Prairie railway blockade set for June 29

Press release from Chief Terrence Nelson of Roseau River First Nation, Manitoba

Ultimatum meets Ultimatum! As Premier Dalton McGuinty and Minister of Indian Affairs Jim Prentice pull out of the Six Nations/Caledonia land claim with ultimatums that the "barricades must come down," First Nations across Canada are issuing their own ultimatums. Last week, 100 Ontario Chiefs walked to the site of the land claim dispute and issued their own warning to Canada. Today Union of British Columbia Chiefs issued full support to Six Nations. In Manitoba, the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, representing 64 First Nations, passed a resolution supporting a 24-hour railway blockade set for June 29th 2006, "to force the Canadian government to establish a reasonable time-frame for settlement of land claims."

Chief Terrance Nelson moved the resolution to "send a message, that resource wealth of our lands are what supports every Canadian." Canada is the third largest producer of diamonds, has 10 per cent of the world's forests, and mines 60 metals and minerals. Oil is now over $72 a barrel, up from $10 a barrel in 1999, and there are 1.4 trillion barrels of oil in the tar sands plus hundreds of other oil and gas producing areas. Canada had eight straight federal government budget surpluses, a 2005 reported net worth of $4.5 trillion, and GDP over a trillion dollars. Today the federal government raises far more revenue from its share of resource royalties than it does from income taxes.

Roseau River will block two railway lines going into the United States. At least six other Manitoba First Nations have vowed to block railway lines at the same time. The financial cost of the railway blockades will be in the millions but the real impact is likely to be the international image of Canada. Canada was the United Nations choice as the "best country in the world to live in" for seven straight years, but while Canada was number one on the index, Canadian First Nations communities mired in extreme poverty were set at the 63rd level on the UN scale. Over 6,000 First Nations land claims are now in limbo.

"What pisses me off when I watch the Caledonia violence" said an angry Chief Nelson, "is the immigrants to our lands didn't bring the diamonds or other resources from Europe in their little wooden boats, yet they have the gall to demand we, the owners of the land and resources, must now pay taxes to them on top of their theft." Treaties 1 to 11 representatives went home last week from a Winnipeg conference to seek support in their regions to initiate railway blockades in traditional territories.

From the First Perspective - National Aboriginal News


Tags for this entry: First Nations, Manitoba First Nations, Land Claims.

posted by Annamarie at 8:01 PM | 1 comment(s)

Amnesty International Canada: Assuring human rights standards vital to the survival of Indigenous peoples worldwide

Recent News Releases

5 June 2006

Open Letter: Canada key to assuring adoption of human rights standards vital to the survival of Indigenous peoples worldwide

Stephen Harper
Prime Minister of Canada
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0A6

June 5, 2006

Dear Prime Minister:

We are deeply concerned by Canada’s recent silence on one of the most important human rights instruments before the United Nations.

The international community has worked for more than two decades to develop a Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples to guide states on measures needed to protect the rights of Indigenous peoples in the face of grave and persistent threats to their well-being, health and survival as distinct cultures.

Canada has played a vital role in this process, helping initiate dialogue among states and Indigenous peoples. The proposed final text for the Declaration that emerged from the Working Group earlier this year clearly reflects deeply felt Canadian values of respect for human rights, democratic government and harmonious relations across cultures.

It is disappointing and puzzling, therefore, that Canada has fallen silent at precisely the point when these much needed human rights standards are on the verge of becoming a reality.

Your government has been urged to support the Declaration by many Indigenous peoples and organizations, as well as human rights and social justice movements in Canada. These include the Assembly of First Nations, the Four Nations of Hobbema, the Native Women’s Association of Canada, and the Grand Council of the Crees. Nor are these peoples and organizations alone in calling for the timely adoption of the Declaration.

Many of the states most actively involved in the Working Group process have clearly stated their support for the adoption of the proposed Declaration this year. Denmark, Finland, France, Mexico, Norway, the Philippines, Spain and The United Kingdom, among others have all called for adoption of the draft Declaration. Canada has not.

Last month, more than 100 Indigenous peoples’ organizations from around the world presented a statement to the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues calling for adoption of the Declaration. The Permanent Forum itself adopted a recommendation calling for “the adoption without any amendments of the draft Declaration ... by the General Assembly during its sixty-first session, in 2006.” The Canadian delegation was silent.

