In Solidarity with the Sovereign Wet'suwet'en Nation
Feb 27, 2020
The Social Justice Cooperative declares our complete and unconditional solidarity with the people of the sovereign Wet’suwet’en nation in their ongoing resistance to Canadian colonialism, as well as with all those who have taken action in support of the Wet’suwet’en nation following invasion by the RCMP.
We demand an end to violence against Wet’suwet’en people and their allies in Wet’suwet’en territory and the immediate evacuation of Coastal GasLink. We demand that the RCMP leave Wet'suwet'en territories. We demand that all Wet’suwet’en land defenders, supporters and journalists who have been arrested in the past week be immediately released and all charges dropped.
From all perspectives, the actions of the RCMP and Coastal Gas Link, supported by the BC and Canadian government, are illegitimate, immoral and unacceptable. Under ‘Anuc niwh’it’en (Wet’suwet’en law) all five clans of the Wet’suwet’en have unanimously opposed all pipeline proposals and have not provided free, prior, and informed consent to Coastal Gaslink/TC Energy to do work on Wet’suwet’en lands.
In addition to violent and blatant ignorance of the law and consent of Wet’suwet’en, the actions of the RCMP and Coastal Gas Link represent a clear rejection of the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous People and a clear violation of the spirit of past commitments to Truth and Reconciliation. It is unconscionable that the governments of BC and Canada are taking this action.
Over the past decade, the Wet'suwet'en people have been providing people across Turtle Island with leadership in the fight against climate change and proper stewardship of lands and waters. Meanwhile, colonial governments across Turtle Island have consistently acted in the interest of the oil and gas industry, which will result in nothing but climate disaster of unimaginable devastation.