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Six Nations: Warrants Issued for Four Protesters (updated)

I have just received this from an acquaintance, about the one of the warrants issued for a Six Nations protester:

"It is my understanding that Dave Martin would not rise in court when he was called because they would only identify him by his English name. They knew he was there and there were discussions in the court about what adaptations of his English name the court was willing to make. However, the discussions concluded with the court issuing a bench warrant for him. This is a repeat of racist dealings by the court with Six Nations people; there were incidents previously (after the raid) in which the court proceeded against people as though they refused to identify themselves because they had given their native names and not their "real" names."

This article about the warrants issued for four native protesters is from the Hamilton Spectator:

Warrants issued for four protesters
By Meredith Macleod
The Hamilton Spectator
(May 18, 2006)

Warrants have been issued for four native protesters who failed to appear in court yesterday to answer to charges laid during an OPP raid at the Caledonia standoff almost a month ago.

Wayne Mark Van Every, 30, Albert Douglas, 30, David Allen Martin, 44, and Alex Crawford, 18, all face arrest warrants. They face a series of charges including assault, resisting arrest, intimidation and failing to appear.

At least one of the accused came to the courthouse but refused to answer when summoned to appear before the judge. As the judge was preparing a warrant, the man left the courthouse after passing OPP officers unimpeded.

The natives say the Canadian court has no jurisdiction over them.

A fifth accused, Jeffrey Henhawk, of Caledonia, did appear in Cayuga court. His case was adjourned to June 14. He has asked to represent himself.

The protest in Caledonia over the partially built Douglas Creek Estates is now in its 79th day.

Last night, Six Nations residents were given an update on negotiations. A Spectator reporter was forced to leave the meeting shortly after it began.

"We're not racist. There is a media ban," said a man dressed in fatigues who said he was security.

The meeting included provincial negotiator David Peterson.

Hopes for a resolution were raised last week when Chief Allen MacNaughton speculated the barriers could come down as early as tomorrow.

The more than 150 people who attended were asked in a survey: "If the safety of the on-site reclamation supporters could be assured, would you be in favour of removing (the) Highway 6 barricades?"

There were also questions about whether the Six Nations band council should provide more financial support to the protest and whether children should be at the site.

As that meeting was happening, there was another serious crash on the detour roads surrounding the Highway 6 bypass barricade.

McKenzie Road south of 4th Line was closed at around 7 p.m. for a single-car accident.

A helicopter and several land ambulances were used to transport four injured occupants.

A nearby farmer said the traffic on 4th Line has increased "1,000 times" since the barricades went up and all Highway 6 traffic has been rerouted.

"We're very scared by the speeding, especially the trucks," said the man, who declined to give his name.

McKenzie Road was closed Tuesday for another accident which injured three people. Natives opened the barricade for a few hours to let traffic flow while the accident was cleared up.

mmacleod@thespec.com

posted by Annamarie at 5:29 PM