The draft Declaration will be one of the first substantive items on the agenda of the new United Nations Human Rights Council. In running for a seat on this Council, Canada rightly highlighted the leadership role that it has played in the advancement of international human right standards and pledged to do more to address the gap in human rights protections that still exists for Indigenous peoples within Canada. But unlike other states, Canada did not make a commitment to advancing the draft Declaration.

This silence is damaging to Canada’s reputation as a global leader in the protection of human rights. And it is damaging to the cause of justice and rights protection for Indigenous peoples around the world.

Indigenous peoples are among the most vulnerable and impoverished sectors of society – not only in Canada but in every region of the world. Deep rooted racism, discriminatory laws and a long history of marginalization and dispossession have robbed Indigenous peoples of control over their own lives and stripped their communities of the lands and resources without which their economies and ways of life cannot be sustained.

A Declaration alone cannot redress this legacy of impoverishment and discrimination. A few states have tried to claim that recognition of the rights of Indigenous peoples will promote instability and undermine national interests. It is an absurd and cynical claim. The sad reality is that it will be the work of generations to come for Indigenous peoples to enjoy the basic rights that are guaranteed to all.

What the Declaration can accomplish is to send the vitally important message that Indigenous peoples can no longer be excluded from the human rights protections guaranteed for all, that their lives matter and that the international community agrees on the importance and necessity of the survival of their cultures and ways of life.

This is a message that Canada championed in the Working Group and should unreservedly continue to embrace. We urge the government of Canada to end its silence and once again demonstrate leadership by calling for the immediate adoption of this vitally important human rights instrument. It is only the first step. But it is a step that must not be delayed a moment longer.


Amnesty International Canada

Canadian Friends Service Committee

KAIROS - Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives

La Ligue des droits et libertés

Rights and Democracy

For further information from Amnesty International, please contact:

John Tackaberry
Media Relations
613)744-7667 #236


Tags for this entry: Amnesty International Canada, Indigenous Peoples, Human Rights.

posted by Annamarie at 5:31 PM | 1 comment(s)

Grassy Narrows Gathering in July

There is a crisis in Canada's Boreal forest, of which most people are unaware. Most of the Boreal's timber lands have been allocated to logging companies by various provincial governments, and almost all of it is clear-cutting.

In December of 2002, the Indigenous youth of Grassy Narrows lay down in the path of industrial logging trucks, blocking access to their traditional lands. This has sparked the longest standing Indigenous blockade in Canada.

To raise awareness and understanding of this important issue, the Rainforest ActionNetwork (RAN) and Forest Ethics invite all people concerned about the environment to wonderful, informative summer workshops, training, campfires and events at the Grassy Narrows blockade, near Kenora, Ontario.

Background details and further information are provided in the article below, and I will be posting more info as I it becomes available to me.

Earth Justice Gathering
At the Grassy Narrows Blockade
July 10-16, 2006


The crisis in Ontario’s Boreal Forests is heating up. While much of the
world is aware of the devastating destruction occurring in the Amazon
rainforests, many don't realize the other important remaining intact
forest ecosystem left on earth is the Canadian Boreal forest. Not only
is this vast mosaic of forests, river, wetlands and lakes a breeding
ground for billions of birds and home to the endangered woodland
caribou, but it stores more carbon than any other terrestrial
ecosystem, making it one of our first lines of defense against global warming,
and provides more freshwater than any other place on earth. The various
provincial governments in Canada have already allocated most of the
Boreal's productive timber lands to logging companies and almost all
logging is done through clearcuts - some as large as 20,000 acres.

Logging and mining are moving further north threatening this vital
forest ecosystem and the traditional territory of many First Nations in
Ontario.

On December 2nd 2002, the indigenous youth of Grassy Narrows lay down
in the path of industrial logging trucks – blocking access to their
traditional lands and sparking what is now the longest standing
indigenous blockade in Canada.

This summer the Rainforest Action Network and Forest Ethics invite you
to a week of workshops, trainings, stories, campfires, feasting, music
and action at the Grassy Narrows blockade. Let’s join together to
support this visionary action, deepen our understanding of the issues,
and build the bonds between indigenous land struggles and the
environmental movement.

