Members of the Industrial Workers of the World across Turtle Island, within and outside of so-called Canada extend our admiration and solidarity to the Wet’suwet’en land defenders struggling for the protection of their traditional territories and for the recognition of their land rights and sovereignty. After a decade of peaceful resistance to the construction of a natural gas pipeline through their traditional lands, Wet’suwet’en land defenders at Unist’ot’en camp were subject to armed aggression and violence last month as they were removed from their lands by RCMP agents. These invasions by the Canadian state contravene international law, UNDRIP, and Canada’s own Supreme Court precedents.
The SITT-IWW is heartened by the success of solidarity actions in recent months which strike at the heart of the state’s economic engine. While mainstream media and public narratives surrounding these protests and blockades display the reactionary values and racism at the core of so-called Canadian society, the creative and committed direct actions underway across the continent should inspire our membership and working people the world over. It is with great enthusiasm that the SITT-IWW declares its support for the land defenders and working class people across Turtle Island who are engaging in direct action and legal battles against colonial machinations.
The extraction and accumulation of capital across Turtle Island and worldwide is founded on and accomplished by the violent colonialist dispossession and repression of Indigenous peoples. As the climate crisis escalates and further destabilizes the working class, human survival increasingly depends on policies and actions made today with respect to land and water. Until the RCMP withdraws from Wet’suwet’en lands (to which Canada has no legal claim), direct action against the state’s economic infrastructure is vital. The SITT-IWW thanks and supports the Wet’suwet’en land defenders and solidarity blockaders and condemns the colonial violence perpetrated by the Canadian and British Columbian governments, the RCMP and CGL.