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Summary
Algonquin Anishinaabe Territory / Ottawa
Indigenous youth and allies occupying the Ministry of Justice building say David Lametti, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, has the responsibility to intervene to stop the human and Indigenous rights violations happening in Wet’suwet’en territory at the hands of the RCMP.
At 5 p.m., Lametti contacted the youth and spoke to Sophia, the spokesperson for the occupations, on speakerphone.
“As the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, we know that Lametti has tools at his disposal to intervene in what’s happening in Wet’suwet’en territory. We are calling on him to take immediate steps to stop the injustices happening to the Wet’suwet’en people and to engage with the Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs within the next 24 hours.” said Sophia after a press conference this morning.
As the day went on yesterday, dozens of people joined the occupation. At its peak, there were nearly 100 people packed into the reception area of the building. A group of 25 youth stayed through the night, and this morning, spokespeople hosted a press conference.
The RCMP, acting on behalf of the state, invading sovereign Indigenous territory. This is breach of Royal Proclamation and means that the Federal government, including Lametti and Cabinet Ministers, have a responsibility to act decisively. The honour of the Crown is at stake.” says Gabby ….
Organizers say that they will be watching closely to Lametti’s actions and expects him to take action. Their plan is to hold the occupation for the next 24 hours while they plan the next stages of local solidarity actions with Wet’suwet’en.