Although the blockade still stands strong, logging companies
Weyerhaeuser and Abitibi are still destroying parts of Grassy Narrows’
traditional lands, and the McGuinty government refuses to address the
growing crisis of unresolved native land rights conflicts and habitat
destruction in the great northern Boreal forest.

We are working closely with community leaders from Grassy Narrows who
have invited supporters of social, economic, and ecological justice to
support their blockade and to bring the action into the stores where
this wood is sold, the legislatures where the laws are passed, the
board rooms where the decisions are made, and to broad public attention in
the media. Let’s answer their call.

Transportation is being arranged from key regions to Grassy Narrows
(near Kenora Ontario, Canada). Gas subsidies will be provided to people
who bring a full vehicle.

Please Contact:
Northern First Nations: Jocelyn Cheechoo - jocelyncheechoo@ran.org

Toronto and Southern Ontario: Kim Fry –
kimf@forestethics.org/416-452-4199

Thunder Bay and Northern Ontario: Damien Lee -
connectwithdamien@gmail.com

Winnipeg and Manitoba: Shelagh – cuban_cigarra@hotmail.com
Wisconsin and Minnisota: Bob Poeschl - carpepax@riseup.net

Unions, Student Unions, activist groups, etc. are encouraged
to sponsor
a vehicle or contribute to the cost of a bus. Contact Kim Fry at
kimf@forestethics.org

Expected Workshops:
Nonviolent Direct Action
Decolonization
Native Land Rights
Activist Legal Defence
Traditional Stories
Boreal Ecology
Tree Climbing
Media Activism
Creative Resistance
Radical Cheerleading
Forest Defence Tactics and Strategies

Accommodation will be vehicle access tenting. Some meals will be
communal, however people are encouraged to be self-sufficient. More
details to come.

For more information, logistical details and updates check out
www.freegrassy.org and
forestethics.ca

Tags for this entry: Grassy Narrows, Kenora, First Nations.

posted by Annamarie at 1:56 AM | 2 comment(s)

Tomgram: Michael Klare on Playing Chess with Iran

Since the British imperial moment of the late nineteenth century, the image of much of the world -- especially Central Asia and the Middle East -- as but a set of pawns in a "Great Game" on a geopolitical "chessboard" where the great powers of whatever era are at play has been a commonplace. Many have died in one version or another of this "game," which, if you don't happen to be in an office in London or Washington or Moscow thinking strategic thoughts, has always had such a distinctly unplayful aspect to it, but the image persists.

In our time, that "chessboard" was revived by Zbigniew Brzezinski, former national security adviser to President Carter, who made it the title of a 1997 book, The Grand Chessboard, American Primacy and Its Geostrategic Imperatives. It has since been picked up by the Bush administration whose key officials, thinking such grand thoughts, had little doubt that, a decade after the Soviet collapse, the U.S. would have its way in the energy-rich former SSRs of Central Asia. Now, with Iraq acting as the geopolitical equivalent of a black hole, sucking all U.S. attention its way, other powers turn out to be capable of playing the game too; and new, still not fully coherent power blocs, are slowly coalescing to thwart Washington's desires.

As historian Immanuel Wallerstein wrote recently about the leftward shift in Latin America, State Department officials "are quite aware that their voice is no longer heard with the respect and fear it once was." Just this week in Asia, where perhaps the greatest tectonic shifts have been taking place, the energy-rich Russians and the energy-eager Chinese are hosting a meeting of a five year-old group, the Shanghai Cooperative Organization (SCO), which we ordinarily hear little about. But it's no less significant for that. To it belong the coming power in Asia and what's left of the fallen superpower of the Cold War era as well as the ‘stans of Central Asia that were once its possessions.

Representatives of other countries are also in attendance in Shanghai, trying to detect the shape of the New Asia and of our new world of scarcer energy resources -- the President of Pakistan, an important Indian oil and gas minister, and Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. He is but one of many key figures in the world of energy resources -- including that close American ally, the Saudi king -- who are increasingly migrating toward Beijing (or Shanghai) for audiences. Ahmadinejad is eager to move Iran from observer status to membership in the Shanghai organization.

Not welcome: the United States. For the last two years, SCO members have even been conducting joint military exercises and they may someday become "a corral of countries capable of countering Western influence." After all, the organization's founding charter calls for it to be the foundation stone of "a new international political and economic order."

