– “We’re not leaving”. OPP: “We’re coming in at dark to take you out!”

MNN: April 25, 2008. Aserakowa 613-243-4993 still at the quarry.

Shawn Brant was doing a media interview with APTN News in Tyendinaga on Deseronto Boundary Road. Ontario Provincial Police came along with an outstanding assault charge. They arrested Shawn. They hauled him off to jail. Then the OPP closed both ends of Deseronto Road. The Aserakowa came down to see what was going on.

Steve Flynn of Aboriginal Response Team ART of the OPP showed up. We talked. Flynn told the Aserakowa about Shawn. By then we had men at both ends of the road. He talked about opening the road. Flynn said, “You walk away and we’ll walk away. Okay?” Both Flynn and the Aserkowa agreed.

“We will get in our cars and you’ll get in yours”, said Flynn. It turned out to be a set up. The Rotiskenreketeh started moving off the road. Suddenly about 10 OPP jumped about 5 of our guys, threw them in the ditch, beat them up and arrested them. They hauled them off to jail. No reasons were given for the arrests or assaults. The OPP is certain not operating on an honorable nation to nation model. It is not even offering the kind of fiduciary protection for indigenous rights as it is supposed to, according to the supreme Court of Canada.

Since when have the colonial institutions ever acted to protect Indigenous people?

After behaving like thugs and beating up our guys, the OPP pulled out their weapons and pointed them at us. For our safety, we retreated back to the quarry. We didn’t want to get shot.

Once we got there cops swarmed us from every direction. They were everywhere as far as we could see, armed to the teeth with their guns pointed directly at us all the time.

Then they came over with loud speakers, told us to come away from the quarry, down the hill, with our hands up in the air “where we can see them”.

We told them, “Fuck you. This is Mohawk land. We’re not leaving”. They raised their weapons and aimed at us again.

“You’re going to have to shoot us”, we told them.

Then there was more build up. They told us they are coming in at dark to take us out. They are moving Mohawk people off Mohawk lands at the end of a gun barrel.

The Mohawks are unarmed.

The OPP have SWAT Teams, ambulances, dogs and we can’t see if they ships in the water.

Arrested are Clint Brant, Steve Hill, Dan Doreen, Shawn Brant and Mac Kunkel. We don’t know where they’ve been taken.

Six Nations people have closed down three roads. Akwesasne guys are on the International Bridge. In Kahnawake there will be closures.

They will be coming after us at about 8:30 pm EDT, as soon as it gets dark.

We’re not moving. We know that.

We don’t know what’s going to happen. This is Ipperwash, 1990, Gustafsen Lake, Six Nations, the list goes on. If they harm any of those guys at Tyendinaga, there’s no saying what will happen.

The message from the men is that we will defend the land. That’s our duty according to the Kaianerekowa, Great Law of Peace, the law of Turtle Island.

SEND URGENT OBJECTIONS TO PREMIER MCGUINTY OF ONTARIO; PRIME MINISTER STEVEN HARPER; JULIAN FANTINO COMMISSIONER OF THE OPP: tell them to call off their thugs and stop breaking the peace. They have a obligations under international law to resolve any disagreements peacefully. They have an obligation to keep the peace, not to break it.

LIVES ARE AT STAKE.

MNN Mohawk Nation News

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To:RDONM@MBQ-TMT.ORG>,

poster: katenies

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