around 4 pm they destroyed the Longhouse. Floodlights were
brought in and the destruction continued into the night.
The half-hectare site was completely denuded of trees within
30 hours of the raid.
The
statement below was released by
the Haudenosaunee the day before the raid.
Wednesday,
November 5, 2003
IROQUOIS CONFEDERACY DEFENDS OCCUPATION IN RED HILL VALLEY
From
CHIEF ARNOLD GENERAL on behalf of the Confederacy to Governor
General of Canada, Prime Minister of Canada, and the new
Premier of Ontario.
The
City of Hamilton has not satisfied all required approvals
and permits as it concerns Consecrated Sites and producing
a Deed to demonstrate how and when they acquired the land
from the Iroquois People. The federal Canadian crown, through
its local Indian Agency, the Six Nations Band Council, also
agreed in August with the Iroquois Confederacy People’s
position.
Iroquois
and allied indigenous people from Manitoba, Saskatchewan,
Quebec and the United States are beginning to arrive in
the area to support resistance to highway development through
Red Hill Valley. The Valley includes former Iroquois village
sites, burial grounds, medicines and sensitive wildlife
habitats. Also, consecrated graves of British and American
soldiers killed in the War of 1812 are located in the valley.
Iroquois
Confederacy People in that area were removed in the early
1800's under Canadian governor Francis Bond Head’s
Indian Removal policy. This followed the death of Joseph
Brant.
The
Iroquois Confederacy asserted its jurisdiction on the Red
Hill in Hamilton through posted notices August 6, 2003.
By designating the Red Hill Valley as Six Nations land,
the Confederacy reopened the area for Six Nations People
to reestablish a presence. The Red Hill territory comes
under the jurisdiction of international treaties between
the Iroquois People and the Crown called the Two Row Wampum,
the 1701 Five Nations Chiefs Treaty, and the Haldimand Treaty
proclaiming all lands between lakes Ontario, Erie and Huron
as indigenous people’s country in 1784. Haldimand was
deeded land north of the Niagara Escarpment for occupation
by Europeans.
Recently
the City of Hamilton has made a statement and taken actions
concerning the Red Hill Valley that need clarification at
this time. As Iroquois Confederacy Chief delegate to act
on issues regarding the Red Hill Valley, it is my duty and
responsibility to clarify this Iroquois nations’ understanding.
- The
City of Hamilton and the Iroquois People have agreed to
consultations before actions are taken in the Red Hill
Valley.
- To
this end the Iroquois People have agreed with the City
of Hamilton to negotiate a resolution to our mutual concerns
over the Red Hill Valley
-
At our last council meeting, the Iroquois Confederacy
Chiefs deferred a decision regarding the terms of the
negotiations.
- Currently,
no body or team of Iroquois Confederacy has been authorized
to undertake negotiations with the City of Hamilton in
any way.
- Iroquois
People called Firekeepers have been authorized to protect
the Sacred Fire in the Red Hill Valley, and thus are also
protected from any threat to their safety.
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