Some of this is still little more than wishful thinking from a group of disparate nations with often contradictory needs and goals. But it has certainly rattled the Bush administration and the SCO has lately been termed an "OPEC with [nuclear] bombs" -- on the OPEC front, at least, that's quite an exaggeration. Ariel Cohen of the Heritage Foundation (a neocon hotbed) recently called the SCO, "a Eurasian powerhouse with an increasingly strong military component." Tied down endlessly in Iraq and irritated by Iran's nuclear pretensions, Bush administration officials are increasingly worried about the way the world is trending -- and lately, they've been getting more pugnacious about it. Michael Klare, author of Blood and Oil: The Dangers and Consequences of America's Growing Dependence on Imported Petroleum (which anyone who cares to understand the Great Game of Oil must have in their library), takes the Iranian nuclear dispute out of the narrow constraints in which it is always found in our press, connects the necessary dots, and offers us a seldom encountered view of our world. Tom

posted by Annamarie at 5:55 PM | 0 comment(s)

Tomgram: David Swanson on War Porn and Iraq

The history of war-atrocity snapshots did not start with the Abu Ghraib screen-savers from hell. After all, photography itself came into being as the industrializing West was imposing its rule on much of the planet. That imposition meant wars of conquest; and such colonial wars, in turn, meant slaughter.

From the moment the wooden sailing ship mounted with cannons took to the high seas and Europeans began to seize the coasts of the planet, technological advantage lay with them. When others resisted, as they regularly did, the result was almost invariably an unbalanced slaughter that passed for war. Even in the relatively rare instances when European powers, as at Adowa in Ethiopia in 1896, lost a battle, the casualty figures still tended to run staggeringly in the other direction. In 1898, at the victorious battle of Omdurman, the British, using Maxim machines guns and artillery, famously slaughtered perhaps 11,000 Dervishes, wounding many more, at a cost of 48 British casualties. ("It was not a battle," wrote one observer, "but an execution.")

With the one-sided slaughter their technological advantage in arms (and in the industrial organization of warfare) offered came the presumption by the Europeans, the Americans when they joined the imperial game, and the Japanese when they too leaped in, that there was some deeper kind of superiority -- racial, religious, or civilizational -- at work determining events. And so, above the repetitious fact of slaughter was invariably unfurled a banner with glorious slogans about delivering the benefits of "civilization" (in the French case, literally, the mission civilatrice; in the American case, "democracy") to the ignorant or benighted heathen and barbarians of the backward parts of the planet.

When against such obvious superiority and the benefits that went with it, native peoples "irrationally" resisted their own subjugation, when, against great odds and suffering terrible casualties, they refused to give in and were not wiped away, this naturally confounded expectations. It engendered an incomprehension, sometimes a fury in the troops sent to subject them, who had been assured that their task was an expression of manifest destiny itself. Then, of course, came frustration, resentment, rage, the urge for revenge, in short, the atrocity -- and against such inferior, irrational, inhuman types, it was increasingly something not just to be committed, but to be recorded.

How convenient that the camera was there and ever easier for any common marauding soldier to use. There is, unfortunately, no historian of the trophy war photo (as far as I know), but from the later nineteenth century on, these certainly begin to appear -- Europeans holding Chinese heads aloft after the Boxer Rebellion was crushed by an all-European expeditionary force; the photo albums Japanese soldiers brought back from their imperial (and disastrous) expeditionary campaigns on the Chinese mainland in the 1930s -- those "burn all, kill all, loot all" campaigns against resistant peasants -- with snapshots again of Chinese heads being removed, private records of moments not to be forgotten.

The principle was: Do the barbaric to those already labeled barbarians or "bandits," or "rebels," a principle extended, not surprisingly, to America's imperial wars. When Vietnam descended into the famed "quagmire," for instance, it also descended into an orgy of atrocities. By the accounts of soldiers, the taking of ears, fingers, even heads was not out of the ordinary. As one soldier described the matter to author Wallace Terry in Bloods, An Oral History of the Vietnam War by Black Veterans, "Well, those white guys would sometimes take the dog-tag chain and fill that up with ears… They would take the ear off to make sure the VC was dead… And to put some notches on their guns. If we were movin' through the jungle, they'd just put the bloody ear on the chain and stick the ear in their pocket and keep going. Wouldn't take time to dry it off. Then when we get back, they would nail ‘em up on the walls of our hootch." Another told Terry that the fourteen ears and fingers "strung on a piece of leather around my neck… symbolized that I'm a killer. And it was, so to speak, a symbol of combat-type manhood."

