BY STEVE PENNER AND AHMAD HAGHIGHAT
IPPERWASH, Ontario - The September 6 killing of Native protester Anthony George by Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) here, and the September 11 armed assault by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) on Native protesters at Gustafsen Lake in British Columbia that left at least one wounded, represent a major escalation of the attacks on Native people by this country's capitalist rulers and their police agencies.
The OPP assault on a group of unarmed Native rights activists also seriously wounded 16-year-old Nicolas George. Bernard George, who was savagely beaten by police, had to be hospitalized.
Hundreds of OPP and RCMP cops armed with assault rifles, stun grenades, and other weapons surrounded Native protesters at the two occupations. At Gustafsen Lake, the Canadian army drove the RCMP in armored personnel carriers. The provincial governments, with the complete backing of Ottawa, have both threatened further police action against the protesters who they characterize as "lawless criminals."
Native rights fighters across the country have begun to mobilize against the government's attacks. Over 1,000 Native people from across Ontario, from other provinces, and from the United States attended the September 11 funeral of Anthony George to express their solidarity. Demonstrations protesting the cop attacks were held in a number of cities including Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, and Ottawa. A round the clock vigil numbering up to 100 people at any one time is being held at Queen's Park in Toronto at the Ontario provincial legislature.
Anthony George, 38, and other Native rights activists began an occupation of 907 hectares of the Ipperwash Provincial Park on September 4, Labor Day, after the park had been closed for the season. They demanded that the Ontario government return the land which it had taken over in 1942. They consider it a sacred Native burial site.
The park sits next to the Ipperwash Military Reserve, about 25 miles east of Sarnia on the shores of lake Huron. On July 29, Native activists took over the main buildings on the base. Natives have been fighting the Canadian government for over 50 years over return of the land, which was taken from them in 1942 under the War Measures Act.
The provincial cops tried to justify the cold- blooded murder of George by claiming that the "occupants... of two vehicles fired on police officers and subsequently police returned fire."
Expressing skepticism of the government's story, the Toronto Star pointed out, "OPP Chief Superintend Chris Coles has refused to say how many shots were fired at police, nor have the OPP shown any weapons that they say were used in the shooting, or any damage caused by the alleged shooting by Chippewa."
"Our people had no weapons," Steve Wolfe, a Kettle and Stony Point First Nation band councilor told the Militant. "They only had sticks and stones to defend themselves against the cop attack."
"One of our band councilors (Bernard George) was beaten even before they started shooting," said Wolfe. The cops knocked him to the ground, kicked and beat him while calling him a dog and a savage. He was hospitalized for three days.
Wolfe also explained that the cops had called in ambulances just before they launched their attack. They refused to use the ambulances, however, to transport the wounded for medical care after the shooting. Anthony George's sister Carolyn had to take him to the hospital by car." The OPP wouldn't even help me lift him," she explained. She believes he might have survived his wounds had the police provided aid.
On arriving at Strathroy Hospital, Carolyn George and another woman were jumped on by police, pushed to the ground, handcuffed and arrested on charges of the attempted murder of her brother. They were released from jail only after doctors confirmed that the bullet that killed her brother came from a police rifle.
Ontario gov't refuses to negotiate
Following the shootings, Ontario Conservative
premier Mike Harris, rejected the demand of Ovide Mercredi,
head of the Assembly of First Nations, that the government
negotiate with the Native protesters occupying the park. The
federal government has taken the same position against those
occupying the military base.
Harris labeled the Native protest an "illegal occupation" and a "criminal matter for the police."
Harris's racist attitude towards native people is well known. In 1994, before he became premier in last June's provincial election he stated that "too many [Natives] spend all their time on courts and lawyers and they just stay home and do nothing."
Harris has stated he won't talk to any of the Native people until the occupation is ended. Mercredi accused him of wanting to negotiate "out of the barrel of a gun."
Contrary to the impression given by the capitalist media that non-Native residents don't support the protests, a peace march was called for September 11. At the request of the George family it was postponed until after the funeral.
Scott Ewart, one of the peace march organizers, explained that the rally would have laid the responsibility for the confrontation on Ottawa. "They had 50 years to solve this problem. What we see today is the result of 50 years of frustration." While a number of non-Native residents explained to Militant reporters their support for the OPP actions others expressed their anger at the massive police presence in the area.
Following the cop assault at Gustafsen Lake in British Columbia, the RCMP claimed they were only returning fire after being attacked by three Native protesters in a truck. However, there is no evidence that this is what happened. The Natives explained that their truck was disabled by a land mine as they attempted to break the tight police siege of the occupation in order to get fresh water. As police using armored personnel carriers opened fire, the truck burst into flame and the protesters fled into the woods.
The day after the killing of George at Ipperwash, British Columbia premier Mike Harcourt called on the protesters at Gustafsen Lake to "surrender" and warned that if they didn't their protest could end in a "tragedy" like the death of Anthony George at Ipperwash.
Ahmad Haghighat is a member of Local 1295 of the International Association of Machinists. Steve Penner is a member of Local 5336 of the United Steelworkers of America.