And the camera, which anyone could use by now, was never far behind. Many of these scenes were snapped and undoubtedly kept, including, as journalist Michael Herr recounted in his classic account of the war Dispatches, shots of severed heads. Some of these photos were disseminated. I remember one of them appearing in the late 1960s in an alternative (or, as they were called then, "underground") paper, of a grinning American soldier holding up a severed Vietnamese head in what could only be called a trophy-hunting pose.

Click here to read more of this dispatch.

posted by Annamarie at 1:00 AM | 1 comment(s)

VIDEO: Caught in the Crossfire

A Film by Mark Manning

Independent filmmaker Mark Manning was the only Westerner to travel to Fallujah un-embedded, and he lived with the refugees of Fallujah and experienced life from their point of view, returning with them to their destroyed city after the siege by the United States. Unknown to any authorities, he recorded what he saw. He went through the checkpoints, witnessed the devastation of thousands of homes, shops and mosques, and documented the horrors of the siege as recounted by those who survived inside the city during the battles. The people of Fallujah asked him to tell their story to the world, and he is now fulfilling that request with the release of Caught in the Crossfire. Shot from November 2004 to April 2005 inside the city of Fallujah, Caught in the Crossfire details the conditions experienced by civilians as they endured the violent clashes and consequences of Operation Phantom Fury and became refugees outside the eyes and care of the international community.

Click here to watch this TruthOut VIDEO.


Tags for this entry: Iraq, Fallujah, Operation Phantom Fury.

posted by Annamarie at 12:32 AM | 1 comment(s)

Benefit Concert for Kanenhstaton - June 16th

Native Expressions

David R. Maracle

P.O. Box 323

Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, ON

K0K 1Xo

MEDIA RELEASE

JUNE 12, 2006 BENEFIT CONCERT FOR KANENHSTATON

SIX NATIONS

Just a few words to let you all know that we are still alive, well, and working as hard as ever to make this event the largest First Nations Concert ever to take place in Canada. TAP Resources, Tuesday Johnson-MacDonald, our events coordinator, and her brother Randy Johnson have been amazing in all their efforts in helping us pull this together. Nia:wen to you both!!!!!!!!

The response from people across Canada and the U.S. for supporting the Reclamation Site, and the Benefit Concert has been overwhelming to say the very least. People have donated their time, money, efforts, websites, food, supplies, and artwork for auction for this cause. Everyone has stepped up to the plate; brothers, sisters, our non-native allies and corporations all across North America. It is an amazing feeling to know that your hearts and thoughts have been with us in putting this together. We want to say a heartfelt thank you to ALL of you, and you know who you are, for all your efforts, time and money you have put in to this concert.

The dedicated people and peacekeepers at the site of Kanenhstaton are still dealing with ongoing pressures, racial discrimination, and uneasiness. We are dedicated to working for them, with them, and support them in their endeavors day in and day out.

We know we cannot be with them all the time, but our hearts and thoughts sure are. We know that the recent events have really been unsettling and we ask the Creator to keep The People safe at this very trying time. We love them all as our brothers and sisters, and pray for their safekeeping.

THE CONCERT IS A GO, no matter what, and the expected turn out at this point is a minimum of 10,000 people. We cannot stress enough what a huge endeavor this has been, and truly a journey for us. It has been worth every minute of our time. This concert is not about any individual artist, its about ALL OF US TOGETHER, as one…doing the best we can.

Lets make this day a historical day. Peace, Love and Friendship to all the brothers, sisters, friends and allies of the Six Nations People. We look forward to standing in solidarity with you for Kanenhstaton – The Protected Place.

Concert Founder,

David R. Maracle, Native Expressions

posted by Annamarie at 11:41 PM | 1 comment(s)

Jack Layton demands Caledonia action

It's encouraging to see NDP Leader Jack Layton step up to the plate, and demand that PM Stephen Harper get personally involved to bring about a peaceful solution to the Six Nations (Kanenhstaton) land reclamation.

Wed, June 14, 2006

Caledonia action demanded

UPDATED: 2006-06-14 02:43:06 MST


By BILL RODGERS, OTTAWA BUREAU CHIEF



OTTAWA -- Prime Minister Stephen Harper must get personally involved to bring an end to the increasingly violent land dispute between Natives and non-Natives in Caledonia, NDP Leader Jack Layton demanded yesterday.

"Caledonia is a powderkeg that's about to blow," Layton warned, urging the feds to intervene to bring about a peaceful solution before it explodes into another Oka crisis.

That violent showdown near Montreal in 1990 pitted Mohawk Warriors against Quebec provincial police and eventually Canadian soldiers.

A police officer was shot and killed during the dispute over a Mohawk claim to long-held ancestral land that was being considered as part of a new golf course.

Harper said yesterday his government was doing its part to prevent a similar confrontation.

"We are working closely with Ontario," the PM assured the Commons. "We support the Ontario government's position that the law must be respected and must be enforced," Harper said.

Calgary Sun

Tags for this entry: Jack Layton, Six Nations, Caledonia.

posted by Annamarie at 10:56 PM | 1 comment(s)

News Release from the Six Nations Haudenosaunee Confederacy

NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

June 11, 2006

Six Nations Haudenosaunee Confederacy

----------------------------------------------------------------------------


The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) have issued arrest warrants for seven (7) people from the Six Nations Reclamation site. Charges include attempted murder, robbery, intimidation and causing bodily harm.

The Haudenosaunee Confederacy deliberated this issue during Council on Saturday June 10th, 2006. The individuals involved in these incidents were brought before the Confederacy Chiefs and Clan Mothers, on Sunday, June 11, 2006, to discuss and understand the incidents. The Confederacy Chiefs and Clan Mothers spoke with these individuals about the Great Law of Peace and how it is to guide our actions. Our investigation is continuing. It was decided that for the safety of all involved, these individuals would be removed from the site until our investigation is complete. We are working with the Ontario Provincial Police and the Six Nations Police to ensure the safety of all people within our respective jurisdictions.

Our investigation has indicated the “Border Securtiy” vehicle being driven by the “police officer” was actually an Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearm (ATF) vehicle from the United States of America. Two officers in the vehicle were from the United States of America accompanied by an officer with the Ontario Provincial Police. We have found evidence that indicates these officers were in the area since April 2, 2006 assisting in the current policing of the occupation of the Six Nations Reclamation site. This is particularly concerning due to the reputation of the ATF. The Haudenosaunee are dismayed that the OPP gave permission to these officers from the United States of
America to assist in this situation without any prior communication to our people, this has incited an already tense situation. We are working with the Ontario Provincial Police to clarify this situation.

The Haudenosaunee has legally binding treaties with the Crown. The Two Row Wampum belt and the Silver Covenant Chain affirms the parameters of the relationship between our two governments. These treaties acknowledge the Sovereignty of our people and Nation. The Silver Covenant Chain speaks of a relationship between our two governments based upon Respect, Peace and Friendship. To have a good strong Friendship, there needs to be a commitment to exercise “Kanikonriio” that is the “Good Mind” which means equality, justice, and the Commitment to help each other in times of need. The Two Row Wampum Belt identifies the nation to nation basis which are people are to deal with. The Two Row Wampum Belt depicts our governments operating within our own “canoes”. This means that each of our respective governments will continue to operate under their own laws and will not interfere with the affairs of the other governments.

Tags for this entry: Six Nations, Kanenhstaton, Caledonia.

posted by Annamarie at 10:09 PM | 0 comment(s)

NYC: Immigrant Rights Regional Planning Meeting - Sat. June 17

This information is from the NY May 1 Coalition:

Saturday, June 17
10 am - 4 pm
FIGHT FOR FULL IMMIGRANT RIGHTS
New York Regional Planning Meeting

Sábado, 17 de junio
10 am - 4 pm
LUCHEMOS POR LOS DERECHOS DE TODOS INMIGRANTES
Reunion de Planificación Regional en NY

PS 212 in Queens
34-25 82nd St.
82nd St. stop on the #7 line

Download Leaflets


Dear Friends,

On June 17th, Come Strategize, Organize, and Mobilize – To Continue
THE FIGHT FOR FULL IMMIGRANT RIGHTS

WE URGE YOU TO COME to an important NY REGIONAL PLANNING MEETING:
CONTINUING THE FIGHT FOR IMMIGRANT RIGHTS – WHAT DO WE DO NOW?

ON SATURDAY JUNE 17- FROM 10:AM – 4:PM,
AT PUBLIC SCHOOL 212 IN QUEENS NY 34-25 82ND STREET

ALL ARE WELCOME – Immigrants – Activist – Supporters – Students – Community – Labor - Clergy

The tremendous mobilizations on May 1, and during March and April across the country have give new strength to the fight for full rights for all undocumented workers. However, this struggle is far from over.

The so-called “compromise Immigration reform bill” that the U.S. Senate passed a week ago does not give all undocumented workers full legal and workers rights. In many way the Senate bill is similar to the HR447 Immigrant Criminalization Bill.

If we are to continue the fight for full legalization, no deportation, no wall or militarization of the border, no temporary worker programs, than now is the time for all of the organizations and activists to come together to strategize and plan the next battle in our fight.

Please join us on June 17th at the NY Regional Planning Meeting.

Find out about the latest legislation. – Lets’ come together on June 17, and organize for the future. In the morning part of the planning meeting, we will have discussion groups on many topics. In the Afternoon we will come together to make decisions - The May 1 Boycott showed that we have the power – Lets Organize to use it.

For more information, see www.May1.info


Immigrant Rights are Workers Rights NY MAY 1 COALITION
212-633-6646 - www.may1info

Tags for this entry: New York City, USA, Immigrant Rights.

posted by Annamarie at 3:27 AM | 0 comment(s)

Press Release from UBCIC in Support of Six Nations

JUNE 12, 2006 - 15:20 ET

UBCIC Supports Six Nations

If Discussions Fail, UBCIC Supports Intervention of United Nations Special Rapporteur

Attention: Assignment Editor, Business/Financial Editor, News Editor, Government/Political Affairs Editor

VANCOUVER, BC, PRESS RELEASE--(CCNMatthews - June 12, 2006) -
UNION OF B.C. INDIAN CHIEFS
CHIEFS COUNCIL
JUNE 7TH - 8TH, 2006
VANCOUVER, B.C.
Resolution no. 2006-15

Re: Six Nations: Haldimand Tract Lands

WHEREAS the Indigenous Peoples of Turtle Island enjoy undiminished traditional, inherent, judicial and Constitutional rights to their Indigenous homelands and territories;

WHEREAS the Government of Canada has consistently refused over the course of history and deliberately refused to recognize and reconcile the unresolved land rights issues of the Indigenous Peoples of Turtle Island;

WHEREAS the outstanding issues associated with the conveyance of the Haldimand Tract Lands in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Haldimand Proclamation of 1850 need to be resolved to the satisfaction of the Six nations of the Grand River Territory;

WHEREAS the unresolved land rights issues of the Haldimand Tract Lands have resulted in a 100 day ongoing violent standoff in relation to a proposed commercial housing development known as the Douglas Creek Estates;

WHEREAS as tensions and frustrations escalate, the potential for violence continues to increase on a daily basis;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs fully supports the ongoing efforts of the Clan Mothers and Traditional Chiefs of the Iroquois Confederacy to achieve a peaceful resolution of the violent land rights dispute at the Douglas Creek estates subdivision site at Caledonia, Ontario; and

THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs call upon Prime Minister Steven Harper and Minister of Indian Affairs Jim Prentice to personally intervene in this violent land rights dispute and fully assume and immediately act upon the Government of Canada's constitutional, judicial and fiduciary responsibility to peacefully resolve this outstanding land rights issue and subsequent escalation of violence in Caledonia, Ontario.

THEREFORE BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED THAT in the event that the Government of Canada, through the Prime Minister Steven Harper fails to uphold its responsibility the UBCIC shall support the intervention of Rodolpho Stavenhagen in his role as the United Nations Special Rapporteur, Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms of Indigenous Peoples.

Moved: Chief Fred Sampson, Siska Indian Band
Seconded: Chief Archie Pootlass, Nuxalk Nation
Disposition: Carried
Date: June 8, 2006

/For further information: http://www.ubcic.bc.ca/

CONTACT INFORMATION

Chief Stewart Phillip, President, Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs
Primary Phone: 250-490-5314
Secondary Phone: 604-684-0231
E-mail: president@ubcic.bc.ca

Tags for this entry: UBCIC, Six Nations, Caledonia.

posted by Annamarie at 2:12 AM | 3 comment(s)